Moros y Cristianos/Arroz Congri (Cuban Black Beans & Rice)
Yes, the rumors are true, rice is my love language. Spoken like a true Cuban girl. Ha!
I love rice and always make it a point to make homemade recipes with rice as often as I can. We even have it for Cuban Christmas.
Now, if you haven’t had rice with black beans, you don’t know what you’re missing! Congri or Moros y Cristianos (depending on how you call it) is my favorite Cuban rice side dish. *heart eyes emoji*
What is Moros y Cristianos?
First things first, please don’t confuse this dish with arroz con frijoles which is classic Cuban rice and beans that are cooked separately.
Moros y Cristianos is a flavorful Cuban rice dish made with black beans that are cooked together with white rice, spices, and BACON. Yep, you heard right – BACON!
My mom is undefeated in making this moros rice recipe. Then again, I’m biased.
5 Star Review
“I made this recipe it was absolutely amazing delicious… yes I will do it over and over again but next time I will double the recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with us!”
—Tacha
Arroz Congri vs Moro Rice: What’s the Difference?
Ok, here’s the deal. There’s always been quite the debate when it comes to congri and moros y cristianos. Trust me, I get DMs and emails about it all the time.
Congri [pronounced kon-gree] is made with red beans while Moros y Cristianos [pronounced moe-roes-e-chris-tee-anos] is made with black beans.
But depending on where you were born, you’d call it congri whereas, in other parts of Cuba, you’d call it moros. The names are switched depending on where you lived or what your family called it while growing up.
For example, I grew up knowing and enjoying this dish as congri which to me was black beans cooked with white rice. That’s what my family always called this dish so that’s what stuck and that’s why this post is titled the way it is (Google likes it too).
I know that triggers some of you based on the emails I’ve received so for the rest of this post, I’ll call this recipe moros however if you’re like me and still call it congri, I won’t be mad.
Recommended For This Recipe
Dutch Oven
I use a 6-quart Dutch Oven often when I’m making soups and stews and even when I’m cooking other recipes that require long hours of cooking.
Why are my Moros lighter in color?
Using canned beans typically results in the moros being lighter in color. If you’d like your moros darker (like the photos in this post), I recommend using dried beans instead of canned beans. Both recipes are below.
What do Moros taste like?
The great thing about moros is that the black beans take on the flavor of the spices and aromatics while the rice takes on the flavor of the black beans.
Together they make a flavorful Cuban rice dish that I’m sure will become a staple in your home! You can serve moros with vaca frita de pollo, lechon asado, and maduros.
Moros y Cristianos/Arroz Congri (Cuban Black Beans + Rice)
Equipment
Ingredients
Traditional Method: Soaking Dry Black Beans
- 6 ounces dry black beans
- 8 cups water, divided
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, (save the bacon fat!)
- 1/2 cup diced green pepper
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
- 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid from softening the beans
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt + pepper to taste
Quick, Time Saving Method: Using Canned Black Beans
- 3 slices thick-cut bacon, (save the bacon fat!)
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
- 15 ounces canned black beans, (do not drain the liquid)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt + pepper to taste
Servings Suggestions
Instructions
Traditional Method: Soaking Dry Black Beans
- In a large pot, add 6 ounces of dry black beans with 3 cups of water (save the remaining 5 cups for tomorrow). Cover and soak overnight.
- The next day, drain the beans and then add 5 new cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook them for 60 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Be careful not to let the beans dry out completely. You can add 1 cup of water if they are absorbing the water too quickly. Keep an eye on them. You can remove a few beans from the pot and squish them with the back of a spoon to make sure they have softened.
- After softening the beans for 60 minutes, transfer them to a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of its cooking liquid. Set aside.
- In a Dutch oven, add bacon slices and fry until fully cooked and crispy. Do not discard the bacon fat. Transfer the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Roughly chop them. Set aside.
- In the same Dutch oven with the bacon fat, add green peppers and onions. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add rice, softened black beans with 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid from softening the beans, ground cumin, dried oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. The steam is what cooks the rice.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and give it a big stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until the rice is fluffy and cooked.
- Remove from heat but keep the lid on for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork then stir in the chopped bacon. Serve and enjoy!
Quick, Time Saving Method: Using Canned Black Beans
- In a Dutch oven, add bacon slices and fry until fully cooked and crispy. Do not discard the bacon fat. Transfer the bacon slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Roughly chop them. Set aside.
- In the same Dutch oven with the bacon fat, add green peppers and onions. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add rice, black beans with the liquid from the can, 1 cup water, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. The steam is what cooks the rice.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and give it a big stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook for another 5-10 minutes until the rice is fluffy and cooked.
- Remove from heat but keep the lid on for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork then stir in the chopped bacon. Serve and enjoy!
Hi Jamie!
My Cuban parents are visiting from Miami and I’m really excited to try this recipe for dinner tonight. However, I didn’t soak the beans overnight. I’m going to start soaking them now at 6:30 am and I plan on making them tonight around 6pm. Is that a sufficient amount of time to have them soak?
Thank you for your comment, Sari! How did it turn out? Did your parents enjoy?
It came out perfect! They loved it!
Happy to hear, Sari! Thank you for sharing!
I made this for the first time tonight and everyone loved it! So easy to make and complimented my skirt steak nicely.
Happy to hear, Deb! Thank you for sharing!
I am also a first generation Cuban American and totally agree that when it comes to measurements it’s a pinch of this and a touch of that. I made the quick moros recipe, (just because that’s what I had on hand). I stay away from cooking moros because I never get them right. My mom made killer moros too. I followed your recipe with almost all of the measurements except the dry ingredients. They tasted great but somehow just turned out like rice and beans. How do I get my rice to be darker and drier?
Turned out great! Recently moved from Miami to NC and not a Cuban joint in sight. So made this and my NC born and raised yt boyfriend absolutely LOVED it. Here I am again making this with plantations vaca Frita
So happy to hear, Vero! Thank you for your comment!
Hi. I grew up calling it Congri. My Cuban dad taught my Peruvian Mami how to make it, which has been a staple in our family. Her recipe has been passed down to family and friends. But we don’t do bacon; we do salt pork, and we add hot (spicy) pork hot links. Try it; it’s a game-changer!!
Salt pork! Que rico. Thank you for sharing!!
Yes, try it. Game changer.
So glad you enjoyed, Sandra! Thank you for your comment!
OMG this bomb recipe reminded me of one of my friend”s mom who made it
Once for my birthday and eve since it has become a tradition for her to
Make a pot of this dish for m bday
Thank you so much for sharing
It brought tears when I tasted it cause it reminded of this very sweet, gentle Cubans
So happy to hear it meant so much to you, Eden! Thank you for your comment!
Congri. That’s what my family has always called it. Somebody please tell Sergio’s and Galindo’s Latin American it’s congri!
This is my FAV Congri recipe and turns out perfect every time. Is there a recipe (or modification) if I wanted to do the canned bean version with brown rice instead of white?
Do you have a Cuban cookbook available??
Pls lmk
This is the best! Husband asks for it all the time! Great with Cuban Pork Mojo!
This was delicious. Hoping you can help me figure out what I might be doing wrong. My rice opens up and is mushy.
This is a go-to recipe in our house! Love it with mojo pork or jibaritos.
Hello! I made this recipe it was absolutely amazing delicious you name it yes I will do it over and over again but next time I will double the recipe Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with us
Thank you so much! So happy you enjoyed it!
Making this for a large birthday dinner!
What’s the best way to reheat these as leftovers? Is it possible to make it the night before, or would that compromise taste or quality? I plan on using dried beans.
Yes, you can make it the night before!
I came across your website while looking for a recipe for ropa vieja. The ropa vieja turned into a pot roast, but thanks to your recipe, it was the best pot roast I’ve ever made or tasted. Thank you so much 😊 I’m back now to try the Congri.
Thank you!!!! I finally found a Cuban cuisine to follow on Instagram that I really like! I will have to try this!
This was delicious and so easy to make. I will definitely make this again.
So happy you loved it! :)
I surprised my boyfriend with this recipe and he loved it! It was so cute, he was sitting in the living room and came into the kitchen when he recognized the smell. He was so confused about what was going on because he couldn’t believe I was making it! He said it tasted perfect. Thank you!!
So happy to hear, Kim! Thank you!
Hoy hice esto y me gustó mucho. Sabía bien y a mi familia también le gustó. A mi mamá le gustaba no tener que cocinar jaja.
If using dry beans that you’ve soaked/cooked instead of canned, should you be adding extra liquid to the recipe, to replace the liquid from the can?
Hi Amanda, after soaking the dry black beans overnight, you need to drain and then add 5 new cups of water to the pot the following day. You then bring the pot to a boil and cook them for 60 minutes, stirring frequently, being careful not to let the beans dry out completely. You can add 1 cup of water if they are absorbing the water too quickly. Make sure to keep an eye on them. After softening them for 60 minutes, drain and transfer to a bowl then continue the recipe in step 3 using the now softened beans instead of the canned beans as it states in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Same question here…does that mean we’re adding the 1 1/2 cup of water AND the 1 1/2 cup of reserved been soaking water for a total of 3 cups of water?
In the blog post above, I shared the step-by-step process of how to soften dried beans.
1. Soak 6 ounces of dry black beans in a pot full of 3 cups of water overnight.
2. The next day, drain and then add 5 new cups of water to the pot.
3. Bring to a boil and cook them for 60 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to let the beans dry out completely.
4. You can add 1 cup of water if they are absorbing the water too quickly. Keep an eye on them. You can remove a few beans from the pot and squish them with the back of a spoon to make sure they have softened.
5. After softening the beans for 60 minutes, transfer them to a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of its cooking liquid. Set aside.
6. Continue making the Moros in step 3 of the recipe following the ingredients exactly as they are stated in the Moros recipe using the softened black beans with their reserved liquid in place of the canned beans.
I’m so sorry but you didn’t quite answer the same question I have. Do I add the 1 1/2 cups of reserved bean liquid AND the 1 1/2 cups of water in the recipe for cooking the rice or just the 1 1/2 cups of reserved bean liquid?
.
Hi! There are two separate methods to make moros – one with canned beans and one with dry beans.
Using dry beans means you have to soak them overnight before you start the moros recipe.
You start with 6 ounces of beans and 3 cups of water which will get soaked up by the beans overnight.
The following day, the 3 cups will already be absorbed so you need to add 5 cups of water to the beans.
Boil the beans with the 5 cups of water in a large pot.
If you see the beans drying out meaning they are absorbing the water too quickly, you can add 1 cup of water to the pot with the beans that are boiling on the stove.
After 1 hour of boling, transfer the softened beans to a bowl with 1.5 cups of its cooking liquid (the same water that was in the pot with the beans you just transferred the beans from, NOT from the can). That’s an entirely different method.
If you’re using canned beans, you ONLY add the liquid from the can, no water at all.
The water is only used to soften DRY beans. Canned beans are already softened which is why the process is way quicker to make moros with canned beans than with dry beans. Hope that helps!
Absolutely delish! It looks like mashed potatoes included in your photograph. Is it yucca, or mashed cauliflower? Thanks!
Yuca! You can find the Yuca con Mojo recipe here!
Made the congrí and came out delicious. Cooked the bacon and the sofrito in a pot and once done placed all ingredients in the rice cooker…. Thanks
So happy you loved it, Betty!
This was delicious, thank you for the recipe! All I had was turkey bacon, so I used that and added in some coconut oil to sauté the congri.
Happy you loved it, Ash! :)
Could this be made a day ahead of time and reheated?
Yes, you can!
I made this but not sure how it resembles the picture as the rice doesnt seem to have the pepper or onions in it. Do you cook the rice with them and then remove it when serving? confused on that, any feedback would be great!
Hi! I always cook the rice with veggies however I typically finely dice them. That’s just my preference. How did it taste??
I cooked this for the first time this past weekend. For some reason, my rice was way too mushy. I love the “individual” grains and I don’t know what happened. I did use canned beans because it was a last minute decision to try the recipe. Next time will use dry beans. But I never had this happen to the rice before. Any suggestions?
Hi Gerri! The moros are supposed to be more on the fluffy, moist side. If it’s wet, mushy, it may have cooked for too long or not rinsed through enough. If you’re looking for a dry, grainy consistency, you can try using less water or try using dry black beans that are softened overnight. Happy cooking!
Thank you, will definitely give it another try.
Are you supposed to rinse the rice first?
Yes! Always rinse your rice :)
Will there be a big difference in using a different rice? My other half isn’t a fan of long grain rice, he really only eats Jasmin rice.
Try it! I think it should be ok. Let me know how it goes! :)
I call it congri too! That is how I was raised and I can’t imagine calling it anything else!
Yessss!! Thank you!
My mom used to make it, and I so miss it! I’ll have to try it! Sounds really easy and good! I too grew up calling it Congri
Yes!! Glad to know I’m not alone in calling it congri Ha! Thank you!
Can’t wait to try it.
Thank you. It will help me cook for my AMERICAN family.
I followed this to a “T” and it did not come out like the picture. The rice was still whitish. Did I use the wrong black beans? What could I have done wrong?
Hi Joele!
I’m Puerto Rican not Cuban but I think I can help you out with this recipe because I’ve made it several times and its identical to my Puerto Rican red bean rice recipe. I don’t see anyone getting the dark color you’re seeking using canned beans. Try cooking with bagged beans instead. You will get a darker bean liquid which is necessary for the color you want. Buen Provecho!