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The Lowdown on This Pinto Beans Recipe
Y’all, there’s just something about a pot of pinto beans with ham hocks that feels like home to me. I can’t walk past a bag of dried pinto beans at the store without my stomach rumbling, thinking about ’em.
This recipe brings back so many memories for me. I can still picture a pot bubbling away on the stove, filling the whole house with flavor. When it was finally ready, I’d get me a big bowl of pintos, a hunk of jiffy cornbread, and that was my meal.
I hope y’all enjoy them as much as I do!
They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“This is the perfect, classic Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks recipe. You don’t have to change a thing.”
—TIM C.
Ingredients you’ll need to make Pinto Beans
- Pinto beans: Any brand of dry beans will work here.
- Chicken stock: While old schoolers like my mama used to just use water, I find that you can create a richer broth by using stock.
- Onion: This gives more depth to our broth as they slowly cook.
- Smoked ham hock: You can find these in the meat section at most grocery stores. Very important: make sure they are smoked and super meaty! If you aren’t a fan, just substitute with smoked turkey.
- Herbs and spices: All you need are bay leaves, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt to season these perfectly.
How to make Pinto Beans
Southern Pinto Bean Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (11 ounce) package pinto beans picked through and soaked in lots of water overnight
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 quart water
- 1 onion halved or roughly chopped
- 2 halves smoked ham hock (about ¾ pound total)
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 1 tsp black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder plus more to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the soaked beans, chicken stock, water, onion, ham hocks, and bay leaves (if using) to a large stock pot.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are nice and tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Season with pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Tips for Making the Best Pinto Beans and Ham
- Cook just above a simmer for a creamier texture. Keeping that heat low adds more body to the liquid that results in creaminess as the beans break down.
- Newer Beans are Best: Beans are shelf stable but the longer they sit around the longer they take to cook.
- Don’t forget to pick the meat: After cooking, you can pick the meat from the bones and stir into the beans. That’s good eatin boos!
- Sort your beans: Keep those beans pristine boos by removing any shriveled, dark, or weird looking beans. Also get rid of inedible debris that might have found its way into the bag.
- Soak your beans. It’s important for more even cooking and also better for digestion.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
- Vegetarian: You can skip the ham hock and swap in vegetable stock instead. I also like to increase my spices and add a little smoked paprika and liquid smoke to punch up the flavor.
- No broth? Water is all good to use.
- Use ham bones instead of hocks. I find the hocks are more flavorful and smoky but if you have a leftover ham bone, don’t let it go to waste and use it to flavor your pinto beans.
What to Serve With Southern Pinto Beans
- Cornbread: Ain’t nothing like sopping up your beans with some hot water cornbread or even sweet potato cornbread for a sweet twist.
- Rice: I love ladling homemade pinto beans over simple steamed rice or for even more flavor, Mexican rice or Jollof rice.
- Classic Southern Mains: Make some old school chicken gizzards or fried chicken or some delish smothered pork chops. And don’t forget a pot of mustard greens to get some down-home veggies in the mix.
- Southern dessert: Finish everything off with some peach cobbler or cream cheese pound cake.
How to Store & Reheat Pinto Beans
Cool the beans to room temp then transfer them to an airtight container to pop in the fridge. To reheat, I prefer thawing them in the fridge overnight and then putting them in a saucepan to heat over medium heat until warmed through.
How long will pinto beans last in the fridge?
They should last about 4 days in the fridge if stored properly.
Can I freeze pinto beans and ham?
Yep for sure boos! Just be sure to put them in a freezer-safe container or baggie and label with the date. They should last for up to 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
I personally prefer soaking mine overnight or for at least 8-12 hours. This will shorten the cook time and make them easier to digest. Of course if you forget (been there, done that plenty), you can quick soak them.
If you forget to soak them overnight, you can use the quick soak method. Just pour boiling water over your beans and let them sit for an hour. The beans will absorb some of the liquid and plump up as they sit. Just note they may need to cook slightly longer than beans soaked overnight.
Yep for sure boos. My mama took this shortcut plenty of times. I won’t lie, you will lose a bit of flavor and creaminess with this method however. To make southern-style pinto beans in a crock pot, add all of the ingredients to the pot and stir until fully combined. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until the ham is tender and falling apart.
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Love this recipe.! I love it most with just bay leaf and garlic. Like you said, pinto beans needs to be creamy so I cook stove top. . No chili powder or hot peppers. I use half homemade veggie broth and half water. I like the suggestion above of having it with home fries. I cook my potatoes in a nonstick titanium pan to avoid oil. Yummy!
Yay! So glad you like them, Mary!
Made for lunch today…Great!
I left off garlic and black pepper, but added a few frozen jalapeños that we grew in our garden. I used 3 half slices of bacon instead of ham. Served with cornbread, pickled beets, and Cowboy Candy. My husband smoked some ribs. I made some raisin oatmeal cookies. We had a friend helping my husband prepare a garden spot. ♥️♥️♥️
Yum!!! You got my belly grumbling!
The house smells so good.
Yay!!!
One should be careful to watch for bone slivers when liberating the meat from the ham hocks if they just used a band saw to cut the bone rather than cutting around the bones the way the butchers did when I was a kid.
Great tip!! Thank you for sharing!
My wife likes it when I add a tsp of cinnamon, too. It seems to round out the middle of the flavor spectrum for us.
Love this recipe! Reminds me of my childhood. We ate “soup beans” fried potatoes and cornbread! So comforting!
So so glad you loved this!
Doing in the crockpot. Can’t wait to have with cornbread. I was so impatient, I soaked the beans all day to cook and have tonight. Yummy! Thank you!!!
It is so hard to wait for them – but so worth it!!!
Hi. Can you substitute bacon for the ham hock?
Yes you can. Or smoked turkey as well.
Great recipe. Try a tablespoon of cumin, delicious! I’ve cooked in both crockpot and stove, prefer crockpot if I’m away from home or stove if I’m home, flavor is just as good.
Wonderful! I love the idea of adding in the cumin.
This recipe came out comfy and delicious!! A hug in a bowl. I love your blogs!
Wow thank you so much
Super delicious recipe, it came out so good my whole family loved it! Thank you
Fantastic! So happy to hear that!