Chipotle Black Beans Recipe (Old-School Copycat)
This Chipotle black beans recipe cooks dried beans with onion, bay leaves and a spoonful of adobo paste made from dried Morita chiles, then seasons them with salt and a blend of lemon and lime juice. It serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes of hands-on work in a pressure cooker, plus 8 to 12 hours of soaking.
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What Goes in My Chipotle Black Beans
The black beans in this recipe get a couple of tablespoons of the same adobo paste I use on the steak and the chicken, a thick paste of dried Morita chiles, charred garlic and a few spices, and they're finished with the lemon and lime juice blend Chipotle uses in its rice.
To figure this out, I went through the ingredient list on Chipotle's website and read what a lot of people who've worked at Chipotle have said about it online. These are the beans in my Chipotle Steak Burrito.
How Mine Compares to the Restaurant's
The beans start dried, with an overnight soak in salted water. The salt helps the beans take in water evenly, which keeps them from bursting when they cook, and they don't need to go in the fridge while they soak.
One viewer read on Chipotle's bag that the restaurant soaks its beans for 16 hours. I don't know if that's true, but 8 to 12 hours is generally all you need.
The salt is Morton's coarse kosher salt, because people who've worked there have said it's what Chipotle uses, so the amounts on the card are written for it.
Why These Chipotle Black Beans Work
- Adobo paste made from dried Morita chiles. Two tablespoons go in the pot, the same paste that seasons the steak.
- Salt in the soaking water. The beans take in water evenly, so they don't burst when they cook.
- Lemon and lime juice at the end. Two tablespoons of the citrus juice go in once the beans are tender, with the last of the salt.
Chipotle Black Beans Ingredients
Dried black beans. A 1-pound bag makes enough for 4 big servings.
Adobo paste. The 2 tablespoons come from my Chipotle adobo paste recipe, the same paste I use on the steak and the chicken. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer, so it's worth making the whole batch.
Limes and a lemon. Two small limes to one large lemon, juiced and strained. You'll have extra, and it keeps about a week in the fridge, or you can freeze it.
Morton kosher salt. If you only have Morton table salt, use about a fifth less by the spoon.
How to Make Chipotle Black Beans
1. Soak the beans
Sort through the dried black beans and throw out any broken ones or little stones. Stir the salt into enough water to cover the beans until it dissolves, pour it over them, and top them up with fresh water until there's about 2 inches above them, since they'll swell. Leave them somewhere out of the way for 8 to 12 hours.
2. Sweat the onion
Drain the soaked beans and rinse them under cold running water. Sweat the onion in a little oil in a small pan over medium heat until it's translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Cook the beans
Put the beans in a pressure cooker with the onion, adobo paste, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the 6 cups of water. They take about 15 minutes on high.
On the stovetop, they'll take about 1 to 2 hours at a simmer, with more water, and you may need to top it off as they cook.
4. Season them
When the beans are tender, take out the bay leaves and season them with the citrus juice and the rest of the salt. Five teaspoons looks like a lot for a pound of beans, but they need every bit of it. Taste them and keep adding salt or citrus juice until they taste right to you.
Storage
Get the beans into the fridge within 2 hours, spread out in shallow containers so they cool quickly. They keep 3 to 4 days in a covered container, which is the USDA's guidance for cooked leftovers, and reheat them until they reach 165°F.
Chipotle Black Beans Questions
Isn't 5 teaspoons of salt too much?
It sounds like a lot, but it's Morton's coarse kosher salt, which has a big grain, and it's going into a whole pound of dried beans. Add it a little at a time if you're nervous and taste as you go.
Does picking out the broken beans matter?
Not much, to be honest. The main reason to sort through them is to catch any small stones.
Can I make pinto beans the same way?
Yes. As far as I know, Chipotle's pinto beans are made basically the same way, and the old-school ones had bacon in them. My version with a slice of bacon is in my Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl.
If you make this, leave a star rating in the card below; it helps other people find the recipe.
More Mexican-Style Recipes
- Chipotle Steak Burrito
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Chipotle Adobo Paste
- Chipotle Pinto Beans
- Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
Recipe
Chipotle Black Beans
Equipment
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
Citrus Juice
- 2 small limes this is a ratio; scale up as needed
- 1 large lemon
Adobo Black Beans
- 1 lb Dried Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon Morton kosher salt for finishing, adjust to taste
- water for pressure cooker; add more for stovetop
- neutral oil
- ½ cup yellow onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoon adobo paste see my Chipotle adobo paste recipe
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt for finishing, adjust to taste
- 6 cup water for pressure cooker; add more for stovetop
- 2 tablespoon citrus juice lemon/lime blend, for finishing
- 5 teaspoon Morton kosher salt for finishing, adjust to taste
Instructions
Make the Citrus Juice
- Juice 2 small limes and 1 large lemon. Strain out all pulp and seeds. This is a ratio, not a fixed quantity. Scale up as needed. Store in the fridge for about a week, or freeze it.
Cook the Black Beans
- Pick through the dried black beans and remove any broken beans or stones. Dissolve 1 tablespoon salt in enough water to cover the beans. Pour over the beans, add more water until they're submerged by 2 inches, and soak for 8-12 hours. Drain and rinse.
- Heat neutral oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sweat until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the soaked beans, sweated onion, 2 tablespoon adobo paste, 2 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon salt to a pressure cooker with 6 cups of water. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. (Stovetop: simmer 1-2 hours, adding water as needed.)
- Test beans for tenderness, remove bay leaves, and season with 2 tablespoon citrus juice and 5 teaspoon salt, adjusting to taste.
