In this Seasoned Black Beans recipe, we spell out exactly what to season black beans with to get perfectly tasting black beans every single time. With a few cabinet staples, you’ll have a healthy recipe and great tasting beans to add to your next main dish.

The Best Seasoned Black Beans
Follow along as we share how to season canned black beans using just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. You’ll never look at canned beans the same after tasting them with a few simple spices added. Make this at the beginning of the week during meal prep to make busy weeknights a bit easier and to add fiber and low fat plant-based protein to to burrito bowls, or veggie tacos, or our delicious Mojo Chicken!
Love black beans – try our Black Beans and Rice for a quick and easy dinner idea!
What You Will Need
- olive oil – Just a bit to sauté the veggies.
- sweet yellow onion – A classic savory dish ingredient that adds lots of flavor.
- garlic – We love its distinct peppery and butter flavor. Garlic powder could work, but fresh garlic really packs the flavor.
- jalapeño pepper – Feel free to adjust depending on your spice preference.
- canned black beans – A humble bean that we love to use as a hearty side dish. Be sure to use undrained black beans as the liquid in the can holds a lot of the flavor that we’ll be adding.
- ground cumin – Adds a delicious flavor and warmth throughout.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – A little spice goes a long way to elevate all the flavors in this recipe.
How To Season Black Beans
Start by gathering and measuring all of your ingredients.

Next, bring a medium saucepan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Swirl it around the pan to coat the bottom. Then add your onion, jalapeño, and garlic and move them around the pan for 3-4 minutes or until the onion has softened.

Next, add the entire can of black beans, including the liquid. Then stir in the cumin, salt and pepper. Combine all of the ingredients and let them simmer for 10-20 minutes.

Lastly, give your beans a taste and adjust the amount of salt or cumin to your liking.

We absolutely love these beans on our mojo chicken dish. The hearty beans pair perfectly with the fluffy rice and citrusy chicken. Scroll down to the recipe card to see the complete recipe and double it if you want to make a big batch to use throughout the week.

Recipe FAQs
- Spice – To make this dish spicier, leave the membrane and seeds on the jalapeño when prepping it for this recipe. And if spicy black beans aren’t your thing, remove both the membrane and the seeds.
- Taste – Feel free to adjust the salt level to you liking after the beans have finished simmering.
- Storage – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Made these quick seasoned black beans and loved them?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Recipes You Might Like
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Smoked Baked Beans Recipe
- Salsa Rice
- Instant Pot Brown Jasmine Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice

Seasoned Black Beans Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Cuban-Inspired
Description
Seasoned Black Beans – a simple and delicious seasoned black bean recipe that is the perfect side dish for so many meals!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons jalapeno, minced
- 15oz can black beans (do NOT drain or rinse)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a medium saucepan to medium-high heat.
- Add olive oil, swirl to coat the pan.
- Add onion, garlic and jalapeno. Move around pan until garlic is fragrant and onion has softened, approx. 2-4 minutes.
- Add black beans, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cover and let simmer 10-20 minutes.
- Taste and adjust the salt or cumin, as-desired.
- Serve with our Mojo Chicken!
Notes
- Spice: feel free to use as much or as little jalapeno as you want. To make it even spicier, leave the membrane and seeds in the jalapeno. To make it less spicy, remove the seeds and membrane from the jalapeno before use.
- Taste: everyone’s salt preferences are different so definitely taste after it simmers a bit and add more salt, per your own taste.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2.5 oz
- Calories: 76
- Sugar: 0.5 g
- Sodium: 376.1 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.8 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Stefanie T says
Made this as a side to mojo chicken. Soo flavorful! This is definitely going to be part of my side dish rotation. Easy & Delicious.
Bridget Montag says
Glad you liked it Stefanie! Thanks for leaving a review!