Instant Pot Charro Beans (Mexican Pinto Beans)

Instant Pot Charro Beans are your new favorite side dish! These pressure cooker Mexican-style pinto beans are LOADED with flavor and perfect for all your Tex-Mex faves. (Gluten-Free + Easy!)

We may have BLAZING summer heat, but one thing that’s awesome about where I live is the abundance of Tex-Mex food. Within just a few minutes of my house in any direction, I can find delicious tacos, burritos, fresh salsa, tamales, freshly-made tortillas, and more. It’s almost enough to make up for the heat thing. Almost.

One of our favorite restaurant recipes to make at home is a good batch of Charro Beans (cowboy beans). Charro beans are Mexican-style pinto beans PACKED with flavor and easy to make at home.

For traditional charro beans, you cook dried pinto beans in a flavorful broth seasoned with smoky bacon, savory aromatics, dried spices, chiles, and tomatoes. Typically, charro beans are cooked on the stovetop, but today, I’m going to show you how to make Instant Pot Charro Beans.

An Instant Pot or pressure cooker makes these flavorful beans a little more hands-off and will save you a little time. Plus, it’s the BEST way I know to cook dried beans. Pressure cooking speeds up the process, makes the beans tender without turning them to mush, quickly infuses BIG flavor, AND makes beans easier to digest!

Here’s what you need to make Instant Pot Charro Beans that are perfect for all your Tex-Mex faves…

Start With Simple Ingredients

• DRIED PINTO BEANS. The foundation of this instant pot recipe is dry pinto beans + a flavorful broth. Before cooking, you’ll want to sort and rinse the beans, removing any ruined beans or stray pebbles that may have found their way into the bag. Then, it’s all about the broth, so you’ll need…
• BACON. Smoky bacon (or leftover ham or ham hock, pulled pork, etc.) adds LOTS of flavor to the broth. I love the smoky note with pinto beans (or black beans!).
• ONION + GARLIC. Then, for some aromatics, I add a combination of onion and garlic. They add so much flavor to the broth!
• JALAPENO + CHIPOTLE CHILI PEPPER. For a little heat and a lot of flavor, I add some jalapeno and a chipotle pepper canned in adobo. (Not all brands are GF, so be sure to check!). If you like spicy beans, you can add more jalapeno or chipotle chilis! I keep mine in the mild range since I’ve got very spice-averse littles at home.
• CUMIN + OREGANO + SALT + BAY LEAVES. For dry seasonings, I add a combination of cumin, oregano, salt, and bay leaves (if you have them on hand).
• DICED TOMATOES. A lot of the charro beans I’ve had have tomatoes in them, but not everyone adds them. Feel free to skip them if you’re not a tomato fan! If you *are* going with tomatoes, I prefer fire-roasted tomatoes to play up the smoky notes in the beans.
• CHICKEN BROTH OR WATER. After adding all those yummy flavors, you’ll finish things off with chicken broth or water. Pressure cooking really infuses all those flavors into the broth, so the end result is incredible!
• CILANTRO. Lastly, I love to add some fresh cilantro. It’s pretty, and it adds a fresh note to the beans.

WHAT SIZE INSTANT POT DO YOU USE FOR THIS RECIPE? I’ve got a 6-quart Instant Pot and have LOVED it. It’s been big enough for roasts, stews, soups, oatmeal, beans, pasta, and more!

How To Make Instant Pot Charro Beans, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!

• First, Cook The Bacon. Press SAUTE button and add bacon to the Instant Pot. Cook bacon 5-7 minutes, or until it’s starting to crisp and has rendered some of its fat. Remove the bacon and set aside.
• Build Flavor. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes until partially softened. Next, add garlic, jalapeno, chipotle pepper, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomatoes and stir to help scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Add Beans & Broth. Press CANCEL to stop SAUTE mode. Pour in broth. Add rinsed beans, and return bacon to the Instant Pot. Stir to combine, then cover with lid.
• Cook Beans. Secure lid and double-check that the pressure valve is set to SEALING (not VENTING). Press PRESSURE COOK and set timer to 30 minutes. (It will take about 10-12 min for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, then 30 minutes to cook.)
• Naturally Release Steam. When the beans have finished cooking, allow the pressure to naturally release for 20-25 minutes, then quick-release remaining steam.
• Garnish & Season. Stir the beans and add cilantro and additional salt, as desired.

4 Yummy Ways To Serve These Mexican Pinto Beans

Now that you know how to make Charro Beans in the Instant Pot, let’s talk about how to use them! The short answer is: any way you like! But, if you need a few ideas to get you started…

1. AS A SIDE DISH! Serve these charro beans with some cilantro-lime rice as a side dish for all sorts of Tex-Mex main dishes–fajitas, burritos, tacos, and more!
2. IN BURRITO BOWLS. One of my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant faves is a big burrito bowl. Rice, charro beans, any proteins I’m digging (like Salsa Verde Chicken, Sweet & Spicy Pork, or Beef Carnitas), lettuce or slaw, avocado or guacamole, salsa or pico de gallo, and any other veggies or extras that sound nice!
3. IN TACO SALADS. Or, ditch the rice, pump up the lettuce and turn all those burrito bowl goodies into a giant taco salad. Top with crispy tortilla strips, and a drizzle of tomatillo ranch dressing and dive in!
4. IN TACOS OR BURRITOS. My Instant Pot Charro Beans are perfect tucked into burritos or tacos. (Charro beans run saucy, so feel free to use a slotted spoon if you want just the beans in your tacos/burritos.)
5. AS A SOUP. Or, you can serve them like bean soup or chili with a side of cornbread. Delightful!