Venezuelan Caraotas Negras

Name: Venezuelan Caraotas Negras
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Venezuelan
Ingredients: 1 lb (450 g) Dried black beans, soaked overnight (8–12 hours), drained and rinsed; 8 cups (1900 ml) Water; 1 medium (150 g) Yellow onion, diced; 1 medium (150 g) Red bell pepper, diced; 3 cloves (9 g) Garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp (3 g) Ground cumin; 2 tbsp (30 ml) Extra virgin olive oil; 2½ oz (70 g) Papelón (unrefined cane sugar), grated or crumbled; Fine sea salt; Fresh cracked black pepper

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Venezuelan caraotas negras are deeply savory, slightly sweet black beans slow-cooked with papelón (unrefined cane sugar), sautéed aromatics, and warm spices. The beans break down into a creamy sauce that is quintessentially Venezuelan—a staple side dish served alongside arepas, rice, or breakfast specialties. The combination of softened onion, bell pepper, garlic, and cumin creates a deeply savory base, while papelón adds a subtle molasses-like sweetness and complexity that elevates simple beans into comfort food.

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 32 min
Wait: 2 hr 20 min
Total: 3 hr 2 min
Makes: About 4½ cups (6 servings of ¾ cup each)

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Steps

Before you start

Soak 1 lb dried black beans overnight (8–12 hours) in cold water; drain and rinse before cooking.
Dice all vegetables (1 onion, 1 red pepper, 3 garlic cloves) before turning on the stove.
Use a large pot with at least 6-quart capacity—beans expand and splatter if the pot is too small.
Have papelón grated or crumbled and ready to add (can be done while beans cook).

1
Boil beans and skim foam
- Place drained beans in your large pot and cover with 8 cups fresh cold water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat (about 3–5 minutes).
- Once boiling, immediately start skimming off the gray foam that rises to the surface using a spoon.
- Continue skimming for 2–3 minutes until foam stops forming.
- Pour off any remaining foam on the surface.
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Ready when: Water is at a rolling boil and foam stops forming
Tip: Skimming the foam early prevents a cloudy, murky broth and removes bitter-tasting impurities.
2
Simmer beans gently
- Reduce heat to medium-low so the beans maintain a very gentle simmer with small bubbles breaking the surface.
- Partially cover the pot to speed cooking slightly while still allowing steam to escape.
- Let the beans simmer for about 55 minutes, stirring occasionally (every 15 minutes or so) to ensure even cooking.
- Add a splash of water if the beans become exposed above the liquid.
- While the beans simmer, prepare the sofrito mixture in the next step.
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Ready when: Beans are soft but not fully tender yet; they should still have some resistance when bitten
Tip: Keep the heat gentle—a rolling boil will cause beans to burst and toughen rather than soften evenly.
3
Sauté aromatics for sofrito
- While the beans simmer (starting around the 45-minute mark of cooking), heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced yellow onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to turn golden at the edges.
- Add the diced red bell pepper and cook for another 2–3 minutes.
- Stir in the minced garlic and 1 tsp ground cumin, cooking for about 30 seconds until very fragrant.
- The sofrito should be ready in about 9 minutes total.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and golden, garlic is very fragrant, pepper is tender
Tip: Don't brown the vegetables too heavily; they should be soft and aromatic, not caramelized or dark.
4
Stir sofrito into beans
- Pour the sofrito mixture (including the oil) directly into the simmering beans.
- Stir well for about 1–2 minutes to distribute the aromatics throughout the beans and liquid.
- The beans should have simmered for about 1 hour total by now.
- Return to a gentle simmer and let cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- At this point, the beans should be mostly soft but not completely falling apart.
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Ready when: Sofrito is evenly mixed in, beans are soft but still hold their shape when stirred
5
Add papelón for sweetness
- At about the 1.5-hour mark of total cooking (after the sofrito has simmered for about 30 minutes), prepare the papelón.
- If it's in one solid piece, grate it on a box grater or crumble it by hand into small pieces.
- Add the 2.5 oz papelón to the bean pot and stir well for 2–3 minutes until it is completely dissolved.
- The cooking liquid should take on a slightly darker, richer appearance.
- Continue simmering the beans.
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Ready when: Papelón is fully dissolved into the liquid; liquid appears darker and richer
Tip: Papelón is naturally crumbly and dissolves easily into the warm bean liquid within a minute or two.
6
Finish cooking until creamy
- Continue simmering the beans for another 45–50 minutes until completely tender—a bean should break easily when pressed against the side of the pot with a spoon.
- The cooking liquid should reduce and thicken into a creamy, starchy sauce clinging to the beans.
- The beans should look more like a thick bean stew than a soupy broth.
- Stir occasionally (every 10–15 minutes) to prevent sticking on the bottom.
- If the mixture still seems too soupy after 50 minutes, increase heat slightly to medium or simmer a few minutes longer.
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Ready when: Beans break easily when pressed with a spoon, liquid is creamy and thickened, and little to no soupy broth remains visible
Tip: The creamy, thick consistency is the defining characteristic of authentic caraotas negras—don't stop cooking too early or the beans will be too brothy.
7
Season beans
- Remove the pot from heat.
- Taste the beans and season with fine sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Start with 1.5 tsp salt and add more gradually to your preference, stirring well.
- Let rest for 2–3 minutes to allow the salt and pepper to fully distribute throughout.
- Taste again and adjust seasoning as needed.
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Ready when: Flavor is balanced and seasoned to your taste
Tip: Taste before adding all the salt; the papelón's natural sweetness may require less salt than you'd normally use in a bean dish.

Good to know

Tips

Don't skip the soaking step—it reduces cooking time and makes beans more digestible. If you're in a rush, use the quick-soak method: boil beans for 2 minutes, remove from heat, let sit covered for 1 hour, then drain and proceed with the recipe.
Black beans vary in size and dryness; older beans may take longer to cook. After the papelón has dissolved, check beans frequently by pressing one between a spoon and the side of the pot. They're done when they break easily.
Caraotas negras are best served warm, shortly after cooking, so the beans have the creamiest consistency. However, they keep beautifully in the fridge and can be gently reheated.
These beans are traditionally served alongside arepas (corn patties), white rice, or fresh cheese (queso fresco) for a complete Venezuelan meal.

Make ahead

Cook up to 4 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. The flavor actually improves after a day, as the spices and papelón meld further into the beans.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: Up to 2 hours. Refrigerator: Up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freezer: Up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if needed to restore the creamy consistency. Alternatively, microwave in a covered container in 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals.

Substitutions

Papelón (unrefined cane sugar) → Brown sugar. Use the same weight (2.5 oz / 70g), or about 1/4 cup packed brown sugar. Papelón adds a unique molasses-like sweetness; brown sugar is less complex but works well as a substitute.
Dried black beans → Canned black beans (4 cans, 15 oz each). Drain and rinse canned beans first. Skip the boiling and initial simmering; start with step 3 (make sofrito), add sofrito to canned beans, add papelón after 10 minutes, then simmer all together for only 30–40 minutes. Yield will be similar.
Ground cumin → 1/2 tsp cumin + 1/4 tsp ground coriander. Coriander adds a citrusy, warm note that complements papelón nicely if you prefer a slightly less intense cumin flavor.
Red bell pepper → Orange or yellow bell pepper. Use the same quantity; the flavor profile will be similar, with slightly less sweetness.