Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
Want dry beans that cook practically cook themselves? Well then you’re in luck! These slow cooker pinto beans make dinner prep quick and easy. Whether you pair the cooked beans with rice for protein packed burritos or casseroles or just make a bowl of pintos and cheese these beans will serve you well.
Plus they’re mostly hands-off!
This is one of those recipes that you can make and enjoy almost any day, any time of year. In the winter and fall this recipe is comforting and warm. And in the spring and summer it offers quick, budget friendly protien you hardly have to worry about.
How to Make Dried Beans in the slow cooker
Never made dried beans before? Typically you need to soak beans for a couple hours or overnight before cooking. This makes them quicker and easier to cook. Then you rinse them and go on to cook them on the stove top.
But with the slow cooker you can skip the soaking portion of cooking dried beans. Just rinse and pick over the beans to remove dirt, rocks or other dried bean bits. Cover them with water, add seasonings, and let them go and they’ll cook up in about 8 hours.
With my method I start with HOT water and a bit of boiling water which jump starts the beans cooking. And they cook in just about 6-7 hours. To keep them cooking along and cook up completely don’t take the lid off if you don’t have to. Removing the lid lets out the steam and heat and slows the cooking process.
That cooking time depends entirely on your slow cooker. User tip: try this recipe when you don’t have to have dinner ready on time so you know how long your slow cooker takes to make these beans. Then you know how long it takes your slow cooker to cook beans.
What you need to make slow cooker pinto beans
Most of the ingredients for these crock pot beans are easy to keep on hand.
- dried pinto beans
- onion
- garlic
- chicken broth paste such as Better than Bouillon or use bouillon cubes
- bay leaf
- Mexican oregano
- cumin
- water
- salt
How to use these cooked beans
Use these beans over rice for an easy budget friendly dinner or lunch. Or stuff them into these smothered burritos or serve them alongside these Enchilada Meatballs or in Turkey Pumpkin Chili. Or use them in your favorite nachos or as a side to any dinner that needs a frugal side dish.
Got Leftovers?
You’re so lucky! These beans taste great the next day and make perfect lunch bowls topped with cheese, lettuce, crunched up corn chips and so on to make lunch box nachos. You can do so much with these beans!
Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound pinto beans washed and picked over
- 1/2 TBSP light olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 6 cups water divided
- 1 tsp cumin more to taste as the beans cook
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano more to taste
- 2 tsp chicken broth paste such as Better Than Bouillon, or just use bouillon cubes
- 1 tsp salt add more to taste as needed
Instructions
- add clean beans to the crock of your slow cooker, set on high
- add 5 cups of hot water tap water, cover
- preheat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat
- when hot quickly sauté the onion for 3-5 minutes
- then add the garlic and cook 30 more seconds or so, don’t scorch the garlic
- add the final cup of water to the pan and cook and stir to get up all the onion-y goodness
- when it comes to a boil carefully pour into the crock, scraping any browned bits into the crock
- add the bay leave, cumin, oregano, chicken broth paste, and salt to the pot, stir to combine
- cover and cook on high for 6 hours
- taste the beans, add more salt, cumin, or oregano as needed, cook longer if your slow cooker hasn't finished cooking them, if you're beans have gotten dry add a little more water to the pan
- Once cooked to your liking serve or reduce the heat to keep warm and serve within 1-2 hours
So good and so easy!
Wow, these were great! Who knew that a batch of pinto beans could be so hands off? Thanks!