Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans)

This post may contain affiliate links.

Frijoles Negros | Delish D'Lites

A bowl of creamy, rich black beans is the mark of a good Cuban restaurant in my book.  This humble dish is one of my all-time favorite Latin side dishes.  Give me a bowl of these black beans with a scoop of rice and sprinkling of chopped avocado, and I’m a happy girl.  It’s actually a perfect Meatless Monday meal.  In fact, these beans are so good, you can eat them all by themselves, no rice, no nothing.  While this recipe is made on the stove top, you can also make this dish in the slow cooker. I’ll share both versions below.

ingredients

Serves 8

1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and picked clean
4 cups of water
1/4 cup sofrito
2 smoked ham hocks
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 packet Goya Sazon seasoning
2 bay leaves
4 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

directions

 Pour the dried beans into a strainer, and rinse them off in cold water.  Pick through them to check for small stones, sticks or deformed beans.

Pour the rinsed beans into a large pot, and cover them with 4 cups of water.  Bring the beans to a boil, boil them for 2 minutes, and then turn them off.  Allow the beans to soak for 1 hour.  This is the quick soak method I use to cook dried beans without having to pre-soak them overnight.

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) | Delish D'Lites

 Once the beans have soaked for an hour, turn the stove back on, to a medium heat.

Add the sofrito, ham hocks, cumin, oregano, Sazon and bay leaves into the beans.  Pour in the chicken stock, and stir the mixture together to combine.  Bring the beans to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low.  Cover the pot and cook the beans for 2 hours, until they’re tender.

When the beans are done, add the vinegar, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste.  I like mashing about a cup of the beans with a potato masher to make the liquid extra velvety.  That’s totally up to you.

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) | Delish D'Lites

 Serve the beans as is, or with some fluffy white rice.

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) | Delish D'Lites

 Slow Cooker version:

Soak the beans overnight or do the quick soak method explained above.

Drain the beans of any residual liquid.

Add the soaked beans into the slow cooker insert, along with all the ingredients except the vinegar, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Cook the beans on low for 8 hours.  When they’re done, add the vinegar, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) | Delish D'Lites

What To Serve with Cuban Black Beans?

This recipe is so versatile. it can be served all by itself, or as a side dish with white or yellow rice.

Here are some other Cuban dishes to make this a whole Cuban meal:

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans) | Delish D'Lites
Frijoles Negros | Delish D'Lites
4.6 from 5 votes
Print

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans)

Servings 8
Author Delish D’Lites

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried black beans rinsed and picked clean
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1/4 cup sofrito
  • 2 smoked ham hocks
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 packet sazon seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Stovetop Version

  1. Pour the dry beans into a strainer, and rinse them off in cold water. Pick through them to check for small stones, sticks or deformed beans.
  2. Pour the rinsed beans into a large pot, and cover them with 4 cups of water.
  3. Bring the beans to a boil, boil them for 2 minutes, and then turn them off.
  4. Allow the beans to soak for 1 hour.
  5. Once the beans have soaked for an hour (don’t drain them), turn the stove back on, to a medium heat.
  6. Add the sofrito, ham hocks, cumin, oregano, Sazon and bay leaves into the beans.
  7. Pour in the chicken stock, and stir the mixture together to combine.
  8. Bring the beans to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low.
  9. Cover the pot and cook the beans for 2 hours, until they’re tender.
  10. When the beans are done, add the vinegar, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Crockpot Version

  1. Pour the dry beans into a strainer, and rinse them off in cold water. Pick through them to check for small stones, sticks or deformed beans.
  2. Soak the beans overnight in 4 cups of water, or pre-cook them using the quick soak method.
  3. Drain the beans and pour them into the slow cooker insert.
  4. Add the sofrito, ham hocks, cumin, oregano, Sazon and bay leaves into the beans.
  5. Pour in the chicken stock, and stir the mixture together to combine.
  6. Cook the beans on low for 8 hours, until tender.
  7. When the beans are done, add the vinegar, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Frijoles Negros (Cuban Black Beans)

Share

What's for dinner?

Get email updates

Get new free recipes and exclusive content delivered right to your inbox.

22 Responses

  1. When using the crock pot to cook the beans should I only use the 4 cups of chicken stock ? Or should I add more water ? Thanks !

  2. What measurement do I use to sub the Packet of Sazon seasoning with the tub one that I have sitting in my pantry?

    1. I usually do my beans in the pressure cooker and from the time they start boiling I leave them 30 – 35 minutes. Hope this helps you.

  3. 5 stars
    These look amazing. I love black beans. My father is Cuban and his beans and black rice is to die for. Very similar recipe. The ham hocks definitely give the flavor! Can’t wait to check out your site. 🙂

  4. I want to try this recipe! But one question, if I do stovetop, do I drain the water I used to boil-presoak the beans? Only use chicken stock right?

    1. Hi Jennifer, if you’re using the stovetop don’t drain the beans after the boil/presoak, and check out the printable recipe at the bottom of the blog. Enjoy!

  5. 5 stars
    I knew by the ingredient that the beans were going to come out good. I just didn’t know how it was going to taste without tomato sauce. I actually enjoyed them better this way, they didn’t sit so heavy in my stomach. Great recipe!!

  6. I will try making these! I love black beans but haven’t been successful making them from scratch. It’s likely I can’t find ham hocks in my area though, is there a substitute or just do without?

    1. Hi Lori, you can use some sliced bacon as a substitute, put 2-3 whole slices into the pot while the beans cook, then fish them out at the end.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hola

I’m Jannese, Founder of Delish D’lites

I’m a Puerto Rican girl living in paradise (Florida), and the creative mind behind Delish D’Lites. I love sharing my family recipes and travel inspired cuisine! My favorite things include collecting passport stamps, twerking to Latin music, and kissing puppies. Follow along on social.