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Mexican charro beans (a.k.a. frijoles charros) are hearty, savory, and easy to make, perfect as a side or a main course. Pinto beans are simmered in delicious beef broth with bacon, onion, diced tomatoes, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, giving the dish a ton of incredible flavor. Great for potlucks, cookouts, or feeding large families!
A Note from Cheryl
- This recipe uses unsoaked pinto beans, cutting way back on the amount of prep involved!
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Cook the Pinto Beans
You can cook the pinto beans 1 of the 3 ways – on the stovetop, in a Crockpot, or in a pressure cooker. Whichever method you choose, make sure you rinse the beans really thoroughly first, and pick out (and discard) any bad beans, pebbles, and other debris.
On the Stovetop
Add the beans to a large pot and cover them with enough water that the waterline sits 2 inches above the top of the beans. That amount will vary depending on the size of the pot. Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low (1-2 on the dial) and simmer the beans 1-2 hours, stirring them from time to time. Once the beans are tender, pour everything into a colander and drain the beans really well.
Cheryl’s Tip: Check the amount of water in the pot often and add more as needed. The water will evaporate during cooking, and you don’t want the beans to dry out!
In the Slow Cooker
Add the rinsed beans to your Crockpot insert and cover them with plenty of water. Cover the slow cooker, set it to high heat, and let the beans cook 3 hours. Stir them periodically.
In the Instant Pot
I’ve been using this method for no-soak Instant Pot pinto beans for years and it’s my favorite! Add the rinsed beans to the Instant Pot insert with 5 cups of water and stir well. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, set it to Manual High Pressure, and set the cook time to 30 minutes. The Instant Pot will pressurize and then the actual cook time will begin.
When the cook time ends, Natural Release the pressure 15 minutes, then carefully Quick Release any remaining pressure and remove the lid.
Make the Charro Beans
Cook the chopped bacon in a large pot for 5 minutes or so, until the bacon’s cooked-through, then add the chopped onion, minced jalapeรฑo, and minced garlic. Sautรฉ everything 5 minutes, stirring everything regularly, until the onions are translucent.
Once the onions are ready, stir in the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, diced tomatoes, cilantro, and spices. Cook all of that 5 minutes, then stir in the beans and beef broth. Simmer all of the ingredients 15 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
Cheryl’s Tip: If the charro beans aren’t as thick as you’d like after 15 minutes, make a cornstarch slurry out of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 4 tablespoons cold water. Make sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved into the water before stirring the mixture into the beans!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Love baked beans? Wait ’til you try charro beans! Rich and savory, super hearty, and served warm with tortillas for dipping or as a side for your favorite grilled proteins.
- Making charro beans from scratch is so easy, and you will love the aromas that fill your kitchen while this baby’s on the stove. Bacon, onions, garlic, a little jalapeรฑo, some adobo sauce, oregano. It smells almost as good as tastes!
Recipe Variations
- Borracho Beans: An easy twist on charro beans, borracho beans are made by replacing the beef broth with your favorite dark Mexican beer.
- Bacon Alts: You can make this with chorizo, ham, ground beef, or even hot dogs instead of bacon.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Charro Beans
Equipment
- colander
- Large, heavy-bottomed pot
- stovetop
- Large wooden spoon
Ingredients
For the Beans
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- water
For the Charro Beans
- ยฝ pound chopped bacon approximately 8 full slices
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 jalapeรฑo stem and seeds removed, pepper minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic approximately 3 large cloves
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 chipotle pepper from can of peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can of peppers in adobo sauce
- ยผ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon salt more or less to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 cups beef broth
Instructions
- Fill colander with 1 pound dried pinto beans. Rinse pinto beans thoroughly under running water, making sure to remove any unwanted beans or debris.
- Transfer rinsed pinto beans to large pot. Fill pot with enough water to cover top of beans by 2 inches. Place pot on stovetop over high heat.
- Bring water to rolling boil. When water begins to boil, immediately reduce heat under pot to low. Simmer beans 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Add water to pot as needed during cook time. Note: fresher beans will need less time; dryer, older beans will need more.
- When beans are tender, pour beans and water into colander. Drain well and set aside.
- Return pot to stovetop and set heat to medium-high. Add ยฝ pound chopped bacon to pot. Cook bacon 5 minutes or until cooked through.
- Once bacon is fully cooked, add 1 cup chopped yellow onion, 1 jalapeรฑo, and 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic to pot. Stir to incorporate and sautรฉ ingredients, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- When onions are translucent, add 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies, 1 chipotle pepper, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, ยผ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon salt, ยฝ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, and ยฝ teaspoon dried oregano to pot. Stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen any bits of food that may have stuck to pot. Simmer mixture 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add cooked pinto beans and 4 cups beef broth to pot. Stir to incorporate.
- Simmer mixture 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 15 minutes, taste mixture and add salt, pepper, and/or oregano if desired.
- Portion charro beans into serving bowls. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro if desired. Serve warm.
- Consistency:ย For thicker charro beans, thoroughly combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch into ยผ cup cold water, then stir slurry into charro beans and simmer until thickened.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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