These Stewed Red Beans from Belize are so easy to make and are ready with almost no hands-on work! Put them in your Belizean Rice and Beans or eat them on their own for a flavorful taste of Central America.
Stewed Beans are popular across the world, with so many cultures enjoying the flavor of this comforting side dish. This particular bean recipe comes from Belizean influence, with the beans stewed alongside cilantro, garlic, onion, and salt.
While this recipe can be, and often is, made on the stove in Belize, I wanted something easy and hands off. Instead, I decided to use my CrockPot to cook up these beans so that I could have dinner ready without having to do much work! Keep reading for some tips and tricks on how to make your Stewed Red Beans perfect.
Serve this recipe alongside Garnaches from Belize, Rum Soaked Pork Loin, and Banana Cake for a delicious “visit” to Belize from your kitchen!
Ingredients to Make Stewed Red Beans
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Red Kidney Beans: In Belize there is a type of small red bean often used for this recipe. If you are making this dish in the United States, Red Kidney Beans are the closest bet that you can find.
- Vegetable Oil: Olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil are all good substitutions.
- Onion: I used a white onion, but you can use any type!
- Garlic: Freshly minced (not jarred) for the most delicious experience.
- Salt
- Cilantro: I use fresh cilantro and add it right onto the crock pot.
Cleaning Your Beans
Cleaning the beans is probably the most hands-on version of this entire process, and you can get it out of the way right at the beginning! To clean your beans, follow these easy steps:
- Sort through the beans and make sure to remove any rocks that may have found their way into the bag. This is not super common in packaged bags of dry beans, but very rarely one might find its way into the bag. Make sure to peek through your beans and remove anything that looks like a rock!
- Place the beans in a colander and rinse them thoroughly to remove any dirt.
How to Make Stewed Beans
Step 1: Heat a pan on the stove and saute the onions until translucent. Then add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
Step 2: Add the beans into the crock pot along with the water, cooked onions and garlic, salt and cilantro. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
Step 3: When your beans are tender (for me at about 3 hours), use a potato masher to mash the beans until the liquid in the crock pot is creamy and thicker. Then cook for another hour. If you are using the beans for beans and rice, remove them from the crock pot when they are tender (but not mushy), before you mash them.
Finding the Right Cooking Time
Crock pot cooking can be tough because each specific crock pot cooks at a different level. My crock pot could be different from yours in terms of cook time.
My Belizean Red Beans took 3-4 hours on HIGH to cook to perfection, but other cooks that have made this recipe have said that their older crock pot took up to 8 hours to get the beans just right. If your crock pot tends to cook fast, you might also only need 3-4 hours to make this recipes!
Cooking Stewed Beans for Rice and Beans vs Eating Them Alone
Belizeans often make these beans and then use the leftovers in their rice and beans recipe! The first time that I made this recipe, I made it specifically with the intention of using the beans in my rice and beans recipe. With that in mind, I undercooked my beans just a tiny bit so that when they cook with the rice for a half an hour, they reach the perfect texture.
In that case, I waited until the beans were soft but not mushy and then turned off the crock pot.
When I know that the beans are being cooked specifically to eat solo, I then will cook the beans a little bit more (about 4 hours in my crock pot, which is what this recipe calls for).
If you have any leftover stewed red beans, turn them into refried beans and make Baleadas!
Recipe Variations
This recipe is a base recipe with just a few key ingredients. If you want to add more flavor or adjust the flavor of the recipe, try out these variations!
- Add Meat: Make these stewed red beans with meat by adding ham or pig tails into the recipe.
- Adjust Cilantro: You can omit the cilantro if you do not like it.
- Add More Seasonings: Bay leaves, thyme, cumin, paprika, and chili powder will add a lot of flavor.
- Vegetables: It’s not traditional, but you can also add vegetables into the beans, including bell peppers, carrots, celery, or parsley.
Did you enjoy this Stewed Red Beans Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
Stewed Red Beans
Equipment
- 1 Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb Dried Red kidney beans
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ white onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tbsp salt
- ¼ cup Cilantro
Instructions
- Sort through the beans, making sure to remove any rocks. Then place the beans in a colander and rinse them to remove any dirt.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a pan on the stove. Then add the white onion and saute until the onion turns translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir for another minute.
- Add the washed beans into the crock pot along with 7 cups of water, the sauteed onions and garlic, salt and cilantro. Put the lid on the crock pot and turn it to “High” for about 4 hours.
- When there is about an hour left on the timer, stir the beans, then mash them until the liquid is creamy and the beans are in pieces but not mush. If you are using these for Belizean Rice and Beans, remove the beans from the crockpot around this time so that they are not too mushy when added to rice.
- Allow the beans to cook for the last hour or longer until they reach your desired texture. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Red Kidney Beans: In Belize there is a type of small red bean often used for this recipe. If you are making this dish in the United States, Red Kidney Beans are the closest bet that you can find.
- Vegetable Oil: Olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil are all good substitutions.
- Onion: I used a white onion, but you can use any type!
- Garlic: Freshly minced (not jarred) for the most delicious experience.
- Cilantro: I use fresh cilantro and add it right onto the crock pot.
- My Belizean Red Beans took 3-4 hours on HIGH to cook to perfection, but other cooks that have made this recipe have said that their older crock pot took up to 8 hours to get the beans just right. If your crock pot tends to cook fast, you might also only need 3-4 hours to make this recipe!
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