Once you learn how to cook pinto beans from scratch, the canned kind will never taste the same. Creamy and flavorful, they're a delicious side dish.
“I’m never buying pinto beans in a can again!” I told Jack last week, as I savored spoonful after spoonful of pinto beans straight from a pot on the stove. Maybe I was exaggerating (canned beans are darn convenient, after all), but I’ll certainly reach for them less often than I used to. If the last year has taught me anything, it’s that cooking pinto beans from scratch will yield creamier, more flavorful beans every time.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m arriving late to the dried beans party. A few years back, I did try cooking them, but without much luck. I now realize that the beans that I had were too old and dried out to soften properly (note: fresher beans are better beans – look for yours at a store with high turnover!). But at the time, I decided that cooking dried beans just wasn’t for me.
What won me over? Our neighborhood bar, Kite String Cantina, started offering a weekly box of local foods. In addition to scoring fresh veggies and Chef Renee’s SUPER flavorful sauces, we started getting a bag of dried beans each week.
So over the last few months, I’ve perfected my method for how to cook pinto beans from scratch. This pinto beans recipe is amazingly simple, and it’s delicious, too. The beans are lightly spicy, aromatic, and irresistibly creamy. Try it once, and you’ll never want to eat pinto beans any other way.
How to Cook Pinto Beans
This method for how to cook pinto beans from scratch takes some time, but don’t let that scare you! The process is super simple and almost entirely hands off. Here’s how it goes:
- First, soak the beans. Place them in a large colander and sift through them to remove any stones or debris. Rinse them well and transfer them to a large bowl. Cover them with 2-3 inches of water and set them aside to soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- The next day, cook the aromatics. Sauté half an onion in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat (you could also toss in a jalapeño if you like your beans spicy!). When the onion softens, stir in cumin, the soaked, drained beans, water, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Then, simmer. The cooking time will depend on the freshness of your beans and how you like them cooked. I cook my pinto beans until they’re falling apart and the liquid around them has thickened. I start checking after an hour and again every 15 minutes after that.
- Finally, season to taste. When the beans are cooked to your liking, season them with a squeeze of lime juice, more salt and pepper, and chili powder to taste.
That’s it! Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Pinto Beans Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, garnish the pinto beans with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Make them a meal by pairing them with cilantro lime rice, tortillas, and a vegetable side dish like these fajita veggies or sautéed greens. Top it all off with pickled onions or pico de gallo for a pop of bright flavor, or add a scoop of guacamole for richness.
This pinto beans recipe is also a fantastic side dish. Serve it as part of an at-home taco bar or with any of these Mexican-inspired recipes:
- Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
- Vegan Jackfruit Tacos
- Avocado Sweet Potato Tacos
- Homemade Taquitos
- Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas
- Or any of my 11 Best Vegetarian Taco Recipes!
More Favorite Bean Recipes
If you love this pinto beans recipe, try one of these delicious bean recipes next:
- How to Cook Black Beans
- Cannellini Beans and Greens
- How to Cook Dried Beans
- How to Cook Lentils
- Black Bean Soup
- Easy Vegetarian Chili
- Black Bean Burger
- Or any of these 25 Best Bean Recipes!
Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry pinto beans
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ white onion, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 8 cups water, plus more as needed
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
Optional additions
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and diced
- Chili powder, to taste
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Place the beans in a large colander and sort through them to remove and discard any stones or debris. Rinse them well and transfer them to a large bowl. Cover with 2 to 3 inches of water and discard any beans that float. Soak at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. If you like spicy beans, add the jalapeño with the onion.
- Stir in the cumin and then add the beans, water, oregano, salt, and several grinds of pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender. The timing will depend on the freshness of your beans. I like to check mine starting at 1 hour and every 15 minutes after that. Add more liquid to the pot, as needed, to keep the beans submerged. I like to cook my pinto beans until they’re starting to fall apart and the bean liquid around them has thickened.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Season the beans to taste with more salt (I typically add ½ to 1 additional teaspoon), more pepper, and chili powder, if desired. Garnish with cilantro, if using. Store the beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
This looks great! Do you have an instant pot version of this?
Hi Sam, I use this same method I use for black beans. The only difference in the IP is that the bean cooking liquid doesn’t thicken the same way it does on the stove. https://www.loveandlemons.com/instant-pot-black-beans/
Super easy and delicious paired with my scratch cornbread.
Thank you for sharing.
Are we using crushed cumin?
Delicious and foolproof! I make this at least once a month. When I double the recipe, it tends to need less water than stated.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed them!
I made these beans today and they are absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing
I’m so glad you loved them!
Made these beans tonight, they turned out so good. My family absolutely loved them! Even my picky 4 year old gobbled them down. This recipe is a keeper!
I’m so glad the beans were a hit!
Every time I google a recipe, I find myself on your site & end up choosing your recipes over all the others I read!
Love hearing that! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
I grew up on beans and cornbread,fried potatoes, etc. and learned how to cook from my Grandmother Neater Heffley (my Moms mother). That lady could cook better than anyone else I knew or know and God Bless her, she never heard of cooking healthy. But I can and even with her recipes I can make anything healthier just by tuning it up a little.
Love that story! So glad you enjoyed the beans.
Could you make these in a crockpot?
Hi Ashley, you probably can, I’m just not sure of the timing.
Ashley you can use a crockpot but I can never make pinto beans come out right using one. The juice seems never to really thicken up like it’s supposed to, maybe someone else knows a trick to fix that.?
You can always use a crockpot, provided you’re familiar with the cooking times. The idea is to avoid over boiling the beans, so always start off with whatever setting you’re familiar with, then turn down to lower setting when boiling has commenced, especially if you want to simmer the beans
Just about to make this today. I soaked the beans overnight and discarded the water. It seems unlikely that I will need to add 8 cups of water since the beans have already been soaked…..wondering how it will turn out.
Hi Rich, you could start with less (say 6 cups) and add more water if it starts to evaporate before the beans are tender.
I did need the water because I didn’t realize that the pot was uncovered to let the water boil off….I covered it near the end to get the beans cooked fully and not burn the bottom.
I am shocked with this flavor thanks for this recipe, go well with coconut rice
Love this recipe. It was great.
I’m so glad you loved them!
I cooked these beans for lunch today. I added garlic salt and a little tomato juice as well as carved ham and two slices of bacon. I cooked jiffy cornbread to go with them. My husband said they were okay but needed one more ingredient and he wasn’t sure what. I’m gonna kill him. Somebody hold my spoon.
Ha ha, I’m so glad you loved the beans!
great recipe. didn’t want to go to the store, so made some replacements that worked for me:
1> leeks for onion, and
2> salt pork for bacon
Love the beans.
served with kielbasi and blueberry cornbread muffins
Finally a tasty recipe for a good old fashioned pot of beans. Yum! I decided to make taco soup for dinner tonight and it called for black beans, I wanted something a little different so I saw your recipe and thought YESSS! I cooked about 2 cups of beans exactly as written. Thank you so much for sharing your very tasty bean recipe – the first recipe I have found with the best seasoning combination. My taco soup turned out amazing because of your recipe. Thanks!
Hi Kerri, I’m SO glad you loved the beans, we’re so obsessed with these. There’s not always a lot of love for beans cooked from scratch but I think they’re so worth it 🙂
Hi, I really like this recipe but when I go to make then refried beans, my beans are always water. I even decreased the water amount I add at the beginning. Can you give me in tips to help?
Hi Brenda, if they’re not thick enough, you could either add even less of the cooking water, or cook the refried beans longer and the liquid will reduce more. Hope that helps!
Take a fork and smash some of the beans into the bottom and sides of the pot. This will thicken the juice and adds to the taste also. That’s the secret from my deceased aunt.
So good! I swapped out homemade chicken stock instead of water, and added Aleppo and Poblano peppers instead of jalapeño. And some rendered bacon to saute all that in.
Woof!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Hi! Can you make these beans in the Instant Pot?
Hi Suzanne, yes, I would, make them according to this Instant Pot Black Bean Recipe: https://www.loveandlemons.com/instant-pot-black-beans/
The only thing you don’t get with the instant pot beans is the thick creamy bean liquid that’s so delicious. But the IP cooks great beans, you just might have to strain some of the excess liquid off after they’re cooked.
When you specify chili powder, do you mean a powder of red chile peppers or chili seasoning blend? That makes a big difference.
Hi Phillip, a chili seasoning blend – in the spice aisle it’s typically just called “Chili Powder,” or you can make your own: https://www.loveandlemons.com/homemade-chili-powder/
Yooooo these beans are fn dope!