We have been craving Cuban black beans for a few weeks. We initially planned to follow a traditional recipe (overnight soak, then hours on the stovetop) from a 1973 NYT recipe (see Note 1 below). But then we stumbled upon this Instant Pot recipe for vegetarian frijoles negro on Instagram (we recommend watching the video for the full recipe): https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSA-GbSkkfk/?igsh=dGN6M2lhcGhoZjFq. This was delicious, and we definitely would like to make it again. The cooking wine, tomato, white vinegar, and sugar gave the dish an authentic aroma.

Instructions:

First, pick over and wash 14 oz dried black beans, then drain. (See Note 2 below about how to adjust from a 16 oz bag of dried beans.) Then add the drained, uncooked beans to the Instant Pot along with 4 cups water, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp kosher salt. Pressure cook on High for 35 mins (be aware that due to preheating and “keep warm,” the time in the pressure cooker more realistically is an hour or so).

Second, prepare your sofrito: finely dice 1 large Spanish onion and 1 large green bell pepper (we used our Braun handheld chopper), then drain. Mince 4 cloves garlic and set aside.

Third, heat a large nonstick pan with a generous amount of olive oil (we started with 3 Tbsp) on medium heat; once shimmering, add the chopped onion and bell pepper mixture, 1 tsp oregano (we used Mexican), and 1 tsp ground cumin. Add more olive oil as needed. Once the mixture is fragrant and onion is translucent, fold in the minced garlic. A few mins later, deglaze with 1/4 cup dry white cooking wine (we used Sherry cooking wine), and then set aside. Season with kosher salt and black pepper (we sprinkled with 1/2 tsp and 1/4 tsp, respectively).

Fourth, once you are able to open the Instant Pot (we canceled the last 12 mins of the “keep warm” setting and then did a quick release), remove the bay leaves. Test a bean to make sure it’s fully cooked.

Finally, fold the sofrito mixture into the black bean mixture. Then add 2 tsp tomato sauce (we used crushed tomato), 1 Tbsp white vinegar, and 2 tsp white sugar. Set the Instant Pot, uncovered, on Saute – Low for 20 mins. Taste the black beans; we added another 1/2 tsp sugar and salt for balance.

Serve with Cuban rice (see stovetop recipe below) and garnish with minced parsley. (July 2026)

Cuban rice instructions (we followed the 1973 NYT recipe but halved it):

First, measure out 1.5 cups uncooked long grain rice (we used Mahatma extra large based on our local supermarkets). Pick over, rinse carefully, and then drain.

Second, In a large, heavy saucepan (we used the Ultimate pan), heat 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat. Add the drained rice and saute until the rice grains are translucent.

Third, add 1 tsp salt and 3 cups of boiling hot water. Stir gently to make sure the rice is evenly distributed in the pan, then let rice and water have a gentle boil for a few minutes. Cover tightly with a lid, reduce heat to Low, and let simmer, covered, for 20 mins. Once timer goes off, you can check the rice but it may benefit from steaming (covered and undisturbed) for about 5 mins. Then mold the rice in a small bowl, invert it into a flat bowl, and then pour the black beans overtop.

Note 1: Here’s the 1973 NYT recipe: https://www.nytimes.com/1973/08/23/archives/in-the-bad-old-days-they-had-the-sense-to-treasure-beans.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Note 2: To accommodate Chef Alex Rios’s recipe, we had to reduce our 16 oz (1 lb) bag of dried beans by 2 oz to become 14 oz. 2 oz is roughly a scant 1/3 cup, so we set that amount aside.