However, I recognize the merit in cooking your own beans from scratch. For starters, a lot of canned products are heavy in salt and often contain preservatives and other additives (such as BPA) that aren’t so great for you in large quantities. Not to mention, cooking your own beans is considerably cheaper, making it far more cost effective than buying canned. Plus, these pinto beans are seriously simple (just 10 ingredients and 1 pot required). And hands-on prep time is really only 15-20 minutes, since the soaking and cooking take place while you do other things. If I can do it, you can do it. Let me show you how!
How Long to Soak Pinto Beans
We have found that 6-8 hours is the optimal amount of time for soaking dry pinto beans. The longer you soak them, the more tender they will become, and the more likely they will split and separate during cooking. So if you can’t get to them right away, simply drain, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. For those times when you haven’t planned in advance, some readers have mentioned success using a quick soaking method. To quick soak pinto beans, add them to a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then remove from heat, allow to sit (covered) for 1 hour, and drain. Then proceed as instructed. Just be aware that this method may result in beans that cook faster.
How Long to Cook Pinto Beans
How long it takes to cook pinto beans will depend on the freshness of your beans and how long you have soaked them. Beans that are old may have difficulty softening and require longer to cook. Also, the longer your beans have had to soak, the more quickly they will cook. Once soaked for 6-8 hours, we find that pinto beans require about 40-50 minutes at a simmer to fully cook. If you are looking to speed up the cooking time, you can use an Instant Pot to prepare this recipe. We recommend using this recipe as a guide for timing. It’s also rumored that salting beans before cooking prevents them from softening. We have never experienced this issue and have read that it may be more relevant for those at altitude.
How to Season Pinto Beans
While seasonings are optional, we find it’s what helps elevate beans to be a dish worthy of enjoying on their own. So we went with our favorite: Mexican-inspired flavors. Many traditional Mexican pinto bean recipes require bacon or ham hocks to prepare, but to keep ours plant-based, we relied on vegetable broth, garlic, onion, and diced tomatoes with green chilies, chili powder, cumin, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Batch Cooking Beans
The brilliant thing is this recipe yields about 5 cups cooked pinto beans, which you can enjoy throughout the week for super easy, quick meals. Or you can store leftovers in freezer-safe bags or jars to save for future meals. I think you guys are going to love these easy, 1-Pot beans. They’re: SmokyHeartyTenderFlavorfulPerfectly spicedSatisfying& Delicious These pinto beans are great on their own as a snack with guacamole and chips (hello, lunch). They also make a great addition to meals like tacos, nachos, veggie burgers, burrito bowls, salads, and chili.
More Beans From Scratch Recipes
Instant Pot Black Beans (Perfect Beans Every Time!)Easy 1-Pot Black Beans1-Pot BBQ Baked Beans
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
