Canning Pinto Beans from dried beans could really not be easier. You can soak the beans or cook the beans from dry in your pressure cooker.
If you would like to save yourself a bunch of money, canning beans from dried beans is a great way to do that. Dried beans cost just a few pennies and 3 pound of beans will make about 9 pints of canned beans.
If you go through a lot of beans in your household like we do, it’s a no brainer.
Important: This recipe is for pressure canning the beans. Beans are a low acid food which are not food safe if they are canned in a water bath canning pot!
Why should you can pinto beans?
- very economical
- incredibly easy
- hundreds of uses
- ready to eat
- perfect for making large batches, so that you will have extras in your pantry
What you need
- just pinto beans (you could also use black beans, navy beans, kidney beans)
How to make them
- Rinse and sort beans well. Small rocks and foreign debris from the fields are common finds in a bag of beans.
- Cover dry beans in a large pot with cool water. Soak beans 8 hours to overnight.
- See how much the beans have swollen after the soaking?
- Drain beans.
- Add fresh water, to cover beans.
- Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Beans should be very plump.
- Add salt to jars. Fill warm jars with beans. Add cooking liquid to cover, leaving 1″ head space.
- 1-inch headspace can be determined by your canning funnel spout. If it just touches that, you have 1″.
- Remove any air bubbles with non metallic tool. I use a chopstick.
- Wipe rims clean with damp towel.
- Apply lids. Affix bands. Tighten fingertip tight.
- Prepare pressure canner according to manufacturer’s recommendations, using the bottom canning rack and heat water. Load jars into canner.
Place lid on canner securely according to manufacturer’s recommendations. Process jars allotted amount time at allotted pounds pressure for your altitude. See graph below.
Once your processing time has passed, remove pot from heat. Allow it to cool naturally and release pressure.
After pressure has released, open canner carefully. Remove jars with your jar lifter and place them on a kitchen towel on the counter for 24 hours.
Check seals. Press down in the center of the lid. If it flexes that jar did not seal and must be refrigerated or reprocessed with a new lid, if desired. Use up any refrigerated beans within 3 days.
Rinse jars under cool water. Remove bands. Store in cool dry place for up to 12-18 months.
Pro tips for your success
- Always refer to your canners’ owners manual for instructions on it’s use.
- Soaking the beans will remove starches that are difficult to digest and cause gas.
- Process for the correct amount of time at the proper PSI (pounds per square inch).
- If at any time during the canning process, the psi goes below the recommended pressure, return to it to proper pressure and start timer over again.
How to use the beans
Beans are so versatile and they can be enjoyed in a variety of different dishes.
Beans can be enjoyed with the broth, or drain liquid and serve as a side.
Add them to soup, stew, chili, salads and more.
Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper in a skillet with a bit of olive oil. Add beans. Flavor with some cumin and chili powder. Garnish with Mexican cheese or sour cream.
Use the beans to make vegan or vegetarian tacos, tostadas, burritos, enchiladas or taquitos.
Add the beans to your favorite meat tacos for an added high protein, no cholesterol, gluten-free addition.
Make a bean dip with crisped bacon, cheese, salsa and sour cream garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash the beans into “refried beans”. Use beans and some of the liquid.
Traditional refried beans, frijoles refritos are made by adding the cooked beans to a frying pan with a bit of fat (traditionally lard). Then mashing them with a potato masher. Add some of the cooking liquid back to the beans, as needed. They are delicious either way.
If you would like to do smaller batches, you can cook the beans in your instant pot or in your pressure cooker for larger batches.
Try canning pinto beans at home. The flavor is so much better than store bought canned beans.
Other canning ideas
- raspberry jam
- Canning beets
- Canning whole tomatoes
- Apricot jam
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato juice
- Canning water for emergencies
Tools I Use
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If you have any questions or comments, please ask in the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
📖 Recipe
Canning Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 3 lbs dried pinto beans
- ½ teaspoon salt per jar
Instructions
- Rinse and sort beans well. Small rocks and foreign debris from the fields are common finds in a bag of beans.3 lbs dried pinto beans
- Cover beans in a large pot with cool water. Soak beans 8 hours to overnight.
- Drain beans.
- Add fresh water, to cover beans. Add salt.
- Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Beans should be very plump.
- Add salt to jars. Fill warm jars with beans. Add cooking liquid to cover, leaving 1″ head space.½ teaspoon salt
- Remove any air bubbles with non metallic tool. I use a chopstick.
- Wipe rims clean with damp towel. Apply lids. Affix bands. Tighten fingertip tight.
- Prepare pressure canner according to manufacturer’s recommendations and heat water. Load jars into canner.
- Place lid on canner securely according to manufacturer’s recommendations. Process jars allotted amount time at allotted pressure for your altitude. See graph below.
- Once your processing time has passed, remove pot from heat. Allow it to cool naturally and release pressure.
- After pressure has released, open canner carefully. Remove jars and place them on a kitchen towel on the counter for 24 hours.
- Check seals. Press down in the center of the lid. If it flexes that jar did not seal and must be refrigerated or reprocessed with a new lid, if desired. Use up any refrigerated beans within 3 days.
- For quart jars, see notes.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
Nutrition
Originally published April 27,2021
Cathy bocek
Can I add bacon to my quart size pinto beans that I’m canning did once in the jars were a little greasy on the outside I just use not even a half a piece of bacon for seasoning
Beth Neels
You can add ham, pork or bacon, but they need to processed differently. Here is a link to a trusted recipe. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_baked.html
Brittany
We eat a lot of beans and rice (Mexican-style) at my house! Can I cook the beans with normal seasoning and such before canning or will that make them too mushy after canning?
Beth Neels
You can add spices. Just don’t cook them until they are mushy. They should be very plump before canning.
Bertha
Can this (the cooked beans) be done with the water bath method?
Beth Neels
No Bertha. They can not. They must be pressure canned for food safety reasons!
Joel
some of my quart jars of pinto beans did not seal after the canning process. do they need to be reprocessed immediately or can they be refrigerated and processed the next day.
Beth Neels
They can be reheated and processed the next day.
Elizabeth
Is it safe to add seasoning besides salt, such as dried onion or garlic, or a bay leaf? Thanks 🙂
Beth Neels
Yes. Sure, you can add dry seasonings.
Michael Whitt
I like to add a slice or two of jalapeños and fresh-cut onion. Yummy.
Beth Neels
Yes, that’s a fine thing to add.
Michelle
Love this frugal idea, and somehow they taste better than the ones at the store too!
Beth Neels
They do for sure! Thanks so much Michelle.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Just tried this recipe and my family loved it. Thank you so much!
Beth Neels
I’m so glad that you liked them. Thanks Shadi!
Angela
Thank you for the instructions on how to can pinto beans! Dried beans are so much more cost effective. What a great idea!
Beth Neels
Thanks Angela! I appreciate the comment!
Traci
Great tips for canning pinto beans! I’m always so intimidated by canning but your recipe is very straightforward. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Beth Neels
Thanks so much for the comment Traci!
Kathryn
I didn’t know canning beans would be so easy! Thank you for sharing this, I will be doing this!
Beth Neels
It’s really very easy. Thanks Kathryn!