Instant Pot Charro (Refried Beans)

12.27.16 I used Goya® Cilantro & Tomato Sazon for the the tomato-flavored bouillon, and it really kicked up the flavor. Didn‘t have any salsa on hand (it was optional), but even without it, these beans were delicious, the perfect side kick to just about any Mexican meal. Love this Instant Pot and loved these charro beans! *****UPDATE 7.13.17***** Mashed some of the beans today and layered into some beef enchiladas. I find I'm making this recipe often, it's just so darn good!

I make these weekly and have changed the base recipe since my wife and I have found that we actually enjoy the charro beans as much as the refried beans and needed more liquid. So here is the update you can try. 6 Cups of Water 1lb dry pinto beans 1tbsp low sodium vegtable base (in the jar) 1tbsp low sodium chicken base (in the jar) increase all seasonings to 1 tsp instead of 1/2. Added 1 tsp salt since i stoped using boullon Rest of ingrediants stayed the same. I do saute the onions in about a tbsp of oil for about 2 minutes in the instapot then add the garlic and jalapeno and saute them until fragrent then add the water to deglaze before adding rest of ingrediants. We end up with more bean broth and have beans for dinner and then make refried beans in the morning for bean and cheese tacos :)

Excellent recipe. I made a few changes, only because I had some ingredients, and didnt have others. I used 2 C. of Chicken Broth, + 2 C. water. I also used 3/4 of a very large Mayan Onion which I chopped up and cooked with about 4 slices chopped bacon. I cooked it in cast iron skillet until crispy and onions were caramelized. Also, I omitted the salsa. I also did not use the tomato or vegetable bouillon cubes, instead I used 2 Chicken bouillon cubes. Everything else in recipe was used. Finally, my paprika is a smoked paprika. This was an excellent dish. Started in cast iron skillet (bacon and onions,) and finished in InstaPot for 1 hour. So so good. Thank you for recipe.

This made excellent beans! I have never been successful in the past making a pot of beans on stovetop or slowcooker. I did this in my instant pot. The only changes I made were to saute the onions and jalapeno in bacon grease (this is what my grandmother had always done) I also replaced the tomato bouillon with chicken bouillon because that is what I had on hand. This tasted so good and were soft, but not already mushy. I also soaked my beans the night before and into the next day (maybe for like 15 hours total). I have learned in the past that soaking the beans makes a big difference. However, I had never made them before in an instant pot. Next time I may just throw them in without soaking. There was a lot of liquid left, so if you do soak your beans you may not need so much water. This will be how I make a pot of mexican pinto beans from now on! Thank you!

I love a bowl of pinto beans so I make them often. My number one suggestion for making beans is to clean and soak the beans overnight in salt water. The next day clean the beans again (rinse them in water), then put them in the crock pot to cook and follow the recipe. This recipe is a good flavored recipe. I don't use the salsa, but I will sometimes add a can of petite diced tomato with green chili's. Oh, and add in either a ham hock or cut up ham steak with the fat. I used my left over Thanksgiving ham and added it all to a slow cooker pot of beans.

I've had a difficult time figuring how how to make vegetarian pinto beans that taste yummy. This hit the mark. I used chipotle chili powder, otherwise stuck with recipe as is. I have a stovetop pressure cooker. Worked perfectly to quick soak beans (boil, then let sit for a hour, then drain) and pressure cook for 45 minutes with slow release. A keeper! Thanks for sharing.

This is a keeper! One important note though - I did not add the salsa at the beginning - tomato products added to dried bean can keep the beans from softening, once cooked and the beans are soft, it is fine to add the salsa or other tomatoes. The kids loved this, served with corn tortillas, lime wedges and some grated cheese it was a meal.

I soaked my beans overnight because I like them soft. Wasn't sure how they would come out without soaking. I used 4 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Based Bouillon instead of tomato flavored (couldn't find it). I also doubled the amount of spices. Did not use salsa (because I actually forgot). You may not need 4 cups of water in the IP if you don't soak the beans first. There is lots of liquid. These are delicious and I will make them again for sure!

I made this twice in a week. First was made following directions as written. It was fabulous. My picky adult son dislikes beans but raved about hoping there were leftovers. Second time I made this I added a tablespoon of chili powder (our taste). Both times i made this is added pre-cooked potatoes at the end. They were great and stretched the dish a little. This is a great basic recipe that could be easily modified to your personal preference.

The were fantastic! I used half the beans but kept everything else as the recipe called for. I did sauté the onions, jalapeno and garlic beforehand. I also added extra chicken broth for juicer beans, and followed suggestions of not adding the salsa till later. Tasting the beans after cooking, I didn't add it. Will do again!!

These are good beans. I started by sauteeing bacon in my Instant Pot. I did substitute chicken stock because that's what I had on hand. I didn't soak my beans beforehand. Unfortunately, when the time was up, I had to add water and cook for another 15 minutes. So, next time, I'll add more water and add extra time. They do have a great flavor though!

This recipe = perfection.

I made this for a small dinner party, and everyone was impressed. It looked beautiful, tasted incredible, and came together so quickly. Honestly, I felt like a professional chef! I’ll be keeping this recipe in my favorites folder for sure.

This recipe made my day.

These turned out great. I used jarred jalapenos b/c that's what I had on hand and it added a kick for sure. I used 3 tsp of chicken bouillon and approx. 1 tsp of tomato paste. Did not add the salsa initially but was going to add it towards the end based on another review, however, when I tasted it I didn't think it needed the salsa. I decided not to add the cilantro during the cook time but had some to sprinkle on top for a fresher finish. The firmer texture was great for adding to a mexican rice bowl.

Flavor was good but wayyyyy too salty. Next time I will use only half the boullion in the recipe and cook it longer. The beans were not as done as I prefer.

Wish I read about not adding salsa til the end, after 45 minutes my bean were still toothsome

As usual, the first time I will follow the posters recipe exactly. If I like it and/or think it's tweakable, I keep it. This one's a keeper! In the future I will make a few adjustments for our personal taste. It's definitely worth it. This is the first time I've made beans in my IP. It amazed me that they were done so quickly. In go ingreds, out comes dinner. Even after all this time of owning one, and using it frequently, I'm still quite jazzed about my IP.

It’s good but took 2 hours to cook. My instant pot does not have a “Bean” setting so I did the “Manual” and “Meat’ settings.

This recipe is fantastic and reminds me of beans made by my family! I used chicken broth instead of the tomato bouillon. I also left out the salsa because I had homemade chile to add when eating. Delicious and easy to make.