This quick and easy recipe for Black Beans and Rice is delicious! Made with sofrito, canned black beans and long-grain rice.
Black Beans and Rice
Serve these rice and beans as a meatless main dish with avocado or a side with steak, pork chops, grilled chicken, and more. My husband is half Puerto Rican, and rice and beans are his love language, so I make this delicious dish all the time! This healthy Black Beans and Rice recipe is similar to my Cuban Arroz Congri, with a few differences. They’re so easy to make and always a hit. A few more of my favorite Latin bean recipes are Dominican Beans, Arroz con Gandules, and Mexican Pinto Beans.
Are black beans and rice healthy?
Rice and black beans both have protein, and beans are full of fiber. Paired together, they provide a very filling meal. One serving has 6.5 grams of protein and 4.5 grams of fiber. They also both have a variety of vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients
- Sofrito: Sofrito is a sauce made of onion, peppers, and garlic that I use in so many stews, beans, and meat dishes. I like to make a big batch and freeze it in ice cube trays, so I always have some available.
- Black Beans: Using canned beans saves time.
- Rice: Buy long-grain white rice.
- Water to cook the rice and other ingredients in
- Sazon: Sazon is a Latin spice blend with achiote, coriander, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The achiote is what gives the rice the yellow color. You can make homemade sazon or purchase a packet at the supermarket.
- Bouillon: For vegetarian choose vegetable bouillon, but chicken will also work.
- Salt to flavor
How to Make Black Beans and Rice
- Cook the Sofrito: Heat a medium pot over medium heat and pour in the oil. Add the sofrito and cook for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Boil: Stir in the rinsed beans and rice and then the water, sazon, bouillon, and salt. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and let it cook until the liquid is almost absorbed and just skims the top of the rice.
- Simmer: Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low for 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for 5 to 8 minutes without lifting the lid.
How to Freeze Black Beans and Rice
Leftovers are good in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for a few months. Store them in smaller airtight containers for individual portions or larger ones to pull out for dinner for the whole family when you need a quick side dish. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and warm them on the stove or in the microwave.
What to serve with black beans and rice
This rice and beans dish can be eaten as a meal or served as a side with a protein, like:
More Black Bean Recipes You’ll Love:
- Quick Black Beans
- Cuban-Style Black Beans
- Brazilian Black Beans
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Black Bean Soup
Black Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup sofrito, I keep this in my freezer
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups long grain rice, I like Carolina
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 packet Sazon with achiote, or 1/2 tablespoon homemade sazon
- 1 large vegetable or chicken bouillon cube, such as Maggi
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat a medium heavy pot with a tight fitted lid over medium heat and add the oil.
- Add the sofrito and cook until it melts and becomes fragrant, stirring 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the rinsed beans and rice and mix well.
- Add the water, sazon, bouillon and salt, stir and let it cook, boiling over medium heat until the liquid is almost all absorbed and just skims the top of the rice.
- Quickly cover the lid and cook low heat 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let it sit 5 to 8 minutes more, without lifting the lid so the steam finishes the rice.
- Fluff with a fork and enjoy.
I decided to use dry black beans beacuse i like that bite, and soaked them over night. Even after rinsing them for several minutes till water was clear, my rice came out black instead of that beautiful yellow color. I usually cook the dried black beans seperate and will try that next time.
One of my favorites on repeat! Pairs wonderfully with naked chicken tenders from the Air Fryer book.
I love this recipe! Always comes out great. Which pot do you use for making rice? Looking to upgrade mine. Thank you for all of the great recipes!
Honestly nothing fancy! Just a non-stick pot!
Easy to make and everyone loved it!
So glad!
This is good! I agree that is a little bland, but it is very good. I add cilantro, and next time I will add a can of Rotel as a previous poster suggested.
Absolutely perfect beans and rice!! Thank you again❤️
OH . MY . GOSH!!!! I made this last night and it is SO delicious, and aside from it being SO good, it was very easy to make!! I didn’t change a thing in the recipe. I didn’t even open the cover to the pot when I removed it from the heat, which is a plus for me since I usually can’t help myself – LOL. Anyway – this will be made over and over and over. Thanks for another great recipe, Gina!!
I used brown basmati rice, and jarred sofrito from Target and it turned out great. I cooked the rice ahead of time in the InstantPot and refrigerated it overnight to lower the glycemic index
This recipe is three points 🙂
Hi. When I imported the recipe into WW, it did show 3 points; however, that’s because for the rice, it added “cooked” rice instead of uncooked rice. I was pretty excited seeing it as 3 points, but Gina has it right – it’s 6 points. I’m going to make this tonight so I’ll report back 🙂
Oh my goodness!!!!! So delicious, so easy, so going on my weekly menu. Economical, filling and just wow. I added a splash of wine vinegar after I served it on my plate. The flavours just popped. Also made my own soffits and salon spices from scratch….so worth the time
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Fantastic!
Can I substitute a comparable salsa for the sofrito?
Can I substitute a good taco powder sazon?
Sorry if this is insulting but we may not be able to find those ingredients.
I know it won’t be the same.
Veryn nice. although a bit bland
EXCELLENT! I absolutely LOVE this recipe. My family devours it each and every time I make this dish. Thank you so much.
Delish healthy meal or side!
Easy to make, so flavorful and is our go to recipe for beans and rice.
OHMYGOSH, this is the best dish EVER! I used Carolina rice – which takes a LOT OF TIME to cook – much longer than this recipe says, and it is very expensive, but it is SO worth it! I swear, I have only tried ONE recipe from this beautiful lady that wasn’t EXCELLENT. Thank you!!!
This rice dish is so flavorful and looks so good. When I make it we eat two servings and then I put the rest in two-serving portions in ziplock freezer bags and microwave for 4 min on high later on for a perfect side dish every time. Goes great with everything!
You never let me down! I made rice and beans tonight for a family gathering. It was served alongside chicken fajitas.
Everyone loved the rice!!!!
fantastic recipe! foolproof and easy to freeze. I put two servings in ziplock bags and freeze for quick warmups (4 min in the microwave). Always get raves from anyone I serve it to
Really delicious recipe! My brother is a bit of a rice snob and he said this was one of the best rice dishes he has had. Thank you for sharing!
Great! Appreciate the video too. Will make again, thank you!
Really good
Delicious , thank you, can you sub quinoa for rice, and does that change the cooking method?
Can I use leftover rice ?
This is so easy and delicious!! My daughter, who just returned from Costa Rica said this tastes so authentic and she goes for seconds and third helpings!
I’m latin so it should 🙂
This recipe is wonderful! Simple and delicious!
I have to amend my previous post. I followed the recipe but I used brown rice. It’s a bit too dry and would prefer more flavor. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions?
Changing the white rice to brown is the issue here.
Thank you soooo much for adding the links for homemade Saxon and Sofrito! The stores in my small town don’t have either but I usually have all the ingredients at home. Love this, I added turkey sausage
Great and easy recipe! Everyone went for seconds, some thirds. I made it in the instant pot, used the saute feature and then cooked it as I do rice by itself (rice to water 1:1). Perfect!
I have never made rice this tasty in my life. I may never make rice any other way.
My hubby loved this with the cilantro chicken! I added a can of rotel once the rice was cooked. Delish as always!
Big hit at my house! This has great flavor and it will for sure become one of our regulars.
Great instructions and easy to make, I would up the seasoning amounts next time, and I will definitely make it again!
Flavorful! I almost cut the recipe in half, but darn glad I didn’t.
Fabulous! I’ve made this recipe with both the black beans and the red beans and oh my goodness, everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
I just keep making this! Perfect weeknight staple 🙂
Incredible! I love making this with sour cream and salsa on top for a meatless chipotle bowl of sorts!
Perfect!!
I cannot explain how good this is. Oh my goodness! Black beans and rice on another level. Thank you for sharing.
I love this recipe, it’s been making it regularly for a while now. I can make a big batch of sofrito, freeze it in portions, and then use it when I’m ready. Once I have that there’s no chopping or anything required for this recipe, it’s quick and easy and tastes great.
Delicious! I cheated and used goya’s sofrito in the jar and it was delicious. Made the chipotle chicken on the grill to eat it with this week for meal prep and freezer 4 portions for later.
Did you use the red or green Goya Sofrito?🙏😁
Can I use basmati rice? Any adjustments?
sure
easy and authentic recipe!! cut the amount of rice water in half and kept the rest as is for one 🙂 try it!
Love the flavor of this rice with the homemade sofrito and sazon but my rice isn’t cooking all the way through and coming out kind of glue-y. What am I doing wrong? I tried rinsing the rice before cooking and longer cook time.
Made the mistake of using brown rice for this… Tasted great, but was crunchy!
The flavor was spot on. I made Gina’s sofrito. The rice was Al dente. Mine alway is.
Should I add more water? It was almost dry at 18 minutes. I used a le Crueset Dutch oven. Did I use the wrong pot? Any feedback is appreciated.
I never liked rice because I don’t have success making it but the flavor was outstanding
Did Gina or anyone respond to your question re using a le Crueset Dutch oven? I am wanting to use it too. Did you try it? How did it come out?
As long as no steam comes out it will be ok.
This was amazing! I substituted cauliflower rice, but the flavors were incredible. Will definitely be making again!!
Made with brown rice – absolutely delicious!!!! Doubled the recipe to freeze for another dinner.
Is vegetable broth ok to substitute for the vegetable bouillon cube? And if so, how should I adjust my water?
sure just swap it and add more salt, to taste
Made it twice in one week!!!
Absolutely delicious and is easy! My kids devour this Every time I make it. I make my own Sazon and store it in a small glass mason jar, sk j always have that on hand. The first time I made it, I was short on time and didn’t have time to make the sofrito myself, so I used 1/4 cup of Goya Recaito (a cilantro cooking base) and that worked perfectly. We usually eat it as is for a light meal, and it makes for excellent leftovers, but it would be so easy to add more protein with chicken or steak to this. It’s a staple in our house—the ingredients are always on hand and it makes for a healthy, filling meal that tastes delicious. One of our favs, for sure!
Really flavorful & easy to prepare
This was delicious and made a generous portion. It was nice to have the extra sofrito on hand to make it again for a potluck. Comes together very easily!
It was very delicious! My hubby and I love it. It reminds us of my Puerto Rican grandmother’s homemade yellow rice with beans.
I have never made sofrito but always buy the red one made by Goya. Do you think this would work in this recipe?
That’s what I used! Turned out great!
This looks great- I was wondering if you can substitute the rice for cauliflower rice?
I made this for the first time yesterday. I was cooking for the teachers at my kids’ daycare (about 30 people) so I had to double the recipe and cook it twice. I didn’t eat a lot but I did try it and YUM YUM! I can’t wait to make this for my family! I have been wanting a Latin rice side dish to go with taco night or enchiladas and this is it! Even has the black beans (which I LOVE) built in so 2 in 1! And it has great flavor but not too spicy so my kids will eat it! WIN!
Perfect!!
This was very good, but how does it yield 8 servings of almost 1 cup? I got less than half that – just over 3 cups. It was easy to make at least, but not a lot of food. Not sure what I did wrong.
This was a really great side dish for grilled shrimp. My husband and I really enjoyed it and it was so easy. Thank you!
Great recipe. I’ve tried to make rice and beans before and always had issues with the water absorption. Taking it off the heat and letting it sit, did the trick and the rice was fluffy and tasted amazing!
GREAT!! : )
Still waiting for reply about brown rice
brown rice would take more time and a little more water.
Was very easy to make! My sofrito wasn’t green, but was more orange and I couldn’t figure out why until I realized it was because I skipped the cilantro (because I don’t like cilantro). Ha! Duh! Even without the cilantro, this came out very flavorful and I look forward to adding it to rotation. My 2 year old loved it! Lots of leftovers.
This rice is the bombdotcom. My very first time using sofrito, found it in the frozen food section at local supermarket. Used the Goya black beans and followed the instructions exactly as mentioned. This is my new go to flavorful rice and beans. I will be trying more recipes from your site. I served the rice and beans with some grilled chicken and also some grilled steak (because one eats chicken and one eats beef), added creamed spinach and salad as sides. Mucha gracias.
This was so delicious and easy! I like the recommendation of making a batch of the soffrito and freezing it – that step makes this an easy weeknight, one-pot dinner. I added grilled sausage slices at the end, making it a little more substantial for my non-vegetarian husband. This recipe is a definite keeper.
Awesome just how my friend from PR showed me!! Homemade sofrito!!
What is the serving per person
right above the ingredients it says 7/8 cup
What beans can be substituted for black beans in this recipe?
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and meal planning.
How much granular bouillon to use instead of a cube?
BTW, I understand that your site has been upgraded but this recipe was not accessible from my usual email subscription. I arrived here via your web site. I hope to continue receiving your new recipes.
emails are fixed now. I say add to taste until the liquid has flavor and enough salt.
I would like to use brown rice, what adjustments should be made?
I did not test with brown. It would be a little more liquid and time.
Hi Gina! Does this freeze well?
Sure!!
Really flavorful!! Also somewhat forgiving, I had to sub cilantro with parsley, garlic salt instead of garlic powder. Sooo good!! Sooo easy!! Worth the time.
How would i adjust this if using brown rice?
Do you have a instant pot version i can follow?
I did not test this in the instant pot
Is there a way to make this in an instant pot? I’m usually terrible with making rice on the stove.
I just love rice and beans. I have made practically all of your Latin type beans (except the one that calls for sweet potato, but I suppose I could omit it) and have them for lunch at work with rice pretty often. This is my all-time favorite. It is SO good. I used Goya sofrito ( the green kind), and made your home made sazon seasoning. I also added a frozen cilantro cube. I will make this again, and again. Thank you!
Hi Gina, Can I use Goya frozen recaito for this recipe?
Sure
Hi Gina! I see this is not gluten free. Was wondering what is in it that has gluten? Thanks!
Thanks Its gluten free let me add that