Easy Pinto Beans

Many of us turn to beans for our weekly meals. It’s a beloved pantry staple for hearty chili, winter stews, and comforting soups. Canned beans are no stranger to my pantry (there’s always a variety lining the shelves for an emergency), but over these past several months at home, I’ve become a dried bean convert.

Cooking dried beans is cheaper than buying cans, the beans themselves are creamier and more flavorful, and a big batch can easily be turned into a week’s worth of meals.

If you, too, are ready to try your hand at cooking dried beans, know that the pinto bean is the best place to start. Pinto beans are incredibly versatile, and you can make them for any meal of the day. Start the morning with a loaded breakfast skillet featuring pinto beans, move on to pinto-packed tacos for lunch, and end the day with a hearty bean chili.

Here’s how to cook perfect pinto beans every time, no soaking required.

Cook any variety of beans and you’ll be set for the week, but my bean of choice will forever be the pinto bean.

• Every well-stocked grocery store is sure have them in stock, and with their creamy, buttery texture and thin skins, they’re among the most versatile beans you can buy.
• You can stir them into soups, tuck them in tacos, sprinkle them atop salads, smash them on a crispy tostada shell — the possibilities are endless.

I recently tested seven popular methods for cooking dried beans, and the winner turned out to be an easy, hands-off stovetop method, with no soaking required.

Out of all the tests, this was among the easiest of methods. No prep work required and no oven temperatures or pressure valves to monitor. Surprisingly, despite skipping the overnight or quick soak, the beans were tender after just a couple hours of cooking. 

Soaking beans can give very old beans a jump-start to softening, but unless you’re cooking a dusty bag of pintos from the back of the pantry, this shouldn’t be an issue.

Plan for one to four hours to cook the beans depending on their age (most are done around the two-hour mark). Fresher beans will cook faster, so purchase beans from stores with high turnover.

1. Sort the beans. Spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet and remove any shriveled beans or other debris.
2. Rinse the beans. Rinse them in a colander under cold running water and transfer them to a large pot or Dutch oven.
3. Prepare the seasonings. Add the water, onion, garlic, bay leaves, kosher salt, and baking soda.
4. Bring the beans to a boil. Over medium-high heat.
5. Simmer until the beans are tender. Simmer until the beans are tender and creamy. Most beans are done around 2 hours, but it can be up to 4 hours depending on the age of the beans.
6. Remove the onion, bay leaves, and garlic. Remove them before serving.

1. Start at breakfast. Stuff pintos into a warm tortilla with salsa and hot sauce for a breakfast that won’t leave you searching for mid-morning snacks. Bonus points for adding an avocado or eggs.
2. Bulk up chili. Add cooked pinto beans to your favorite chili recipe to bulk up the beefy stew, or to turn it into a cozy vegetarian dinner.
3. Make the best refried beans. Canned refried beans are no match for the homemade variety — especially when you use these perfectly prepared pintos. Don’t forget to finish them with crumbled cotija cheese.
4. Top with greens and an egg. Warm the beans in a skillet, then add dark leafy greens like collards or Swiss chard, sautéing until wilted. A poached or lacy fried egg makes it a meal.
5. Serve them on a salad. A homemade taco salad — piled high with creamy pinto beans, crispy lettuce, and crunchy jicama in a citrusy cumin dressing — is the stuff of dreams.

• Slow cooker: Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.
• Instant Pot: Set to cook under HIGH pressure for 30 minutes.

• Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.
• Freeze: Place 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans in a quart-size freezer zip-top bag, and then fill with cooking liquid. Close the bag, lay flat, and freeze until solid. This bag is the equivalent of 1 (15-ounce) can and can be frozen up to 6 months.