• First, spread the beans out on your kitchen countertop or table and remove any broken beans, small stones, leaves, or foreign objects.
• Next, place the cleaned, dried beans in a colander. Wash them under cold water. Transfer the beans to a large bowl and cover them with 2 inches of water. Cover the bowl and let them soak overnight (see notes).
• After discarding the soaking water and rinsing the beans, place them in a pot for cooking. You can use an Instant Pot like I did or try other methods outlined below. Add onion, fresh herbs (if desired), and salt to the pot, then cover the beans with about 2 inches of water.
• Seal the lid and pressure cook for 25 minutes in the Instant Pot. Once finished, manually release the pressure and enjoy!

To cook black beans in a Slowcooker

• Follow the cleaning steps above, but soaking is not necessary. Simply add the beans to the slowcooker with onion, bay leaves, and salt.
• Cover the ingredients with about 1 inch of water, place the lid on, and cook on low for 6-7 hours or 4-5 hours on high.

For stovetop cooking

• Clean and soak the black beans as described above. Add them to a large stock pot with onion, bay leaves, and salt, then cover with about 2 inches of water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1-2 hours until the beans are tender. Be sure to check and stir occasionally, adding water if needed.

Canned beans

• Dice the onion
• Heat avocado oil in a sauce pot. Transfer the onion the pot and brown it (5 minutes).
• Open 2 cans of beans and transfer them to the pot. Add spices and cook for 20 minutes on low heat so the spices release their oils.