Cafe Rio Black Bean Recipe

If you love Cafe Rio black beans, you can create a copycat version at home with our tried-and-true recipe. This recipe is flavorful and easy to make, and it makes the perfect side dish to so many different types of meals!

Cafe Rio is one of our favorite fast casual restaurants – and no meal there is complete without a nice heaping portion of their black beans. We’ve been making this copycat recipe since 2013, and it’s always a huge hit whenever it’s featured on the dinner table. This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for large groups or for meal-prepping purposes. We hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 2 cans black beans
• 1 1/2  cups 100% tomato juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:

• In a large pot, saute garlic and cumin in the olive oil for about 3-5 minutes, or until a distinct aroma is created.
• Add beans, tomato juice, and salt and stir until completely heated.
• Keep warm until serving, and right before serving, stir in cilantro.

Recipe Tips and Instructions

• This recipe will serve about 6-8 people
• You can use tomato sauce instead of tomato juice, but we find this makes it a bit thicker. Try and use tomato juice if you can.
• This can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
• You can freeze this recipe – here are some general tips for freezing beans that might be helpful.

More Cafe Rio Recipes:

• Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Dressing
• Cafe Rio Style Guacamole
• Cafe Rio Style Rice
• Cafe Rio Style Pork Recipe