Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

A brown bowl of cooked pinto beans.

Try this easy method for cooking dried pinto beans in your slow cooker for a cheap and filling meal!

A brown bowl full of cooked pinto beans.

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Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

I normally don’t have too many kitchen mishaps, but when I do it involves dried beans. Seriously, up until about a year ago every time I tried to cook dried beans everything seemed to go horribly wrong.

I don’t now if it was the soaking part or the simmering part, but I just couldn’t seem to get it right. And to make matters worse, my husband’s favorite meal on the planet is beans and cornbread. Seriously.

*face palm*

Anyway, being the determined little wife that I am I kept on trying and failing. Then one day someone told me to use my slow cooker. And just like that my dried bean curse was broken. Brilliant.

As long as you give them enough time and make sure they are covered with water all day, then beans in the slow cooker will treat you right. I’m so glad because they are cheaper than canned beans and they freeze well. Yippee! So here is my recipe for bean success.

How to Make Slow Cooker Pinto Beans:

Cover beans with water to soak overnight.

Next morning, rinse beans and place in slow cooker,

Add water, oil and onion. Stir.

Set on low for 10-12 hrs or until soft. I checked my beans at the 6 1/2 hr mark and they were still crunchy so I turned them on high for 2 hrs to be done in time for dinner which also worked great!

Make cornbread. Because pinto beans without cornbread is just sad.

Let cool and top with all the trimmings!!

*Don’t add salt or high acid foods such as tomatoes until the end because the beans won’t soften.

Well there it is, the secret to perfectly cooked beans. I hope you will try this fabulously frugal recipe and let me know how it worked for you!

Want more recipes using beans? Here are some of my favorites:

Bean and Cheese Freezer Burritos
Super Simple Beans and Rice
Homemade Refried Beans
New Orleans Red Beans and Rice
Black Bean Brownies

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Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

See how easy it is to make pinto beans in your slow cooker!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 hours
Total Time10 hours 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
Servings: 24
Calories: 139kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs dried beans
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 8 cups water or enough to cover by 1 inch

Instructions

  • Cover beans with water to soak overnight.
  • Next morning, rinse beans and place in slow cooker.
  • Add water, oil and onion. Stir.
  • Set on low for 10-12 hrs or until soft.
  • Let cool and top with all the trimmings.

Video

Notes

Don't add salt or high acid foods such as tomatoes until the end because the beans won't soften.
I freeze extra in quart-sized freezer bags.

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 520mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 3mg

Cooking beans in the slow cooker is simple and cheaper than buying canned. Plus you can freeze the leftovers for future meals!

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102 Comments

  1. You don't need to pre soak over night when putting beans in a crock pot on low for 10 to 12 hours. They come out great everytime...
  2. Looks good. Pretty much how I make them. I didn’t see this comment before but wanted to mention the latches on crockpots are meant to be used for transport, not while cooking. You could check instructions on your manufacturer. …Very nice content on your blog. Thank you.
  3. My husband loves pinto beans. I always throw in a couple of pieces of chopped bacon. One of the best purchases i've made was buying an Instant pot. It has an instant button for beans, so I just, umm, press it.lol I like them nice and soft, so i pressure cook them, let them cook on low all day, then pressure cook them again.

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