Pinto Beans Recipe - Crock Pot, Stovetop, or Instant Pot Pinto Beans (2024)

The best pot of Mexican style pinto beans ever. Find out how to cook pinto beans in the crockpot slow cooker, Instant Pot pressure cooker, or stovetop.

You can make this flavorful Mexican inspired pinto beans recipe three different ways. I’ve tested this pinto beans recipe in the crock pot slow cooker, in the Instant pot pressure cooker, and the traditional stovetop method. All three methods of cooking dried pinto beans result in a seriously delicious pot of beans.

Like other whole food plant based staples we’ve talked about in depth, such as how to cook Instant Pot black beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, tempeh, and black beans, cooking dried pinto beans from scratch is tasty, nutritious, and inexpensive. Where we live in California, Mexican food is extremely popular. My kids request burritos probably weekly and their favorite version includes pinto beans and Mexican rice.

While I used to exclusively use canned beans, now that I know how to cook dried beans from scratch, I’ll never go back to canned. Getting a pressure cooker was a game-changer for cooking dried beans, and my preference, but I’ll show you how to cook perfect pinto beans on the stovetop and in the slow cooker too.

How to Cook Pinto Beans from Scratch

Dried beans usually come in 1-pound bags, or in bulk bins. Pinto beans are medium sized beans that are light tan with darker brown speckles.

Step 1: Sort and Rinse Beans

Packages of dried beans sometimes have other debris, so it’s best to pick over them, and discard and shriveled beans or other non-bean material. Rinse them as well.

Step 2: How to Soak Beans

Unless you’re pressure cooking dried beans, they will need to be soaked first. This will help rehydrate the beans before cooking.

• Quick Soak: Add 2 cups of rinsed and sorted beans to a large pot with 6-8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak, covered for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.
• Overnight Soak: Add 2 cups of rinsed and sorted beans to a large pot with 6-8 cups cold water. Let soak 6-8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
• No-Soak: You can skip soaking if you’re pressure cooking dried beans.

Pinto Beans Recipe

Although you can cook dried pinto beans in water to use in other recipes, they won’t be flavorful on their own. This recipe, however, has great flavor, and works well as a Mexican style side dish or in burritos.

Mexican Style Pinto Beans Ingredients

Saute Onion, Garlic, Jalapeno, and Cumin

Saute the onion until softened and browned, then add in the garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. This will create a flavorful base for our beans. If using a slow cooker, saute the veggies in a skillet on the stovetop, then add to the crock pot.

Add Pinto Beans and Broth

Cooking the beans in vegetable broth, rather than water, will result in much more flavorful beans. Cook until tender, on the stovetop, or in a crock pot slow cooker or Instant Pot pressure cooker.

Crock Pot Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

The crock pot, or slow cooker, is a great method for cooking dried beans because it’s so hands-off. You can set it in the morning and forget about it until dinner. To make pinto beans in the crock pot slow cooker, add the sautéed veggies to the crock pot, then add soaked beans and 4 cups of broth. Slow cook on high for about 5-6 hours or low for 7-9 hours.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans

Cooking dried beans in a pressure cooker such as the Instant Pot is the easiest method, and they way I cook my beans. Finally, you don’t need to plan ahead, as a pot of beans can be made without soaking. The other benefit of using an electric pressure cooker is that you can saute an onion and other flavorful ingredients right in the pot, unlike most slow cookers. Some people prefer to soak their beans anyway, as it reduces the cooking time even further and help make the beans easier to digest.

• Pressure cook soaked pinto beans for: 6-9 minutes
• Pressure cook dry pinto beans for: 25-30 minutes
• Naturally release the pressure. This will take about 25 minutes.

Stovetop Pinto Beans

Simmer soaked beans with 6 cups of vegetable broth, with lid partially covering, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. You will need more liquid when cooking on the stovetop to account for evaporation that doesn’t happen in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Add more broth or water as needed, and simmer with the lid off to evaporate more liquid at the end if needed.

How to Use Pinto Beans

• In burritos
• In a bowl with rice, veggies, salsa, and guacamole
• As a side dish
• In this easy Vegetarian Baked Beans recipe
• To make Bean Burgers
• In this awesome Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili recipe or this 3 Bean BBQ Chili for a Crowd

Tips for Cooking Pinto Beans

• You can find dried pinto beans in most grocery stores in the bean section, another great place to look is in bulk bins.
• Cooked beans last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for for 3-5 days, or up to 8 months in the freezer. Store in their juices but leave some room for expansion in freezing.
• Cooking time can depend on the age of beans. Old beans may take longer to cook or never fully soften.