Name: Cuban Style Red Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 145 min
Total time: 155 min
Ingredients: 12-14 ounces bag Dried Small Red Beans; 10 cups of Water (plus water for soaking); 1 pound Smoked Pork (like Smoked Ham Shanks or Ham Hocks); 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 Medium Onion (finely diced); 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste; 3-4 Garlic Cloves (minced); 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (or to taste); ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano; ¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin; ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper (or to taste); 1 tablespoon Chicken Base (optional)

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When you think Cuban food, beans are usually on the menu. In Spanish this dish is called frijoles colorados, and they’re a staple in Cuban cuisine.

Cuban Style Red beans served over white rice with a breaded steak in the background

These red beans are made with simple ingredients including herbs, spices and pork. The pork used is typically an inexpensive cut. Smoked ham hocks or shanks, sausage, or a leftover, meaty ham bone are all good options.

Cuban style red beans are traditionally served with white rice as a side dish, or as a stand-alone soup. We’ve included some helpful notes at the end of the recipe that will help you make great beans.

For more great bean recipes, try this Cuban split pea soup, this potaje de lentejas, which is a wonderful lentil stew or this navy bean soup. Enjoy!

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Cuban red beans ingredients

12-14 ounces bag Dried Small Red Beans
10 cups of Water, plus water for soaking
1 pound Smoked Pork (like Smoked Ham Shanks or Ham Hocks)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon Chicken Base (optional)

Soak the Beans

Sort through the beans and remove any foreign objects, like small stones. Rinse the beans, add them to a large pot or bowl and cover with 3-4 cups of water; let the beans soak overnight.

For a quicker soaking method, sort and rinse as above. Add the beans and 6 cups of water to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil; cook the beans for 2 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat, cover and set aside for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans, they’re now ready to cook. I use the quick soak method and it has worked well so far.

While the beans soak, prepare the sofrito

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and black pepper, stir well to combine.

Cook the sofrito for another minute or two, stirring constantly. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

How to make red beans

Add the (pre-soaked, rinsed and drained) beans, 10 cups of water, the smoked meat, the prepared sofrito and the chicken base (if using) to a large pot, stir well to combine. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover the beans, remove the smoked ham and set them on a plate or cutting board to cool. Cover the beans and continue cooking.
When the smoked pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bones, and any fatty pieces. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return it to the pot.
Continue to cook the beans for another 15-20 minutes. Try a couple of beans to determine how close to done they are. If the beans are still firm, cover the pot and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Try them again.
When the beans are soft, uncover the pot to allow the liquid to thicken. This process could take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on how much liquid is left in the pot and how thick you want them.
Keep the beans at a simmer, raise the heat a bit if necessary. Stir occasionally, as they thicken they could stick to the bottom.
Taste the red beans; add salt and pepper to taste if needed. Serve the Cuban style red beans with white rice or bread.

A close-up of Cuban Red Beans served over white rice

Tips to make the best red beans

The cooking time for the beans will vary depending on their freshness. When cooking beans, follow the recipe cooking times, check the beans by tasting one or two, and then add half an hour at a time until they’re done.
Smoked meat is typically salty. To control the salt in the finished dish, rinse the smoked meat under cold water before adding it to the pot.
I add a little bit of chicken base to the red beans for extra flavor, but they turn out great without it too. If you have some in the refrigerator, add it in.
The beans will thicken as they cook. If they’re not as thick as you’d like, remove about a cup of beans with a mesh strainer and mash them with a fork. Add the mashed beans back into the pot, stir and cook a few minutes longer, this should do the trick.
Red beans make great leftovers, actually, some claim they taste better the next day. To reheat, loosen the beans with a little bit of water or chicken broth, stir, heat and enjoy.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Cuban Style Red Beans

When you think Cuban food, beans are usually on the menu. In Spanish this dish is called frijoles colorados, and they’re a staple in Cuban cuisine.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time2 hrs 25 mins

Quick soak method1 hr

Total Time2 hrs 35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cuban

Keyword: frijoles colorados, red beans

Servings:

Calories: 440kcal

Ingredients

12-14 ounces bag Dried Small Red Beans
10 cups of Water plus water for soaking
1 pound Smoked Pork like Smoked Ham Shanks or Ham Hocks
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion finely diced
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt or to taste
½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
1 tablespoon Chicken Base optional

Instructions

Sort through the beans and remove any foreign objects, like small stones.
Rinse the beans, add them to a large pot or bowl and cover with 3-4 cups of water; let the beans soak overnight. Drain and rinse the beans, they’re now ready to cook.
For a quicker soaking method, sort and rinse as above. Add the beans and 6 cups of water to a large pot. Bring the water to a boil; cook the beans for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and set aside for one hour. Drain and rinse the beans, they’re now ready to cook. I use the quick soak method and it has worked well so far.
While the beans soak prepare the sofrito: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and black pepper, stir well to combine. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Add the beans, 10 cups of water, the smoked meat, the prepared sofrito and the chicken base (if using) to a large pot, stir well to combine. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Uncover the beans, remove the smoked ham and let cool. Cover the beans and continue cooking. When the smoked pork is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Discard the bones, and any fatty pieces. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces and return it to the pot.
Continue to cook the beans for another 15-20 minutes. Taste the beans, if they’re still firm, cover the pot and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Try them again.
When the beans are soft, uncover the pot to allow the liquid to thicken. This process could take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on how much liquid is in the pot and how thick you want them. Keep the beans at a simmer, raise the heat a bit if necessary, stirring occasionally.
Taste the red beans; add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

Notes

The cooking time for the beans will vary depending on their freshness. When cooking beans, follow the recipe cooking times, check the beans by tasting one or two, and then add half an hour at a time until they’re done.

Smoked meat is typically salty. To control the salt in the finished dish, rinse the smoked meat under cold water before adding it to the pot.

I add a little bit of chicken base to the red beans for extra flavor, but they turn out great without it too. If you have some in the refrigerator, add it in.

The beans will thicken as they cook. If they’re not as thick as you’d like, remove about a cup of beans with a strainer and mash them with a fork. Add the mashed beans back into the pot, stir and cook a few minutes longer, this should do the trick.

Red beans make great leftovers, actually, some claim they taste better the next day. To reheat, loosen the beans with a little bit of water or chicken broth, stir, heat and enjoy.

Nutrition

The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.