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A refined variant of the classic black turtle bean that combines resilience in a long cook with a delightful creaminess - while eliciting an inky and delicious broth.

The Heirloom Bean Co's sources these beans from North American bean specialist Rancho Gordo, founded in the early 2000s by Steve Sando to preserve and promote traditional and rare bean varieties of the Americas.

The Midnight Black bean is a beloved staple in Latin American, Caribbean and Southern American cuisines. It’s the very soul of a rich, complex black bean soup and the foundation for classic frijoles negros. Our Midnight Blacks will cook without soaking - in fact the fabled dark broth (known in certain circles as ‘Cuban coffee’) will lose some of its intensity if these are left in water for long.

Images & cooking instructions © Rancho Gordo Inc.

  • Kitchen Suggestions

    Midnight Blacks are the definitive base for frijoles negros, simmered with onions, garlic and cumin, and finished with chopped red pepper, coriander and a splash of vinegar. They’re also great in salads, chilis, refried beans and black-bean soup: purée most of the cooked beans in their liquid, but leave a few whole for texture.

    Cooking these beans - the Rancho Gordo method

    Check beans for debris, and rinse thoroughly. In a large pot, sauté aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, celery, carrot etc.) in olive oil. Add beans and enough water to cover by about 2 inches/5cm. Bring to a full boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, using a lid to help regulate the heat, and gently cook until done, 1 to 3 hours. Salt when beans start to soften. A pre-soak of 2 to 6 hours will lessen the cooking time.

    Recipe ideas

    Rancho Gordo’s Moros y Cristianos (Midnight Beans and Rice)

    Black Wednesday Beans

  • Ingredients

    Midnight Black Beans

    Similar to: Santanero Delgado

    Latin name: Phaseolus vulgaris

    Country of origin: USA

    Sold in resealable 1lb (453g) bags

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