A vegan, vegetarian version of Mexican restaurant-style charro beans. Spicy and full of flavor, these pinto beans are delicious in tacos, nachos, tostadas or as a side to any TexMex meal. Make them from scratch in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
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This recipe is not only vegetarian, but also vegan, plant-based and oil-free. Don't let that list of labels fool you.
These homemade beans are GOOD.
My meat-loving friends often ask me to make these for parties.
🎙 What people say about this recipe
"Awesome recipe! Loved it. Will definitely be making this again."
- Lauren
"These are the best charro beans I have ever had! Thank you for sharing."
- Denise
🧄 Ingredient notes
- Dry pinto beans - Be sure and sift through the beans and remove any pebbles or anything else that doesn't belong.
- Celery - Adds extra flavor, along with the other aromatics.
- Jalapeño pepper - Leave the seeds in for extra spiciness. Or, de-seed your jalapeños to tame the heat.
- Fresh cilantro - Adds brightness and fresh flavor to the whole pot
- Dried Mexican oregano - Whole dried mexican oregano is a key ingredient to this recipe, so please try to source it, if you can. It is plentiful here in Texas grocery stores, but you can also find Mexican oregano on Amazon.
Expert tips
- A word of caution when chopping jalapeño: either coat your hands with oil beforehand or wear gloves. Jalapeño burns on your hands, or any other body part for that matter, is no joke and the only thing that soothes it is time. Not fun. I keep gloves on hand just for chopping jalapeño. I learned my lesson the hard way.
- Freeze some for later: When I'm cutting up jalapeños (or any hot pepper), if I have extra, I freeze the cut peppers, so I can add them to a recipe without having to cut hot peppers very often. Unless you're eating them raw, frozen peppers work beautifully in almost any recipe!
🔪 Instructions
- Step 1: There's no need to soak your beans first to make them in the pressure cooker. Just wash them thoroughly, then add them to the Instant Pot, along with enough water to reach the 6 cup mark inside the Instant Pot (there should be about 2-3 inches of water above the beans).
- Step 2: Then, add 1 onion, garlic, Mexican oregano and bay leaf. Lock the lid and turn the valve to "Sealing". Press the "beans" button, then increase the time to 45 minutes. It will beep several times and then begin bringing it up to pressure.
- Step 3: Meanwhile, pre-heat a skillet and sauté remaining vegetables (except for cilantro) over medium-high heat. We want the veggies to char a little bit to bring that "charro - smoke" taste to the dish. Once the onions are done, add the tomatoes and stir to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat and set aside until beans are done.
- Step 4: Once beans are done, allow them to naturally release the pressure for 15 minutes. Then, with a long spoon, turn the valve to "Venting". Be careful of the hot steam!
- Step 5: Remove lid and add sautéed veggies to the beans, along with the chopped cilantro and salt. Allow it to simmer for another 10-15 minutes for all the flavors to combine.
- Step 6: Serve piping hot!
How to make charro beans in Crock Pot (slow cooker)
Throw the beans in the slow cooker in the morning with a couple things and then by afternoon toss in the rest and you're good to go.
Pretty simple and easy. Plus, it makes the house smell amazing.
- Step 1: Add washed beans to crockpot and add enough water to cover the beans with at least 2-3 inches of water on top. Add 1 of the chopped onions, half of the garlic, the Mexican oregano and bay leaf to beans. Cover and turn the crockpot on high or low, depending on how long you want it to cook. On high, these will cook in about 4-5 hours. On low, they will cook in about 7-8 hours.
- Step 2: Once the beans are tender, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onion, garlic, the celery and jalapeño to the skillet. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the veggies start to brown and char a little. Once the onion is translucent, add the tomatoes and stir well to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat. Add sautéed vegetables to the crock pot, along with chopped cilantro, black pepper and salt and stir gently. Allow the flavors to combine for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve piping hot.
Slow cooker food safety
- If your slow cooker doesn't boil (reach 212℉) when it's cooking, then you need to boil your beans for at least 10 minutes on the stove to finish them off. Or, you can cook them in an Instant Pot pressure cooker or on the stove from start to finish.
- Do NOT cook red kidney beans in a slow cooker, even on the high setting. They must be boiled (212℉) for at least 10 minutes to be food safe. Some slow cookers do not reach this temperature. Sources: University of Illinois and Kansas State University.
What size slow cooker should I use?
Since my big slow cooker broke after many years of servitude, I've been using a medium sized 4.5-quart Crockpot slow cooker, similar to this one on Amazon, so you can see the size.
For this recipe, I would suggest using at least a crock pot of this size, or larger. If you use a smaller slow cooker, you will need to reduce the recipe accordingly.
You can also use the slow cook function of your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker to make these beans!
👨👩👦👦 Serving suggestions
They're delicious by the bowlful or as:
- Taco filling
- Eaten with tortilla chips as a snack
- Served over rice
- As a side dish for any TexMex meal
- Mixed with fat-free, vegetarian refried beans for a thick bean dip or spread for tostadas.
- Tip! Mixing them with refried beans is also a way to cut down the heat for kiddos or anyone who prefers their food a little more tame.
❓ FAQ
Yes! Pinto beans and charro beans freeze very well. Add them to an airtight container or jar, leaving 1-2 inches of empty room at the top for the beans to expand when frozen. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
Cooked pinto beans (no matter the flavor, charro, borracho, old-fashioned, texas, cowboy) last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
🗺 Cultural influences
Charro beans are so warm and flavorful. Perfect for a winter evening. They are a staple in the Tex-Mex restaurants I've grown up eating at here in Houston.
More than just a pot of plain pinto beans, they are usually well seasoned with pork and Mexican spices and herbs like oregano and cilantro.
They were always my preferred side with Mexican rice when eating out.
Now, the only vegetarian option offered usually (if one is available at all) is black beans. Black beans are just fine and dandy, but they're not the same as the smooth and velvety charro beans I grew to love.
Charro beans are pinto beans cooked Mexican-style with onion, garlic, Mexican oregano, jalapeño, cilantro, etc. Traditionally, they may be cooked in water, chicken broth or beef broth. For our vegan version, we are cooking them in water, with lots of aromatics to amp up the flavor.
Pinto beans are common beans throughout North and South America. They are also called speckled beans, judías pintas, poroto frutilla and carioca bean.
💜 More recipes you'll love
If you love this vegetarian charro beans recipe, you'll love these other vegan bean recipes!
Love this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Mexican Charro Pinto Beans in Instant Pot or Crock Pot (vegan, vegetarian)
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Crock Pot/slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans picked through and washed
- 2 sweet onions chopped, divided
- 10 cloves garlic minced, divided
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 2 jalapeños diced (de-seeded to reduce spice, if desired)
- 1 bunch cilantro trimmed and chopped
- 3 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
Crock Pot Instructions
- Add washed beans to crockpot and add enough water to cover the beans with at least 2-3 inches of water on top.2 cups dried pinto beans
- Add 1 of the chopped onions, half of the garlic, the Mexican oregano and bay leaf to beans. Cover and turn the crockpot on high or low, depending on how long you want it to cook. On high, these will cook in about 4-5 hours. On low, they will cook in about 7-8 hours (please see food safety note in blog post above about cooking on low).2 sweet onions, 10 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, 1 bay leaf
- Do NOT add salt at the beginning. It can prevent the beans from getting tender.
- Once the beans are tender, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onion, garlic, the celery and jalapeño to the skillet. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the veggies start to brown and char a little. Add a tablespoon of water, as needed, if they start to stick to the pan. Turn down the heat, if they are burning.2 sweet onions, 10 cloves garlic, 3 stalks celery, 2 jalapeños
- Once the onion is translucent, add the tomatoes and stir well to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat.3 roma tomatoes
- Add sautéed vegetables to the crock pot, along with chopped cilantro, black pepper and salt and stir gently.1 bunch cilantro, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Allow the flavors to combine for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve piping hot.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Add washed beans to Instant Pot (at least 6 quart size or bigger) and fill with water to the 6 cup mark inside the Instant Pot insert (there should be about 2-3 inches of water on top of the beans).2 cups dried pinto beans
- Add 1 of the chopped onions, half of the garlic, the Mexican oregano and bay leaf. Do NOT add salt at the beginning. It can prevent the beans from getting tender. Lock Instant Pot lid on top and turn the valve to "sealing". Press the "Beans" button and increase time to 45 minutes.2 sweet onions, 10 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, 1 bay leaf
- Once the Instant Pot is done, leave it alone to allow it to slowly release the pressure for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onion, garlic, the celery and jalapeño to a skillet. Sauté for 5-10 minutes until the veggies start to brown and char a little. Add a tablespoon of water, as needed, if they start to stick to the pan. Turn down the heat, if they are burning.2 sweet onions, 10 cloves garlic, 3 stalks celery, 2 jalapeños
- Once the onions are translucent, add the tomatoes and stir well to deglaze the pan. Turn off heat.3 roma tomatoes
- Then, with a long spoon, turn the valve on the Instant Pot to "venting" to allow the remaining steam escape. Be careful of the very hot steam! Once steam has escaped and the lid has unlocked, remove lid.
- Add sautéed vegetables to the Instant Pot, along with cilantro, black pepper and salt and stir gently.1 bunch cilantro, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Allow the flavors to combine for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Serve piping hot.
Cyn says
Easy to make. I will let you know how it tastes. We went to Cascabel - a vegan Mexican restaurant in Houston and they had awesome charro beans. Hope these are as good,
Denise says
These are the best charro beans I have ever had! Thank you for sharing.
Abi Cowell says
That's high praise! Wow, thank you so much, Denise! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Lauren says
Awesome recipe! Loved it. Will definitely be making this again.
Abi Cowell says
So happy to hear that, Lauren! Thanks so much for writing it to tell me. This made my day! 🤩
Nancy Baker says
When do you add the Mexican oregano on the instant pot recipe please
Abi Cowell says
Hi Nancy,
You would add it at the beginning, when you add the dried beans, water, onion, garlic and bay leaf.