Ingredients

To make the best slow cooker black beans you will need:

Black beans - Dried and unsoaked. Not soaking them makes them so much more flavourful too. No black beans? You can also use other beans of a similar size such as navy beans or black eyes beans. DO NOT cook kidney beans in your slow cooker using this recipe though. They MUST be prepared differently for food safety reasons.

Onion & garlic - Essential for great flavor.

Herbs & spices - This is what makes these beans taste so good! The combination of chili, cumin, coriander, bay, and mint or thyme adds so much flavor.

Stock - Adds more flavor than simply using water.

Lime juice - Added right at the end to preserve its flavor. Lime works incredibly well with black beans adding lots of flavor and acidity.

You will also need a slow cooker. If you don't have a slow cooker see my Quick Seasoned Black Beans or my Instant Pot Black Beans recipes instead.

How To Make Black Beans In A Slow Cooker

Can't wait to make these crockpot black beans? It's as simple as adding everything except the lime to your crockpot/slow cooker and cooking on high or low depending on your needs.

Squeeze in the lime right before serving and you're done! The full printable recipe is below and if you're a more visual learner see my recipe video.

Success Tips

Don't soak the beans. Soaking them first dilutes their flavor.
Rinse the beans to clean them before adding them to the slow cooker.
Be generous with the salt. Seasoning well is really important for great-tasting beans.
Add the salt at the end of cooking.
Don't skip the lime! It adds so much flavor and vibrancy.
Beans will take a little longer to cook if you are at high altitude so make sure you allow for that when making this recipe.

Why I Don't Recommend Soaking The Dried Beans

I do not recommend soaking the black beans before making this recipe. When you soak beans before cooking they lose flavor and a significant amount of color too. You can see a side-by-side comparison here.

“There are lots of old wives’ tales [about reducing flatulence] -- people use bicarbonate of soda, ginger, sulfur, castor oil -- a whole series of them. But there’s no evidence that any of them -- including soaking -- work effectively.” - Louis B. Rockland, Food Tech Research in Placentia.

“Soaking may shorten the cooking time, but other than that, there’s no effect [on flatulence].” - U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Western Regional Research lab in Albany, Calif.

Source of both quotes: Los Angeles Times

Variations

I've been making this easy black beans recipe for decades and I've personally tried and loved all of these additions:

A can of green chilis or a diced fresh chili.
A jar of salsa.
Extra vegetables like bell pepper, corn, sweet potato, squash, chopped tomatoes, or celery.
Fresh cilantro.
More stock, blend up a bit with an immersion blender, and call it black bean soup! I like to do this with the leftovers.

Serving Suggestions

These Crockpot Black Beans are incredibly versatile. My favorite way to serve them is over coconut lime rice with plenty of green sauce, some vegan feta crumbles, diced red onion, and some sliced jalapeno peppers. Some other ideas include:

As a side with Mexican, Cuban, or other Latin American-inspired meals.
In burritos, taco, enchiladas, quesadillas, taquitos and chiliquiles.
In casseroles.
With burrito bowls and other bowl meals like my Cauliflower Rice Bowls.
In salads.
Over nachos or served in a bowl with some tortilla chips for scooping.
For breakfast with vegan scrambled eggs, avocado, toast, and hot sauce.
Served in a bowl with some tortilla chips for scooping
Over baked sweet potatoes.
In my Black Bean & Rice Meal Prep recipe

Tips For Storing

These delicious black beans will keep in the fridge for 5 to 6 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before using.

To reheat beans either microwave them for a few minutes or warm them in a pan over medium-low heat until piping hot.