Black Turtle Bean

Black turtle beans are the most common type of black bean found in shops, with a small, oval shape, shiny black skin, and dense, meaty texture when cooked. They have a slightly earthy, mushroom-like flavour and hold their shape well through long cooking.

They are the classic bean for Brazilian feijoada, Cuban black beans and rice, Mexican refried beans, and Tex-Mex burritos and tacos. In Australia, they’re a go-to pantry staple for vegetarian chilli, bean salads, and hearty soups.

Dried black turtle beans are widely available and very affordable. They benefit from an overnight soak before cooking, which shortens the simmering time and helps them cook evenly. Canned versions are a convenient alternative.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Black turtle bean plants are grown in warm climates as an annual crop. The plants flower, produce pods, and are left in the field until the pods and seeds have dried naturally on the vine. The plants are then harvested and mechanically threshed to separate the beans. The dried beans are cleaned, sorted by size and quality, and packaged for sale.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 339kcal
Protein 21.2g
Carbs 47.7g
Fat 0.9g
Fibre 15.5g Sugar 2.1g
Mass Distribution

1 cup is about 184 g — roughly 620 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈1.8kg
Freshwater ≈400L
Land ≈3.4m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

hearty dried legume

Goes well with
rice cumin avocado jalapeño corn
Classic dishes
  • Black Bean Soup
  • Cuban Rice and Black Beans
  • Black Bean Tacos

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromBlack Turtle Bean, mature seeds goes well withrice goes well withcumin goes well withavocado goes well withjalapeño goes well withcorn
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