19 Best Black Bean Recipes

You've found a can of black beans in your pantry and want to use them, but can't come up with any recipes. Look no further. Here's a collection of amazing, tastebud astounding dishes that will have you going back to the store for cases of the musical fruit.

Many of the foods here have Latin American flavors. That's not surprising considering black beans are native to the Americas and Brazil is currently the biggest producer, exporter, and consumer of black beans, but they are popular throughout Latin America and beyond. Though, in decades past, few people in the U.S. bought black beans, today you can buy them at any grocery store in the states.

Beans contain a large amount of protein and are much better for the environment than beef and other meats. What makes black beans useful in particular is their amazing hue of deep purple, almost black, that is eye-catching in almost any dish. There's also the earthy flavor and smooth, creamy texture as some of the good reasons to tie your apron and get some black beans simmering on the stove.

A bowl of Mexican-style black beans brightened with cilantro and chili powder tastes delicious and works as both main dish and side. 

You can prepare this recipe quickly, as it'll only take 25 minutes. Grab a can of beans, dice an onion, and put some garlic in the press. Next, throw everything into the frying pan. You don't even need to drain the can since leaving that extra juice will give these beans a smoother texture. If you have pre-cooked black beans left over from another recipe or in your freezer, this is a delicious way to use them.

Recipe: Mexican Black Beans

Nothing can warm you up on a chilly day like a piping-hot bowl of soup. Make that soup with beans, green chiles, and cumin, and you'll forget about winter altogether.

Use canned black beans and it will only take you around 20 minutes to get this soup on the table. You'll need to sauté the onions, but after that, it's just a matter of combining broth, canned beans, tomatoes, and spices in a single pot. Once everything's warm, run it through the blender. Serve with broken tortilla chips on top, grated cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

Recipe: Black Bean Soup

Starchy black beans substitute for flour in this brownie recipe perfect for anyone avoiding gluten. Having extra nutrients and protein as part of the sweet treat is welcome a bonus. 

Pour a can of black beans and other ingredients into a blender and mix until there are no whole beans left. Add chocolate chips and chopped walnuts for extra flavor and texture. It takes 30 minutes to bake, but it will be hard to wait that long for something so tasty.

Recipe: Black Bean Brownies

Bite into a roasted sweet potato and black bean taco and the first thing you'll feel is the crunch of the corn taco shell. Then, your teeth will sink into a gooey, caramelized sweet potato. Finally, you'll taste earthy black beans. It's all perfectly complimented with a mix of garlic, cumin, chili powder, and paprika.

With carbs and protein already taken care of, if you top it off with tomatoes and avocado, you'll get a serving of veggies too. These tacos make it a pleasure to eat well.

Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

Sometimes a burger sounds good, but you can't eat beef. It that's the case and you also love southwestern seasonings, try this recipe made with corn, green chiles, green salsa, and olives in addition to the legumes.

If you've ever made veggie burgers at home before, you may have had trouble getting them to stick together. That's not the case with these patties as the green salsa combines with the starchy rice to hold things together and so you can shape and cook these patties easily. These are perfect for a plant-based summer picnic.

Recipe: Green Chile Black Bean Burger

This corn chowder recipe with black beans will make one of the creamiest soups you'll ever eat. That smooth texture comes from combining cream with potato and corn puree to make a base. The taste is all corn, black bean, sweet pepper, cilantro, lime, and chili. Make sure you rinse the black beans well before adding them. Otherwise, your soup will look less cream-colored and more burnt umber. 

This is the perfect soup to serve in the fall. It's easy enough to make on a school night and eating it will give you warmth on those first chilly nights of the year.

Recipe: Copycat Panera Corn Chowder

This taco soup with black beans makes a hearty meal. The aroma of the corn, beans, meat, and tomatoes slow-cooking may make it tough to wait four hours until it's cooked through. But it's well worth biding your time for the spectacular taste of the richly seasoned final product.

Make a meal of taco soup even more fun by setting up a topping bar. Everyone will have a ball adding their combos of shredded cheese, finely chopped tomatoes, sour cream, tortilla chips, jalapeños, chives, and black olives.

Recipe: Taco Soup

Nachos are fun to serve at a casual get-together like game night. These nachos are even better because they're packed with healthy and delicious ingredients like black beans, shredded chicken, cheese, and tomatoes.

It's easiest to use canned black beans in this recipe, but remember to rinse and drain them well first. Otherwise, you could end up with soggy nachos, and no one wants that. Using a rotisserie chicken can make assembling this even faster.

Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken Nachos

Casseroles rule because they're a great way to use up leftovers. It's also easy to clean up after making one, and this spicy chicken casserole with black beans is no exception. It should be your go-to recipe for using up leftover scraps of rotisserie chicken.

To make this dish, put raw white rice in a baking pan. Over that goes shredded chicken, a can of black beans, and spicy salsa. Top it with shredded cheese and stick the dish in the oven for half an hour. In no time, you'll have gooey, beany goodness for dinner.

Recipe: Spicy Chicken Casserole