Chipotle Black Beans (Copycat) recipe with chili powder, cumin, lemon and lime is an easy recipe that brings the taste of Chipotle Mexican Grill home.
Your kitchen will have the makings for a fiesta when you serve this Chipotle Black Beans recipe with Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat), Chipotle Guacamole (Copycat) and Chipotle Barbacoa Beef.
Chipotle Black Beans (Copycat)
Enjoying a meal at the popular fast-casual restaurant, Chipotle, is a real treat. The options are plentiful when you pick and choose from the menu items such as tacos, burritos and salads. In fact, making a selection is often the hardest part! Learning how to make Chipotle black beans for burritos, tacos, and salads is a simple, affordable way to enjoy the flavors of a Mexican buffet with your family.
Many meals at Chipotle start with the foundation of beans– Chipotle Mexican black beans or pinto beans. Beans are a go-to protein source for vegetarians and vegans. This recipe for black beans is gluten free as well. Meat eaters also appreciate the texture and flavor that beans provide within dishes like chicken burritos or beef tacos.
How do black beans differ from pinto beans? Black beans tend to retain their shape and firm bite even after cooking whereas cooked pinto beans are creamier and softer. Black beans are often served with rice, in soups, or as a stand alone side dish. Pinto beans are the common ingredient in refried beans.
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Copycat Chipotle Black Beans are easy to make at home. To mimic the smoky flavors of black beans from Chipotle, let’s start by learning what ingredients are in the restaurant’s recipe as listed on the company’s website. The ingredient list is long but you’ll likely have most of these items in your pantry at home. Notice that a few ingredients like bay leaf and chipotle will take your black beans from average to something special.
- rice bran oil (vegetable oil is fine)
- yellow onion
- garlic
- black beans
- bay leaf
- kosher salt
- chipotle chili powder
- cumin
- black pepper
- oregano
- lemon juice
- lime juice
Tips for making Chipotle Black Beans
- Always rinse canned beans to remove some of the salt and starch.
- Develop layers of flavor by sautéing the onions and garlic first.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven to promote even cooking.
- If you’d like more smoky heat, substitute a canned chipotle in adobo sauce for the chili powder. Remove before serving.
- The bay leaf contributes to the unique taste of the cooked black beans but be sure to remove the bay leaf before serving.
- Finishing the black beans with lime juice and lemon juice is a chef trick that provides balance and a bright flavor. Use fresh citrus juice, not bottled and mix gently to combine.
We love making restaurant copycat recipes! If you like these dishes from Chipotle, you’ll love recipes from Panda Express too. We have nearly the entire Panda Express menu copycat recipes including Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat), Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat), and Panda Express Chow Mein (Copycat).
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons rice bran oil vegetable oil is fine too
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 29 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed well
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large dutch oven on medium heat along with the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally until translucent before adding in the garlic and cooking an additional 30 seconds.
- Add in the beans, water, bay leaf, salt, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and oregano and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until thickened.
- Remove the bay leaf, add in the lemon and lime juice and serve.
Nutrition
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These beans are absolutely amazing! Last night I made a burrito bowl with them and today I used the leftovers to make a bean and cheese quesadilla. So, so good. I’ll be making them again ASAP!
Love hearing this Lydia and thanks for the 5 star review!
These are so incredibly tasty! It will now be my go to rescue for black beans.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for the five star review!
Love this so much, I make it all the time! Only change I make is 1 cup of water instead of 2
I just made these for beef burritos and they were stellar! I halved the recipe because it was a small crowd, but next time will make a big batch and freeze some for later. I didn’t have chipotle chili powder so used regular chili powder and added some smoked paprika. I also had some chicken broth to use up so did that instead of water. Sauted some red pepper with the onion and garlic. Great recipe! Thanks!
The recipe says 15 minute “cook time”, but in the instructions it says to cook for 30 minutes. Which do you suggest?
Hi Kristi, In checking the recipe, I noticed it said to cook for additional 30 SECONDS after adding the garlic?
Made these beans twice now. They tasted great, but not a pretty dish. The end product does not look as beautiful as the recipe picture. I only make this comment because I don’t want people to be discouraged if their end product doesn’t turn out pretty. I added these to a rice bowl and also used them as a topping for my recipe for potato nachos…very yummy addition.
Fantastic recipe! Loved it.
Delicious and nutritious! I make carne or chicken asada with the black beans and cilantro lime rice for a copycat chipotle bowl. My teenage boys and I love the beans. Great addition to quesadillas or just by themselves. Add cilantro like the recipe pic and extra wedges of lime to squeeze on individual servings.
It does not say anywhere how many cans of beans you use.
Thank you for the easy directions to this delicious recipe! 29 OUNCES OF BLACK BEANS was the perfect amount. All I had to do was use my food scale. Or look at the serving size on the can. Who knew??!
It says in the ingredients list “29oz canned black beans drained and rinsed well”. Most standard cans are 14-15 oz so it would be 2 of them.
10/10 recipe, the beans were so flavorful!
With food prices skyrocketing I’m looking for more recipes with beans to save some money. These were great, thank you!
They were so good, I’m definitely going to make them again.
I make these all the time. Even my kids like them.
smells and tastes amazing!!
What would your advice be on making large batches for meal prep and then freezing them? I was thinking about this for the beans and chicken
Made these last night, fantastic! Do you think I can make them ahead a day ahead and re-heat for a party from using dried black beans? Thanks
Yes!
I absolutely love this recipe, it is so good served with some cilantro lime rice. UGH to die for! Thank you!
Love the recipe but I want to try making these for a CROWD and keep them warm for a while. Have you tested it out with a slow cooker? Worst case I could probably make these a day ahead and the just use the slow cooker to reheat/serve.
That would be my suggestion too. Just use it as a warmer. Glad you love the dish so much.
The cook time above says 15 mins, but in the instructions you say to cook for 30 mins. Which one is it? Thanks!
Hi, sorry for the confusion, you would want to cook for 15 minutes or until you get your desired consistency.
Hi Sabrina,
Why rice bran oil?
Hi Harry,
There are a lot of answers to your good question but the best one is that Rice bran oil is the primary cooking oil at Chipotle. Its high smoke point – the temperature at which the oil starts, well, smoking – makes it suitable for high-temperature cooking like grilling, while its mild taste makes it versatile. Since I was creating a copycat recipe, it just seemed to be the most authentic oil to use to copy their tasty Chipotle black bean recipe!
Thanks for asking!
Made these exactly as the recipe directed. They turned out fantastic. It just takes patience and making sure you have them on the stove for about 30 mins as directed. 🙂 thank you!!!
Great recipe, my husband and I love it and make it often!
I made this recipe exactly as instructed (yes, I rinsed the beans, I always do) and they tasted nothing like Chipotle’s and we’re soupy. We actually threw them out and went to Chipotle instead.
Oh no! If it was soupy, it sounds like it wasn’t quite to a boil possibly before simmering or it needed to be simmered longer.
Quick quesion: when you simmer these beans, do you cover them or do you let them simmer without a cover? Also, I would love to read your Chipotle pinto bean version. Thanks for the great recipe!
You’ll simmer these beans uncovered. I’ll add a pinto bean version to my research list. Thanks for the suggestion.
Way too much lemon/like juice
Hmm, I followed the recipe exactly and I have an oniony soupy mess after simmering. Not sure what happened but hopefully boiling them off will help but still way too much onion and looks nothing like the image.
Oh no! Did you remember to drain and rinse the canned beans that were added? Not sure how else there would be that much liquid.
These black beans are so so good and easy to make too! My one year old loves black beans and these are definitely (my) toddler approved. I will be making this often! I added some of the beans to quesadillas and they were very tasty. Just two whole wheat tortillas, some shredded Mexican cheese, and the beans — no additional spices needed. Thank you for the winner of a recipe!
You’re welcome Audrey. I’m so happy you loved it enough to give it a 5 star rating.
These beans were awesome! I added extra just because they were so tasty.
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for the 5 star rating.
Substituted chili powder for a chipotle pepper and it was great! I had to adjust the amount of water because my can had less beans in it but I still simmered for about 30 min.
Going to try this today. Using a 1/2 pound of dry beans would you have any guidance on how much lemon and lime juice? Unfortunately all I have is bottled.
I would use the same amount in a pinch.
Aren’t canned beans already soft? Wouldn’t 30 minutes turn them to mush?
Thank you Mitch for bringing this to our attention. Recipe card has been amended. Please let us know if you enjoyed the recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe. My daughter is a huge fan of Chipotle even though we can’t have it every day. Thank you so much!
Yay!! So glad you all love it.
Do you drain the canned beans?
yes, drained and rinsed. 🙂
I made this and it’s so good! I used regular chili and no oregano or bay leaf on hand so left those out. It was still delicious.
I have a question though. How big is one serving size? I’m trying to calculate how many calories one burrito would be and can’t figure out if one serving size is a cup, 1/2 cup?
Please help, thanks!
I’m so glad you love it so much! One serving is about 3/4 cup.
absolutely delicious!!
You have the total time listed as 25 minutes, but it says to simmer the beans 30 minutes.. which of the times isn’t right?
Sorry about that. The instructions portion has the correct timing. You’ll want to simmer for 30 minutes.
This was delicious and we will have it on our weekly rotation! Made it as recipe states. Thank you for posting!
So glad you enjoyed it so much! I always take it as a honor to be added into the dinner rotation.
About to try this.
Is there cilantro in there? Looks like there is in the picture.
There’s no cilantro in the recipe but I used it as a garnish. Let me know how they turned out for you!
I found this recipe about a week ago and have already made it twice. My kids love it. We’ve had it over rice and as tacos.
I used water to fry the onion, as we’re avoiding oil whenever possible, and I added a bit of smoked paprika. The recipe is fantastic. I’ll make this very, very often!
Twice in one week is definitely a winner! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how much you all love it.
Do these beans freeze well?
Absolutely! Freeze in small batches for a quick side or snack 🙂
Will try this for dinner on Sunday! Hopefully they will love it, & I will include it for the graduation party menu! Sounds delicious!
Chipotle fiend here! LOVE this recipe! So flavorful and such a spot on copycat!
Thanks, Eden. Their food is pretty addicting, haha!
I love black beans and am due to make a nice big batch soon. I can’t wait to try your Copycat recipe. Quick question, do you think these would freeze well? Let me know I plan on making them this weekend and if they do I can make extra.
Yes, just make sure they’re completely cooled before freezing and place them in a freezer safe container. Enjoy!
Well this is the best news I have gotten all day! No wonder they are so delicious…no idea there was ingredients more than black beans! Can’t wait to try!
That’s what makes them so yummy!
Can you use dried black beans? Going to make for work party.
If you want to use dried black beans, you’ll need to soak them overnight.
Pinned your copycat pin. I love Chipotle!!
Thanks for the pin, Jill.
I love all of your Chipotle copycat recipes! I’m planning on doing a whole spread for Cinco de Mayo so these beans will definitely be added. Thank you!
Sounds like a good time! Enjoy!