My mama made this pinto beans recipe all the time because it was easy, flavorful, and cheap boos! The smoked ham hock adds flavor to the broth while the pinto beans get super tender from simmering. Pinto beans are straight-up Southern old-school eating with no frills, just soul. Get into it!
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How to Make Pinto Beans
These step-by-step photos show how to make pinto beans with ham hocks, but be sure to check the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. Skip to the → Best Pinto Beans Recipe
1. Start with soaked beans, ham hocks, chicken stock, water, bay leaves, and onion
Add them to a large stock pot and give everything a good stir so the beans are fully submerged.
2. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cover with a lid
Cook until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally, then season with pepper, garlic powder, and salt, stirring well so everything is evenly seasoned.
3. Taste your simmered pinto beans and adjust seasoning if needed
Serve hot, and enjoy!
PRO TIP: Soak your beans, boos! I like to soak mine overnight or at least 8 to 12 hours. It helps cut down the cook time and makes the beans easier to digest. If you forget, and trust me it happens, you can quick soak them by pouring boiling water over the beans and letting them sit for about an hour. They will plump up and be ready to cook! Just know they might need extra time on the stove compared to an overnight soak.
Full Southern Pinto Beans Recipe
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
How to Store
- Fridge: Let the beans cool to room temp, then transfer them to an airtight container. Make sure the beans are fully submerged in the broth so they don’t dry out! They will keep in the fridge for about 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool completely and freeze in airtight containers with plenty of liquid. They will keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating: Reheat the beans in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through, stirring occasionally. If they look thick, splash in a little water or stock to loosen them back up.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Start with good dried beans. Pinto beans last a long time on the shelf, but the fresher they are, the faster they cook, and the more evenly they soften. If your beans have been sitting forever, they may take longer.
- Wash and sort through the beans. You will find twigs, rocks, and debris, and you don’t want to eat them.
- Build flavor from the jump. While old-schoolers like my mama used to use water, I find that you can create a richer broth with homemade chicken stock.
- Choose the right meat. Look for smoked ham hocks in the meat section and make sure they’re actually smoked and meaty.
- Let the beans cook just above a simmer. Low heat helps the beans break down, which gives you a creamier broth.
- Don’t forget to pick the meat! Once everything’s tender, pull that ham hock out, pick the meat off the bone, and stir it back into the pot. That’s good eatin boos!
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Serving Ideas
- 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.
Recipe Help
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, but it still gets the job done. Just add everything to the crockpot, stir, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the ham is tender and falling apart.
Absolutely. You can use a smoked turkey leg, or add 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke to the pot if you want it vegetarian. I will always say ham hocks give the deepest flavor, but if you have a leftover ham bone, toss it in. Don’t waste good flavor, boos!
Yep! It used the entire package of beans I purchased and makes a large quantity, but can be scaled for smaller amounts.
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I’m definitely going to try this, the ingredients are so easy. Plus this is very close to Jamaican Stew Peas, which uses salt beef, pig tails, coconut milk, red kidney beans and other spices. Usually eaten with white rice. Love how we’re connected across cultures!
Does thee ham hocks have to be thawed, or can it be frozen when I add everything together?
To get more flavor, I would make sure it is thawed.
Can I throw some potatoes in here and at what point to do suggest?
Sure! I haven’t tried that, but I don’t see why you couldn’t. Depending on the size of the potatoes you’d want to add them the last hour to 30 minutes.
This delicious recipe made good use of what I had on hand – I didn’t have ham hocks, I used smoked neck bones. No bay leaves – I used thyme and oregano. This was amazing. Thank you!!
Oo um neck bones are amazing!
Great recipe. I never want to cook pinto beans any other way now. My soul needed this recipe. Just good down home comfort food when you’ve had a hard day. My three year old even loved it.
Awe, thanks Casey!! So glad you and your little one enjoyed it!
Great recipe! I added a little chicken bouillon to the water turned out great! Thanks
Sounds incredible. Amazing!
This is the perfect, classic Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks recipe. You don’t have to change a thing. I use my fresh chopped garlic when I have it and the dry garlic powder when I don’t. I cook this in my big Dutch Oven as I gave up my crock pot for space issues. You can’t beat this recipe! Hint, in addition to the two ham hocks that I cook with this recipe, I add Eckrich smoked and sliced sausage at the tail end of cooking to heat the sausage which adds extra protein. I serve it over a nice hot pile of Basmati Rice from my InstantPot. Delish!
Sounds absolutely incredible Tim.
My husband and i loved this recipe. And it was so easy to make. I did not change a thing.
Thanks so much, doll!
I make this once a week. Instead of ham hocks I use a good local cajan sausage. I also use celery instead of the onion
OO love that idea!
Sou yummy
can I use canned bean, IF SO, HOW MANY CANS DO I NEED?
Sure, you’ll need 3 15oz cans of pinto beans, liquid drained.