A quick glance out my window tells me I’m going to be spending a lot of time inside this weekend. In case you are too, I have a tasty proposition to make the most of our indoor captivity: Crock Pot Pinto Beans! This easy recipe for healthy crock pot pinto beans is going to make you rethink every can of beans you’ve ever purchased. Not only is the flavor superior—the texture is incredible.
You can use this easy, healthy crock pot pinto beans recipe for burritos, nachos, as a healthy side dish, or anytime a recipe calls for canned pinto beans.
BONUS: You can mash them to create easy slow cooker refried beans too. One recipe, so many tasty possibilities.
Beans freeze beautifully! I freeze them in two-cup portions, which makes it easy to pull out just what I need for a recipe. With beans made in the slow cooker, pre-soaking them is far less important than with other cooking methods. The long cooking time means that those beans will definitely soften!
Do You Have to Soak Pinto Beans Before Cooking in the Crock Pot?
No you do not! It was important to me that this recipe be as convenient as possible (we are already receiving mega kitchen points for cooking our own beans from dry, so why complicate our lives further?). Thus, I adjusted the cook time and liquid ratio so that you can cook the pinto beans in a crock pot without soaking.
Now that we cleared that soaking question up, let’s get back to how to cook dried pinto beans:
- Once the veggies are sautéed, add them to the crock pot along with the dry pinto beans, some spectacular spices, and chicken broth. Stir.
- Crank the crock pot to high and COOK, BABY COOK. Or rather slow cook. This recipe does take some patience.
- Once the beans are finished, you can either enjoy them right away or mash them to create Slow Cooker Refried Beans. I have directions for you for both!
How to Cook the Best Crock Pot Pinto Beans
- To give these healthy crock pot pinto beans mega flavor, this recipe begins with sautéed onion and jalapeno. Don’t be tempted to add them to the slow cooker raw. Sautéing is what will enhance the flavor and make the beans unstoppably delicious.
- If you’d like to make the crock pot pinto beans with bacon grease, the saute step is the place to do it. Begin the recipe with a few slices of chopped bacon. Cook the bacon until crisp in the pan, then remove it from the pan and reserve a tablespoon of the rendered fat to cook the vegetables. When the beans are finished in the crock pot, you can stir the reserved pieces in at the end if you like.
- If you like your crock pot pinto beans with ham, based what I’ve seen in the way of Southern pinto beans recipes, I believe you could add a ham hock to the beans as they slow cook. Soak the ham in water for several hours first to make sure your pinto beans don’t become too salty. (I haven’t tried this yet, so if you do decide to play around with ham, I’d love to hear how it goes!)
Personally, I love the slow cooker pinto beans vegetarian, which is how the recipe is written. Try them both ways and let me know what you think.
Why You Should Absolutely Never Cook Raw Beans In A Slow Cooker
FAQ
Can you slow cook beans without soaking them?
What happens if you cook beans without soaking?
How long do unsoaked beans take to cook?
Do I have to soak red beans before slow cooking?
How many soaked beans in a slow cooker?
Since beans get bigger as they cook, you don’t want to overload the slow cooker with too many. Allow plenty of room for the beans to cook – about 1 cup of soaked beans per 1 quart of a slow cooker. If you have a 4 quart slow cooker, 3-4 cups of soaked beans should fit.
Can one survive on beans alone?
It is not possible to live eating only one food. The human body needs nutrients that are not present in beans, therefore, if someone consumes only beans to survive, they will suffer consequences such as nutritional deficiency that will trigger problems and diseases that can and will certainly lead to death over time.
Can you cook dried beans in a slow cooker?
Cooking dried beans in a slow cooker produces richly flavorful, tender beans that will save you money and taste better than anything you’ll ever find in a can. Don’t get me wrong. Canned beans are great in a pinch. I use them often.
Should beans be soaked before cooking?
In fact, you should always cook beans longer instead of letting them soak overnight (when you have the time to do it). Yes, soaking rehydrates the beans and shaves a lot of cooking time. But it also produces bland and mushy beans.