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These spicy black beans will blow your mind and can be used to create mouth-watering, restaurant quality meals. I make these almost every week as a meal prep staple and have yet to get tired of them. I love that they are so versatile and can be eaten on their own or as an addition to so many different meals, such as:
- Burrito bowls
- Nachos
- Burritos
- Fajita tacos
- Taco salad
- Loaded sweet potatoes
- Quesadilla
Don’t own a pressure cooker?
Don’t worry! You can always use a slow cooker, it will just take a few more hours. Using a pressure cooker is a great time saver and also allows your food to retain a lot of it’s vitamins and nutrients, whereas cooking in open containers with exposure to oxygen can lead to a loss of nutrients and flavor. I literally use my Instant Pot almost every single day and highly recommend investing in one to save yourself some time and energy! Here’s a link to the one I have been using for years: https://amzn.to/3z1656A
Below is a quick step-by-step guide to making this side dish, with a full recipe summary and measurements at the bottom of the page.
Here’s an informational list of the ingredients you’ll need to prepare these spicy black beans:
- Dry black beans: When eating a plant-based diet, it’s very important to ensure you are meeting your daily protein requirements. According to the CDC, your daily protein intake should make up approximately 16% of the calories you consume. Since beans contain roughly 8 grams of protein per one half cup serving, consuming them on a daily basis is a great way to ensure your meeting those needs. This is why I try to always have some prepared and ready to throw into any meal I decide to make! For this recipe, you’ll want to presoak your bag of dry beans. To do so, just follow the instructions on the bag.
- Onion: Honestly, any kind will work! I typically buy sweet yellow because I enjoy their milder flavor but I have also used red onions and it still tasted great. Onions are also rich in antioxidants and other compounds that help to fight against disease and cancer.
- Poblano: Charring peppers before adding them to any recipe is a great way to enhance their flavor. You can do this on a gas-lit stove or barbeque, but since my home runs on electric, I typically just use a small kitchen torch. You can find the one I use here: https://amzn.to/3ShwSm9
- Garlic: Aside from the incredible flavor garlic adds, it also has major health benefits and strong anti-inflammatory properties that can protect you from illness and disease.
- Salsa: I like to use Pace, but any store-bought chunky salsa should work fine.
- Nutritional yeast: This stuff is a pantry staple in every plant-based household and will add a creamy, cheesy flavor to any dish you add it to.
- Vegetable broth
- Lime Juice
- Taco seasoning
- Dried bay leaf
Pro tip: I always try to buy my produce from the local farmer’s market because the quality of flavor makes a huge difference! Plus I love to support my community and the environment, and you can’t beat the piece of mind of knowing exactly where your food comes from. I encourage you to check out your local farms (if you haven’t already) and see what they have to offer!
Step 1:
Gather your ingredients and start chopping! Dice the onions and poblano and mince the garlic. Don’t hesitate to add any other veggies you might have on hand that you think would improve the flavor! Bell pepper or jalapeños might also be a great addition and would add even more nutrients to boost your immune system.
Step 2:
In order to maximize the flavor of these beans, you’ll want to sauté the onions, garlic and poblano along with the dried bay leaf before adding the rest of the ingredients. Just add a splash of vegetable broth to prevent them from sticking to the pan too much and use the Sauté feature on the Instant Pot to cook them down for 5-7 minutes.
Step 3:
Once the veggies have cooked down and begun sticking to the bottom of the pan, add the remaining vegetable broth and scrape all those bits of flavor off the bottom. Then, add the remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. (You may notice in the video above, I instruct you to cook for 30 minutes, however, that much time is not necessary unless the beans have not been soaked.)
That’s all there is to it! You can store these beans in the fridge for up to 7 days. If you try this recipe and enjoy it, share it with a friend and comment down below. I always love to hear your feedback!
Instant Pot Spicy Black Beans
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried black beans
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 poblano pepper charred, diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 dried bay leaf
- juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot, sauté onions, garlic, poblano, and bay leaf with a splash of vegetable broth for 7 minutes.
- Add remaining vegetable broth and scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add remaining ingredients and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
