Moros y Cristianos Recipe (Cuban Black Beans and Rice)
Last updated on October 13th, 2026
This is a delicious dish of rice and beans, very similar to the famous Jamaican rice and peas. It follows the same method as my arroz amarillo recipe, just with beans doing a lot of the flavour work.
What Is Moros y Cristianos?
Moros y cristianos is Cuban rice and beans: black beans and rice cooked together, very similar to the famous Jamaican rice and peas. The beans are simmered first, then their cooking liquid is used to cook the rice, which is how the bean flavour gets into every grain.
Moros y Cristianos Ingredients (And the Bean Liquid You Shouldn’t Toss)
Skip a step here and you throw away the very liquid that makes this dish taste like Cuba, not plain rice and beans. To get started I’m going back in time to yesterday when I soaked 1/2 a cup of dried black beans in 3 cups of water and left them overnight.
You can of course use canned precooked beans, and I’ll cover the adjustments at the end of the method.
So, our recipe structure is the same 1:2 ratio of rice and liquid. It’s the same ratio I use for my poblano and coriander green rice.
For the aromatics, we have a quarter of an onion finely diced, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/4 of a teaspoon of ground cumin, 1/4 of a teaspoon of dried oregano and a bay leaf.
I’m also putting the beans in this category as they are giving a flavour to the dish in a few ways.
How to Make Moros y Cristianos (Dried or Canned Beans)
The beans have had their overnight soaking, I’m adding a bay leaf in and placing them onto cook in the water they have been soaking in.
Once the pan is boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and leave them to cook for around 30 minutes.
Half an hour later the beans are soft but without being mushy, strain them off crucially saving the cooking liquid, this is what we’re going cook the rice in, so please don’t pour it down the drain!
Next place a saucepan over a medium heat add a splash of oil, and the diced white onion with a little pinch of salt, saute that for a few minutes until translucent then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute whilst stirring.
Now add the ground cumin and the dried oregano, saute the spices for 30 seconds and add the washed and drained rice.
Gently stir everything together so the rice is coated in all that flavour, then add the black beans and 2 cups of the cooking liquid we saved from earlier.
Season with a little salt, stir everything together and place a lid on and simmer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes check it, most of the liquid should be gone, check the base of the pan to make sure it’s not catching, this can happen more easily using stainless steel pans rather than non-stick, lid back on and cook for 5 more minutes.
Then heat off and leave to sit for another 5. The usual routine. A spoonful of homemade escabeche on the side cuts through the richness of the beans.
To make this more of a last-minute everyday recipe, like I mentioned above, you can use precooked canned beans, just drain them, keep the liquid and top it up to the amount you need with water. Then follow the recipe as normal. Serve it with a bowl of fresh guacamole for an easy, filling dinner.
Why save the bean cooking liquid for Moros y Cristianos?
The black beans are simmered from their overnight soak in fresh water, and once they’re strained, that cooking liquid becomes the liquid you cook the rice in. It carries bean flavour straight into the dish, so it shouldn’t be poured away.
Can I use canned beans instead of soaking dried beans?
Yes. Drain canned precooked black beans, keep the liquid, and top it up with water to the amount the recipe calls for. Then follow the rest of the method as normal.
What is the rice-to-liquid ratio for this recipe?
It follows the same 1:2 ratio used throughout, one part rice to two parts liquid, with the reserved bean cooking liquid making up that liquid portion.
Why do you rest the rice with the heat off at the end?
After simmering and a further 5 minutes of covered cooking, turning the heat off and letting the pan sit for another 5 minutes lets the rice finish cooking evenly without catching on the base of the pan.
What aromatics go into Moros y Cristianos?
Finely diced onion, minced garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano and a bay leaf, sautéed before the rice and beans are added. The beans themselves also contribute flavour to the finished dish.
Moros y Cristianos Recipe (Cuban Black Beans and Rice)
Equipment
- Saucepan with a lid
- Mixing bowl / Bowl for soaking the beans
- Colander
- Chef’s knife
- Chopping board
- Measuring cups
- Wooden / Stirring spoon
Ingredients
- 3 cups of water
- 1/2 cup dried black beans can of precooked beans
- 1 cup rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 of a large white onion finely diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- If you’re using dried beans soak them in 3 cups of water the night before (or a minimum of 4 hours) you want to cook them.
- The next day place the beans onto cook for around 30 minutes with one bay leaf added to the water.
- When they’re cooked but not mushy, strain them keeping the cooking liquid.
- Wash the rice until the water runs almost clear, then strain it and be sure to get as much excess water off as possible.
- In a pot add a splash of oil and sauté the onion until transparent, then add the garlic and fry for another minute.
- Then add the cumin and oregano and fry for 30 seconds.
- Then add the rice, the cooked beans and stir everything together.
- Add 2 cups of cooking water from the beans, season with salt, stir and place a lid on.
- Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes. Check the base of the pan to make sure it isn’t catching and that most of the liquid has gone, then cook for 5 more minutes. Turn the heat off and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
| Total Fat | 4.2g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.66g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 73.3mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 53.4g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.6g |
| Sugars | 1g |
| Protein | 8.7g |
| Potassium | 433mg |
