These Mexican Black Beans are the most delicious filling for tacos, burritos, or enchiladas. This is a tasty vegetarian filling recipe, high in protein and ready in 15 minutes for a quick healthy vegan dinner.
Vegans love their black beans, and these Mexican black beans never disappoint. It’s the most simple 15-minute high-protein vegan dinner that even the kids adore. When we’re not making our Sofritas, we make this!
Plus, this recipe is naturally gluten-free, so you can share it with family and friends.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make this easy dinner in less than 15 minutes are:
- Canned Black Beans – I am using one can of drained black beans and one can of undrained black beans – in their juice.
- Onion – Finely chopped.
- Garlic Cloves – crushed
- Avocado Oil or olive oil
- Cumin, Paprika, Dried Oregano – for flavor.
- Tomato Paste – If you are used to eating Mexican Black beans in your favorite Mexican restaurant, there’s no tomato paste in their recipe. But if you love the tomato flavor in beans, that’s how I make them. Feel free to skip this ingredient for an authentic Mexican black bean recipe.
How To Make Mexican Black Beans
Mexican black beans are canned black beans cooked in a blend of Mexican spices. You can twist the recipe with a few options, and I will share all my secrets below. It’s super simple to cook your black beans.
- First, add avocado oil to a large non-stick pan and bring to medium-high heat.
- Add finely chopped onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until fragrant.
- Stir in the crushed garlic and dry spices: oregano, cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir fry the spices for 20 seconds. This adds a special flavor to the dish rather than adding spices later.
- Now add both cans of black beans. One drained, one undrained.
- Pour the tomato paste now if you opt to use it. Cook the mixture for 6 to 8 minutes under medium heat, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporates.
- Taste and season with some of the optional ingredients listed below.
Add-Ons
Below are some tasty add-ons you can try in this black bean recipe. They are unconventional but so delicious. After adding the beans to the pan, try adding:
- 2 teaspoons of soy sauce instead of salt
- 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup for a sweet note
- Tomato paste – as seen in the picture, I like to add tomato paste to Mexican black beans, especially to use as a filling in vegan tacos.
- A bit of lime juice – for a tangy flavor.
- Fresh cilantro – add finely chopped cilantro just before serving.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – for a spicy flavor.
Serving
You can serve these Mexican black beans as is or half-mashed with a potato masher. To do so, remove half of the cooked black beans from the pan and place them in a shallow bowl. Mash the beans using a potato masher, then return to the saucepan. Stir to combine with the remaining cooked black beans.
These black beans are delicious for making vegan tacos, enchiladas, or burritos. Use them into tortillas like my:
- Quinoa Tortillas
- Chickpea Flour Tortillas
- Red Lentils Tortillas
- Vegan Gluten-Free Tortillas
- 2-Ingredient Flatbread
You can simply serve them on top of a bowl of coconut jasmine rice and add a drizzle of vegan nacho cheese sauce for a simple burrito bowl.
Side Dishes For Black Beans
You can serve these Mexican-style black beans with any side dish you love. My favorite combo is black beans and sweet potatoes or tortillas chips. Here are some ideas to serve with your black beans:
- Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Cubes
- Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potato
- Chickpea Chips
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
Allergy Swaps
If you are allergic to some of the ingredients or have specific dietary requirements, you can try the following substitutions:
- Black Beans – The closest swap to black beans are red kidney beans or pinto beans. But any canned beans work, including lentils, or you can use my lentil taco recipe instead.
- Low-FODMAP – Skip the onion and garlic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are my answers to your most common questions about this black bean recipe.
Yes, you can soak dried beans overnight to replace the canned black beans.
As a general rule, you need roughly 1/2 cup of dry beans to have the equivalent of 1 can of cooked black beans.
You don’t need to soak black beans, but I like to soak them to decrease cooking time and make them easier to digest.
Cook in a large saucepan with cold water, bring to a boil and cook until tender – about 60 minutes. Drain and use instead of canned black beans.
Sure, you can swap black beans for pinto beans, chickpeas, or white beans.
Yes, you make this recipe in an instant pot, and cook it for 10 minutes over medium heat until the liquid has reduced.
More Vegan Mexican Recipes
If you like Mexican-inspired vegan recipes, you’ll love these:
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Mexican Black Beans
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Avocado Oil
- 1 small Onion - finely chopped
- 4 Garlic Cloves - minces
- 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Salt - adjust to taste
- 1 can (15oz) Black Beans - drained
- 1 can (15oz) Black Beans - undrained
Optional
- 2-4 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro
- 1 Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce
Instructions
- In a large non-stick pan, add avocado oil and warm over medium-high heat.
- Add finely chopped onion, cook and stir until fragrant.
- Stir in garlic and spices: oregano, cumin, paprika, and salt, and stir fry for 20 seconds.
- Add in both cans of black beans – one is drained from their juice, the other is not.
- If you like tomato flavor in your beans, add the tomato paste. For spicy beans, add a Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce.
- Stir and cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes until the liquid has evaporated, stir occasionally.
- Just before serving, stir in finely chopped cilantro if you like. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve as a filling to vegan tacos, burritos, or enchiladas.
Storage
- Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month in an airtight box. Thaw in the fridge the day before.
I did not like this very much tasted quite bland and dry, saved it by adding in chopped tomatos and some cayenne pepper and chilli flakes. Would of added some chopped green pepper for more colour but didn’t have any.
Tomatoes and chili peppers are exactly what I recommend adding to the sauce in the recipe instructions 🙂
This was excellent. I added 1/2 cup jarred salsa at the end (heated through) and served it with homemade guacamole.
Excellent in tacos. I added half a jar of Chipotle chilli in Adobo sauce because I like that smokey flavour, but really, this recipe is stand alone.
Thank you.
Great idea, glad you loved the recipe!
Husband and I really enjoyed this. We ate it with rice as a quick simple meal. Def will make it on a regular basis. Thanks!