Make Your Canned Pinto Beans Taste Delicious With These Easy Tips

Discovering how to cook canned pinto beans is especially helpful on busy weeknights when you need to quickly make something healthy and easy.

That’s how good the flavors are in this recipe for canned pinto beans. You’ll want to lick your bowl clean. We got this.

Canned pinto beans are a pantry staple that can be turned into delicious meals and sides in minutes. Though convenient, canned beans often lack flavor compared to cooking dried beans from scratch. The good news is you can easily make canned pinto beans taste delicious with a few simple tricks.

Why Canned Beans Lack Flavor

Pinto beans contain complex starches that break down into sugars as the bean cooks, leading to its characteristic sweet, creamy flavor. However, canned beans are cooked before canning, so these starches have already broken down. Additionally, the canning process requires high temperatures that can degrade delicate flavors and aromas The canning liquid itself can impart a metallic taste That’s why canned beans tend to taste bland and starchy compared to beans cooked from scratch. A few easy techniques can help boost the flavor of canned pinto beans.

Tips for Making Canned Pinto Beans Taste Better

Rinse the beans

Rinsing canned pinto beans in a colander washes away the viscous canning liquid, which often tastes metallic. Rinsing also removes some of the starch on the surface of the beans, making them less slimy in texture.

Flavor the cooking liquid

Canned beans are pre-cooked, so there’s no need to simmer them for long periods. However, heating them with flavorful liquids gives them a flavor boost. Replace the canning liquid with broth, tomato sauce, or even water infused with aromatics like garlic, onion, and herbs Acidic liquids like tomato sauce or vinegar help break down starch for a creamier texture.

Cook them with aromatics

Sauteing onion, garlic, herbs, and spices before adding canned beans infuses them with tons of flavor. Try combinations like onion, garlic, and cumin for Mexican-style beans. For a Mediterranean twist, cook beans with tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, and red wine vinegar.

Season generously

Since canned beans are pre-cooked, seasonings don’t penetrate the interior. Compensate by seasoning the exterior generously with salt, pepper, spices, herbs and condiments like salsa. Let the seasoned beans simmer so the flavors meld. Add more to taste before serving.

Finish with fresh herbs and acid

Fresh herbs and acid, like lemon or lime juice, help lift canned bean flavor. Stir in chopped cilantro, parsley, green onion, or scallions before serving. Drizzle beans with olive oil and your favorite vinegar or hot sauce. The brightness makes the beans’ flavor pop.

Turn them into bean dip

Processing or mashing canned beans with seasoning and olive oil makes an easy, flavor-packed dip. Blend beans with garlic, cumin, coriander, chili powder and lime juice for a tasty Mexican bean dip to serve with chips.

Don’t overlook liquids in chili or soups

The flavorful liquids in dishes like chili and bean soups seep into the beans as they simmer, boosting their flavor. Make sure to season the entire dish, not just the beans.

Recipe Ideas for Tasty Canned Pintos

With a few easy techniques, humble canned pinto beans can be turned into tasty meals:

Pinto bean soup – Saute onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Add rinsed beans, vegetable or chicken broth, cumin, coriander and chipotle chili. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Finish with lime juice and cilantro.
Mediterranean beans – Saute onion, garlic, and oregano in olive oil. Add rinsed beans, diced tomato, chicken broth and red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
Bean and cheese quesadillas – Mash rinsed beans with cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place bean mixture and shredded cheese between tortillas. Cook in a skillet until golden brown.
Pinto bean salad – Combine rinsed beans, diced bell pepper, red onion, corn kernels, and diced tomato. Toss with olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

With a few easy techniques, you can coax the most flavor out of humble canned pinto beans. Rinsing, aromatics, and seasonings help boost their flavor in any dish. Turn canned pintos into richly flavored soups, dips, tacos, and more.

how to make canned pinto beans taste good

How To Cook Canned Pinto Beans

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until it gets soft.
Stir in the oregano, bay leaf (if using), garlic, cumin, paprika, onion powder, and bay leaf. Cook for 15 seconds, until the spices start to smell good.
Mix in the beans and half a can of water. Cover and let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes.
Please check the seasoning and add salt or salt and pepper as needed before serving.

how to make canned pinto beans taste good

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How To Cook: Canned Pinto Beans

FAQ

How to make canned beans taste better?

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

What to add to pinto beans for flavor without?

Onion Powder — I love plopping a whole cut-up fresh onion in the pot with the soaked beans. But, adding the onion powder enhances the onion flavor and gives any pinto bean recipe more flavor. Bay Leaves — Just add them in. I have no idea what the flavor description is for bay leaves, but I can tell when it’s missing!

Should I drain canned pinto beans?

But if you’re someone who needs to watch your sodium intake, it certainly can’t hurt to drain and rinse canned beans before using them. Doing so can reduce the sodium by 40%. If you don’t want to rinse, consider at least draining them first. Draining alone will “reduce the sodium by a third,” says Reinagel.