You have a can of beans and what you want is a delicious side dish that you can prepare using simple steps thereby turning this simple can of beans into something really delicious! Here is the Best How to Cook Canned Pinto Beans Recipe (Easy). Your entire family will love these delicious bean s.
Do you love an easy side dish? How about a tasty Main Dish? This recipe is the great thing you are looking for!
You might have tried my easy recipe for dry beans or even my recipe for how to season Pinto Beans. But this delicious recipe will having you dipping your tortilla chips, sprinkling some fresh cilantro and using your favorite seasonings like garlic powder, or ground cumin to make a pot of beans!
It's a LONG way from a plain can of pinto beans! You may also enjoy one of my black beans recipes too!
Cooking canned pinto beans on the stove is a simple yet satisfying way to add flavor and nutrition to your meals.
Simple Side Dish
To start, open a can of pinto beans and rinse them. In a medium sized pot, heat the beans over medium heat, adding a splash of olive oil for richness.
Season with salt, pepper, cumin, paprika or chili powder. Heat for 10-15 minutes until heated through. Serve as a versatile side dish or add them to tacos, salads, soups, burrito bowls or make ranchero beans, frijoles, charros, Mexican pinto beans or many other favorite recipes.
A Great Way to Improve Canned Pinto Beans
For an Easy Recipe,
- Add some olive oil or butter or both.
- Add flavor with bacon, onion, garlic, etc.
- Definitely add some seasoning like salt and pepper, chili powder and other pantry staples.
- Most canned veggies need a little sugar, seriously, add just a tad.
- That’s it! You are good to go!
Tips and Tricks for a Can of Pinto Beans
- It is important to do your cooking math! One can of beans feeds about 2 people, so if you are feeding more people simply divide the number of people you have by 2 and that's how many cans you need for a great side dish.
- Just increase the other ingredients by however many cans of beans you need to use to feed your family.
- Always drain the liquid off of the pinto beans before doing anything else. Some might say there is flavor in that liquid, but honestly, that liquid doesn’t taste very good. It isn’t the type of flavor I look for in my bean recipes!
- Rinse the beans too if the liquid looks really thick and sticky. Sometimes it does. I don’t know why this happens, but if you are in question, then put your beans in a colander or strainer and rinse them off with cold tap water.
- In the recipe card, I give instructions for adding onion, garlic and bacon. All of those are great ingredients but not entirely necessary if you don’t have them available. What is necessary is salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sugar.
PRO TIP:
To make your beans extra creamy, use an immersion blender once they are heated through and the cooking process is done and give them a short zap and then mix well with a spoon. This will give a creamy texture.
Information About Canned Pinto Beans
- According to the USDA, canned beans are already cooked enough. You actually could just eat them right out of the can but who would want to do that? We want to add a little flavor here instead.
- When you serve your pinto beans, keep in mind that a lot of people like fresh chopped onion and hot sauce with their beans. This adds a little crunch and spice to the beans and is a nice addition. How about adding some crunchy bacon sprinkled on top for another nice addition?
- You are going to be asking yourself, “Why in the world would I add sugar to beans?”. I’ll just give you the final answer, our tongues like to taste a little something sweet combined with salty and smoky. You'll notice that this makes flavorful beans with a home-cooked beans taste.
How To Handle Leftover Beans
Storage - Store leftover pinto beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Freeze - You can freeze your leftover pinto beans in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
Reheat - To reheat, place into a microwave-safe bowl or into a sauce pan, add a bit of water to loosen and heat. In the microwave, heat for 1 minute intervals. Heat on the stovetop over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
Pinto Beans are a hearty side dish and work well on top of salads too.
Excellent with Rice. Terrific mashed as refried beans.
Great as a side dish to any country style food you prefer like mac and cheese, fried chicken and more!
Watch Me Make This Dish
I would love to see what you have created with your pinto beans! Leave me a comment below, drop me an email or find me on social media and drop a note. I always answer back as quickly as I can.
If you can leave a 5 STAR comment in the comment section, that helps others to find the recipes at Loaves and Dishes and I appreciate it so much!
How To Cook Canned Pinto Beans (Easy)
Ingredients
- 1 tbs cooking oil
- ½ inch slice of yellow onion - chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 slice of bacon - cut into 1 inch pieces
- 15 oz can pinto beans
- ½ cup water ***See Pro Tip***
- 1 tbs unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmery on the top add the chopped onion and garlic and saute until soft and nearly see through (about 2 minutes)
- Add the bacon and cook together until the bacon is soft and nearly done.
- Drain the liquid from the can of pinto beans
- Now Add the pinto beans to the sauce pan and continue to heat over medium heat.
- Add ½ cup fresh water to the pinto beans
- Put the butter, sugar, hot sauce, salt and pepper in and heat till bubbly.
- Taste before serving and add more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with chopped onion and hot sauce
Notes
- It is important to do your cooking math! One can of beans feeds about 2 people, so if you are feeding more people simply divide the number of people you have by 2 and that's how many cans you need.
- Just increase the other ingredients by however many cans of beans you need to use to feed your family.
- Always drain the liquid off of the pinto beans before doing anything else. Some might say there is flavor in that liquid, but honestly, most of the time I think that liquid doesn’t taste very good. It isn’t the type of flavor I look for in my bean recipes!
- Rinse the beans too if the liquid looks really thick and sticky. Sometimes it does. I don’t know why this happens, but if you are in question, then put your beans in a colander or strainer and rinse them off with cold tap water.
- In the recipe, I give instructions for adding onion, garlic and bacon. All of those are great ingredients but not entirely necessary if you don’t have them available. What is necessary is salt, pepper and a tiny bit of sugar.
Nutrition
This article was originally published on Loaves and Dishes on April 14, 2018 and has been updated to include new information about canned pinto beans and to be much more helpful to the reader.
A VERSE TO SHARE
Luke 6: 27-36
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.
Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Pam says
Great flavor from canned beans. Never would have thought they could taste this good!
Thank you
Wendi Spraker says
So glad you enjoyed them!
ann says
For flavor, cumin and epazote is a must. Epazote can be found at Latin/Mexican grocers or ordered online. It has a unique flavor and is supposed to cut down on the "gassiness" of beans. Instead of hot sauce, I like to add chopped fresh serranos or jalapenos along with some vinegar.
Jane says
I do exactly what you said about draining and rinsing. Then I add some liquid coconut aminos (you could use soy sauce but the liquid aminos have a better flavor and are better for you). And some water or chicken broth, minced garlic and chopped green pepper. Cook long enough for green pepper to soften.
Sometimes I get the pinto beans with jalapeños and still add everything above.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Jane, Thanks for your twist on this recipe. Canned beans are very good with a little "doctoring". That's for sure! I know yours taste great!
Belinda says
What’s the size of the can of beans?
Wendi Spraker says
15 oz size
Karl says
My cardiologist wants me to eat what seems to be only beans and rice, and oats! I’ve been looking for I-don’t-know-how-long, how to make or flavor canned pinto beans and rice without using broth and obscure or expensive ingredients, and there you come - like magic!
I will be making this weekly!
Thank you!
Karl in California
Wendi Spraker says
I'm glad you found what you needed.
Linda says
@Karl, curious as to why rice?
ann says
@Karl, I hope you're eating low sodium or no-salt-added beans since your cardiologist wants you to eat more. Those are easy to find in most big grocery retailers.
Rose says
I like this recipe! I've added pulled pork, a small can of hatch green chili and some tomatoe sauce. Came out great! Thank you!
Wendi Spraker says
Sounds wonderful!
KarenB says
I always make pintos and black beans along with 16 bean soup from dried beans. However, being its Cinco De Mayo, and hubby wants chile rellenos, I feel there needs to be a side dish. Canned beans it is! To refried beans, I add some homemade salsa I had canned, and a splash of heavy cream, a bit of onion and garlic and warm on stove top. Topping in with shredded cheese. Thank you for the recipe to "doctor" up whole beans too
Wendi Spraker says
sounds good!
Jammie says
I made your recipe for cooking canned pinto beans AND wow are they delicious 😋!!Thanks,I'll be looking for more of your recipes for sure🙂.
Wendi Spraker says
I'm tickled that you enjoyed them!
Joan says
I don’t normally cook pinto beans but I am stocking up and needed to know how to cook them in a pinch or apocalypse lol. Thanks for the recipie.
Wendi Spraker says
Pinch or apocalypse or just a regular ol day of the week, these will keep you poppin. Enjoy!
Beth says
New to using beans as a side dish, but will definitely try this.
Wendi Spraker says
Wonderful!
Shellu says
This recipe is great. I have found ham seasoning packets in the Hispanic section at the grocery store and add this as well. For zero fat it tastes like you have cooked the beans from scratch all day with a ham bone.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Shellu, Thanks for the great tip, I'll have to try it sometime!
Lori says
This recipe is great! It's a staple at our house. Just like my grandmother from Arkansas always made growing up! My husband loves it, Thank you!
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Lori! I'm so glad you have enjoyed this recipe so much!
Kristen says
I love to cook beans in my crock pot but sometimes, I just want yummy beans fast. This recipe is so helpful in accomplishing last minute, YUMMY, pintos! Thank you!
Wendi Spraker says
You are welcome!
Kim says
these were is easy and so great! was looking for something to spruce up my side of canned beans tonight and these did the job perfectly! thanks!
Wendi Spraker says
Oh wonderful! 🙂
Monica says
I am excited about using canned pinto beans. I am needing to use enough beans for about 50 people and transport them 20 miles away. How many gallon cans do you think I will need? I talked to a old friend just now and he has been using canned beans forever and nobody ever knew.
Wendi Spraker says
Hi Monica, That's a lot of beans! I would start by figuring how many beans you will need. A typical can of beans is about 2-3 servings. So, for 50 people, I'm going to recommend 20 - 15oz cans of beans. You can increase the other ingredients in the recipe by that multiplication factor. I would heat them up in several large crockpots at home (over about 6 hours) and then wrap those crockpots in towels, place on newspapers inside of cardboard boxes and drive very carefully. Make sure to take a few extra cans and extra ingredients with you in case of spillage.