How to Make Pinto Beans in a Crockpot

Beans make a wonderful addition to any diet, adding essential vitamins, minerals and fiber to help maintain the body's health. Unfortunately, canned beans are not as healthy and cooking beans can be a time-consuming task that requires a lot of attention. Thankfully, you can cook beans in a crock pot and let them take care of themselves. You need to give them a bit of attention in the beginning, but once you have them in the crock pot you can simply check on them only once in a while.

Things You'll Need

• Pinto beans
• Strainer
• Large pot
• Crock pot
• Water

Instructions

1. Pour the bag of pinto beans in a strainer and rinse with cool water. Remove any debris and rock material as well as rotted beans.

2. Put the pinto beans in a large pot, cover them with water and let them soak overnight.

3. Rinse the pinto beans once again and then put them in a crock pot. Cover them completely with water, with the waterline at least 2 inches above the beans. Turn the crock pot to high and cook beans for two hours. Make sure they remain covered with water at all times.

4. Turn beans down to low after two hours of cooking on high. Cover with water once again and leave them alone for another six hours. Each crock pot might cook with different times and temperatures so it is important to occasionally check your beans.

5. Add spices, vegetables, chopped bacon and/or ham to your beans four hours after you have turned the beans to low if you wish to flavor them. Otherwise, leave them as they are and begin checking at six hours to see if they are done.

Tips & Warnings

• Adding a ham bone is a great way to flavor your pinto beans.

• As the pinto beans cook and expand, the water might not remain 2 inches deeper than the beans. Add water to ensure the beans remain covered.

References

• Central Bean: Bean Basics: Cooking your beans