Charro Beans

What are Charro Beans?

Charro Beans are traditional Mexican beans and are known as either Frijoles Charros or Cowboy Beans. This traditional bean recipe is a hearty soup made with pinto beans in a light broth with loads of seasonings. My Charro Beans recipe is flavored with bacon, ham, chorizo, onions, chilies, tomatoes, spices, and herbs.

Charro Beans are perfect for feeding a crowd and is a great side dish at a cookout. Traditionally, Frijoles Charros were ranch food, meant to feed a crew of hungry cowboys (Charros). I always substitute Charro Beans for the refried beans when I go out for Mexican food. Frijoles charros aren’t always on the menu, but I’ve never been to a Mexican restaurant that didn’t have them.

In wintertime, I like to make my charro beans from scratch. However, in the summer I prefer to use canned beans, it’s just too dang hot to simmer dried beans for 2-3 hours. A good quality canned bean is just fine in this instance and all the additional meats and spices make them out of this world delicious.

When making frijoles charros in the summertime, I use bacon, ham, and chorizo in my recipe. However, all of these can be pretty salty, therefore you’ll need to wait until the end of cooking to decide if you need any additional salt or not.

In the winter, I add a rack of baby back pork ribs. Along with the bacon, ham, and chorizo, the ribs add the most amazing flavor to the beans. The long simmer time to cook the charro beans is perfect for the ribs, the meat falls off the bone, perfectly tender and delicious. These are seriously the best frijoles charros recipe, and it can’t get much better.

Which Do You Use in Charro Beans, Mexican Chorizo, or Spanish Chorizo?

• Mexican Chorizo: This sausage is a raw, ground pork or beef sausage that must be cooked before eating. Made with very fatty cuts of meat and is highly seasoned with a variety of spices including vinegar, chili pepper, and cumin. Mexican chorizo is typically a dark red color, it is the right sausage to use in Charro Beans.
• Spanish Chorizo: A hard sausage, it is a cured, ready to eat pork sausage. Seasoned mainly with paprika it may be sweet or spicy, depending on the variety. Typically served sliced on a meat tray, charcuterie, or cheese plates or used as an ingredient in stew or paella

Ingredients for Authentic Charro Beans

• Pinto Beans: Beans are the main ingredient in Charro Beans and pinto beans are found in a majority of authentic Mexican bean recipes. They can be made fresh from dried beans or from canned. If using canned beans make sure you rinse them well before adding them to the recipe.
• Diced Onions and Garlic: These ingredients form the background flavor of the recipe. Raw, they are very potent and intense with a sharp bite. However, by sautéing them they melt into the Charro Beans infusing them with a pleasant savory flavor.
• Tomatoes: Tomatoes add sweetness and body to the beans.
• Ham, Bacon, and Mexican Chorizo: I love the flavor of Mexican Chorizo. It has all the seasoning in it that give the Charro Beans their flavor. However, I like to add all three types of meat to my beans.
• Jalapeño: A jalapeño is perfect for adding the right heat and flavor to the beans.

Mexican chorizo is made with fatty cuts of pork or beef. I like to dab up the excess oil with paper towels when browning Mexican Chorizo.

Can you make Charro Beans in a Slow Cooker?

This recipe is perfect for a crockpot or slow cooker. I like to serve the beans with cornbread, a sprinkle of queso fresco, diced avocado and topped with freshly chopped cilantro. Frijoles charros are a great meal by themself or the perfect side dish for Mexican food or BBQ.

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Charro Beans

What are Charro Beans? Known as either Frijoles Charros, Cowboy Beans or Charro Beans this traditional Mexican dish is a hearty soup made with pinto beans in a light broth with loads of seasonings. My Charro Beans recipe is flavored with bacon, ham, chorizo, onions, chilies, tomatoes, spices and herbs, Charro Beans are perfect for feeding a crowd and is a great side dish at a cookout. Traditionally these Frijoles Charros were ranch food, meant to feed a crew of hungry cowboys (Charros) when I go out for Mexican food, I always substitute Charro Beans for the refried beans. They’re not always on the menu, but I’ve never been to a Mexican restaurant that didn’t have them.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Beans, Charro

Servings: 8

Calories: 337kcal

Equipment

• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• 2 Cans Pinto Beans 15-ounce cans, rinsed
• 1 Cup Onion Diced
• 6 Cloves Garlic Crushed and chopped
• 1 1/2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes
• 1/2 Pound Bacon Diced
• 1/2 Pound Mexican Chorizo
• 1/2 Pound Ham Diced
• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Jalapeno Halved lengthwise
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Garnish

• Cilantro
• Lime Wedges
• Avocado
• Queso Fresco

Instructions

• Add the diced bacon, chorizo and ham to a pot, fry until nicely browned. Drain off the grease then use a paper towel to soak up as much grease as possible.
• Add the onion and jalapeno, sauté until onions are translucent about 5-minutes, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds
• Add the beans, tomatoes, oregano, and water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low
• Simmer with the lid slightly ajar for 30 minutes, skim any grease off that rises to the surface.
• Serve with the cilantro, avocado, limes, and queso fresco on the side

Nutrition Facts

Charro Beans

Amount Per Serving

Calories 337 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Cholesterol 61mg20%

Sodium 1234mg54%

Potassium 373mg11%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 82IU2%

Vitamin C 8mg10%

Calcium 34mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thank you for visiting my Food Blog. I hope you enjoy my Frijoles Charro recipe. Please come back and visit again soon! Bon appetit, Steven