Slow Cooker Charro Bean Recipe
No matter the season or mealtime, nothing beats a hearty serving of home-cooked charro beans! Slow-cooked with peppers, onions, and bacon, this recipe is simple to make and packed with flavor!
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What are charro beans?
Charro beans are an authentic staple of Mexican home cooking. This stew-like dish was often made over open fires or in large quantities to feed a crowd. The recipe was designed to be a filling, economical choice for travelers and cowboys.
Charro beans generally use pinto beans, but some recipes may use a mixture of beans. The recipes for charro beans can be as varied as the ingredients on hand, but most will include hearty meat like bacon, ham, or sausage. A mix of flavorful peppers, tomatoes, spices, and broth creates a rich bowl with a meld of flavors.
What’s To Love About This Recipe
- This charro beans recipe with canned beans is a convenient adaptation for the slow cooker! It is very quick and simple to make with several canned ingredients and pre-cooked bacon. You can have this assembled in a matter of minutes and let it slow-cook for hours.
- Charro beans are a flexible slow cooker recipe! You can halve, double, or triple the recipe to serve any size crowd. This would be a great inexpensive dish for large gatherings such as potlucks or to share servings with friends or neighbors.
- This recipe is perfect as a side dish with other traditional Mexican dishes such as tacos, fajitas, or carnitas. You could also add extra meat and serve it over rice for a complete meal!
- Many people think of a big pot of bean stew as a cold-weather dish, but it’s versatile enough for any season! Serve it steaming hot with cornbread on cold nights, or offer it as a side dish at your summer barbecues and picnics.
Ingredients Needed
This recipe is super easy because it uses canned pinto beans. (If you have an Aldi store near you, I recommend shopping for your ingredients there for inexpensive options.)
- Pinto beans – For an easy step, simply add 4 cans of regular, whole pinto beans. If you prefer, you can choose organic or no-salt-added beans.
- Bacon – For simplicity, I chose to use packaged pre-cooked bacon. When you want to add a bit of bacon to slow cooker recipes, this is an easy choice that saves you time in the kitchen!
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes – One can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes adds a rich and smoky flavor to the pinto beans. Look for a good-quality brand to get the best flavor.
- Diced green chiles – Add 2 cans of green chiles for a bit of smoky spice.
- Jalapeño pepper – Finely dice one pepper and remove the seeds.
- Yellow onion – Dice up a medium yellow onion – around 1 cup full. The yellow onion adds a bit of sweetness to the peppers and pinto beans.
- Homemade Chili Seasoning – I usually recommend homemade seasoning blends for maximum freshness and clean ingredients (like my version here!), but you can always use your favorite store-bought variety, too. Be sure you use a chili seasoning blend – not just chili powder.
- Chicken broth – Choose your preferred chicken broth, stock, or bone broth to create a flavorful base for the charro beans.
Note: If you do want to use dried beans instead, you will need to cook them first. This would be a great use for leftover home-cooked pinto beans! Refer to my recipe for dried pinto beans in the slow cooker.
How To Make Charro Beans In The Slow Cooker
- Drain and rinse the canned beans (or homemade precooked beans) and add them to the slow cooker.
- Roughly chop or crumble cooked bacon strips and add the pieces to the beans.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Add additional salt as needed and serve!
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
Every charro bean recipe you find will vary slightly. That’s how versatile this meal can be! Try out some of these swaps to make your own version of easy charro beans.
- Instead of – or in addition to bacon – you could use leftover diced ham or any type of cooked ground meat like beef or pork.
- Charro beans will still have plenty of texture and flavor as a vegetarian option. Simply leave out the meat and use veggie broth instead of chicken broth.
- Use leftover home-cooked pinto beans (from dry beans) or add another variety, such as red beans or Great Northern beans. Choose options that will maintain a similar creamy texture when cooked for hours.
- For a thicker base, you can make a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of water. Stir the slurry into the beans and let it heat through to thicken.
- You could also mix up the flavor by swapping chili seasoning for Homemade Taco Seasoning. To add some spice, add a bit of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Chipotle chili powder would be a smoky and delicious option, too!
How To Serve Charro Beans
Charro beans can be served as a side or a main dish with many different food combinations. They’re great with traditional Mexican cuisine, such as tortillas, fresh pico, tacos, and more!
You definitely need something tasty to soak up the flavorful broth. Serve a batch of fresh cornbread or add a scoop of beans over a bowl of white rice. Corn chips, shredded cheese, and a spoonful of sour cream would all be great additions.
Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, green onion, or fresh avocado slices. If you’re in the mood for more spice, add a little extra diced jalapeño to your bowl!
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover charro beans in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To preserve flavor, be sure to remove all air. A freezer-sized gallon bag will work well.
Thaw the beans and reheat them on the stove or in the microwave once defrosted.
Slow Cooker Charro Bean Recipe
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 4 cans pinto beans
- 2 oz packaged pre-cooked bacon
- 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 oz canned diced green chilis
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and diced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons homemade chili seasoning
- 2 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Drain and rinse beans and add to slow cooker
- Chop or crumble cooked bacon strips and add to beans
- Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours
- Add additional salt as needed and serve
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- To thicken the sauce, stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon water) and let it heat through.
- Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for extra spice.
Nutrition
Charro Beans FAQs
- Can you make charro beans in the Instant Pot? You can easily make this recipe in the Instant Pot by adding all ingredients to the pot as directed in the slow cooker steps. Seal the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 15 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural release, add salt as needed, and serve!
- What is the difference between charro and borracho beans? Borracho beans are prepared with their signature ingredient – beer! Charro beans and borracho beans both combine pinto beans with bacon or other meats and vegetables, but borracho will have a distinct flavor from the beer addition.
- What is the difference between charro beans and refried beans? Charro beans are whole pinto beans combined in a single dish with other roughly chopped ingredients such as bacon, peppers, and onions. Refried beans are typically just mashed pinto beans without the addition of other ingredients that would change the texture.
- Is it better to use dry or canned beans for this recipe? For this easy recipe, use canned beans to cook the dish in the recommended time frame. However, if you have the time to prepare your own pinto beans first, those will also work.
