How to Make Slow Cooker Black Beans

This recipe was originally published in February of 2016. It has been updated.

We LOVE black beans. Everyone needs a great essential recipe for preparing black beans. Our family eats them alone, on tacos, in soups, mixed with salsa and rice...so many ways. You've gotta learn how to make slow cooker black beans.

Ingredients Needed:

• Dried black beans
• Water - You can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
• Onion
• Garlic
• Bay Leaves
• All purpose seasoning or salt

How to Make Slow Cooker Black Beans

This easy method can easily be used to cook just about any dried beans...white, pinto, kidney, etc. Preparing them this way is so much easier than soaking overnight, rinsing, then cooking.

First though, you have to drain, rinse, and pick out the ugly beans.

Just throw everything in the slow cooker, set it to low, and then go.

It is that easy. This black beans recipe is a breeze, and you have beans for days. Unless you eat a ton of beans, in which case you have beans for day.

Here are links to our recipes using black beans:

Southwestern Black Bean Soup with Roasted Jalapenos

Black Bean Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Breakfast Quesadillas..... I told you...we love black beans!

Chopped onions add so much flavor to any dried bean recipe preparation. Do not skip this step.

And garlic.  Don't worry, it isn't too much. We're cooking a lot of beans, and garlic is essential to the flavor.

I do not add the salt / seasoning until the last 30 minutes of cooking. This gives you a chance to taste them after they have cooked with the garlic, onion, and bay leaf and then decide what you need to add.

Plus, I've always heard that adding salt before they cook causes the beans to be tough....but I can't confirm this. (Because I don't do it.)

Just use 1 or 2 bay leaves. Don't forget to pull them out of the beans before serving.

Toss everything in the slow cooker, then add the water. Turn on low for about 6 hours. Don't add the seasoning until the end.

To test for doneness, get a spoon and get a couple of beans out. Blow on the beans and if the skin splits easily they are done. Or, you can taste one.

So good and so simple.

Easy and awesome, the kind of thing we love to make! Save this black beans recipe, you will need it.

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