Instant Pot Black Borracho Beans with Potatoes
Dark and silky, these borracho beans have a complex and flavorful broth thanks to the ingredient that makes them borracho- beer! They’re made with potatoes, to make them nice and filling- although you could skip the potatoes if you’d rather have a simple pot of beans. They’ve got a little bit of spice from the jalapeno, and freshness from the lime and cilantro. They could be a meal on their own, or you could pair them with rice, tortillas, salad greens, or seitan.
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What Are Borracho Beans?
Well, let’s just say these are not a traditional version. These are more borracha-inspired beans. Borracho is Spanish for “drunk”, so borracho beans are drunk beans. Borracho beans won’t actually make you drunk- we made a giant pot of beans with just 12 ounces of beer, which we cooked, so any alcohol in one serving would be very minimal. The beer just adds a seriously delicious flavor and complexity to the beans. Borracho beans most commonly made with pinto beans, and also include sugar or molasses, as well as bacon. Many recipes I’ve found use canned beans, or else rehydrated beans, and then cook them in a beer-based sauce. We did it a little differently, by rehydrating the beans in the beer and used black beans. We also added potatoes to make this a meal in itself- but if you’re looking for more of a side you could always omit the potatoes.
Like Beans? Try one of these bean-based recipes!
- Hibiscus Flower and White Bean Vegan Tostadas
- Teff Vegan Burger with White Beans and Mushrooms
- Spicy Black Bean Vegan Deli Slices
- Giant Buffalo Beans- White Beans in Buffalo Sauce
- Wild Morel Mushrooms and Christmas Lima Beans
- Spicy Jackfruit and Black Bean Stew with Bananas
How to Pick your Beer
All sorts of different beers could work in this recipe! I recommend something with a low IBU- although I’m a big fan of bitter beers for drinking, I find that bitter flavor can take over when cooking. So something like an IPA is probably not your best bet. Anything with a really distinctive flavor probably won’t serve you well either- a sour, or a fruit-infused beer might work, but it could also be pretty distracting and not work well with the other flavors in your beans. A dark Mexican beer is a pretty safe bet. I actually went with a Trappist Ale, which is a lightly hopped, golden-brown beer. It worked really well in this recipe, and it’s also pretty local– who knew there was a monastery of monks making ale only about an hour from my house! If you’re really stuck on what to choose, a lager will be a good option. A dark Mexican lager should be easy to find and will taste great!
How to Make Instant Pot Borracho Beans
I know, I know. I have an instant pot now. I imagine this could also easily be done stove-top (if you are, I recommend soaking your beans overnight to reduce the cook time), but I haven’t tried it myself. So here’s my first instant pot recipe. Start by using the sauté function, to get your garlic, onion, and mushrooms cooking in some oil. As the onions soften and they all release some amazing aromas, you can move on to the spices and the dried beans to the pot, and toss it all around so the beans are coated in the flavorful oil. The other ingredients all go in the pot, and then it’s time to use the pressure cook setting. My beans took 22 minutes, plus another 20 minutes natural release- depending on the brand of bean you use, you may want to cook them a little longer. Once the beans are cooked, add lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Instant Pot Black Borracho Beans with Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 medium shiitake mushrooms
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- Oil, for cooking
- ½ lb. dried black beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp. Mexican oregano
- ½ tsp. dried cumin
- 12 oz. beer, not to bitter (I used this local option)
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 2 medium sized russet potatoes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lime, plus more for serving
- Fresh cilantro, to taste
Instructions
- Remove and discard the tough stems of the shiitake mushrooms, and chop the caps into cubes. Dice the onion, and mince the garlic.
- Heat some oil on your instant pot’s “sauté” function. Add the garlic, onion, and mushrooms, and sauté until the onions have softened. Add the bay leaf, oregano, cumin, and beans, and stir, until all the beans are coated in oil and spices. Add the beer, jalapeño, potato, and three cups of water.
- Use the pressure cook setting for 22 minutes, and then do a natural release for another 20 minutes or so. Remove the lid, season with salt and pepper, and add the juice of one lime. Serve with chopped cilantro on top, and lime wedges on the side.
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