Crockpot Mexican black beans and rice is no ordinary beans & rice recipe. This tasty, Mexican inspired dish is high-fiber, low-sodium, and made in the slow cooker. Sit back and let the appliance to the work! Serve this as a side dish or as a hearty main course. Instructions to make this easy beans & rice recipe in the Instant Pot are also included.

Table of Contents
ToggleIngredients For Crockpot Mexican Black Beans And Rice
- Dry Black Beans
- Uncooked Brown Rice
- Onion
- Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Lime
- Bay Leaf
- Water or Broth
- Seasonings: cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper

How To Make Mexican Black Beans And Rice In The Slow Cooker
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Stir to mix well.
- Cook high 4-6 hours or low 8-10.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lime juice.
Instant Pot
- Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper. Cook a few minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Pour in the water and deglaze the bottom of the by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
- Add the dry black beans, rice, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to mix well.
- Close lid and seal valve. Cook high pressure for 65 minutes. When cooking time is complete, natural release pressure for 15 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lime juice.


What Type Of Black Beans To Use
No soaking required! The beauty of the slow cooker is that it will cook the dry black beans to tender without having to pre-soak them first. Unforunately, this means it will take longer to cook. Every slow cooker and Instant Pot heats different. You may need more or less time for your black beans to cook to tender.
What Type Of Rice To Use
This rice & beans recipe is best made with uncooked, long-grain brown or white rice. That is what you see in the pictures is brown rice.

FAQs & Tips
- Cookbook recipe! A modified version of this recipe first appeared in my cookbook, The Low Sodium Slow Cooker Cookbook.
- I used my 6-quart slow cooker and it was full when it was done cooking.
- This recipe is both vegan and vegetarian but at the end of the day, rice and beans is very filling combination in my opinion.
- I serve this as a side dish but if can be a main dish as well.
- The dish will thicken as it cools.
- I used a large 6-quart slow cooker or Instant Pot for this recipe.
Slow Cooker Rice Recipes
PrintCrockpot Mexican Black Beans And Rice
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Crockpot Mexican black beans and rice is no ordinary beans & rice recipe. This tasty, Mexican inspired dish is high-fiber, low-sodium, and made in the slow cooker. Sit back and let the appliance to the work! Serve this as a side dish or as a hearty main course. Instructions to make this easy beans & rice recipe in the Instant Pot are also included.
- Author: Shannon Epstein
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry uncooked black beans
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or more)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 cups water
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon oil (for Instant Pot only)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Stir to mix well.
- Cook high 4-6 hours or low 8-10.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lime juice.
Instant Pot
- Turn on the Instant Pot and select sauté. Once hot, add the oil, onion, and bell pepper. Cook a few minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Pour in the water and deglaze the bottom of the by scraping all the bits off with a wooden spoon.
- Add the dry black beans, rice, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to mix well.
- Close lid and seal valve. Cook high pressure for 65 minutes. When cooking time is complete, natural release pressure for 15 minutes then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lime juice.
Notes
Every slow cooker and Instant Pot heats different. You may need more or less time for your black beans to cook to tender.
Nutrition
- Calories: 300
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7 thoughts on “Crockpot Mexican Black Beans And Rice”
Just a quick note to say thank you. I am a terrible cook and love my slow cooker. Really like rice and beans but not easy to make in a pan. I am also trying to minimize processed/canned foods so using dry beans. This recipe is great and I use it weekly to make lunches for work.
I am cooking for a crowd, about how many servings does this make?
This will yield a full 6-quart of rice & beans. Using 4 cups of cooked rice, this serves approx 8-12 people.
Can I use Pinto Beans, Don’t like black beans.
You can. Same instructions, just swap out the beans. Enjoy!
Yum!
I just discovered your website. Love it!
Welcome! I hope you enjoy the recipes.