Puerto Rican Style Beans are hearty red beans simmered in an aromatic sauce with bold flavors. Quick, easy, and simply delicious. If you love easy, tasty, meat-free meals, you’ll love these Puerto Rican Beans.
This hearty stew boasting red beans simmered in tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell pepper, spices, and chunks of potatoes fuses Caribbean flavors beautifully.
Not only are beans nutritious and cheap, they’re incredibly tasty. This straightforward recipe is so delicious that my carnivore brother ate it all and never missed the meat.
Content…A Great Make Ahead |
Beans Are Great Make-Ahead Meals
Who doesn’t need more hours in a day? I wish I could add at least three, two for sleeping and one for cooking. So here are some time-saving tips.
Dry beans are one of the most economical proteins you can serve your family. Making them from scratch is super simple and almost hands-off. I make a huge batch and freeze them in meal-size portions. Pure and simple:
- Soak your beans overnight in fresh water. Some experts say to soak them for 48 hours, changing the water every 12 hours for better digestion.
- Drain the beans and put them in a large stock pot. Add broth (or water) and seasonings (I always include onion, garlic, and bay leaves).
- Simmer as long as they need to soften. About 10 minutes before they’re done, add salt to taste.
- Cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Then you’re ready to enjoy beans Puerto Rican style any time you want.
What You Need
- Seasonings – Onion, garlic, cumin, jalapeno (not traditional, so feel free to omit it), fresh cilantro, smoked paprika, bell pepper, cayenne, and a bay leaf sauteed in a little oil really ramp up the flavor factor. Tomato sauce goes in a little later as a flavor enhancer.
- Beans – Red or kidney beans are the protein for this dish, but you can use whatever beans (pink beans, pinto beans, black beans, etc.) you have. Make your own beans from scratch or open a few cans.
- Broth – You’ll need some liquid for the stew, but feel free to use beef, chicken, or vegetable broth.
- Potatoes turn this delectable stew into a one-pot meal.
- Sazón Goya is a traditional Latin and Caribbean seasoning used to flavor stews, soups, and protein. It’s available in Latino markets, major supermarkets, and on Amazon. I usually use the one with culantro y achiote, but you can use your favorite flavor.
- Herbs – Fresh cilantro or parsley leaves make a beautiful garnish, but don’t feel obligated.
How to Make Puerto Rican Style Rice
- Saute – Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, cumin, jalapenos, cilantro, paprika, bell pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent (5-7 minutes). Do not brown. (Photos 1-3)
- Assemble – Add the beans, broth, potatoes, tomato sauce, Sazón Goya, and salt. Bring to a boil. (Photo 4)
- Simmer – Reduce the heat, cover, and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes or more until potatoes are tender.
- Adjust seasonings and thickness to your preference with broth and spices.
- Serve – Take off the heat and serve hot with rice or tostones.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Smash half an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and add it to the soaking water. The extra flavor soaks into the dried beans for even more deliciousness.
- You can totally stew beans in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. A pressure cooker takes about 15 minutes on high to cook soaked beans, then natural pressure release. A slow cooker takes 6-8 hours on low.
- Making stew with cooked or canned beans in a slow cooker or Instant Pot is also super easy. Assemble all the ingredients and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low in your crock pot. Or 3-5 minutes on high pressure in your pressure cooker.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
As mentioned above, this is an excellent make-ahead recipe. Let it cool after it’s done, and store it in airtight containers in meal-sized portions. I prefer Tupperware-style containers you can squeeze the air out because food lasts longer. Then, your beans will stay fresh for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or 4-5 months in the freezer.
What to Pair With Puerto Rican Style Beans
A traditional Puerto Rican meal requires serving this over rice. Coconut jasmine rice is delicious, and so is a simple basmati rice recipe. A side of tostones isn’t required, but it is very welcome. Then, finish it off with a rum-spiked coquito or arroz con leche for dessert.
More Incredible Puerto Rican Recipes to Try
- Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)
- Pernil (Slow-Cooked Pork)
- Pasteles
- Coquito
- Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
- Arroz con Gandules
Watch How to Make It
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Puerto Rican Style Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) or more canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2-3 teaspoons (10-15g) garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon (3g) cumin
- ½-1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
- 1 tablespoon (1-2g) fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
- 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
- ¼-½ teaspoon (.5-1g) cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups (920g) cooked red beans (or three 15-ounce cans, rinse and drained)
- 2 cups (479ml) or more broth (vegetable, beef, or chicken)
- 1 medium-large potato, peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup (85g) tomato sauce
- 1 packet Sazón Goya with coriander (any Sazón without annatto)
- salt to taste
- fresh cilantro or parsley leaves (optional for garnishing)
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, cumin, jalapenos, cilantro, paprika, bell pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent (5-7 minutes). Do not brown.
- Add the beans, broth, potatoes, tomato sauce, Sazón Goya, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes or more until potatoes are tender.
- Adjust seasonings and thickness to your preference with broth and spices.
- Remove from heat and serve hot with rice and or tostones.
Tips & Notes:
- Smash half an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and add it to the soaking water. The extra flavor soaks into the dried beans for even more deliciousness.
- You can totally stew beans in a pressure cooker or slow cooker. A pressure cooker takes about 15 minutes on high to cook soaked beans, then natural pressure release. A slow cooker takes 6-8 hours on low.
- Making stew with cooked or canned beans in a slow cooker or Instant Pot is also super easy. Assemble all the ingredients and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low in your crock pot. Or 3-5 minutes on high pressure in your pressure cooker.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
louise says
i’ve just mad this and these flavours are amazing.
imma africanbites says
Yaay! Thank you, Louise! Glad you love the flavors in this recipe. 🙂
Tawanay says
I made it Family Loved It!!!!!
imma africanbites says
Yaaay! I’m glad your family loved it as much as we do. Thanks for sharing, Tawanay!
Millie says
Can I add diced carrots to this? Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
You sure can.
Millie says
Hi. Thanks so much for this recipe. I added diced carrots with diced potatoes and one 15oz can of diced tomatoes. I used kidney beans and it was very tasty. Love the flavors of this stew.The only thing that I did not add was the jalapeño. My family loves it.
Nycgal says
Hello
I used a bottle of Goya sofrito and a can of beans and added potatoes… I think if you don’t have all of the ingredients this is the cheat for this recipe
However the real thing is always better:)
Thank you for the recipe
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to share your cheat version with us.
Yvette says
Potatoes, cumin, smoked paprika, cilantro/parsley and jalapeños? Definitely not traditional ingredients. Cumin has never been featured in classic Puerto Rican cuisine (check Dora Romano and Carmen Aboy cookbook gurus), neither have potatoes, which do very little except add starch to thicken the sauce, which you can achieve with pumpkin and/or mashing a few beans with a fork. I understand that cilantro can somewhat substitute for culantro or recao where not available, but it should be part of the cooking process, not garnish. Puerto Ricans incorporate “pique” (spicy heat) with their homemade or store-bought hot sauce right at the table, not as an ingredient.
ImmaculateBites says
This here is not traditional – developed the recipe to suit my taste buds – adjust to taste Thanks for taking the time to share this with us
Judith says
While I agree that the recipe and ingredients are not traditional, it does look interesting and yummy (yes, I can read a recipe and tell if it’s going to work). I am a bean lover too and plan to make these beans tonight.
I must disagree with Ivette on the cumin part. While I admire both Valdejuli snd Romsno and have used their books fo r decsdes, my authority comes from being a 69 yr old Puerto Rican snd being in the k tchen helpi g snd lesrnong for 65+ of those years. In fsct, my first task was mashing and grinding all the sofrito ingredients. First you sdded salt to the mortar a d then the cumin and pepper. Only aftrr they were finely ground did you add the wetter ingredients like garlic, onion, recao, etc Both my grandmothers and my mother before me used cumin in the beans and any dish cooked with sofrito. And potatoes were always used in the beans. Calabaza (pumpkin) or sometimes even pana (breadfruit) were added too.
Rut says
I agree with Renee, having being born and raise in Puerto Rico we never cooked with jalapeños and I never heard of our Puerto Rican beans having jalapenos on them. I’m sure everybody loves the extra kick. But with all the seasonings they taste great without it as well. Well done in putting this together.
Karen says
We had this for dinner tonight. The flavor was so good. We loved it. Hubs specifically asked me to keep the recipe. Winner! Thanks for posting.
ImmaculateBites says
WOOHOO! Glad it to hear it was a hit with the family. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Lenia says
Is there a reason why chicken or vegetable broth can only be used? Will it taste terrible with beef broth?
ImmaculateBites says
No not at all. Beef broth works as well.
Angela says
My husband recently went meatless and I was looking for a protein rich option for him. Making this now for the second time because he loves it so much. We serve it’s over brown rice. So good and good for you.
ImmaculateBites says
Oh Wow! Happy to hear it ‘s on the menu now. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Dianne says
What a delicious pot of beans! I adapted it to prepare the recipe in my Instant Pot, cooking the dry beans first (no soaking – what a timesaver!), then did Step 1 without oil (just a bit of heated water to keep the veggies from sticking) using the Saute function. I left out the jalapeno knowing it needed to be especially mild for my group, but it was still amazing! I added everything per your Step 2, just adding the tomato sauce on the top without stirring it in. Manual pressure for 8 minutes with a Natural Release. Now this recipe is going to be the star at our church luncheon later this month! Thanks for sharing!
ImmaculateBites says
Oh WoW! Thanks for the detailed feedback Dainne! Glad it worked worked out well for you. Wishing you the best at your Church Luncheon!
Cp says
Excellent dish, great taste, and extremely forgiving recipe which is always a plus. Thank you.
Sadiya says
This turned out SOOO delicious! I didn’t have any sazon, but I did add some ground coriander. I loved the flavor and seasoning and it was the perfect vegan dinner for me. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Awww shucks, Sadiya, that’s so great to hear! I’m glad it worked for you and that you enjoyed it. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know .
Adriana says
This looks delicious! I see cilantro/parsley is in the ingredients list 3 times but added once, when is the rest added? Also, which variety of Goya Sazon did you use? Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
My bad! I have updated recipe to make it clearer Adriana . It’s added twice- one at the beginning and the other to garnish . (adjust to taste). Any Goya Sazon without Annatto works just fine here. Do let me know how it works out for you. Thanks
Jes says
What specifically is the issue with the Annato? Those are the only ones available at my market.
ImmaculateBites says
Just the color, and a slight difference in taste. You may go ahead and use it if that’s all you can lay your hands on.
Tanya says
I make this all the time…. making it gor diner tonight. My family loves it. It brings back memories of when my grandma used to make it. #ProudPuertoRican
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Tanya! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me . Happy to hear it’s on the menu. Happy cooking!!!
Heather Congdon says
What kind of sazon packet was used ?
ImmaculateBites says
Anyone is fine except the one with annatto and coriander.
Pam says
This recipe looks delish and I will try, however you stated in one of your replies to use any sazon except the one with annatto and coriander but your recipe reads to use the one with coriander. So I’m assuming just use the one with coriander, not the one with annatto added?
Also, love your Caribbean rice and beans recipe. We make it often with our grilled jerk chicken and it is one of our favorite recipes.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, you’ve got that right . Sazon with coriander only if fine.
Katie says
This is so good! I was so excited to come across your blog and this recipe. I served it over rice and it was amazing. And it’s pretty darn healthy too, so best of both worlds! Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to share your glowing feedback with me.