A rich creamy black beans curry is a great way to add this popular health food to your diet. Whether you use precooked or canned beans these get done in less than 15 minutes. Cooked in a rich curry sauce made with Indian curry powder, tomatoes, and yogurt this will become your favorite in no time.
Black beans are becoming increasingly popular in our home these days. They are easy to incorporate into your diet once they have already been boiled. I love to soak and boil a big batch and store it in the freezer. That way I have them on hand for anything I need to use them. For example, add a handful to my salad or pulao rice.
Did you know that black beans are high in protein and fiber which makes them not just healthy but perfect for a balanced diet?
Table of Content
Why make this recipe?
- Most of the ingredients are simple pantry staples apart from the spices which are easily available in most supermarkets.
- The recipe is fairly simple and easy. The cooking itself takes 15 minutes because we use pre-cooked or canned beans
- I am using black beans but, of course, you can use other beans, pulses, or legumes instead too.
- Today I have served it over my flavorful turmeric rice but it is absolutely delicious with fresh roti, chapati or even plain steamed rice.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Curry powder - Curry powder is readily available in most supermarkets these days. I make my own so you can find my homemade curry powder as well as garam masala. So, if you like making your spice mixes, you will love to try these.
- Paprika - The purpose of paprika here is to add a nice smoky flavor but also add to the pretty color.
- Cayenne - adds a nice touch of heat but if you don't like Cayenne use hot smoked paprika.
- Sour Cream or yogurt - either work beautifully in this recipe and gives a rich thick and creamy black beans curry
- Black Beans - these come in dry as well as canned - you can use either. I used the pre-soaked dried today but often I make a quick curry with the canned beans too.
Easy black beans curry
- In a saute pan, over medium heat, add oil and sauté the onions, cinnamon, and bay leaves until onions are translucent.
- Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for another minute. Then, add the chopped tomatoes and sauté a minute more.
Pro tip - it is important to always sauté the veggies and spices well at each stage to get the maximum flavor. - Next, add curry powder, paprika, and cayenne - with ¼ cup water. Cook until the spices are fragrant.
Pro tip - cook on low heat adding a few more tablespoons of water as necessary making sure you get a nice aroma from the spices. - Add the black beans and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes more until thick and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.
How to cook dried black beans?
There are a couple of ways to cook black beans.
- Stovetop - Dried black beans need to be soaked in water for a couple of hours (at least 4) or overnight. Then boil them in water for about 60 to 90 minutes on medium to low until they are soft and tender
- Pressure cooker - Soak for a couple of hours or overnight. Drain and place them in the pressure cooker. Add four times the amount of water. Cook under pressure for 20 minutes
- Instant pot - Soak for a couple of hours or overnight. Drain and place them in the pressure cooker. Add four times the amount of water. Cook under pressure for 15 minutes, then natural release.
- Slow cooker - place the black beans in the slow cooker without soaking. Add 4 times the amount of water. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Tips for Success
- Soaking the beans overnight will reduce the cooking time and make them easier to digest. Drain the soaking water and rinse the beans before cooking.
- If you use rehydrated beans using a pressure cooker will further reduce the cooking time and help the beans cook evenly.
- Add fresh onions, garlic, ginger, and other aromatic spices to enhance the flavor of the dish.
- Coconut milk will add a creamy texture and a slightly sweet flavor to the curry. So, if you don't like spicy, you can make it milder with a little coconut milk, about ¼ to 12 cup will do.
- Adjust the quantity of spices based on your preference. You can add more or less cayenne or chili powder depending on how spicy or flavorful you want your dish to be.
- Adding tomatoes will add a tangy flavor and acidity to the dish. If you prefer a smoother texture use 2 tablespoon of tomato paste instead of fresh chopped tomatoes.
- Garnish the curry with fresh cilantro, parsley, or mint to add freshness and color.
- Black bean curry goes well with rice or naan bread. I love to enjoy mine with some cooked buckwheat rice.
More vegetarian curries
- Chickpeas Curry - Channa Masala
- Quick and Easy Black Beans Coconut Curry
- Kidney Bean Coconut Curry
- Spinach Tofu Curry
- Mushroom Masala
- See all Indian recipes
This beans curry will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. You can even freeze this curry in the fridge for up to a month.
Not just beans, most of these pulses that need rehydration are better soaked and hydrated before they are cooked. The soaking helps remove some of the indigestible sugars that cause flatulence. This is why back in the old days our moms and grand-moms never looked for quick and easy ways to cook these. They'd rather take care of our tummies for us.
This is a very basic and yet very versatile recipe that would work beautifully with most soaked and boiled beans such as kidney beans, black-eyed beans, yellow lentils, red lentils.
Try my kidney beans coconut curry or yellow lentil soup
I love to serve this with a nice bowl of steamed white rice or my turmeric rice. Of course, simple chapati to exotic butter naan or plain naan as well as vegetable, or prawn rice. My kids' favorite rice is fruit and nut rice pilaf
Of course, when I'm in the mood for a low-carb diet then I usually serve this over my cauliflower rice, turmeric rice, or mustard dill cauliflower rice.
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Printable Recipe
Black Beans Curry
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 14 oz (396 g) black beans (canned or precooked )
- 2 tablespoon Cooking oil
- 2 inch Cinnamon stick
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ cup Onions (diced finely)
- 2 cup (2 cup) Tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Ginger (grated)
- 2 tablespoon Curry powder
- ½ tablespoon Hot cayenne (or to taste)
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- ½ cup Cilantro (chopped)
To serve
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoon) Sour cream (or yogurt)
Instructions
- In a saute pan, over medium heat, add oil and saute the onions, cinnamon, and bay leaves until onions are translucent.2 tablespoon Cooking oil, 2 inch Cinnamon stick, 2 Bay leaves
- Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. Then, add the chopped tomatoes and saute a minute more. Pro tip - it is important to always saute the veggies and spices well at each stage to get the maximum flavor.½ cup Onions, 2 cup Tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Garlic, 1 tablespoon Ginger
- Next, add curry powder, paprika, and cayenne - with ¼ cup water. Cook until the spices are fragrant. Pro tip - cook on low heat adding a few more tablespoons of water as necessary making sure you get a nice aroma from the spices.2 tablespoon Curry powder, ½ tablespoon Hot cayenne, 1 teaspoon Sweet paprika
- Add the black beans and chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper½ cup Cilantro, 14 oz black beans
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes more until thick and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. Pro tip - you can skip the yogurt or use vegan yogurt to make this vegan.¼ cup Sour cream
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Soaking the beans overnight will reduce the cooking time and make them easier to digest. Drain the soaking water and rinse the beans before cooking.
- If you use rehydrated beans using a pressure cooker will further reduce the cooking time and help the beans cook evenly.
- Add fresh onions, garlic, ginger, and other aromatic spices to enhance the flavor of the dish.
- Coconut milk will add a creamy texture and a slightly sweet flavor to the curry. So, if you don't like spicy, you can make it milder with a little coconut milk, about ¼ to 12 cup will do.
- Adjust the quantity of spices based on your preference. You can add more or less cayenne or chili powder depending on how spicy or flavorful you want your dish to be.
- Adding tomatoes will add a tangy flavor and acidity to the dish. If you prefer a smoother texture use 2 tablespoon of tomato paste instead of fresh chopped tomatoes.
- Garnish the curry with fresh cilantro, parsley, or mint to add freshness and color.
- Black bean curry goes well with rice or naan bread. I love to enjoy mine with some cooked buckwheat rice.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Kieran Mullens
I've thoroughly enjoyed this curry - so easy yet so delicious. I made my own curry powder of sorts by using various spices in my cupboard (fenugreek, fennel, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli flakes, salt, pepper) which elevated the dish even further. I made it for a friend this week and he said it was "extremely good". Enjoyed it very much with cubed (buttered) maris piper potatoes too for a change up. This is going to become a staple of mine!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Keiran. Happy you and your friends enjoyed this.
Bekke
I made it again, it was still awesome but different. Can we have metric measurements please? Aparently 1 US cup equals 236.588ml of water but the internet says nothing about beans.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Bekke. I'm not sure I understand. There are both US and metric measurements in the post. So, 2 14 oz cans of black beans is equal to 340 g or (1 1/2 cup of dry beans soaked)