Slow Cooker Ranch Style Beans (Simple + Tasty)
Ranch Style Beans are effortless pinto beans slow cooked in the crock pot for a simple, versatile, delicious side dish that’s perfect with burgers or BBQ!
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With BBQ season in full swing and the Fourth of July coming up, I thought it would be a good time to share my favorite recipe for perfect, uncomplicated, chuck wagon-style pinto beans, more commonly known as Ranch Style Beans (or simply ranch beans)! And the best part of all is that you make this super easy recipe in the slow cooker!
Now some might claim that these Ranch Style Beans are plain. And sure, you could gussy them up with diced tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, or cilantro, thereby turning them into Charro Beans. But I would argue that it is the simplicity of these ranch beans that makes them so versatile!
Ranch Style Beans are equally delicious served alongside brisket or ribs, burgers or Mexican food. And they can be ladled into a bowl and cozied up to some steaming buttered cornbread (or even some Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread!) for a meal unto themselves -- which is actually my family's favorite way to enjoy them!
Ingredients
The ingredients are few and simple.
- Dried pinto beans. Rinsed and drained. While you may certainly soak your beans before cooking, I don't find that step to be necessary since I've adapted this recipe to the slow cooker. However, if you wish to pre-soak your beans, place them in a pot and cover with a couple inches of cold water, then soak for 12 hours. Discard any floating beans, drain off the soaking water, and proceed with the recipe, which might require a couple less hours of total cooking time compared to if your beans hadn't been soaked.
- Salt pork. The key ingredient for true "ranch beans." As the salt pork slow cooks with the beans, the beans are gradually and deeply seasoned. Then when the cooking time is up, you just remove and discard the hunk of salt pork as you would a bay leaf...its job is done! Salt pork is commonly available in the meat case of most grocery stores, but if you can't find it, feel free to substitute raw bacon instead. However, if you use bacon, you'll need to double the amount since salt pork is inherently, well, saltier.
- Garlic. Minced. For another layer of flavor. For crock pot recipes, I often use jarred, water-packed chopped garlic rather than fresh, since the long, slow cooking time mellows the flavor anyway.
- Chili powder, salt + pepper. Added towards the end of the cooking time. Be sure to taste your Ranch Style Beans and add adequate seasoning until the flavors POP! Just because these beans are simple doesn't mean they should be bland!
How to Make Ranch Style Beans
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
- Place dried pinto beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any shrived beans or stones.
- Transfer the beans to a slow cooker and cover with water.
- Add salt pork (or bacon) and garlic to the crock pot.
- Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until tender.
- When the beans are almost done, stir in the chili powder. Sample the broth and season generously with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Allow the flavors to blend for an hour or so of additional cooking before removing the salt pork/bacon and serving. Enjoy!
Leftover Ranch Style Beans
When I make Ranch Style Beans, I usually double the recipe and freeze any leftovers in two-cup portions for a quick side dish for future meals.
An easy way to do this is to spoon them in a freezer-thickness, gallon-sized plastic bag and squeeze out the air before sealing. Gently spread the beans into a thin, even layer, and lay flat to freeze. Once frozen solid, you can stand the bag up on its side alongside other similarly-frozen bags, like books on a bookshelf. 😉
Alas, I typically use up leftover ranch beans before I ever have a chance to freeze them! They're great mashed up in burritos or quesadillas, sprinkled over nachos or taco salad...you get the picture.
Tips, Tricks, & Special Equipment
- The first time you make these beans, be sure to occasionally check the water level and pour in a bit of additional hot water if necessary.
- You can also add extra water if you would like your final ranch beans to have more broth.
- If you're short on time, you can cook your Ranch Style Beans on HIGH instead of LOW for 5 to 6 hours.
- You want your finished beans to be tender but not falling apart. However, cooking time may vary based on a variety of factors:
- Altitude can affect cooking time, requiring extra time for beans to soften at higher altitudes.
- Dried beans sometimes take longer to soften in hard water.
- Old beans may take longer to cook...or they may never soften at all! So if possible, don't let dried beans sit in your pantry for years on end.
- Some slow cookers simply run hotter and cook faster than others. The cooking time for your particular slow cooker may be longer or shorter than the directions state, depending on how hot it runs, so it helps to have familiarity with your specific appliance. Until you know for sure, I always recommend erring on the side of caution the first time you make this recipe. Start your beans intentionally early, or speed up some or all of the cooking time by switching to HIGH. If your beans end up finished too soon, you can always just switch the crock pot to WARM until it's time to eat.
The next time you're looking for an effortless, simple bowl of beans to eat on its own or as a side dish to BBQ or grilled grub, look no further than your chuck wagon -- er, crock pot. Ranch Style Beans prove that combining a few basic ingredients can result in something surprisingly comforting...and oh so good!
More Tasty Bean Recipes
- Slow Cooker Charro Beans
- Southern Baked Beans
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Quick Stovetop Baked Beans
- Ultimate Bean Dip
Slow Cooker Ranch Style Beans (Simple + Tasty)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- 6 cups water
- ¼ pound salt pork, OR ½ pound bacon
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place dried pinto beans in a colander, rinse well, and remove any shriveled-up beans or stones.
- Transfer beans to slow cooker and cover with water. Add salt pork (or bacon) and garlic. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until tender.
- When your Ranch Style Beans are almost done, stir in the chili powder. Sample the broth and season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Allow the flavors to blend for an hour or so before removing the salt pork/bacon, adjusting the seasonings again if necessary, and serving.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Pre-soaking your dried pinto beans is not necessary, but if you wish to do so, simply place them in a pot and cover with a couple inches of cold water. Soak for 12 hours, then discard any floating beans and drain off the soaking water. Proceed with the recipe, keeping in mind that cooking time could be reduced by an hour or two compared to cooking unsoaked beans.
- The first time you make this recipe, periodically check that the beans remain covered with water, and add additional hot water, if necessary...or if you prefer extra bean broth.
- Some slow cookers simply run hotter and cook faster than others, so the cooking time for your particular slow cooker may be longer or shorter than the directions state
- If you're short on time, you can cook your Ranch Style Beans on HIGH instead of LOW for 5 to 6 hours or until tender.
- Beans may take longer to become tender if they are old, if cooked at high altitudes, or if cooked in hard water.
Nutrition
Adapted from Texas Cowboy Cooking. Post originally published on June 20, 2013, and updated on May 26, 2021, June 10, 2024.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAKED BEANS & RANCY STYLE BEANS?
Ranch beans are savory while baked beans are sweet. Also, it's typical that ranch beans are made from pinto beans while baked beans are made with some variety of white beans. 🙂
these beans were perfect for our fourth of july barbecue! thank you so much for sharing this easy recipe!
I followed the directions exactly and my beans never got all the way soft. Even after I cooked them for hours longer that the recipe directs (about 12 hours in all), they were still crunchy. I don't know what I did wrong?
Hi there, I'm sorry to hear that! If you look at the section above the recipe card with the heading "Tips, Tricks, and Special Equipment," I explain some reasons that beans may take longer to cook (or never fully soften). If you cooked your beans for 12 hours and they were still crunchy, it sounds to me that your beans were probably old. Unfortunately, old beans can be too dehydrated to ever fully soften, no matter how long you cook them. 🙁
Made these ranch style beans with burgers for a pool party. Turned out great! The recipe couldn't have been any easier and I appreciated not having to keep an eye on a pot for hours.
My husband wanted to grill ribs for dinner so I made these beans and we all thought they were great. Simple but perfect.
A crock pot of these ranch beans was a perfect side dish for barbecue at our neighborhood pool party. The flavors really popped once I added the right amount of salt. Also extremely easy to make - thank you.