How to Cook Pinto Beans

Welcome to my nerd cave!

It's no secret that we're huge fans of beans here on HNL! I love doing deep dives into how to cook various bean types, and today we're going to get into pinto beans, which are without a doubt some of our favorites!

Dried pinto beans are a staple in my pantry - they're inexpensive, way tastier than their canned counterparts, and incredibly easy to make. Cook up a big batch and eat them on their own, or use them to make our signature bean and cheese tacos, burritos, or make your own refried beans from scratch!

If you've never cooked dried pinto beans before, worry not—I've cooked a zillion batches, done the bean math, and am ready to share three different tested-till-perfect cooking techniques (stovetop, Instant Pot, and slow cooker) with you. Once you see how easy it is to cook pinto beans from scratch, you'll never need cans again!

Let's do this!

Stovetop pinto beans

Cooking pinto beans on the stovetop is probably the most straightforward method. You can check the beans anytime you want, and can pull them off the heat the moment they're perfectly done.

All you need to do to make this pinto beans recipe is combine well-rinsed beans, water to cover, and a bit of salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a strong simmer, and simmer with the lid off for 40-60 minutes.

The cooking time will depend on whether or not your beans are soaked (more on that below), how old your beans are, and whether your water is soft or hard.

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

I love cooking dried beans in my Instant Pot. The pressure cooker is fast, it's easy, and there's no soaking required. All you need to do is combine dried pinto beans, water, and a bit of salt in your Instant Pot, and you're good to go.

I've tested a number of different cook times for pinto beans in the Instant Pot, and have come to the conclusion that the best results are with 42 minutes on high pressure for perfectly cooked, tender beans.

If you prefer really soft beans, you could cook them for 45 minutes on high pressure. If you're looking for a firmer bean, you could cook them for 40 minutes. But 42 minutes on high pressure will yield great results every time. Please note that these cooking times are for beans that have NOT been soaked ahead of time.

If you're looking for seasoned, saucy pinto beans that are ready to serve, be sure to check out our recipe for Instant Pot Pinto Beans!

Note! Letting the pressure release naturally results in a better bean. Quick-releasing the pressure causes the temperature inside the Instant Pot to increase dramatically, which causes the beans to bash around inside. This often results in mushy beans, which a natural release will avoid.

Slow Cooker Pinto Beans

Making dried pinto beans in your slow cooker is by far the slowest (duh!) cooking technique. However, it is hands-off, and all you need to do is add the water, beans, and salt - then set it and forget it for 4-6 hours.

As with the stovetop and oven techniques, you can easily remove the lid and check your beans at any time when you cook pinto beans in the slow cooker. This is a great option if you want to come home to a batch of freshly cooked beans - but you will definitely have to plan in advance.

I gave away my slow cooker and these days use my Instant Pot with a glass lid for all of my slow cooking needs (hence the above photo), but the results are the same!

Pinto Bean Conversion and Yield (AKA bean math!)

If you're wondering how many pinto beans you'll end up with, or how many dried beans to cook if a recipe calls for a can of pinto beans, worry not! We've crunched the numbers and taken the guesswork out of it for you.

Typically, dried pinto beans will triple in volume once cooked. So 1 cup of dried beans will yield 3 cups of cooked pinto beans.

• A 15-ounce can of pinto beans contains roughly 1.5 cups of beans when drained
• ½ cup dried pinto beans = 1.5 cups of cooked beans
• ½ cup dried pinto beans is equivalent to a 15-ounce can of beans
• 1 pound of dried pinto beans yields about 6 cups of cooked beans
• 1 pound of dried pinto beans is equivalent to 4 x 15-ounce cans of beans

Should you Soak Pinto Beans Before Cooking?

That is up to you! Common wisdom suggests that soaking your beans overnight will both speed up the cooking time and lead to more evenly cooked beans. But this myth has been busted in food labs.

Turns out that soaking your beans overnight will only save you about 10 minutes of cooking time when using the stovetop technique, so I rarely bother with this. Additionally, beans that have not been soaked tend to have more flavor, and a better texture once cooked, with more intact beans at the end.

Some folks prefer to soak their beans and discard the soaking water to reduce the flatulence-causing compounds that beans are known for. Soaking also breaks down some of the complex sugars in beans that make them hard to digest. So if you're got a sensitive tummy, by all means soak your beans before cooking them.

You also may benefit from soaking your beans if you don't know how old they are. Fresher beans tend to cook much faster, so if you've had that bag of beans kicking around in the back of your cupboard since the beginning of time, you may want to give them a soak.