How To Season Pinto Beans

Learning how to season pinto beans is really easy and great way to add a different flavor profile to your meal with only a few ingredients.

The great thing about this is that you don’t need to cook pinto beans from scratch – which means no soaked beans. Instead, you start with already cooked tender pinto beans, add seasonings, and voila! you’ve got yourself a great side dish or easy recipe.

But if you prefer to cook dried beans, no worries because this post covers that too.

Like these Instant Pot Pinto Beans, you can simply season with salt and pepper, but additional spices and seasonings make a big difference and add a ton of great flavor.

So, here is a simple guide on How To Season Pinto Beans, both canned and dried. Friends, this is such a great recipe to have on hand, and you can also make Crock Pot Pinto Beans if you prefer.

Why Make This Recipe

• Great for easy meal planning – These are convenient for meal planning.
• Easy – An easy recipe great for beginners and seasoned pros alike.
• Fast – These make a tasty and quick side dish with minimal prep and cooking time. 
• Budget friendly – Canned beans are an affordable pantry staple.
• Adaptable – Use other seasonings for different flavors.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Canned Pinto Beans – this recipe calls for cans of unseasoned drained cooked pinto beans. They can be eaten as is, but adding extra flavor to them with seasoning really adds to their great taste.
• Spices and Flavorings – this uses garlic powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, and a bay leaf (optional).
• Salt – for extra flavor.
• Fresh Water – for cooking the beans in.

How To Season Pinto Beans (Canned)

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

This method shows you how to season canned pinto beans;

1. Open the can, drain pinto beans, and rinse well. Allow them to drain again.
2. Add drained beans to a saucepan and then add in garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper, and the bay leaf (if using).
3. Fill the empty can halfway with water and pour it into the saucepan. Stir to combine.
4. Bring to a vigorous simmer, reduce heat and let beans simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes for the flavor to develop.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired, then remove the bay leaf (if using) before serving.

How To Season Dry Pinto Beans

Prefer to start with dried pinto beans? Then check out the three methods below;

Seasoning Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Starting with dried beans? It is super easy to cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans, especially since these are no soak, just need to add seasoning to them before cooking.

Seasoning Stove Top Pinto Beans

Want to learn how to cook and season dried pinto beans? Then grab your dried beans and head on over to this How To Cook Pinto Beans. Seasoning them is soooo easy.

Seasoning Crock Pot Pinto Beans

Making and seasoning dried beans in the slow cooker? Check out this recipe for Crock Pot Pinto Beans for a true set-it-and-forget-it way to season and cook pinto beans.

Recipe Tips

• Simply double the flavorings If you double the amount of beans.
• Make sure to rinse the beans well before adding them to the pot. Wash off all the gooey bean stuff you usually find in the bottom of the can.
• Taste after cooking and feel free to add more spices and seasonings if needed.
• If you find the canned beans too hard for your liking, then add a full can of water and simmer for at least 30 – 45 minutes. Please keep an eye on the liquid, adding more as needed so that they don’t dry out.
• Pinto beans cooked longer are great for making refried beans.
• Cooking your beans in a flavorful broth is an easy way to add tons of flavor to them.

Salt Tips

• Salt is super important to add to pinto beans for some flavor, otherwise, they can taste quite bland.
• However, be careful not to over-season them with salt, either.
• If you are watching your salt intake, then start with small amounts. Then after adding all the ingredients, taste and add more salt if needed.
• For low salt options – use low sodium broth or stock and low sodium tomato paste, low sodium soy sauce other low sodium equivalents.
• Keep an eye on the salt level if adding salty things like pork and bacon.
• For the best results, salt your beans during cooking. Check the different methods to see when to add salt in.
• Vary the type of salt – you can use sea salt flakes, Himalayan salt, or Kosher salt.

Seasoning Ideas and Variations

• Vary the liquid – use chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth.
• Add meat – like fatty bacon pieces, ham hock, ham bone, ground beef, salt pork, etc.
• Add smoky flavor – using liquid smoke, smoked bacon, and smoked chicken.
• Add extra veggies – add tomatoes, celery, peppers, and more.
• Vary seasoning and spices – like thyme, curry powder, rosemary, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and other Spice Blends.
• Make it spicy – with a dash of hot sauce, red pepper flakes, adobo, chipotle, chili powder, etc.
• Add a little oil – olive oil adds a great flavor and a smooth texture.

Storage

• Store – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.  
• Freeze – Let cool down, then transfer into ziplock bags. Add enough liquid to cover the beans. Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags. Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer and store them for up to 3 months.
• Reheat – Reheat in a small saucepan on the stovetop or in a microwave using a microwave-safe container. 

FAQs

More Recipes You May Like

For more ideas, including other pinto bean recipes, check these out;

Serving Suggestions

You can eat them as is with some cilantro and bread. They go very well with really easy Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas or Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas and Instant Pot Cornbread.

Also, you can use them to make refried beans, baked beans, Air Fryer Burritos, and easy Crockpot Three Bean Chili, and my favorite Instant Pot Chili.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 0 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this!

Thank you for reading my How To Season Canned Pinto Beans recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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Print Recipe

How To Season Pinto Beans

Learn how to season canned pinto beans for an easy and flavoful dish.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Western

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings: 4

Calories: 135kcal

Instructions

• Add the canned beans to the saucepan, then fill the empty can halfway with water and pour it in.

• Add the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt, and bay leaf (if using),stirring to combine.

• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

• Taste, adjust the seasonings (if desired), and remove the bay leaf before serving.

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Notes

• Simply double the flavorings If you double the amount of beans.
• Make sure to rinse the beans well before adding them to the pot. Wash off all the gooey bean stuff you usually find in the bottom of the can.
• Taste after cooking and feel free to add more spices and seasonings if needed.
• If you find the canned beans too hard for your liking, then add a full can of water and simmer for at least 30 – 45 minutes. Please keep an eye on the liquid, adding more as needed so that they don’t dry out.
• Pinto beans cooked longer are great for making refried beans.
• Cooking your beans in a flavorful broth is an easy way to add tons of flavor to them.
• Storage – keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• There are 0 WW Blue Plan Smartpoints in a serving of this.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 259IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg