Can black beans be frozen? - The Ultimate Guide

Black beans are a staple in many countries, and are in the regular rotation of most North American households. However, as with most beans, if you don’t think ahead enough, they can drag out your dinner plans because they take time to cook.

Batch cooking is a great solution to have your meals ready in an instant.

So, can black beans be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze cooked or uncooked black beans for up to 3 months, but you’ll need to soak them either way. Freezing black beans once cooked means they’ll be ready in about 20 minutes each time you need them, straight from the freezer. 

This article will show you the best way to freeze black beans, as well as some preparation options and other useful information about black beans.

Dried vs. Canned Black Beans

Black beans are one of many members of the legume family and are especially popular in Central and South America, where they have been a dietary staple throughout history.

Dried black beans are much more traditional, but canned black beans are gaining in popularity because of how quick and easy they are to prepare.

If you want to save time and have quick access to pre-cooked beans, freezing them is possibly a better solution than buying them canned.

When you cook and preserve your own black beans, you can season them with herbs and spices instead of over-salting them, and you won’t have to worry about the possible side effects of the metals in the cans.

Of course, dried beans that you cook yourself are also a cost-effective solution.

If you’re serious about using canned beans, this article also talks about how to freeze them to save pantry space.

How to freeze black beans

How you freeze the black beans will depend on how you plan to cook them. You have two main options :

1. Freeze Soaked, Uncooked Black Beans
2. Freeze cooked black beans

Both options have advantages, but the freezing process is subtly different, so we’ll talk about both.

A great advantage of black beans is that, being so small, they hold up very well to the freezing process. Larger kidney beans and garbanzo beans tend to split when frozen, but black beans aren’t as prone to that kind of minimal damage.

Freeze Soaked Black Beans

Your first option is to soak the beans overnight, rinse them very well in cold water, and freeze them before cooking. 

This will save you an hour in the cooking process . This works great if you just bought a huge bag of dried beans and don’t want to cook them all beforehand, but want to save yourself some time and effort later.

Freezing soaked black beans is easy. You just have to follow these steps:

1. Simply pour the black beans into a large pot or bowl of cold water and soak overnight, or longer if desired. When you’re happy with the soak time, rinse them well and spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
2. Let them dry all day and even overnight if you want to be extra safe. Before freezing them, you want to make sure they are completely dry again, so that ice crystals don’t form and break down the proteins and fibers, turning your beans into mush.
3. Once completely dry, portion into individual servings and transfer to freezer-safe Ziploc brand bags.
4. Date the bags and try to use the beans within 3 months if possible.

When you’re ready to cook them, you can start cooking them from the freezer, skipping the soaking steps but factoring them into the cooking time.

How to Freeze Cooked Black Beans

If you’d rather have the entire cooking process finished and out of the way, you can do that too. That way, when you’re ready to eat them, all you have to do is heat them up, which you can do from their frozen state.

We’ve included the cooking instructions below for you to follow, however if you know you’re going to freeze them, reduce the cooking time by 15 minutes . This will allow you to reheat them without overcooking them.

You can choose to freeze the cooked black beans in their cooking liquid or drained.

In either case, make sure they have completely cooled to room temperature before freezing. If you have drained them, dry them as best you can before freezing, but don’t leave them out to dry overnight like soaked beans.

Transfer the cooked beans, with or without the cooking liquid, to a freezer-safe bag or Tupperware container, removing as much air as possible.

It is best to separate them into individual servings and label the containers with the freeze date. Again, you want to use the beans within about 3 months. 

Freezing Plates of Cooked Black Beans

The most important question regarding freezing cooked black bean dishes is whether the other ingredients in the dish are also freezer safe.

For example, rice and beans freeze well, but since dairy products aren’t ideal for the freezer, rice and beans with cheese won’t do as well.

On the other hand, items like black bean burgers, black bean brownies, and even most black bean sauces freeze quite well.

Freeze canned black beans

You can freeze canned black beans, although there is less motivation to do so because they keep almost indefinitely in a can, while in a freezer their quality will deteriorate after a few months.

However, if you’ve opened a can and haven’t used all of the beans, you can transfer the remains to a freezer-safe bag with the liquid, squeeze out as much air as possible, and then freeze.

Never put any type of canned food in the freezer in its original pressurized container . They can explode, which is a disaster at best, and a hazard at worst.

How to cook black beans

Dried black beans are easy to cook and, being one of the smallest beans you can buy, they don’t take as long to cook as chickpeas or kidney beans, for example. However, they do require some patience.

With all beans, it’s a good idea to soak them overnight before cooking. This helps to remove some of the complex sugars that can cause digestive difficulties and, according to many, also sweetens the flavor of the bean. It also reduces cooking time by a few minutes.

Cooking black beans is quite simple:

1. After your beans have been soaking for at least 6 hours, rinse them well. This will remove the sugars and compounds instead of letting them sit and cook in the water.
2. To cook them, transfer the soaked beans to a pot and cover them with plenty of water. They absorb a lot of water, so make sure there is at least 4 inches above the beans and check after 30 minutes of cooking to make sure there is still enough coverage.
3. You can also add seasonings, spices, herbs, or even pieces of onion or garlic cloves to the pot.
4. Depending on how many beans you cook, it will take 45 minutes to an hour on low heat.
5. Most people rinse cooked black beans before eating them, but the thick sauce packs a lot of nutrients, so try leaving some of the liquid behind, especially if you’ve put a lot of effort into seasoning the beans.

How to cook black beans without soaking

If you don’t have 6 or more hours to soak the beans, or if you prefer the taste of unsoaked beans and don’t cause digestive problems, you can cook black beans without soaking.

A strip of Kombu seaweed will even help you digest if you have it stored. Cook them the same way as described above, but add an hour to the timer.

How to cook canned black beans

Canned black beans are pre- cooked , so they really just need to be heated. You can add them directly to your recipe, puree them, or heat them in their soaking liquid.

If you are only heating the beans, you can lightly sauté some onion, garlic, and/or chopped hot peppers in a little oil before adding the beans. Then simmer them for 10-15 minutes , long enough for them to heat up and soak up the added flavors.

Benefits and side effects of black beans

You don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to enjoy black beans. They are hearty and filling in the colder months and add depth and satiety to a colorful salad or lighter meal in the warmer months.

Black beans are one of the best sources of plant-based protein on the planet. They are incredibly rich in fiber and B vitamins and low in saturated fat.

If eating black beans has any side effects, it is due to a complex type of sugar that some people find difficult to digest. That’s why beans in general have a reputation for causing gas.

If this seems to be a problem for you, try reducing the serving size of beans you eat very slowly and gradually to allow your gut to adjust, and soak or sprout your dried beans for at least 12 hours before rinsing them very well and cook them thoroughly.

Kidney beans have a relatively low glycemic index (GI) , especially for high-carbohydrate foods, which means they will affect your blood sugar levels less.

This is good news for diabetics, who won’t have to adjust their insulin intake as drastically, but it can also help prevent diabetes and reduce weight gain.

Eating black beans regularly can also help improve blood pressure , bolster responses from your immune and nervous systems, and support the health of your blood cells.

Black Bean Nutrition

As you can see in the table below, black beans are also a great source of vitamins and minerals:

Related questions

We hope you have enjoyed this guide to freezing and cooking black beans. Here are some answers to common related questions that you may also be asking yourself.

Can black beans be frozen?

Yes, the freezing process for red beans is basically the same as the soaking, cooking, and freezing process for black beans. But we still have an article on freezing red beans, so you’ll be prepared to freeze any type of bean you like to eat.

Can beans and rice be frozen?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze rice and beans. The biggest potential problem you may run into is having mushy, lumpy rice after you thaw it.

However, there is a way around it, and we answer that question in depth in our related article, Can You Freeze Rice and Beans? Check it out below!

Cooking time for black beans in the Instant Pot?

Kidney beans are fairly easy to cook no matter how you prepare them, but they can be time consuming. With an Instant Pot, you can get perfectly cooked black beans in as close to an instant as humanly possible.

You don’t even have to soak them first. Just add the beans and water, along with your desired seasonings, and set the Instant Pot on high heat for 30 minutes . Let the beans vent for 10-20 minutes without removing the lid, then enjoy.