A quick glance out my window tells me I’m going to be spending a lot of time inside this weekend. In case you are too, I have a tasty proposition to make the most of our indoor captivity: Crock Pot Pinto Beans! This easy recipe for healthy crock pot pinto beans is going to make you rethink every can of beans you’ve ever purchased. Not only is the flavor superior—the texture is incredible.
You can use this easy, healthy crock pot pinto beans recipe for burritos, nachos, as a healthy side dish, or anytime a recipe calls for canned pinto beans.
BONUS: You can mash them to create easy slow cooker refried beans too. One recipe, so many tasty possibilities.
Let’s get to it!
How to Cook the Best Crock Pot Pinto Beans
- To give these healthy crock pot pinto beans mega flavor, this recipe begins with sautéed onion and jalapeno. Don’t be tempted to add them to the slow cooker raw. Sautéing is what will enhance the flavor and make the beans unstoppably delicious.
- If you’d like to make the crock pot pinto beans with bacon grease, the saute step is the place to do it. Begin the recipe with a few slices of chopped bacon. Cook the bacon until crisp in the pan, then remove it from the pan and reserve a tablespoon of the rendered fat to cook the vegetables. When the beans are finished in the crock pot, you can stir the reserved pieces in at the end if you like.
- If you like your crock pot pinto beans with ham, based what I’ve seen in the way of Southern pinto beans recipes, I believe you could add a ham hock to the beans as they slow cook. Soak the ham in water for several hours first to make sure your pinto beans don’t become too salty. (I haven’t tried this yet, so if you do decide to play around with ham, I’d love to hear how it goes!)
Personally, I love the slow cooker pinto beans vegetarian, which is how the recipe is written. Try them both ways and let me know what you think.
Do You Have to Soak Pinto Beans Before Cooking in the Crock Pot?
No you do not! It was important to me that this recipe be as convenient as possible (we are already receiving mega kitchen points for cooking our own beans from dry, so why complicate our lives further?). Thus, I adjusted the cook time and liquid ratio so that you can cook the pinto beans in a crock pot without soaking.
Now that we cleared that soaking question up, let’s get back to how to cook dried pinto beans:
- Once the veggies are sautéed, add them to the crock pot along with the dry pinto beans, some spectacular spices, and chicken broth. Stir.
- Crank the crock pot to high and COOK, BABY COOK. Or rather slow cook. This recipe does take some patience.
- Once the beans are finished, you can either enjoy them right away or mash them to create Slow Cooker Refried Beans. I have directions for you for both!
How Long Do You Cook Pinto Beans in the Crock Pot?
- 8 to 10 hours on HIGH. Yes, it really does take that long. I promise it will be worth the wait. Start the pinto beans in the morning, and they’ll be ready by dinner. If you are comfortable leaving your slow cooker plugged in, you can even cook them overnight.
The total cooking time will also vary based on your slow cooker model (this model is similar to the one I own and used to test the recipe). If you aren’t sure, check the pinto beans early. You can always continue cooking them longer as needed.
Consider your first batch of these pinto beans a tasty experiment. Once you’ve made these Mexican pinto beans crock pot-style, you’ll forever know how long your slow cooker requires.
How Do I Season Pinto Beans?
- In addition to the sautéed onion and jalapeno, I season my pinto beans with classic southwest spices like cumin and cayenne to create a flavor that reminds me of the Mexican pinto beans I’ve had in restaurants.
The recipe as written is flavorful but not spicy. Feel free to add additional spices to suit your taste.
How Do I Make Instant Pot Refried Beans?
- So glad you asked! Check out my recipe for Instant Pot Refried Beans. They have a similar flavor profile and hands-free approach but are made in the Instant Pot instead. You can also check out these Instant Pot Black Beans if you’d like further options.
Black Beans vs. Pinto Beans—Which is Healthier?
Every time we visit our favorite local Mexican restaurant, I’m forced to choose between black beans and pinto beans. Part of why I have a hard time picking is that I’m wondering if black beans or pinto beans are healthier.
In writing this recipe, I decided to actually look it up! Here’s what I found:
- Both black beans and pinto beans are a rich source of protein and fiber.
- Both have a similar calorie count.
- Pinto beans contain slightly more carbs and are a bit higher in fat than black beans.
- THAT SAID compared to other foods, both black beans and pinto beans are super duper low in fat. Both are filling, healthy options and an excellent addition to your diet.
More pinto beans for all!
Can I Double This Recipe for 2 lbs of Pinto Beans?
- Readers have reported doing this with success! I’ve only made the 16 ounces of pinto beans the recipe lists, but I did recently have someone report making 2 lbs of pinto beans in the crock pot. Since the double the liquid would overwhelm the crock pot, she added what fit comfortably, then checked the beans periodically to add more as they needed it.
How to Use Crock Pot Pinto Beans
- Over nachos (these Healthy Chicken Nachos are a personal favorite).
- Wrapped inside a burrito, quesadilla, or fajita.
- Slow cooker pinto beans and rice—an easy side that with the boost of a fried egg and avocado on top can become a filling, fast vegetarian dinner.
- In chili.
- Over a baked potato with cheese, salsa, and any of your other favorite Tex-Mex fixin’s.
- On their own as a dynamite side.
- Turn them into refried beans with the help of a potato masher (more notes on this in the recipe below).
This crock pot pinto beans recipe is ultra freezer friendly and yields a large amount. I reason that if I’m going to wait 10 hours for my pinto beans to be ready, I’d like to reap the benefits. I have freezer tips for you in the recipe below too.
Recommended Tools to Make Crock Pot Pinto Beans
Crock Pot Pinto Beans
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 jalapeno cored, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 3 cups water
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- For serving: queso fresco or shredded Monterey jack cheese diced tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado (optional)
Instructions
- Place the pinto beans in a large colander. Thoroughly rinse them. Pick the beans over, removing any damaged or clearly misshapen beans and discarding them. Transfer the rinsed beans to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, jalapeno, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and let cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the sautéed vegetables, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and remaining teaspoon salt. Pour the broth and water over the top.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 8 to 10 hours, until the beans are tender. All slow cookers are different and can heat things differently, so if yours tends to run hot, check it earlier on. Depending upon your model, there may be some liquid still in the slow cooker. Discard the bay leaves.
- FOR REGULAR PINTO BEANS (not refried): Drain the liquid if you like, or leave the liquid in the crock pot and serve the beans with it (I like them a bit soupy over rice), or use a slotted spoon for serving and drain the beans at the end prior to storing. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- FOR REFRIED BEANS: Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, drain the beans, and return them to the slow cooker (if you don't have that much liquid in your slow cooker, you can use regular water instead). With a potato masher or pastry cutter, mash the beans until they reach your desired consistency, adding some of the reserved liquid as needed. (You can also scoop the beans into a blender in batches and puree them that way—be sure to let the beans cool somewhat first so that they do not splatter). Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Sprinkle with any desired toppings, serve, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate leftover beans or freeze for up to 3 months.
- For easy portions: Let the beans cool COMPLETELY, then portion them into ziptop freezer bags labeled with the date. Seal the bags, removing as much air as possible, and squish the beans so that the bag lays flat. Freeze flat and remove from freezer as you need them. Let the beans thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or broth as needed to thin them back out.
Nutrition
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I have to admit that I was skeptical about making pinto beans in a slow cooker; I make LOTS of beans (at least twice a week) and have found pintos to be notoriously difficult to get fully done, so I usually pressure cook them. But these came out perfectly after about nine hours. They were seasoned just right, a few dashes of Frank’s at the table was all I needed. I did add some potato, cut into fairly large chunks to survive the long cook time, and that made it a really nice one-pot meal.
So glad to hear you enjoyed them! Thank you!
Best pinto bean recipe! Really easy! I love that I can make them without soaking them overnight! I add about 1-1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings and about 4 slices of chopped bacon. My husband and I both agree that this recipe is better than any beans we have tasted in a Mexican restaurant!
Yay! Thank you Ronda!
I’ve made many beans in the pressure cooker and love having them on hand. They freeze beautifully. Years ago we ate the less healthy bean dip you can buy in the chip aisle and it was great to purée the beans and turn them into my own dip. Now the addition of a crock pot version to my tool chest is wonderful. Thank you!
Great to hear, thank you Barb!
Can you make this with black beans?
Hi Komal, I haven’t tried it myself but other readers have with great success. Enjoy!
You totally can. I alternate between pintos and black beans and use the same recipe.
Erin, I’m in the process of making these today! The recipe says the 4 cups of chicken stock should be divided. Why? There is nothing in the recipe that says it needs to be divided? I’ve looked it over several times. Please advise.
Hi Glenna, I’m sorry that was a typo! We’ve fixed it. Thank you!
I have a question regarding 3 cups of water; 4 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth; DIVIDED.
I never see a use of the divided broth. Do you mean to divide the amount? And where is it used? Or do you use 7 cups of liquid all at once.
Hi Liz, that is a typo. It shouldn’t say divided. Thanks for letting us know!
I was skeptical that such a simple recipe for pintos would really have any flavor, but these are very good! Keeping this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them, Lisa!
Can these be done stove top? To make them faster?
Hi Magen, You can follow my recipe for Instant Pot Refried Beans to make them quicker. However, I’ve never tried either recipe on the stovetop. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it! https://www.wellplated.com/instant-pot-refried-beans/
These beans are a regular in our house! Even my two young kids gobble them up!
Yay! Great to hear, Rachel!
This recipe produced awesome beans! I did do a couple of things differently. I used a little more onion and did not precook the onion. I used a lot more cumin as I like how cumin provides a richness to recipes. I also added ham hocks to the recipe for flavor. After the ham hocks had cooked about 4 hours, I removed them and removed the meat from the bones. Meat was returned to pot for the final hour. The cooking time on high I used was about 5 hours. Beans are one of those foods that different people like a different texture! I do not like “crunchy” beans so I cook a little longer. Seasoning is also an individual taste so adjust to your taste! I will be using this recipe as my pinto bean recipe from now on!!
Glad it worked for you, ClydeK. Thanks!
Easy & so wonderful. Grew up with Latinos & think they’d approve!
Thank you Deborah!
This the best pinto bean recipe that I’ve ever tried! Every Mexican restaurant should try this one!
When I was a little girl, my mom made pinto beans by soaking them overnight and then cooking them in a pressure cooker. I always liked them. When i grew up I wanted try making them, but they looked like too much work. Then about a year ago I found this recipe. It’s quick & easy and amazing. I don’t add the spices, because I like the natural flavor of the beans with a little bit of bacon. I do try about 4-5 slices of bacon and add to them along with a little black pepper. I don’t mash the bean the first time I serve them. (Usually as a side for a Mexican meal) We like them with some finely diced onion, chopped green chili and cheddar cheese on them. Sometimes I mash the left over beans for bean burritos or quesadilla’s. Try these beans, you won’t be disappointed!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Ronda!
We absolutely loved these. They are delicious!! We make a double batch and freeze half. They freeze well.
Great to hear, thank you Elle!
If I wanted to cook these on low, overnight, how long would it take?
Hi Dan, I’ve only tested the recipe as is but this takes 8 hours on high so it would work for overnight as well. Let us know how it goes if you decide to experiment!
I have not tried the pinto beans recipe. I’m still trying to understand how the beans got soft when they were never added to the pan. In the south (Texas) our favorite way to eat pinto beans was over corn bread. Tear the bread into small pieces, pour the beans over it and enjoy (one plate at a time). Beats rice all to hell.
Hi Leon, the beans are added to the slow cooker in step 1. Make sure to check out the full recipe in the recipe card! The “jump to recipe” button will help you navigate there quickly! Enjoy!
I see that you used a 6 quart slow cooker. The biggest slow cooker I have is 4 quart. Would it be big enough to make the full recipe or should I cut the recipe in half?
I’m not quite sure, Rose. You might have to cut it in half. Let me know how it goes!
Made this today and love it. I omitted jalapeño because I did not have and hubby likes less spicy but this recipe is excellent.
Thanks so much!
Made these tonight and they were perfectly done at 8 hours. So easy and delicious, thank you 😊
Great to hear, thank you Victoria!
So yummy! Made this recipe X 6 to feed 150 kids at our church youth group. Barely fit, but worked well. I used a gallon of chicken broth that I had just made + some water added after 7 hours as needed. Used canned diced jalapeños instead of fresh and instead of the spices, used taco seasoning. These are so very good and I think would also make great mashed “refried” beans using part of the recipe. Thanks so much…would definitely make again!
That makes me so happy to hear, thank you Lynette!
My husband loved this recipe. When I made these, I used Great Northern beans because I was out of Pintos. The result was a great pot of beans! 😋
Great to hear, thank you Janet!