This vegan Black Beans and Rice Recipe is such a CHEAP, easy, healthy, and QUICK vegan side or main! It comes together in only about 20 minutes, using canned beans and fast-cooking basmati rice as a shortcut. This beans and rice recipe is simply flavored (making it a perfect food for everyone from toddlers to grown-ups). It’s delicious as is with a wonderful creamy texture, but it’s easy to add spices and flavors to make it your own.
The best part about this recipe is that you probably already have most of the ingredients right this very moment in your kitchen. If you keep canned black beans, onions, and white rice in your pantry, you’re pretty much set! Add some cumin, fresh lime, and cilantro and you’re good to go.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly, protein-packed, plant-based meal you can feed your whole family, this is it. My daughters have loved this meal since they were 1 and 2 years old – they cleaned their plates in record time when I served them this. These black beans are perfect for baby-led weaning or for toddlers, but tasty enough for the whole family!
Let’s get to it – in this post, I’ll explain how to make black beans and rice quickly but still get a beautiful creamy texture and flavor, and suggest variations to make this meal your own.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Canned Black Beans – if you want to use another bean like red beans/kidney, or pinto, go for it! If you use dry black beans, you’ll need to cook and prepare them in advance for this recipe.
- White Basmati rice – feel free to use any other kind, but keep in mind white basmati is the fastest to cook. You’ll need to adjust timing and the water to rice ratio according to the directions on the package.
- Onion – I used yellow, you can use any onion you have and any other alliums you want – shallots, garlic, etc.
- Cumin – feel free to use this and/or other spices – see below for some ideas.
- Fresh lime – this is highly recommended but if you don’t have one, you can still make this recipe and leave it out.
- Cilantro – this can be omitted if you don’t like the flavor of cilantro. If you don’t have fresh cilantro, feel free to use ground coriander instead.
- Olive oil – or any other kind of cooking oil you want or butter or ghee.
Why this black beans and rice recipe is so quick to make
This black beans and rice recipe comes together in only 20 minutes, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights. Here’s how.
- Cook the rice first. While the rice is cooking, it’s easy to whip up the beans in only about 15 minutes.
- Use white basmati rice. Nothing against brown rice, but white rice cooks in about HALF the time. If you want to use brown and have a little extra time, check out this recipe for cilantro lime brown rice.
- Use canned black beans. Dry beans take HOURS to cook, but these canned beans only take 15 minutes!
How to make black beans and rice
First, cook the rice. Mix water, rice, oil, and salt together in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 10 minutes, then turn the heat OFF and keep the pot covered and let it sit for another 5 minutes to finish steaming. When it’s done, you’ll stir in lime zest, lime juice, and fresh cilantro.
While the rice is cooking, sauté an onion in another pot, add cumin and salt, and add black beans and water. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so, then mash a few black beans with a potato masher. Stir in fresh cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice to the beans, and serve with the rice!
How to make canned black beans CREAMY and FLAVORFUL
Some people think using canned beans results in less flavor and you lose the creamy texture, but I’ll explain how to get lots of yummy flavor and still that awesome creamy texture below!
- DRAIN and RINSE the beans. This is super important- the liquid the black beans may cause digestive unpleasantness when ingested. Draining and rinsing them well will help make sure they’re more easily digestible.
- Use salt. The amount will depend on whether the canned beans you use have added salt or not, so make sure you taste them when you’re done. If it seems like it’s lacking something, add a little more salt to see if that helps.
- Use onions, fresh cilantro, and lime juice for added flavor. Lime and lemon juice has a similar purpose as salt when added to foods- it brings out the flavors of the ingredient you are using. These ingredients add fresh flavor to the beans that compliment their natural deliciousness!
- When cooking the beans in some water, leave it uncovered. This will allow the liquid to reduce and have more concentrated flavor and better texture.
- Mash a few of the beans. I recommend using a potato masher to mash the beans just a few times once they’re done cooking. This will create an awesome creamy texture. You can use a fork and mash some of the beans on the side of the pot if you don’t have a potato masher, or a few brief pulses with an immersion blender.
Variations
You can add all kinds of spices and flavors to this black beans and rice recipe! Add garlic or other alliums with the onions, and/or add more spices in addition to cumin. Chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, ground coriander, or even a prepared taco seasoning work well here. Add hot sauce or adobo and a chopped chipotle chili to the beans… you get the picture.
Make the leftovers into burritos!
You can use the rice and black beans as the filling for burritos. I like to do this with the leftovers, if I have any! Just add the rice and beans to a tortilla, add anything else you want (I like cheese), wrap, and enjoy. You can eat it as is or save for later in the refrigerator or freezer – just pop in the microwave to reheat. It helps to wrap them in a paper towel then microwave, to keep them from drying out and also to keep your microwave clean. Here’s more on how to make freezer burritos with beans, rice, and cheese.
What to serve with Black Beans and Rice
The recipe below states that it serves four as a full (light) meal. If you are serving it as a side, you can likely stretch it to 8 or 10 servings. You can serve this black beans and rice with chicken or sausage or veggies- here are some recipes I recommend!
Other Easy Recipes that use Canned Black Beans
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Quick and Easy Black Beans and Rice
Equipment
- 2 Small – Medium pots
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
For the Rice:
- 1 cup basmati rice (see notes for other kinds of rice)
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ lime (juice and zest – you'll use the rest in the beans)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (more if you like, omit if you don't like cilantro)
For the Beans:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 28 oz. canned black beans (drained and rinsed, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- ½ lime (juice and zest, the rest of the lime from the rice)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (more if you like, omit if you don't like cilantro)
Instructions
- To make the rice: In a small or medium pot, stir together the 1 ¾ cups water 1 cup basmati rice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, and simmer on low for 10 minutes, or until there is no more water around the rice if you tilt the pot. Turn off the heat and keep the cover on for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, stir in the 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro and juice and zest from ½ lime, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- While the rice is cooking, make the beans. Sauté the diced 1 small onion in the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat, in a medium pot, until softened and beginning to brown (about 2-3 minutes).
- Add the 1 teaspoon cumin and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and stir to coat. Add the drained and rinsed 28 oz. canned black beans and 1 cup water. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Use a potato masher to mash the beans a few times, thickening the mixture, but leaving most of the beans intact. If you don't have a potato masher, you can use a fork on the side of the pot, or a few brief pulses with an immersion blender.
- Stir in the juice and zest from the remaining ½ lime and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
- Serve the beans on top of the rice as a side or meal. Top with fixings such as shredded cheese, pico de gallo, diced avocado, hot sauce, etc., if you want.
Notes
- For other kinds of rice: I like using white basmati because it cooks the fastest. Feel free to use any other kind of rice you want – brown, parboiled, short grain, etc. all will work. You will need to adjust the cooking time and water to rice ratio according to the directions on the package,
- If you don’t have the fresh onion, cilantro, and/or lime juice on hand, dry pantry ingredients can be substituted. Use ground coriander and onion powder in the beans.
- Cilantro may be omitted if you don’t like it!
- Other spice recommendations: This recipe is purposefully simple. It’s delicious as is, but feel free to add your own twist to it. Fresh garlic may be added with the onions, and other spices with the cumin and salt such as chili powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, ground coriander, cumin, etc. Use what you have!
- You can use these rice and beans as the filling for burritos. Here’s more on how to make freezer-friendly bean, rice, and cheese burritos!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This post originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious in October, 2017. It has been republished with new photos, improved recipe instructions, and more pertinent information.
Sheryl
Really easy and delicious. I made it with Whole Foods 365 organic long grain brown rice which takes 45 minutes to cook in my Dutch oven but it’s very hands off and the rest is a breeze. I didn’t have fresh cilantro so I used my Whole Foods tomato salsa. But next time I will plan better and use the cilantro. Nutrition in a flash. Thanks so much.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Kelly Hubbard
This was SO delicious!! I followed your exact recipe and I don’t think it was too thick at all. It was nice and creamy and the flavors were great! My husband ate two bowlfuls and wanted more. We had plenty for leftovers. Thanks–this is a keeper!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Karen
A great easy to follow affordable, healthy and filling recipe that you can upsize for leftovers. Thank you and will make many more times. We added avocado last time since we had one.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Abby Cohen
This is not a recipe! It is a list of suggestions. No amounts are given. I don’t need a recipe to make it up myself. This is a joke
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, sounds like you missed the recipe at the bottom of the post. Look again- all my recipes are in a recipe card at the bottom of each post- this recipe, rest assured, does have ingredients and instructions. If you can’t find it, you can click “jump to recipe” at the top of the page. If you have trouble finding it again, let me know and I’d be happy to help you.
DENNIS DOYEL
And then apologize
Charlotte
That was not necessary. All info here.
Margo Tuggle
I’m super excited to try this recipe! I’m using this as a side for tacos tonight! :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
It’s the perfect side for tacos- hope you liked it!
Sally
Oh oh my husband orders this as a side but not thinking. He is not allowed to have salt WOW. In an rite day not suppose to have over 2000. Salt is everything what else can I use
Elizabeth Lindemann
This is a great question. First, my nutrition information is calculated using a built-in API and is an estimate only, and it’s NOT completely accurate. I’m guessing for this recipe, they calculated that the black beans had added sodium. It will be really easy to adjust the amount of sodium in this recipe if you use no salt added canned black beans, and if you don’t cook the rice with salt. There are 291 mg of sodium in 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt, which is what this recipe calls for per serving size. You can even take the amount of kosher salt down a bit if you want. One final tip- using citrus is a great way to bring out the flavor of ingredients in a similar way to how salt brings out flavor, without the added salt! Load up on the fresh lime juice and cilantro in this recipe to help increase the flavor without as much salt- you could even throw the lime zest in there for more flavor without the acidity. Hope that helps and if you end up making it, hope you like it!
Gerry
Great recipe, Very filling, nutritious and lots of leftovers. I made it as directed tonight. Thanks !
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Christine
Absolutely delicious!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks!! :-)
Erica
The only thing I did a little different was I sauted 1 clove minced garlic in with the onion. This recipe was so good and easy! I bet topping it off with some jalapenos would be fantastic!
Elizabeth Lindemann
SO glad you liked it! I added some garlic powder along with the cumin last time I made it. It was delicious! I love that this recipe is simple enough that you can add your own flair to it :-) Thanks for the comment!
Charlotte
So simple and tasty on its own yet I too added garlic and jalapenos with avocado on side. So much good food out there I’m glad to just go back with basics.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yum that sounds so good with garlic and jalapeños! Glad you liked it :-)
Krystal R Sherrill
Delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Fernand LeBlanc
I didn’t have short grain so I used long grain rice, Other than that I followed the recipe as directed. Yummy Thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Honestly you can use any kind of rice you want- I just made it the other night with Basmati :-)
Chriselda
Can you freeze this all together? Thank you for the yummy recipe!! :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sure you can!
Frances
I love your blog! You always have such great recipes and beautiful pictures of your food. Black beans are my favorite, and black beans and rice are definitely a staple in my home. Have you tried using Oregano in the black beans? Both cumin and oregano kick the flavor up a notch?
Christie
Hi!
I love this recipe!!
I oddly didn’t have fresh lime, onion, or cilantro on hand, but I used what I hadn’t and thought it came out great!! I had enough jasmine rice left over for 2 servings that I needed to be used up, so I went with that (probably a weird choice, I know… I didn’t want to waste it!).
I used onion powder, 2 small cubes of fresh lime juice that had been frozen (melted first), and organic ground coriander in stead of fresh onions, freshly squeezed lime juice, and fresh cilantro.
The onion powder and ground coriander I did to taste and used Himalayan pink salt that I got a good deal on.
Used the onion powder and coriander to taste, since measuring equivalents sometimes are too much or too little for my liking.
I’m going to be trying this with the fresh cilantro, onions, and lime soon!
Thank you for this yummy, easy, and cheap vegan recipe (that’s also healthy).
I hope you have a beautiful day!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment, and I’m so glad you liked it! I don’t think using jasmine rice is weird at all- much better than throwing it out in any case! Honestly, to me, rice is rice most of the time :-) Love the substitutions you made- great suggestions for people who might not have those fresh ingredients on hand. Thanks again, and hope you like it next time too with the fresh cilantro, onions, and lime!
Daniela Nyvltova
Hi, I made it twice with soaked beans. It is super tasty and satisfying. We are a vegan family and we loved it paired with a colorful salad with tangy dressing and avocados. We served it in large bowls all together and the flavors are just amazing. So healthy, delicious and cruelty-free!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment :-)
Stacy
This was awesome! I skipped the onion, put about a third cup of water rather than a whole cup, and paired it with panko cauliflower instead of rice (cut up some cauliflower, put it with olive oil and panko bread crumbs, and put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 400 F).
Elizabeth
Wow- that panko cauliflower sounds amazing! So glad you liked it :-)
Amy
Loved it!!! Though I did add concentrated chicken stock to the beans with the water. My 8 & 6 yr old LOVED it!
Elizabeth
So happy this worked out for you! It’s delicious with chicken broth- that’s what I usually use too.
Alexandra
I made this, it’s tasty, easy to make, and healthy! Thank you, I’m trying to become vegan and this recipe has helped me a lot.
Elizabeth
So happy you liked it!! I literally just posted one of my FAVORITE vegan recipes yesterday- also super easy. Maybe try this one out next! Greek Lentil Soup: https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/greek-lentil-soup-faki/
alexandra
Loved it, and will make again.
Elizabeth
So happy you like it!
Michelle
I am one of the 20% of people for whom cilantro tastes like soap. Can you think of another herb I could use in its place, or do you think it would be good just leaving it out? Thanks!
Elizabeth
I think you could definitely leave it out! You could also try some Mexican oregano- don’t use quite as much, since the flavor is much stronger than cilantro. Hope that helps!
Aylet Garcia
Which do I cook first ?
Elizabeth
I’d get the rice going first and then start the beans, since you can basically just let the rice sit do its thing while you tend to the beans. Once the rice is cooked, if you aren’t done with the beans, just cover and remove from the heat and it will stay warm while you finish!
Roslyn
What do you have on the top of the meal in the photo. Is that grated cheese. thanks cant wait to try.
Elizabeth
It’s just a little bit more rice! With some fresh cilantro. I just put a bit more on top for the photos since the recipe is for black beans and rice, so you could see both ingredients. But now that you mention it I bet some crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese would be amazing on it! Hope you like the recipe :)
Charity
These beans were delicious! They tasted great in my beef burrito bowl. Thanks for the recipe. I love the cilantro lime flavor. I made 1.5x the beans recipe and I used a little vegetable broth with my water. I omitted the onion and cumin and used a few shakes of onion powder & garlic powder instead. My husband who is particular about his food liked the beans too! I will be making it again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!