Slow Cooker Black Beans (for tacos)

Slow Cooker black beans is an easy recipe made with dried beans. Serve this cheap $5 meal on tortillas for healthy black bean tacos. Ready in 4 hours.

Slow Cooker Black Beans

This easy and cheap slow cooker recipe is made with dried beans, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, broth and a couple spices. The black beans are a great way to stuff tacos, make black bean salsa, add to nachos or make a taco bowl.

Making black beans in the slow cooker is the perfect, no-fuss weeknight dinner the whole family will love!

Cheap Taco Recipe

Because we’re using a whole bag of dried beans, this is a budget friendly meal that can easily serve 2 meals with leftovers. When adding up the cost of the ingredients and how many meals it can last, it comes out to about $5 per meal for a family of 4-5.

You can even freeze the black beans after cooking if you want to make them ahead of time to have in the freezer ready to go!

How long do black beans take in the slow cooker?

Black beans take 4 hours in the slow cooker on HIGH temperature. If cooking on low they take 6-8 hours.

Pinto beans take around the same time. Here’s how I cook pinto beans in the slow cooker to make refried beans.

Should I wash my dried beans?

Absolutely, you should always rinse, drain and sort through dried beans before cooking them. Often times, dirt and stones come along with the dried beans, so make sure to double-check to remove any little pebbles first.

Even if you grow black beans, still check them before cooking as often times dirt and little sticks can end up with your beans.

How to Cook Black Beans in the Crockpot

Add all of the ingredients to the crockpot and stir.

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.

Serve and enjoy these delicious black beans! So easy, right?

Make Black Bean Tacos

Once the black beans are done in the slow cooker you can serve them however you’d like – nachos, salsa, burrito bowls or tacos! (or so many other ways!)

For tacos, add to soft tortillas or hard shells, and then add your favorite toppings – shredded cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and more. Finally, add salsa on top – either fresh salsa or salsa verde.

If you’d like to bake them, try my baked black bean tacos! Enjoy tacos for dinner!

Slow Cooker Black Beans Substitutions

• Tomatoes: You can use fresh chopped tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes if you want. You can also use stewed tomatoes instead of diced if you’d like.
• Chicken broth: You can also use vegetable broth instead of chicken if you want to make this recipe vegan-friendly.
• Add spice: Add one finely chopped jalapeño to the slow cooker if you want your black beans to give a kick of heat. You can also add 1/2-1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.

How to Store Leftover Black Beans

Refrigerate: If stored in an airtight container, leftover black beans can last up to three to four days in a refrigerator. 
Freeze: If stored properly, black beans can last up to six months in a freezer.

Recipes using black beans:

• Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
• Barley Bean Tacos
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Quesadilla Casserole
• Stovetop Taco Soup
• French Fry Casserole
• Taco Enchilada Casserole

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