Puerto Rican Style Beans
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.
Im from PR and the way my grandma and mother in law would make beans is quite different. No jalapeños (I’m not opposed to them as they give a good kick) but use sofrito with culantro and pumpkin and ham. All sautéed for few minutes with the tomato sauce before adding the beans and simmer for several minutes. It will taste amazing!!!
Thank you for the input, Pam!
I grew eating red beans and rice thanks to my wonderful neighbors. This receipe brings me back to my Brooklyn days. So savory, this recipe is awesome!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe and that it reminded you of the good old days! Thanks for sharing, John.
The whole family loves this recipe. I can’t keep it around for any length of time
I can definitely relate :)! Glad it was a hit with your family.
Loved your recipe. I’ve always done dry beans because l wasn’t able to do can beans .But this recipes as become one of my favorite and easiest so its a home run for me.Everyone loves it so thank you for sharing.
You are more than welcome. And if there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks:)
My father is Puerto Rican so I was looking for a recipe to make for Father’s Day. These beans turned out delicious! Thanks for the great recipe!
Glad you liked it! 🙂
I had two cans of red kidney beans and I had no idea how to spice them up. I remember going to a Puerto Rican restaurant and the kidney beans tasting amazing. This recipe is even better and so savory thank you !! A hit and I will now have something fun to add when family is over.
You are more than welcome. And if there’s a recipe you’d love to see, please let me know. Thanks:)
Can I freeze this for a later time?
You sure can. They’ll last in an airtight freezer bag for up to six months.
Followed your recipe except I used cubed butternut squash instead of potatoes. It was delicious. Don’t like cilantro cooked so I left it out and it was still good.
Great to hear that, yeah you can adjust the recipe as per your preference. Thank you so much for your love and support:)
Really good! I was too lazy to go to the store to buy Sazon, so I used ambitious kitchen’s recipe to make your own. Also, I didn’t have bell peppers, so I used some small sweet peppers that I already had. Other than that, I followed the recipe as closely as I could. I’m not Puerto Rican nor have I been there, so I don’t have a baseline to compare mine to, but I thought it was really, really good! We’ll see what the rest of the family thinks tonight. Thank you!
Haha haha yeah great adjustments. I am sure the whole family gave you great comments and admire your cooking skills:) Much Love
Thanks for catching that. I have fixed the recipe and added the serving amount. It comes to about a cup of beans per person. Of course, it depends if you’re serving it as a main dish or a side. As a side, it’s about half a cup. Hope that helps:)
So easy, yummy, and filling. This was perfect for my meatless Monday.
Oh yesss! I’m glad you like this.
Great recipe change from black beans Excellent Totally recommend thank you
Suggestions for replacing the MSG packet? (The Sazon)
Hi Chelsi, there is a Sazon Goya with NO msg. Or you can try Bijol, there was a comment in here where she used Bijol for this recipe instead of sazon. Hope this helps!
I came across in FB how to make my own version of Sazón … NO MSG or artificial addictives… search google too. Hope you find it. If not I’ll try to, email me & I’ll send you screenshots I saved
Thanks for sharing .
Thank you so much for this recipe! I love your website, and appreciate the creativity and personal touches you add to recipes. I keep coming back to this site over time.
Thank you, Fayth! I appreciate that.
I haven’t made it yet but I plan to! When I was in Miami, I went to a Puerto Rican restaurant where they had the best beans. That was the first PR spot I’ve been to that added potatoes to their beans, but they had sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes had the best flavor.
I have spent hours going through your recipes! They all look so good I can’t decide which one to start with lol!
Thanks for sharing, Samantha! Let me know how it goes when you finally make this recipe 🙂 Enjoy!