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Slow Cooker Black Beans

Did you know that you can make your own black beans in the slow cooker?  You can and it’s so easy!  The great thing about making your own is that they taste better and you can control the amount of sodium in them.  They’re also cheaper than canned.  I bought one pound of organic dried black beans for $2.45 and it yielded the equivalent of 3 cans of beans.  Once they were cooked, I divided them up into freezer bags and put them in the freezer.  Now I have tasty organic black beans ready whenever I need them.

And I’m not kidding when I say they’re easy.  All you do is put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it go.  When it’s that easy, it’s so worth it to make your own!

Slow Cooker Black Beans

bowl of slow cooker black beans with garnish on top

  • 1 lb dried organic black beans
  • 1 onion, quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 4 cups chicken stock (I used homemade)
  • 2 cups water

Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours until beans are soft.  Strain liquid from beans.  Divide beans into quart size freezer bags.  About 1 1/2 cups is equivalent to 1 can.  Freeze until ready to use.

Here are some recipe suggestions for using these yummy beans:

Barbecue Black Beans and Rice

Beef Tortilla Soup

Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

ENJOY!

Shared at these great blogs:

Miz Helen’s Country Cottage

The Country Cook

Everyday Mom’s Meals

Basilmomma

Yvette Adams

Saturday 26th of October 2013

Thanks SO much for this recipe! We can't buy tinned black beans in Australia and I have so many great recipes that include them! I was able to find dried black beans. I cooked them today and had the barbeque black beans with dinner and froze the rest. SO GOOD!

Karamie

Thursday 23rd of May 2013

Did you soak the beans overnight first?

Lisa

Thursday 23rd of May 2013

No, I just put them in straight from the bag. They turn out perfectly!! :)

Sarah

Monday 4th of March 2013

Hey there! Have you ever doubled the recipes?? Did you double the time as well?? Thanks!! :) Sarah

Lisa

Monday 4th of March 2013

Hi Sarah! I have not doubled this before, but I wouldn't think you'd need to double the cooking time. I think it would still cook in about the same amount of time, maybe just slightly longer.

Ashley

Wednesday 26th of September 2012

What do you do with the liquid? I couldn't stand just throwing it out, especiall something as precious as good stock :)

Lisa

Wednesday 3rd of October 2012

Actually there wasn't a whole lot of liquid left when the beans were done, so I did just throw it away. But you could certainly save it and use it as part of the liquid in any soup you make with black beans in it. :)

Krista@EverydayMom'sMeals

Sunday 23rd of September 2012

We love black beans and I love this idea for an easy side dish on a cold winter night! Thanks for sharing at Church Supper. Have a blessed week & come back soon!

Lisa

Sunday 23rd of September 2012

Thanks Krista!