Slow Cooker Pinto Beans w/ Bay Leaves & Lime
Slow cooker pinto beans are by far the simplest way to cook dried beans. Just toss garlic, onion, lime juice, olive oil, bay leaves, and spices into a crock pot. Let cook for 8 hours while you're at work or while you're asleep and come back to perfectly cooked beans every time. It takes all of the guess work and hassle of soaking the beans and slowly simmering them for hours over the stove out of the equation.
Equipment
- Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. pinto beans ~2 c.
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 yellow onion minced
- 2 limes juiced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 4 bay leaves
- 5 c. water
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the crock pot. It doesn't matter what order you put them in.
- Cook on the low setting for 8 hours.
- If you want to make these no-fry refried beans or more of a bean dip, remove the bay leaves and mash with a potato masher. You can also pulse in a food processor or puree entirely, if you want a smoother consistency.This might require more water. If there is any left in the pot, that's usually all that you need. Otherwise, just add more tap water until you've reached the desired consistency.
- Adjust seasoning to taste and serve immediately or refrigerate for later use.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- That's pretty much it! This is a very hands off process. Most crock pots have an automatic timer and will switch to "keep warm" mode after the desired cook time. I tend to start them in the morning before going to work or at night before going to bed. That way you come home or wake up to freshly cooked beans.
- You may want to watch the water level, as cooking out too quickly or sitting in the pot on warm for too long can cause some dry spots and potential burning around the edges.
- Alternatively, if you have extra water in the pot, you can either drain and reserve the liquid or simmer out the remainder of the water.
- You can alternatively make beans by slowly simmering on the stove for about 2 hours. I have an article on The Fundamentals of Stovetop Black Beans. Pinto beans sometimes take a little less time to cook, but the same basic principle applies. You will also need to soak them for 12 hours ahead of time to achieve a cook this quickly. Unsoaked beans tend to at least double the cooking time.
- I've also done this same recipe in the Instant Pot for about 45 minutes. Although the amount of water needed and cook time varies quite a bit from batch to batch. It is possible in a pinch, but it's not my preferred method for cooking beans!