How to Cook Pinto Beans From Scratch

Learn how to cook pinto beans at home easily! This recipe is so amazing you'll never buy them again. Stove top, Instant Pot or crockpot!

I could live on rice and beans! Okay, I may need some guac and salsa too...but the point is you can make SO many things with simple sides and this recipe will be on your regular rotation!

Dried beans are super inexpensive and have a long shelf life, so they make a great pantry staple. Once you know how to cook pinto beans the possibilities for cheap and convenient meals are endless!

Plus, when making your own you can control things like how much salt you add if you're watching your sodium intake (to learn more about how to figure out what is in those store bought beans check out this guide on reading food labels).

Ingredients

In order to get insanely flavorful beans, you'll need to gather the following ingredients:

• Dried pinto beans
• Red onion
• Red pepper
• Garlic cloves 
• Broth 
• White wine 
• Liquid smoke
• Seasonings

How to Cook Pinto Beans

Making pinto beans on the stovetop is so simple! Here's what you'll need to do:

1. Sauté onion, pepper and garlic.
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer until done.
4. Enjoy!

How to Cook Pinto Beans in an Instant Pot:

If you want to speed things up a little, you can use your pressure cooker.

1. Use the sauté setting to sauté the onions, peppers and garlic.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on manual with the valve on the seal setting for 30 minutes.
3. Allow pressure to naturally release for 15-20 minutes.
4. Turn the valve to vent to finish releasing pressure.

How to Cook Pinto Beans in the Crock Pot:

If low and slow is more your style, try cooking them in your slow cooker.

1. Sauté the onions, peppers and garlic on the stove.
2. Add them to the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8. Check at 3 or 6 hours for doneness and add more broth if needed. You want the liquid to cover the beans so they don’t burn.

Serving suggestions

Whether these pinto beans are a side or main dish, I love to top them with fresh cilantro, salsa, and even Vegan Sour Cream! Once they've been dressed up, serve alongside any of these tasty dishes:

• Simple Mexican Rice
• Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
• Crispy Potato Tacos
• Lentil Walnut Tacos
• Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
• Mexican Coleslaw with Cilantro Lime Dressing
• The Ultimate Mexican Nacho Burger
• Mexican Pasta Salad

Tips and tricks

For the best pinto beans, be sure to follow these helpful suggestions:

• You can substitute the broth for water, but the flavor will be more bland.
• If you don’t soak the beans, they will need to cook longer. 20-30 minutes more on the stove, about 5-10 in the Instant Pot and Crock Pot.
• You can do a quick soak by adding the dried beans and twice the amount of water to a large pot. Bring to a boil then remove from heat, cover, and let soak for 1 hour.
• Broth can be used instead of white wine if you don’t have any, or don't want to use it.
• Make sure to check for doneness, you don't want to overcook the beans, they'll start to split and get too mushy.
• Pinto beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
• Store cooked pinto beans even longer in the freezer, for up to 3 months.

Common Questions

More Vegan Sides

Side dishes are sometimes the real star of the show, and these plant based sides are sure to be real crowd pleasers!

• Creamy Vegan Coleslaw
• Baked Eggplant Fries
• Patatas Bravas
• Lentil Quinoa Salad
• Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes

How to Cook Pinto Beans From Scratch

Sophia DeSantis

Learn how to cook pinto beans at home easily! This recipe is so amazing you'll never buy them again. Stove top, Instant Pot or crockpot!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6

Calories 314 kcal

Equipment

• pressure cooker (optional)
• slow cooker (optional)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 pound dried pinto beans , about 2 cups (soak overnight, see note)
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• Drizzle of oil or broth to sauté
• 4-5 cups broth (see note)
• ½ cup white wine , sub more broth if you don’t have or want
• ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• chopped cilantro , to top (optional)

For cooking in the Instant Pot:

• Only use 3 cups broth

For cooking in the crock pot:

• Up broth to 5-6 cups

Instructions

 

• Sauté onion, pepper and garlic with drizzle of oil or broth until softened.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a rapid boil. About 10 minutes.
• Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for about an hour. Check for desired done texture preference along the way.
• Serve however you want! These thicken as they sit, and get thicker in the fridge. They are even more flavorful the next day!

To cook in the Instant Pot:

• Use the sauté setting to sauté the onions, peppers and garlic, or sauté on the stove.
• Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on manual with the valve on the seal setting for 30 minutes.
• Allow pressure to naturally release for 15-20 minutes.
• Turn the valve to vent to finish releasing pressure.

To cook in the crock pot:

• Sauté the onions, peppers and garlic on the stove.
• Add them to the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients.
• Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8. Check at 3 or 6 hours for doneness and add more broth if needed. You want the liquid to cover the beans so they don’t burn.

Notes

• You can sub water for the broth but the flavor won’t be as good.
• If you don’t soak the beans, they will need to cook an extra 20-30 minutes on the stove, about 5-10 in the Instant Pot and towards the end of the range for the crock pot. See the post for the quick soak method.
• Makes about 6 cups beans, serving size is 1 cup.

Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 17gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 454mgPotassium: 1187mgFiber: 13gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 799IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

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