This easy pinto beans recipe makes the best creamy, tender and flavorful beans. Learn how to cook pinto beans from dried – you won’t want to go back to canned beans!
Every time I make these pinto beans, I’m amazed at just how much better they are than canned beans. And with how simple they are to make, there’s really no reason not to cook beans from scratch. With this pinto beans recipe:
- You can cook your beans more or less, depending on if you want a softer or firmer texture.
- The hands-on prep time is minimal and then you simply let the beans simmer on the stove until they’re done.
- You can season the beans as they cook so that they turn out so flavorful.
This is one of those basic recipes that I make all the time in my kitchen. I hope it becomes a favorite of yours, too!
Do You Need to Soak Pinto Beans Before Cooking?
Yes, it’s best to soak the beans before cooking them. Soaking the beans helps them to cook faster and more evenly and improves the texture of the cooked beans. Soaking may also help to make the beans easier to digest. It’s a simple step that hardly takes any time and requires just a bit of planning ahead. If I want to cook the beans in the morning for meal prep, I’ll soak them overnight. If I want to cook beans at dinnertime, I start them soaking in the morning.
Pinto Beans Recipe Ingredients
- Dry Pinto Beans: Dried beans can vary in how long they take to cook. Fresher beans will cook faster than older beans. Avoid using very old beans, since they may never become tender.
- Olive Oil: For sautéing the onion.
- Onion: Use yellow or white onion. The onion adds flavor and will soften and break down as the beans simmer, so that it’s hardly noticeable in the cooked beans. If you prefer to have no bits of onion in the cooked beans, simply cut the onion in half instead of chopping it and then discard the onion halves after cooking.
- Garlic: For flavor.
- Water: Use filtered water, if possible, both for soaking and cooking the beans.
- Salt: Adding salt to the cooking water flavors the beans as they cook.
- Seasonings: My go-to seasonings for pinto beans are ground cumin, dried oregano and black pepper.
Recipe Variation: You can add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and/or 1 chopped jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed) for spice, if desired.
Find the printable recipe with ingredient amounts below.
How to Cook Pinto Beans
Pick over the beans to check for any small rocks or other debris. Then rinse the beans well under cold running water.
Soak the beans. Place the beans in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by about 3 inches. Soak for 8-12 hours, at room temperature. Then transfer the soaked beans to a colander and rinse.
Sauté the onion in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Then add the garlic.
Pour in 10 cups of filtered water. Then add the soaked beans, salt, cumin, oregano and black pepper. Stir.
Simmer the beans until they are tender. This usually takes about 1 ½ hours, but can range from 1-2 hours depending on the beans.
Serve. If there is more liquid than you’d like left in the pot, you can drain some of it off. Taste the beans and season with more salt, as needed. I like to serve the pinto beans with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some chopped fresh cilantro.
Instant Pot Instructions
If you’d like to cook the beans in an Instant Pot, use this Instant Pot Pinto Beans recipe. While I love the convenience of the Instant Pot, I usually prefer cooking pinto beans on the stove because I can easily check on the progress of the beans to check for doneness.
Serving Suggestions
Pinto beans are a good source of plant-based protein, fiber and other nutrients. They’re budget-friendly and perfect for incorporating into a variety of delicious meals. Here are a few of the many ways to serve them:
- As a side dish with Chicken Enchiladas or Tacos.
- In a burrito or Burrito Bowl.
- Use them in your favorite recipes that call for cooked pinto beans, like Chili, Slow Cooker Taco Soup and Vegetarian Chili Mac.
- Turn them into Refried Beans.
How to Store
Cooked pinto beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
More Cooking Basics
- Black Beans Recipe
- How to Cook Rice
- How to Cook Brown Rice
- How to Cook Farro
- Baked Sweet Potato
- How to Make Scrambled Eggs
- Hard Boiled Eggs
BEST Pinto Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 cups water, filtered is best, plus more for soaking the beans
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste, as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- For serving: fresh lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro, optional, as desired
Instructions
- Pick over the beans to check for any small rocks or other debris. Place dry beans in a strainer and rinse well under cold water.
- Soak the beans: Place rinsed beans in a large bowl. Add enough water to cover the beans by 3 inches (use filtered water, if possible). Soak for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours, at room temperature. Transfer soaked beans to a colander and rinse them well.
- When you are ready to cook the beans, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Pour in the 10 cups of filtered water. Then add the soaked, drained beans, salt, cumin, oregano and black pepper. Stir.
- Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Simmer the beans, uncovered, until tender, stirring occasionally. This usually takes about 1 ½ hours, but can range from 1-2 hours depending on the beans. (See note below.) Start checking on the beans after 1 hour, doing a taste test to see if they are cooked to your liking. If not, continue cooking, checking on them every 15 minutes or so. Add up to 1 cup more water as needed if the liquid is almost gone and the beans are not yet done.
- Once the beans are done, if there is more liquid than you'd like left in the pot, you can drain some of it off. Taste the beans and season with more salt, as needed. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro, or as desired.
Notes
- You can add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and/or 1 chopped jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed) for spice, if desired.
- The cook time will depend on the age of the beans. Older beans will take longer to soften, and very old beans may never soften.
- Cooked pinto beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Looks delicious! You mention turning them into refried beans as a serving suggestion…how do you do that?
Hi Carrie,
I have a refried beans recipe coming in a few weeks! Stay tuned! 🙂
Here is the refried beans recipe. Enjoy!
I prefer cooking in my crock pot. It takes longer but well worth it
They never fail. Also, instead of cumin, I use red pepper flakes. As for salt, I add near the end of cooking time. Just my oinion.
Salt added too early will cause the beans to stay hard longer
You should wait to salt
I have heard that theory, but in my experience I have not found it to be true.
Sounds good. When I do pinto beans, I put them in the crockpot with a ham shank. I add onion garlic worchestershire, Greek seasoning, and other seasonings. I put the shank in and use the water from soaking. I season the water with garlic salt. They cook all day and r very tender. The meat falls off the shank. Very tasty.
Can you make this in an instant pot?
Here is my Instant Pot Pinto Beans recipe. (It’s also linked in the post above.) Enjoy!
Grew up on pinto beans cooked this way. I still cook them from scratch. Much better than the canned you buy in the store. I’ve also canned them in jars so they are just a matter of heating them up and making a pan of cornbread when in a hurry.
These were great! I added some Tasso, a couple of bay leaves and a tablespoon of butter, then garnished with chopped red onion and a little sweet pickle relish. I’ve made pinto beans for years but really liked these and the addition of cumin. I’d never thought of that.
Excellent. Was looking for a basic stovetop recipe for beans. I thought the amount of spices may be too much, but I followed the recipe and they came out perfect. In fact, I can smell the flavors more than I can taste them. That’s where it’s supposed to be. Thank you.
I have previously made this, but it is just too much work. I think Rosarito’s canned beans taste great. Yours taste great but in this instance, I elected to stay with canned.