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Crockpot pinto beans! 100x better than canned beans or your money back! 😜 And not to mention, cheap, easy and nutritious!

Making beans from scratch might seem a little extra, but I promise you that it’s not. It’s almost as easy as opening a can of beans. It’s definitely less physical effort than using a can opener.

And with homemade beans, you can control the level of sodium. Canned beans are full of sodium and might end up being a little saltier than you intended. I like to be able to control the amount of salt I put in them for health reasons, but also taste reasons!

Ingredients for Crockpot Pinto Beans

Dry Pinto Beans

Like the kind you used as a kid to play bingo with! If you’ve never bought dried beans before, just head to the canned beans and they should be right around there.

Onion and Garlic

Onion and garlic add so much flavor to these beans.

Salt, Pepper, and Cumin

You all know that I love my Redmond Real Salt so much. It’s the absolute best! Use code AMBERSKITCHEN for 15% off your order. For these beans, just salt, pepper, and cumin are enough.

How to Make Crockpot Pinto Beans

I like to soak my beans before I cook them. Soaking them for 24 hours helps remove phytic acid, making them more digestible. This can help cut down on some unpleasant gassy side effects later on!

To soak beans, I put them in a big bowl and cover them with water. I add a splash of apple cider vinegar or two teaspoons of baking soda to the water, mix everything up, and let them soak. After 24 hours, pick out any floating beans and throw them away.

Soaking the beans is not necessary for cooking. They’ll cook the same whether or not you soak them. So if you don’t really care about making them easier to digest, you can skip this step and go straight to cooking.

Whether or not you’ve soaked the beans, add them to your instant pot or slow cooker with new, clean water, along with the onion, garlic, and seasonings.

Crockpot Cooking

For crockpot, cook on high for 4 hours, then on low for 2 hours. Make sure you set your timer so you remember to change the heat setting.

Instant Pot Cooking

For instant pot, cook for 35-40 minutes on manual high pressure. Once the time has elapsed, let the pressure cooker release pressure naturally. Don’t flip the quick vent until at least 20 minutes has elapsed. I almost always do a natural pressure release with my pressure cooker. I think the food always turns out better.

Mashed or Whole?

Some people have strong opinions about beans. Some like them mashed, and others like to leave them as is. If you want them mashed or refried, take a potato masher and go to town!

What to Serve with Crockpot Pinto Beans

These Crockpot Pinto Beans are the perfect addition to any Mexican meal! A few of my favorites are Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, Salsa Verde Shredded Beef, and Cafe Rio Sweet Pork. I also love to make these Cheesy Chicken Baked Burritos and Chili Lime Garlic Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Dressing.

You could even make these beans and serve them with your favorite grilled protein.

Happy Cooking!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

If you make this, I appreciate if you would sharing and link it to social media, and tag me on instagram @amberskitchen. Thanks in advance!

If you want to follow along on my cooking adventures, follow me on Instagram @AMBERSKITCHEN