Instant Pot Charro Beans are a great side or even a full meal with cornbread on the side! Have you ever forgotten to soak the beans prior night? Have you ever cooked dried beans in your Instant-Pot? This best Instant -Pot Charro beans recipe is a great place to start with and get your hands adjusted to the Instant-pot! It can be served as a main dish topped with Pico de Gallo and tortilla or Mexican fiesta rice on the side! Video Recipe included
Why Make Charro Beans in and Instant Pot?
Charro Beans is a super flavorful dish, however it requires a good amount of time to make them. Soaking them overnight, and slow cook them for the best flavor. It requires a whole lot of time. What if i told you that you can get the same authentic flavor with fraction of a time and NO SOAKING !! Interested? Charro Beans is actually Pinto beans, so if you search for Charro beans and you get results for Pinto beans, you may be on the right page. Making Charro Beans in an Instant Pot takes less than an hour and not have to worry about whether it is cooked properly or not. Get the guesswork out of your cooking by using the Instant Pot. Best part of this recipe is that it is a dump and start recipe!
What are Charro Beans? / Why is Pinto beans called Charro Beans?
Charro Beans Is An Authentic Mexican Recipe from the northern part Of Mexico .“Charro” actually means traditional horseman or cowboy in Spanish🤠🤠 this is why we might sometimes see this recipe titled “Cowboy Beans.” Charro beans is nothing but pinto beans prepared in a specific way and ingredients. For my Indian friends, when fully cooked, these beans are similar in taste to Kidney beans or Rajma as we commonly call it .
This best Instant pot Charro Beans recipes is one of those dump and forget about it instant-pot meals. Its is a perfect option for your fall nights! Full of hearty protein & fiber, these beans are great for warming you up and keeping you nourished. I love using pinto beans because they are a little bit thicker and they’ve got more texture to them. They go really well with the thicker puree and the creamy texture here.
What do we need to make Vegan Charro beans?
Pinto Beans: You are going to need a lot of pinto beans to make this recipe. You can find bags of them anywhere, including online. When I make Charro Beans, I tend to make a lot of extra beans so that I can freeze them. Make sure you clean the debris by thoroughly rinsing them in cold water.
Pablano Peppers: The secret to this spicy, delicious, vegetarian charro beans is poblano peppers. You should ideally have the remaining spices in your pantry.Poblano (Capsicum annuum) is a mild chilli pepper originating in the state of Puebla, If you’re wondering how hot a pepper is specifically, it measures 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville heat units.
Instant-pot: You don’t have to use an Instant-pot to make these, but you definitely can. I love this instant pot – it works perfectly and I use it multiple times every week.
The Instant-Pot charro Beans recipe is so easy to make in instant-pot. It’s perfect for the chilly winter weather coming up in the next couple of months. All you have to do is throw everything into the Instant-pot and press a button and dinner is served.
What's the Difference Between Charro Beans and Refried Beans?
Charro Beans and Refried beans are made from Pinto Beans. Possibly that is the only similarity between them in terms of flavor and texture. Refried beans are cooked pinto beans that are mashed together and usually broth / lard is added for flavor. It has a nice, smooth and creamy texture. Charro Beans are usually cooked with Ham or pork rinds to add additional flavors, however this Charro Beans recipe is perfectly vegetarian and does not need the meat for infusion of additional flavors.
Do you need to soak Pinto Beans for making Charro Beans?
Did you forget to soak the beans overnight? Not to worry. Cooking in the Instant-pot basically, means you don’t have to baby sit the Charro Beans. It’s done in about 45 mins. Soaking the Charro Beans helps cook the Pinto beans quicker, however you really do not have to soak them. These are the best kind of recipes for us busy people. Or people who don’t love to spend all their time in the kitchen. This is the instant-pot I have and I love it.
Does Authentic Mexican Charro Beans required meat?
Like most recipes, there are various versions of the recipe depending upon locality. Depending on what part of Mexico you are in, there are slight variations depending upon the ingredients and spices. This Easy Charro Bean recipe also happens to be vegetarian, and EASILY vegan if you skip the sour cream and cheese garnish. It’s so warm, comforting and delicious, it doesn’t even need meat. OK you guys, bust out that Instant-Pot and start cooking!!
This uber easy and crazy flavorful Vegetarian Charro beans can be made in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or on the stove, making it one of our favorite make-ahead recipes! You can add some heat to it by including chipotle peppers or jalapeños together with the tomato, onion, and cilantro.
Pin the best Charro Beans recipe for later.
I brought this to a Potluck a few weeks back and it was a huge hit, which confirmed that I needed to share it on the blog. So, I really hope you enjoy it and make it for your loved ones!

Best Instant-Pot Charro Beans
This best Instant -Pot Charro beans recipe is a great place to start with and get your hands adjusted to the Instant-pot! It can be served as a main dish topped with Pico de Gallo and tortilla or Mexican fiesta rice on the side
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tomato diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pablano pepper
- 1 pound dry pinto beans thoroughly rinsed
- 5 cups low sodium veggie broth / water (½ cup more for well done)
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 bay leaves
Instructions
- Using an electric pressure cooker, set to saute. Add olive oil.
- Add Minced garlic & chopped Poblano pepper.
- Add in the onion , tomato, and tomato paste . Cook until tender.
- Add salt to taste, cumin powder, paprika,dried oregano .
- Add in the beans and broth. drop in the bay leaves.
- Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes/ 50 minutes for well done. Allow a complete natural release.
- Serve Immediately.
- Optional - garnish with pico de Gallo, cilantro, and avocado
Notes
If you want to speed up cooking time, soak for 3 hours before, then cut 10 minutes off the cook time.
Remember it takes time for the instant pot to prepare the desired pressure, so keep that in mind. To speed things up, I like to use hot water.
Let naturally release for a time, but after 15 minutes you can just quick release.
Use ½ cup of water/broth more and 50 minutes of cook for restaurant like mushy texture / well done beans.
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Mung Bean Sprouts Recipe | The Belly Rules The Mind
Tuesday 23rd of March 2021
[…] Charro Beans […]
flowergirl541
Sunday 7th of March 2021
It's very confusing when you list the ingredients in an order different than what the recipe calls for. If you can edit, it would help to list them as used. I hope it turns out good. Making soon.
Soniya Saluja
Sunday 7th of March 2021
Hi flowergirl, the recipe ingredients are mentioned correctly and in order
Charlie Gutierrez
Sunday 7th of February 2021
I agree with the person who said they need to be cooked longer. Expect ranch style beans more so than traditional charro beans... but this recipe is so good! I have made it sooo many times- doubled the recipe and serve it over rice. note: I do add double the tomato paste so I don't waste any because I never tend to use the leftovers :)
Soniya Saluja
Monday 8th of February 2021
It mainly depends on how old the beans are... so we suggest not to use old beans coz they take-home extra time to cook
Bozena Kordek
Thursday 17th of December 2020
why would you replace healthy veggie stock for unhealthy chicken stock ?
Carolyn greer
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
Can you give.me a calorie count for this recipe
Soniya Saluja
Thursday 3rd of December 2020
Hi Carol, we updated the nutritional info in the recipe.. it's around 280 calories.