Ninja Foodi Mexican Pinto Beans (Charro Beans)
Ninja Foodi Mexican pinto beans are an easy recipe to spice up pinto beans. A perfect side dish to any Mexican meal! Hearty enough to be the main meal.
One of the first recipes I made in our new Ninja Foodi was these Mexican Pinto Beans. Also, known as Charro Beans. So easy and dripping with flavor!
Yes, I tried to jump on the Instant Pot groupie train. But I wasn’t that thrilled with having to remove food to another dish to brown or crisp. I didn’t want to purchase two separate appliances to do the job of one.
No, I’m not being paid to praise the Ninja Foodi. I’m just trying to justify my dirty little cheating feelings about the Instant Pot. I feel like such a betrayer not being like everyone else singing the praises, much less purchasing more than one electric pressure cooker.
Just a few reasons why I love the Ninja Foodi:
- Ceramic coating on the large pot is a breeze to clean. It just wipes right out.
- It’s a pressure cooker that crisps! Happens to be my favorite part.
- The cook crisp basket itself is easy to clean. But the removable diffuser is a nightmare. I now use a silicone trivet instead.
- I only used the Instant Pot a few times but I firmly believe the Foodi comes to pressure faster.
Also, I’m not one of those people that think everything can be cooked in a pressure cooker. Some recipes need and deserve a long slow traditional cook time to develop flavors.
Ninja Foodi Mexican Pinto Beans (Charro Beans)
What are Charro Beans?
Frijoles Charros (cowboy beans) is a traditional Mexican dish. Pinto beans stewed with onion, garlic, and bacon. Other common ingredients include chili peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, ham, sausage, pork, and chorizo.
How to Cook Mexican Charro Beans in an Electric Pressure Cooker
I soaked the pinto beans overnight. I do this in hopes of less digestive issues. This step is not necessary when using a pressure cooker. But I had the time and memory to do this step.
(If you choose to cook the beans without soaking first. Rinse and pick through. Use 4 cups of chicken broth and pressure cook at least 45 minutes.)
If you soak the beans drain the soaking water prior to adding to the pot.
Set the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot to saute at medium-high. Once hot, cook the bacon for 6-8 minutes or until just crispy.
Add the onion and jalapeno and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute.
In the pot of the pressure cooker combine the soaked beans, tomatoes, green chilies, chipotle pepper, bay leaves, and 3 cups of chicken stock. Stir.
Place the pressure cooking lid in place and lock. Set to high pressure and cook for 30 minutes.
Allow to naturally release for 15-20 minutes. Then do a controlled release. Controlled release just means turning the pressure release control back and forth in short burst to release the pressure.
Add the salt and stir.
At this point the Mexican pinto beans are soupy. If this is the way you like them the dish is done.
To achieve a thicker consistency leave the pot in the Foodi and set saute to medium-low. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until thickened to your liking. I did ours for about 20 more minutes. They will also thicken a bit upon cooling.
Enjoy the most flavorful Mexican Pinto Beans you’ve ever eaten!
We like to serve these with our Baked Chicken Chimichangas or our Crispy Pork Carnitas.
Other easy side dishes are Mexican Rice and Cilantro Lime Rice.
Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot Mexican Pinto Beans Recipe
Ninja Foodi Mexican Pinto Beans (Charro Beans) Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound pinto beans dried
- 8 oz bacon diced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 jalapeno fresh, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 4.5 oz green chilies chopped
- 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo seeded & diced (if you like more spice leave the seeds)
- 1 14 oz fire roasted tomatoes diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
TOPPING:
- 1/2 medium red onion chopped
- 1 cup cilantro minced
- 2 jalapenos fresh, sliced
Instructions
- Soak the beans overnight in water. Discard the water the next day.1 pound pinto beans
- Set pressure cooker to saute at medium-high. Once hot saute the diced bacon for 6-8 minutes or until just crispy.8 oz bacon
- Add the onion and jalapeno and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute.1 small onion, 1 jalapeno, 3 cloves garlic
- In the pressure cooker pot combine the soaked beans, tomatoes, green chilies, chipotle pepper, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir.1 4.5 oz green chilies, 1 Chipotle pepper in adobo, 1 14 oz fire roasted tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, 3 cups chicken stock
- Lock the lid, set to high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. (If you choose to cook the beans without soaking first. Rinse and pick through. Use 4 cups of chicken broth and pressure cook at least 45 minutes.)
- Allow to naturally release for 15-20 minutes. Then do a controlled release. Add the salt and stir.1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Set saute to medium-low and cook uncovered until thickened, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
We have been making these beans for years and absolutely love them. They pair nicely with cilantro lime chicken.
Thank you for a delicious recipe.
I tried this, but did it a little bit different, just to see if it would work. I used the same ingredients and only let it cook for 35 minutes total. Then, rather that doing all of that extra waiting, then doing an extra saute for another 20 minutes to make it thicker, I decided to let it naturally release the pressure. This took about 41 minutes to release. When I opened it up, everything was fully cooked and the sauce was thickened already without having to saute it later.
Great tip, Michael! Thank you!
This recipe is amazing! I will never eat beans out of a can again!
Can you explain natural release versus controlled release? I am making these beans right now! This is my first time using the pressure cooker other than doing the initial water test. I just bought this Ninja Foodi Deluxe and I am testing all the features to make sure that they work. I already made one error in this recipe and added the salt. Hope that the beans aren’t ruined. Thank You!
Natural release is when you leave the pressure release switch in the sealed position when the cooking time ends. This lets the pressure release slowly.
Excellant!!! This is a keeper. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I don’t rate recipes often, but this one I must! My friends insisted that homemade beans are a great side if you make them from scratch. I’ve always been a simple pour from can kinda girl- which are EH at most. They called out a couple of the items in your recipe, so I figured it was worth the shot that these were the type of beans they make at home. Man— my husband and I are now obsessed. Thank you for this recipe- we are now bean-believers! I’m gonna be making this a lot more often!
Am I missing where the Chipotle in adobo gets added? I’m assuming when the green chilies go in but I’m not sure.
Hi, Robin. Yes, add with the green chilies. I have corrected the recipe. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention.
Great recipe. I have made it twice. The first time it was to hot for my wimpy family. I made it mild the next time. Still delicious. Thanks for sharing.
My husband, a lifelong pintos lover, said these were the BEST pintos he had ever had! I didn’t have a can of green chilis or diced tomatoes, so I used a can of rotel instead. Using my Ninja Foodi, I pressure cooked them for 23 minutes based on another recommendation and they were slightly over cooked, so I will reduce cooking time by a couple of minutes. And next time I may add a little more water/broth as he likes them soupy, but this is a keeper!
Do we have to cook the soaked beans first for 45 minutes on the stovetop? That wasn’t explained very well, or they can do in the pressure cookie/ foodie without cooking them first
Hi, Wendy! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I have updated the post. (If you choose to cook the beans without soaking first. Rinse and pick through. Use 4 cups of chicken broth and pressure cook at least 45 minutes.)
This bean dish was excellent.
I have a Ninja foodie 11 – 1 6.5 qt. And I made this recipe today. After sautéing the onions, etc., I added 6 cups water, 1 lb. presoaked pintos and the veggies and meat, cooked for 10 minutes on low pressure. It took 13 minutes to come to pressure), manual pressure release for 10 minutes then quick release. They were delicious. I put the beans on to soak at 10 p.m. the night before, soaked all night and until 2 p.m. today. Maybe the extra soaking time is why they cooked faster than the recipe calls for. My machine instructions said to cook for 3 minutes and I couldn’t believe they would cook in that amount of time and they wouldn’t have. But they would have been mush had I cooked for 30 minutes. Since this was my first time ever to pressure cook, I decided to play. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely be making it again.
Will this recipe work exactly the same as the regular Ninja 4-in-1 Cooking System? Or would I have to adjust the cooking time, temp, etc.? I’ve found a lot of the recipes in their own Ninja cookbook tend to burn or the liquid evaporates and dries out, etc.
Hi, Tamboliya! I don’t own a Ninja 4-in-1 cooking system so I can’t answer this question. I’m sorry.