Mexican Black Beans for Tacos

Seasoned black beans for tacos are the ultimate quick and easy meal. These Mexican black beans are made with just 6 pantry ingredients and are ready in under 10 minutes! Great as a side dish or part of the main meal! Use them for tacos, nachos, burritos or tacos salads for an inexpensive and delicious meal!

Why you will love seasoned black beans for tacos

• Easy to make
• 10 minute recipe
• 6 ingredients
• Pantry staples
• Healthy
• Vegan
• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Budget friendly
• Versatile

Ingredients

• Black beans – you can use canned black beans or homemade. I typically have a large container of homemade black beans cooked in the instant pot. If you use homemade black beans, the recipe gets even more budget friendly!
• Tomato paste – this is a pantry staple and really gives a layer of depth to the sauce and helps it taste like it’s been cooking all day.
• Water – helps to create the sauce. You can use more or less water to create the consistency you want for the sauce. You can also add more water at the end if your beans start to tighten up on you.
• Spices: Salt, chili powder, ground cumin – these spices help to give the black beans that Mexican or southwestern flavors. You could also add some smoked paprika, garlic powder and red pepper flakes for even more flavor!

How to make black beans for tacos

Start by draining and rinsing the black beans.

Add the black beans, tomato paste, ½ cup water, salt and spices. Stir well.

Cook over medium heat, mixture will come up to a simmer and water will start to evaporate quickly. Be sure to stir the mixture well to ensuring all the tomato paste is dissolved and coating the beans. Continue to stir regularly.

Turn off heat when the beans reach your desired consistency (8 minutes for a saucier bean, 10 minutes for a drier black bean). If you find you let the beans get too dry, simply add 2-4 tablespoons of water and stir well, it will quickly get saucy again!

Top tips

• Use a large skillet to make cooking time faster. The water will start to evaporate faster with more surface area. If you try to make these beans in a pot, they will take longer since it will take longer for the water to start to evaporate.
• Be sure to drain and rinse the canning liquid from the beans. The canning liquid can sometimes be very salty and very starchy, changing the consistency of the beans.
• These vegan Mexican black beans are meant to be put on tacos and are not very saucy (no one loves sauce dripping down your arm as you try to eat tacos). These seasoned black beans will have a similar consistency as ground turkey or beef after cooking.
• Want to brighten the flavor even more? Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice at the end!
• These are great for meal prep! Double or triple the recipe and store leftovers in the fridge or freezer for tacos anytime!

Other additions

• Onions and garlic – If you have more time, you can sauté onions and garlic in the pan before adding the beans and other ingredients. This will help to develop even more flavor, but I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible. If you want that onion flavor but don’t have time to sauté onions, add fresh chopped green onions at the end.
• Spice – add fresh or pickled jalapeno, chipotle in adobo, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the recipe to give it a touch of spice. I wrote this recipe to be mild and kid friendly, so I did not include any spice.

How to serve Mexican black beans

• Stuff them in tacos (my go to is almond flour tortillas from Trader Joes or Siete Foods)
• In burritos with cilantro lime quinoa, Mexican sauteed veggies and chipotle mayo. My favorite gluten free burrito sized tortillas are made by Food for Life.
• On burrito bowls with Mexican roasted vegetables, fresh guacamole, pickled onions and creamy cilantro lime dressing,
• On taco salads with air fryer sweet potato cubes and creamy cilantro tahini dressing,
• Over nachos with dairy free nacho cheese sauce.
• Use with Mexican Buddha bowls or Vegan Fajita Bowls
• In breakfast tacos or burritos with freshly cooked eggs and homemade or store bought salsa.

What to serve on the side

• Creamy cilantro lime slaw
• Cilantro lime cauliflower rice
• Mexican cauliflower rice
• Green cauliflower rice
• Instant pot yellow rice
• Chimichurri Rice
• Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Brown Rice

Common questions

What if you don’t have black beans?

You can also make these Mexican inspired beans with pinto beans or white beans. They are equally as delicious and easy!

What if you want saucier beans?

You can choose to drain but not rinse the canned black beans and increase the water from ½ cup to ¾ cup. This will allow the starch from the canning liquid to thicken the sauce as it cooks down.

Can you freeze seasoned black beans for tacos?

Yes! You can freeze these beans for up to 3 months in a freezer safe bag or container. I like to make a large batch and freeze them in single serve portions so that I don’t have to defrost them all at once.

Can you make this recipe from dried beans?

Yes! You would have to first make the black beans in the instant pot or on the stove. When cooking beans on the stove, it’s important that you let them soak in clean water overnight then discard the soaking liquid. If you are making black beans using the instant pot, you don’t have to soak them ahead of time, and they are ready in about 1 hour.

I personally prefer to discard the liquid the beans cooked in. I find that this liquid can contribute to digestion issues and discomfort. If the liquid doesn’t bother you, you can certainly use it. You will want to transfer the cooked beans to the skillet and follow the directions as posted. You will need 3 cups of cooked beans.

You can freeze leftover cooked beans for up to 3 months or use them in other recipes.

Storage

• Fridge – store leftover seasoned black beans in a air-tight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
• Reheat from the fridge
  • Stove top: reheat in a small skillet with 2-4 tablespoons of water over medium low heat until heated through, 3-5 minutes.
  • Microwave: add about 1 tablespoon of water and microwave on high for 1-1:30 minutes.
• Freezer – you can also store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to freeze them in individual servings using Soupercubes. Once frozen, pop them out of the silicone molds and store them in an airtight container in the freezer. Be sure to label the container with the name, date and use by date.
  • Reheat from frozen – Note: you can reheat the beans from frozen using the steps below or allow them to defrost on the counter for 30-60 minutes or all day in the fridge, then follow the steps above on reheating from the fridge.
    • Stovetop: From frozen, add 2-4 tablespoons of water to a saucepan with a cover. Cook over medium low heat covered for 5-10 minutes, breaking down the beans with a spoon as they cook.
    • Microwave: Add 1 tablespoon of water and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes until defrosted and hot.

Substitutions

• Black beans – you can use pinto beans or white beans (cannellini, great northern white beans) in place of the black beans. You could even use cooked green/brown lentils!
• Tomato paste – replace the tomato paste with tomato juice (omit the water if you are using tomato juice), 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce or ¼ cup salsa.
• Spices – if you don’t have chili powder, you can use paprika or smoked paprika. If you don’t have ground cumin, you can use smoked paprika or more chili powder.

If you love healthy black bean recipes, you should try

• Black Bean Dip
• 10 Minute Black Bean Soup
• Mexican Black Bean Lentil Burgers
• 5 Ingredient Black Bean Burgers
• Cauliflower Black Bean Tacos
• Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans