These Crockpot Pinto Beans with Green Chile are a flavorful, fuss-free side. Just toss everything into your slow cooker and let it simmer to perfection!
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Pinto Beans with Green Chile – the only way I make pinto beans!
Whether you stuff these pinto beans into your favorite burrito or serve them with your favorite Mexican dish, they’re delicious! This pinto beans recipe is full of roasted and chopped green chile.
Adding green chile to pinto beans is a must! But do you want to know the best part of this recipe? It is made in a crockpot! Slow cooker pinto beans? Yes, please! Put everything in your crockpot and go put your feet up, when you come back you will have a delicious smelling kitchen and even more delicious slow cooker pinto beans waiting for you!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Per Serving Cost: $0.40
Recipe Cost: $7.22
Here’s everything you ned to make pinto beans in the slow cooker, including simple substitutions.
- 3 cups dried pinto beans ($1.92) – These are the stars of the show. They are creamy and take on flavor beautifully when slow-cooked. If you’re in a pinch, you can use canned beans, but reduce the cooking time to 1 ½-2 hours and cut the water down to about 1 cup.
- 8 cups water ($0) – Plenty of water ensures the beans cook evenly and stay tender.
- 16 ounces of canned diced green chile ($3.96) – The green chile packs a lot of flavor and a subtle heat. Choose mild, medium, or hot, depending on your spice preference. You can also sub in fresh roasted green chiles if you’ve got them—about 2 cups chopped.
- 2 ½ Tablespoons chicken bouillon granules ($1.05) – This is my shortcut for a deeply savory, seasoned broth. It packs flavor without needing extra salt. For a vegetarian version, use vegetable bouillon or Better Than Bouillon’s no-chicken base.
- 1 medium onion, diced small ($0.29) – Onion adds natural sweetness and depth to the beans as they slowly cook down. Yellow or white onion both work well here.
- Cotija cheese, crumbled (optional) – This crumbly, salty cheese is the perfect finishing touch—it melts slightly over the hot beans and adds flavor. Feta makes a good substitute.
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The recipe cost is calculated by the amounts needed for the recipe. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have. I updated the pricing for this recipe in April 2025.
How To Make Crockpot Pinto Beans
Combine everything (except for the cheese) into your slow cooker and set it on high for 8–9 hours. They’re very easy to make, let me show you!
- Add the pinto beans, water, green chile, bouillon granules, and diced onion to a large crockpot.
- Stir the ingredients together.
- Cover and cook on high for 8 to 9 hours or until the beans are tender and creamy.
- Adjust seasoning to taste if needed. Serve hot, topped with crumbled cotija cheese if you like.
Cook’s Note:
- This pinto beans recipe makes about 12 cups of beans.
- Cooked pinto beans can be frozen in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag for up to 6 months. Thaw the beans overnight in the refrigerator and then heat in a saucepan over medium hear until warm.
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Crockpot Pinto Beans With Green Chile
Equipment
- Crockpot
- liquid measuring cup
- can opener
- Measuring spoons
- cutting board
- cutting knife
Ingredients
FOR PINTO BEANS:
- 3 cups dried pinto beans rinsed and picked over
- 8 cups water
- 16 ounces canned diced green chiles Hatch is my prefered brand
- 2 ½ Tablespoons chicken bouillon granules or 2 ½ bouillon cubes
- 1 medium onion diced small
FOR GARNISH:
- cotija cheese crumbled (optional)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients except for the cheese to a large crock pot.
- Cook on high for 8-9 hours. Cover and cook on high for 8 to 9 hours or until the beans are tender and creamy.
- Serve hot, topped with crumbled cotija cheese if you like.
Nutrition
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Crockpot Pinto Beans Recipe FAQs
Yes, you will just need to cook them longer. Cook them on low for twelve to fourteen hours.
The beans are done when they are soft but not mushy.
No, the pinto beans will be covered in water in the crockpot while they are cooking. So there is no need to soak the beans overnight the night before you are going to cook the pinto beans.
What To Serve With Pinto Beans:
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Thank you for the recipe. I like my slow cooker and using ingredient in season 😀
I love pinto beans for a side dish when I serve Mexican food! This will be great for our Cinco de Mayo pot luck; yum!
Ooooh i’ll Have try these next time I need a Mexican side! I always end up making rice but these sound delicious!
I tried making this recipe a while ago because it was so easy, I had all the ingredients, and no soaking. Usually pinto beans have so many extra steps involved. To my amazement, everyone loved it! When I tried to find it again I panicked and ended up with another recipe requiring me to fry bacon, cut up six cloves of garlic, and add several cans of other things. Now that I have found you again I will never let you go! Thanks for the great recipe.
Anne, so glad you find my recipe again! 🙂
The green chiles in this recipe sure take these beans from boring to fabulous! A great side dish for taco night.
Nothing like a good bowl of Chili / Chile! If your eating the best bowl of chile your taste buds have ever experienced it’s most likely made with the world famous Hatch Green Chile / Chili or the Pueblo Colorado Mosco, originating from the Mirasol Chile. Mosco originated from the Mirasol Chile/Chili. Green Chile / Chili Peppers, Mosco Chile / Chili has a great flavor and heat consist of a medium to hot Chile.