Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

Name: Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: Pinto beans 1 pound, 2 cups; Olive oil 2 tsp; Yellow onions 1; Jalapeño pepper 1; Kosher Salt 1 ½ tsp; Garlic 3 cloves; Bay leaf 2; Cumin 1 tsp; Dried oregano 1 tsp; Cayenne pepper ⅛ to ¼ tsp; Water 3 cups; Vegetable broth 4 cups; Queso fresco cheese; Monterey Jack cheese; Diced tomatoes; Red onion; Cilantro; Avocado

no soaking required!

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8h 10m
Serves 6
Easy
(1)

Ingredients

Adjust Servings:

	For slow cooker:
	1 pound, 2 cups Pinto beans dry
	2 tsp Olive oil extra-virgin
	1 Yellow onions small chopped into ¼-inch dice
	1 Jalapeño pepper cored, seeded, and finely chopped
	1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt divided
	3 cloves Garlic minced, about 1 tbsp
	2 Bay leaf
	1 tsp Cumin ground
	1 tsp Dried oregano
	⅛ to ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper optional
	3 cups Water
	4 cups Vegetable broth low-sodium, or chicken broth
	Garnishes:
	Queso fresco cheese
	Monterey Jack cheese shredded
	Diced tomatoes
	Red onion diced
	Cilantro сhopped fresh
	Avocado optional

Nutritional information

131

calories

fat

20g

carbohydrates

protein

0mg

cholesterol

423mg

sodium

Cuisine:

Mexican Recipes

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans recipe

These Slow Cooker Pinto Beans are super simple to make and don’t require any soaking. Tender and flavorful, they go well with just about anything, or you could follow my lead and make it a meal. I like to top these pinto bean bowls with avocado, salsa, fresh herbs, onions, or queso fresco. You do you.

For this recipe, you don’t need to soak the beans. Just wash the beans and pick them over for stones. Then dump the beans into your slow cooker. Sauté the onions, garlic and jalapeño and add them to the slow cooker too. Then add the bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper to infuse the beans and the bean-cooking liquid with flavor. Add in the chicken broth (you could also use vegetable broth for a vegan-friendly option) and water. Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook until the beans are tender. Enjoy!

To make the Slow Cooker Pinto Beans, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingridiens for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

Steps to make Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

1

Rinse beans

5

Use a large colander, to rinse 1 pound dry pinto beans. Pick the beans over, removing any damaged beans and discarding them.
2

Place beans in slow cooker

1

Add the rinsed beans to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
3

Cook onions, jalapeno and garlic

3

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 teaspoons extra-virgin oil and add 1 chopped onion, 1 finely chopped jalapeño, and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.Add 3 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4

Transfer onion mixture to slow cooker

1

Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker.
5

Add seasonings, broth and water

2

Add in 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper if using. Pour in 3 cups water and 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth) over the top. Stir to combine.
6

Cook

8h

Cover with a lid and cook on high for 8-10 hours until the beans are tender. The cooking time may vary depending on the strength of your slow cooker. Start checking at the six-hour mark to see how quickly the beans are cooking. Once the beans are cooked, discard the bay leaves.
7

For regular pinto beans

2

Drain the liquid, or leave the liquid in the slow cooker and serve the beans with it. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed.
8

For refried beans

2

Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and return the beans to the slow cooker. If you don't have 1 cup liquid in your slow cooker, use 1 cup water instead. Using a potato masher, mash the beans until they reach the desired consistency, adding some of the reserved liquid as needed. Taste and adjust for seasoning if needed.
9

Serve

Ladle the beans into bowls and sprinkle with the toppings of choice. Serve and enjoy!

This easy recipe for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans yields perfectly cooked and well seasoned beans every time. Made it? Let us know! Tag @cookmerecipes on Instagram and hashtag it #cookmerecipes.

About the author

Bethany Lim

Bethany is very passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and clean diet. She’s trying to cut meat out of her diet as much as possible and focuses on cooking vegetarian food and fish. Bethany gets a kick from finding ways to add new twists to classic dishes. What’s more, thanks to her Asian roots, she’s great at combining different cuisines to come up with something extraordinary. Bethany’s recipes will inspire you to add new colors and flavors to your everyday meals.