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Restaurant Style Black Beans

Restaurant style black beans with creamy, glossy texture—made by simmering rinsed beans with onion, garlic, and warm spices, then mashing part of the batch for body. Finished with cilantro and fresh lime juice for a bright, savory side.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 350
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Black beans
  • 3 can (15 oz) black beans Drained and rinsed
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 white onion Quartered
  • 6 clove garlic Minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup cilantro Chopped
  • lime juice To taste

Equipment

  • 1 large pot

Method
 

Sauté aromatics
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add quartered onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice until slightly softened.
  2. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, keeping it from browning.
Simmer the beans
  1. Add drained black beans, bay leaves, cumin, black pepper, salt, and broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Mash and finish
  1. Mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot to create a creamy consistency while keeping some beans whole. Stir to combine.
  2. Taste and adjust seasonings with lime juice. Remove bay leaves, stir in cilantro, and serve hot.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, mash the beans while they’re still hot and saucy, then stir well so the gloss coats the whole batch. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat on the stove with a splash of broth. Freezing is yes—cool completely and freeze up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use low-sodium broth and reduce the salt by half, then finish with lime to taste.