If you've ever wondered how to cook pinto beans in a crock pot without all the hassle of presoaking, this one's for you. These no-soak crock pot pinto beans are hearty, smoky, and full of flavor thanks to crispy bacon, sautéed onions, garlic, and a hint of poblano heat. This simple recipe is the best way to get tender beans with minimal effort-no soaking required!
You know those dishes that are basically rockstars in the kitchen? I'm talking ones that can serve as a side, a main dish, or an add-on to make any dish that much better. And they can be made in the slow cooker with little babysitting from you? That's what these crock pot pinto beans are to me. These simple, incredibly flavorful beans have shown up in so many of our dishes from just 1 BATCH! We've had them as in soup form as a light lunch, with a side of crusty bread to soak up all those delicious saucy flavors, stuffed into chicken tacos, as a side to pulled pork sandwiches, and sprinkled on top of nachos for some extra smoky flavor.
Let me tell you - this is one powerhouse of a dish. These slow cooker pinto beans have so much flavor, thanks to the bacon and sautéed veggies, and taste so much better than canned beans. And, you can add everything to the crock pot and let it work its magic for 8-10 hours while you go about your day. Oh! I almost forgot about the best part - you don't have to presoak the beans to make this dish! (Great for those of you, like me, who find it hard to plan ahead!)
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Key Ingredients
You only need a few pantry staples to make these easy crockpot beans:
- Dry pinto beans. Use dried beans from the grocery store-no need to soak.
- Thick-cut bacon. Adds richness and smokiness. You can sub with a ham hock if you prefer.
- Onion, garlic, and poblano pepper. Classic flavor-builders that give this dish a nice flavor.
- Spices. Smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, bay leaves, and black pepper.
- Water or broth. Use chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth to add even more flavor.
- Salt and cilantro. These will be added at the end of cooking to finish things off.
Expert Tips for Making the Best Crock Pot Pinto Beans
- Don't skip the sauté. Browning the bacon and sautéing the onions, garlic, and peppers beforehand deepens the flavor in a way that tossing everything in raw just can't match. It's worth the extra pan.
- Rinse and sort your beans. Always rinse your dry beans in a large bowl and check for pebbles or debris.
- Watch the liquid level. Throughout cooking, make sure your beans stay submerged. Add a cup of water or broth if they start to dry out. Beans that aren't covered may cook unevenly.
- Add salt at the end. Adding salt too early can cause dried beans to toughen. Stir it in once the beans are fully cooked for tender, flavorful results.
- Use broth for extra flavor. While water works just fine, using chicken broth, vegetable broth, or chicken stock gives your beans a big flavor boost. (Just keep an eye on sodium levels if you're using salted broth.)
- Customize the heat. Like it spicy? Add an extra pinch of cayenne pepper, a diced jalapeño, or some green chiles. For milder beans, reduce or omit the heat altogether.
- Make them creamy. For a creamier texture (like refried beans), mash some of the beans with a potato masher right in the crock pot before serving.
- Cool before freezing. Let beans come to room temperature before storing in the freezer. This helps prevent ice crystals and freezer burn.
- Use the Instant Pot when you're short on time. The pressure cooker is the perfect option when you need a quick turnaround-just 50 minutes and you're done! See instructions for making this recipe in the Instant Pot in the FAQs below
How To Serve Crockpot Pinto Beans
These slow cooker beans are ultra-versatile! Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
- Over rice or cauliflower rice with a squeeze of lime.
- Tucked into tacos (chorizo tacos, chicken mole tacos, baja shrimp tacos or carne asada tacos are all great options!) on taco salads, or sprinkled onto sheet pan nachos.
- As a side dish with red enchiladas or grilled meats.
- Topped with cotija cheese, sour cream, and green onions.
- Pureed into bean soup or served with cornbread.
Perfect for taco night, meal prepping, or any cozy weeknight dinner!
Whether you serve up this delicious recipe with your favorite Mexican food, keep it simple as a tasty dish with rice, or turn it into homemade refried beans, these crock pot pinto beans are a pantry-friendly classic that delivers every time.
Don't forget to save or print the recipe card below-and if you try it, tag me on @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your creations!
Recipe
No-Soak Crock Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon and Sautéed Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried pinto beans rinsed and sorted
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 poblano pepper roasted, peeled, de-seeded and chopped. *See note below
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth, or water
- ½ teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped (for garnish - optional)
- ½ jalapeno pepper chopped (for garnish - optional)
Instructions
- Roast and peel the poblano pepper. Heat your oven to 400 degrees, then place the poblano pepper on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the pepper from the oven and place into a ziplock bag to steam for an additional 10-20 minutes. Remove the pepper from the bag, peel the skin off, remove the seeds, and chop into bite-sized pieces. See note below.*
- Cook the Bacon. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
- Sauté the Veggies. In the bacon fat, sauté the diced onion, garlic, and roasted and peeled poblano pepper for 4-5 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
- Load the Crock Pot. Add the beans, cooked bacon, sautéed vegetables, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne, bay leaf, and black pepper to the slow cooker. Pour in the water or broth.
- Slow cook. Cover and cook on high for 8-10 hours, until beans are tender and flavorful. (Note - if you decide to pre-soaked your beans, you can lower the cooking time to 6 hours on high.) Keep an eye on the beans, giving them a stir every so often. If the liquid starts to fall below the level of the beans, simply add a little more to ensure the beans are completely covered.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the salt (to taste). Remove the bay leaf and sprinkle with cilantro if using. Serve as a hearty side, over rice, with tortillas, or tucked into tacos.
Notes
- A note about the poblano pepper. I love the smokiness the poblano pepper gives to these beans, but I completely get that this is an extra step that many may not have time for. If you just don't want to mess with it, feel free to sub out the pepper for diced jalapenos, or even a can of hatch green chilies to make this a bit easier.
- If making in the Instant Pot. Follow all the instructions exactly, except set your Instant Pot to high pressure (manual) and cook for 50 minutes.
- Soaking overnight method. Soaking is not required, but If you want to shorten your cooking time while still using the crock pot, simply soak the beans in a bowl of water overnight to start the softening process. When you're ready to cook the beans, you'll just need about 6 hours on high in the crockpot. Or, you can do a quick soak by adding the beans to a pot filled with water, bringing to a boil, turning off the burner, and then allowing to sit for 1 ½ hours. (Although at that point, you may as well just add the beans dry to the crockpot, as the total cooking time will then be about the same.)
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Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! These pinto beans in crock pot cook up perfectly from dry. That's the beauty of this crock pot pinto beans and bacon recipe-just rinse and go!
While this is a true no-soak crock pot pinto beans recipe, you can soak the beans ahead to reduce cook time. You have 2 options for soaking the beans:
-Overnight soak: If you're an overachiever and can actually remember to do this the night before, try an overnight soak since it will save you the most time. Place the beans in a large glass bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit at room temperature overnight, then cook on HIGH for 6 hours.
-Quick soak: Boil the pinto beans for 2 minutes in a pot of water, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 1.5 hours. Then add them to your slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook for 6 hours on high.
That said, soaking isn't necessary, and honestly? It doesn't add much flavor or cut down that much on the total cooking time. So skip the soak unless you're really in a rush.
Nope! This recipe calls for roasting and peeling a poblano pepper (is almost identical to my method for roasting hatch chiles), which adds amazing flavor, but may be more time-intensive than you want. Feel free to sub out the poblano with diced jalapeno peppers, or even a can of hatch chiles to make this recipe easier.
Plan for 8-10 hours on high if using dry pinto beans. If soaked, it'll take about 6 hours.
Yes! Just mash the cooked beans using a potato masher, add some reserved liquid, and simmer until creamy.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. This makes a great make-ahead pot of beans for meal prep.
Yes! Let cool, portion into freezer bags or containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Just thaw overnight and reheat on the stovetop when ready to eat.
Yes! Feel free to use ham instead of bacon if you prefer. Or, omit them both and use veggie broth to make this dish vegetarian.
Sarah says
These are perfect! Served them along side grilled chicken for an easy side!
Sarah Jenkins says
Thanks Lisa! Glad you lked them!