Learn how to cook pinto beans using the soaking and stovetop simmering method. This versatile ingredient packs protein and fiber into any side dish, such as refried beans, chilis, soups, and stews.
Recipe Science
- Water rehydrates and softens pinto beans while dissolving salt for seasoning, ensuring even cooking and a plump, flavorful result.
- Pre-soak pinto beans in hot water to speed up hydration, cutting soak time to just 1 hour instead of 8-24 hours overnight.
- Soaking beans in salted water enhances flavor, softens the skin, and makes the center creamier by infusing a subtle briny taste.
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Featured Comment 23
“I absolutely loved these beans. I used them for refried pinto beans. I just cooked them for 3 hours, adding additional water and stirring them every 30 minutes.”—Krystal M.
Why It Works
Pinto beans are a staple in Latin cuisine and are used in various dishes. These small brown-spread legumes swell to more than double in size when cooked, making them affordable for feeding a crowd or meal-prepping throughout the week. Pinto beans have great health benefits and yield super creamy centers with a nutty, earthy taste.
There are various ways to cook pinto beans from scratch. The slow cooker prepares them by dinnertime when you’re not in a rush. The Instant Pot pressure cooker function prepares them in just an hour without the need for pre-soaking. But this guide will teach you the traditional preparation method on the stovetop. I’ll also show you a quick-soaking option to significantly reduce cooking time if serving on the same day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beans: Purchase a bag of dried pinto beans and measure out 1 cup for the recipe. The beans absorb the water, swell, and yield about double the volume. Scaling up the recipe is easy.
- Water: Water is essential for soaking and cooking dried pinto beans. It dissolves salt for seasoning, rehydrates the beans, softens the skin, and ensures even cooking. Fully submerging the beans helps them cook evenly, turning them plump and flavorful.
- Salt: Season the pinto beans with kosher salt or sea salt before cooking to tenderize the outer skin. This yields creamy pinto beans because more water is able to pass through and absorb into the starchy interior. During cooking, adding more salt enhances the flavor further to taste.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This pinto bean recipe is easy to customize! Try these delicious options:
- Make a Sofrito: Add depth of flavor to the beans by sauteing chopped onions, bell peppers, minced garlic, or hot types of peppers (for a spicy kick) in olive oil, then simmer the beans.
- Add Spices: Some earthy spices and herbs like paprika, cumin, coriander, chili powder, thyme, oregano, or bay leaves.
- And Pork: Dice up some ham hock or other type of bacon and saute it to add a smokey richness to the beans.
- Adding Acids: It’s best to incorporate acidic ingredients like diced tomatoes, vinegar, lime, or lemon juice at the end of cooking the beans. The acid makes the skin stay tough, never letting the water transfer inside to soften the centers. Nobody likes hard beans!
How to Cook Pinto Beans
Step 1: Sort and Wash
Sort and toss away any cracked pieces to find broken beans. Rinse the beans in a colander with cold water before soaking them to remove any dirt or debris on the surface caused by processing.
Step 2: Soak the Beans (Two Options)
Overnight Soak: When soaking the beans overnight, add them to a large bowl with water and salt. Let them sit on the counter at room temperature for 8 to 24 hours.
Quick Soak: If cooking the dried pinto beans on the same day, use the quick soak method. Add them to a large pot. Bring the salted water to a boil for 2 minutes to quickly heat the water. Turn off the heat, cover, and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Pre-soaking beans in hot water kicks start the hydration process, dropping soak time to just 1 hour instead of 8 to 24 hours overnight.
Tips for Perfect Execution: Regardless of the method, drain and rinse the soaked beans before cooking to prevent them from tasting too salty.
Step 3: Prepare the Beans
Combine the soaked beans in a large saucepan or Dutch oven with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. The salt helps season the beans from the inside out as they cook, enhancing their natural flavor.
Step 4: Cook the Beans
Add the beans to a large pot or Dutch oven with 4 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover and simmer, stirring every 30 minutes to prevent sticking. Cook until the beans are tender and creamy, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Season with salt and pepper, or use them in your favorite dishes.
How Long to Cook Pinto Beans
- Standard Soaking: 8 to 24 hours in cold water and salt
- Quick-Soak Method: 1 hour covered in hot water
- Stovetop: Post soaking; 1 to 1 ½ hours
- Crock-Pot: Post soaking; 4 hours (High), 6 to 7 hours (Low), 8 to 10 hours (High, no pre-soak)
- Pressure Cooking: About 1 hour, no soak needed
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you don’t have to soak pinto beans before cooking, but there are benefits to doing so. Skipping the soak will just require extending the cooking time by an extra hour or two. If you go this route, monitor the liquid level and add more liquid if the beans start to dry out. Soaking beans in advance shortens the cooking time and helps soften the outer skin, making them cook more evenly and creating a creamier texture.
No matter what method you choose, the taste of beans is improved when they are soaked in water and salt. The outer skin also becomes more tender, and the middle is creamier. Briny flavors are created as the sodium and water molecules move into the legume.
Soaking takes 1 to 24 hours, depending if you are hot-soaking or overnight soaking the beans. Cook time takes about 1 to 1 ½ hours on the stove top.
Recipes with Beans
If you enjoyed learning How to Cook Pinto Beans, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Pinto Beans
Ingredients
Soaking the Beans
- 1 cup pinto beans
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
- 8 cups cold water
Cooking the Beans
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Sort and Wash – Pick over and discard any broken dried beans. Add them to a colander and rinse with cold water for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Soak the Beans –Overnight Soaking: Add beans, 1 ½ tablespoons salt, and 8 cups of water to a large bowl or pot. Stir to dissolve, then cover and allow to sit for 8 to 24 hours before cooking. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.Quick Soaking Beans (Same Day Cooking): Add the beans, 1 ½ tablespoons salt, and 8 cups of water to a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and soak the beans for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.
- Prepare the Beans – In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add the soaked beans, 4 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cook the Beans – Bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Stir the beans occasionally, about every 30 minutes, to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Gently cook beans over low heat until tender and creamy, 60 to 90 minutes. Drain, then serve the beans warm.
Notes
- Recipe Yield: One cup of dried beans yields about 2 cups of cooked pinto beans.
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Storing: Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Emily says
I am going to try this recipe today! So excited. Just to clarify, the seasonings are added after the beans are cooked?
Jessica Gavin says
Soak the beans in salt, then drain and rinse. Then add 1 teaspoon of salt with the drained soaked beans and fresh water.
Tricia McC says
I live in North Carolina and here we don’t drain our beans once they’re done we cook them till they’re very soft and eat them with cornbread I do soak my beans in water overnight and we add meat what they call fatback or bacon
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for sharing, Tricia! I will need to try eating the beans with some cornbread and bacon!
Bryn says
I don’t understand the reasoning behind adding an acidic ingredient at the end of cooking?
Jessica Gavin says
Great questions! For beans, the acid can bind to the seed coat of the bean, making it hard for water to seep through to cook the starches and proteins inside. The acid can also toughen the coat, so it won’t be as soft. It’s best to wait to add acid later to flavor the beans.
Valerie C. says
I don’t see where anything acidic is mentioned in the recipe. Did I miss something?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Valerie- There is no acid added to the bean recipe.
Marcella D Winters says
I had a package of stew meat and a 2lb bag of pinto beans. So I made a pot of bean soup. I what to beans in water to soak for 8 hours. In my pain I saute onions in oil until tender. I like to cut it up my stew meat into smaller pieces and I add a box of beef broth a package of Lipton Onion Soup, salt and pepper and I let that come to a boil and then turn it down and cook until the meat is tender. I usually add one or two bottles of water. Then rinse my beans add them to the pot and Let them simmer a couple hours then make a batch of cornbread and call me happy! Hope you like it!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for sharing your recipe, Marcella! Sounds delicious!
Krystal Mena says
I absolutely loved these beans. I used them for refried pinto beans. I just cooked them for 3 hours, adding additional water and stirring them every 30 minutes. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you, Krystal! Using this recipe to make refried beans sounds perfect!
Pamela Miller says
Thank you Jessica for the information. I live in New Mexico and I know the altitude can play a part in cooking successfully. I am going to try your suggestions!
Jessica Gavin says
Let me know how it goes, Pamela!
Saurabh Mishra says
Nice recipe
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you!
Kat says
The whole being soaking thing has been debunked by science. We can check it out on YouTube.
Lori Brogan says
How about cooking beans in a instapot,I am trying this for the 1st
…wish me luck,i.will.send you the results…Have a great day!!
Jessica Gavin says
How did cooking pinto beans in the instant pot work out for you?
Randi Foster De Quintana says
Great tips on cooking beans! I didn’t know about the trick for a one hour soak; this will save the day when I forget to pull them out the night before. One thing my husband taught me that his family do when cooking beans is adding half an onion and chicken bouillon while boiling.
Dana McCurdy says
I grew up cooking with my Mom and pintos were at the table often. I remember she called it “looking” the beans to catch any bad ones. Thanks for sharing this recipe it made me think of my mom.
Jackie says
Jessica:
That method works in lower elevations but in higher ones it takes more than soaking at night. What we do is put our beans on and bring it to a boil Then we drain them and add more water. Then we let them soak overnight and cook them in the morning. We learned that hint from a friend when we first moved to New Mexico. She said that was how many of the Native Americans did and most of the Hispanic people. (I am not trying to make feel bad by the names I used but that was the way I was raised but my father made sure I knew that they were equal to me). We do not add bacon to our beans but I make chili with them and my husband eats them with his meals. Since we moved to New Mexico we have learned to us so many other beans and we like to mix them all. We cook them and use them that way and it sure makes a wonderful pot of chili.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your insight and for sharing your experience with cooking beans at high elevation. I know it will help others!