These Vegan Slow Cooker Pinto Beans never fail to hit the spot! There’s something so comforting about a pot of beans simmering away for hours—especially when you don’t have to do much to make it happen! The aroma that permeates your house throughout the day is almost as enjoyable as eating the homemade beans once they are finished cooking! Plus they have that cozy, home-cooked flavor that makes you want to go back for seconds!
These beans are a staple in our kitchen! We make them at least every other week! And the best part is that my kids will eat them too! My daughter said she likes them as much as our 3 Bean Veggie Chili which is my kids favorite! Make enough for leftovers…trust me, you will thank yourself later!
I love recipes like this because they take a humble pantry staple and turn it into something really satisfying with just a few simple ingredients. Plus, the slow cooker does all the work, which is perfect for busy weekdays, meal prep, or feeding a crowd.
Why this is one of our favorite recipes
- Easy to make - the hardest part is remembering to soak your beans overnight. And even that isn’t a deal breaker!
- Bold balanced flavor - There is a little spice from the jalapeno, a little acidity from the tomatoes, and an earthy tone from the beans. And together they sing!
- Versatile - we eat these plain, with tortilla chips, over rice, in tacos, in a burrito bowl, etc. You can also turn them into refried pinto beans!
- Great source of plant-based protein - beans are one of my absolute favorite sources of protein, because of all the other benefits they pack as well!
How to Thicken Crock Pot Pinto Beans?
If you want to thicken these beans up, you can use an immersion blender and blend a few of the beans and stir the blended beans with the rest of the beans. You can also blend a small amount of the beans in a regular blender and add them back in. You can also cook for a while with the lid off to let some of the liquid evaporate. This tends to work better when cooking on the stovetop though.
Can You Turn These into Refried Beans?
Absolutely! When the beans are done cooking, you can blend the whole pinto beans or mash them with a potato masher until they reach your desired consistency. I usually stop here, but if you want to be more traditional you can fry the mashed-up beans in a pan with some fat and extra seasoning if needed.
Can You Make These Without Soaking Them?
Yes, you can! If you don’t have time to soak, all you need to do is cook the beans on high for 8 to 10 hours. Cooking time can vary depending on how old your beans are and the slow cooker you are using. If you find that your cooking time is different, make a note of it for the future! Sometimes cooking it this way takes more water. You can check your crockpot periodically to see if you need to add more water.
Can You Make These with Canned Beans?
Yes! Canned beans are a great choice if have less time! If you want to use canned beans, use about 4 cups of beans. You will want to rinse and drain your beans before adding them to the slow cooker. Reduce your water or broth to about 1 cup and keep the other ingredients the same. Cook for 2-3 hours in the slow cooker. Or you can cook them on the stovetop until heated through with the other flavors. If you do cook them on the stovetop use just enough water to help everything combine well.
Ingredients
- Pinto Beans - Pinto beans have a mild and slightly nutty flavor. When cooked just right they develop a wonderfully balanced texture that is creamy yet firm. Their earthy flavor pairs beautifully with the rest of the ingredients. You are more than welcome to try a different variety of beans, however I haven’t tested any others myself. I think black beans would be delicious! If you try another type of bean let me know in the comments how it turns out!
- Onion, Jalapeno, and Garlic - This aromatic trio of veggies helps create the most flavorful beans! The jalapeno has a pretty mild spice, especially if you discard the pith and seeds. The pith is the inner white tissue of the pepper which is where most of the spice comes from. If you want spicier beans you are welcome to add more jalapeno! If you can, the flavor is immensely better when you saute the vegetables before adding them to the crockpot! If I have a green bell pepper lying around I'll often add one in as well! Once these guys are chopped up and sauteed, everything else is dump-and-go!
- Diced Chilis - These have such a delicious buttery and earthy flavor! We use the mild ones but if you want more spice you can use a can of hot chilies!
- Tomatoes - Sometimes beans struggle to cook when tomatoes are added. You can either add a little baking soda to help, increase the cooking time, or add the tomatoes in closer to the end of cooking time if you are worried. I find that after a salt soak these beans cook ok for me since the amount of tomatoes isn’t too high. If you don’t soak your beans then I would suggest adding the tomatoes closer to the end of cooking.
- Spices - This combo of spices is my favorite way to season crock pot pinto beans!
- Water or Vegetable Broth - I usually just use water but vegetable broth would add more flavor!
A Note on Soaking Dried Beans
While you can make these without soaking the beans first, soaking gives them a delicious texture! To create tender beans you can either do a salt soak or a baking soda soak. If doing a salt soak add 1-2 Tablespoons of salt per pound of beans. If doing a baking soda soak, add about ½ a teaspoon per pound of dry beans.
Salt and baking soda both create a slightly different texture. I find that my beans tend to get a little mushy with baking soda and hold their shape better with salt. It mostly comes down to preference. I like to use salt with this recipe, and baking soda if I am cooking beans for hummus or something like that. You might want to use baking soda with these if you know you are going to be making refried beans. Either option is great!
You will want to soak the dry pinto beans for 8 to 10 hours. You can use cold water or room-temperature water. I usually leave my beans to soak the night before and then put everything in the slow cooker first thing in the morning!
How to Make
To start this recipe you will want to soak the beans in a large bowl the night before in salt water. Soak for 8 to 10 hours or overnight. If you don't have time to soak them overnight just cook them from dry. If you want to make these without soaking see the notes above or in the recipe card.
Other cooking options
- If you want to cook these on the stovetop, saute your veggies in a deep pot. Add the rest of your ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-4 hours. It will take more liquid to cook the beans as it will evaporate. Make sure to continuously check the beans to see if you need to add more water.
- If you want to cook these in the instant pot, saute your veggies and add the rest of your ingredients. You will want to reduce the water to about 2 ½ cups instead of 4 cups.
- If you soak the beans then set your Instant Pot to high pressure for 15 minutes and allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.
- If you don’t soak the beans, cook on high pressure for 50 minutes and allow the pressure cooker to release naturally for 10 minutes.
Whatever cooking process you decide to use, at the end of the day you will have delicious beans!
How to Store
- You can store these beans in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- You can also store these in the freezer. I like to divide mine into freezer quart bags. I usually put either 1 ½ cups (which is equal to a can of beans) or 2 cups. Then I freeze the bags flat. Alternatively, you can freeze in mason jars. Just make sure not to fill the jar past the freeze line. Other freezer-safe containers should work as well.
How to Use Leftover Pinto Beans
The best part of this recipe is how versatile it is! Because this is such an easy recipe, we often make a large batch and eat it different ways throughout the week. You can eat these over rice, with baked potatoes, have them for taco night, or take them as a great side dish to your family barbecue!
More Delicious Recipes with Beans
If you try these Vegan Slow Cooker Pinto Beans don't forget to leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below so everyone can see how you liked it!
Vegan Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried pinto beans about 2.5 cups dried beans
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 small jalapeno diced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 green bell pepper optional
- 1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 can green chiles
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups water or broth
Instructions
- Place dried beans in a bowl and pick out any damaged or misshapen beans.
- Rinse and then cover with 8 to 10 cups of water.
- Add an optional 1-2 Tablespoons of salt for a salt soak.
- Soak overnight. (see note)
- Water saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic with a pinch of salt. (see notes)
- Add the rest of your ingredients to your slow cooker.
- Make sure your beans are covered with liquid.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. The beans should be tender but still hold their shape.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- If your slow cooker insert doesn't work on the stove or doesn't have a saute function, you can saute the veggies in a different pan and then transfer to the slow cooker. You could skip sauteing and add the veggies to your slow cooker. However, you might not get the same depth of flavor.
- If you don't want to soak overnight, you can cover the dry beans with water in a pot. Bring them to a boil, then turn the heat off and leave them to soak for about an hour.
- If you want to make this recipe without soaking your beans, you can rinse the unsoaked beans well and add them to the crockpot and cook on high for 8 to 10 hours.
Chantry says
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!