Mexican cowboy beans are a delicious and hearty soup, perfect for cold winter days. They're also called frijoles charros in Spanish, which means "cowboy beans." This type of bean dish is traditionally associated with rural Mexican cuisine and rancho cooking. Charro beans are made from pinto beans cooked with pork (bacon or Mexican chorizo), tomatoes, onions, garlic cloves, and serrano peppers!
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One of my son's favorite combos to eat is carne asada with a helping of white rice and spicy charro beans. He would eat that every single day if I let him! To be fair, this combo is actually very common and will show up together at an outdoor evening party in the Northeast region of Mexico.
It's popular for a reason!
When we moved to Texas, I found that in many Tex-Mex restaurants, they had a side dish called "Cowboy beans" and it wasn't till I ordered them one day that I realized it was frijoles charros!
The literal translation for frijoles charros is cowboy beans!
But, believe me, the Mexican recipe is a little different.
Frequently Asked Questions About Charro Beans
Before I share my recipe for cowboy beans, here are a few questions I normally get about these homemade frijoles.
Are frijoles charros the same as frijoles borrachos?
No, they are similar though! People tend to mix these up.
To make 'frijoles borrachos', you normally start with a batch of this recipe for charro beans. Then, you can add a cup or two of your preferred beer to the pot and you have frijoles borrachos (or drunken beans in English).
Steakhouse restaurants in Mexico will bring a small portion of this soup to your table before your meat dish without you even asking for it. The soup by itself is a hearty dish to have on a cold winter day!
How do I make this charro beans recipe less spicy?
To make these beans less spicy, I would add in fewer serrano peppers or completely leave them out altogether.
Does this bean recipe freeze well?
Yes! I love to make extra to store in the freezer. They taste even better when you reheat them. Plus, it's really handy for those cold days when you don't feel like cooking.
All you need to do is just defrost it and serve it with warm tortillas.
Mexican Cowboy Beans (Frijoles Charros)
Here is the list of ingredients you need to make cowboy beans at home...
- Pinto beans (cooked with their broth)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chorizo
- Bacon
- Tomatoes
- Serrano peppers
- Cilantro chopped
Cooking Tip:
- To make this dish extra hearty, consider adding in some chopped ham and pork cracklings to make it even more delicious!
- If you don't have time to make your own beans, you can always use canned pinto beans.
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Charro Beans: Step By Step Tutorial
To make things easier for you, I am going to break this down into sections.
Cook The Beans
- Place 2 cups of dry beans, ¼ of a medium white onion, 2 peeled garlic cloves, and 8 cups of water in a large pot.
- Cook for about 2 hours or a little bit longer until they are tender.
Tip: Soaking the beans overnight will speed up this process. I usually use my pressure cooker and they are done in 30 minutes!
Cook The Meat
After the beans are cooked, it's time to start the base.
- Fry the bacon and chorizo in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Note: If you prefer to cook the bacon first until it gets crispy and remove the fat, then add the chorizo to cook with the bacon. I just like to cook them together.
- At this time, add the ham or other meats like diced hotdog sausages and pork cracklings if you're using them.
Add In The Rest Of The Ingredients
- After 5 minutes, add the onion, garlic, and pepper and fry for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 8 minutes.
- Once the tomato has released its juices, stir in this mixture to the pot with the beans.
- Simmer for about 15 minutes, to blend the flavors.
Note: Add water if necessary. The consistency shouldn’t be thick.
- Add salt and chopped cilantro right before serving.
Enjoy!
What To Serve With Charro Beans
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, a lot of the time we are serving this charro bean soup at a barbeque or get-together.
At these parties, we usually serve:
If I'm honest, sometimes, I'll just heat up a bowl of this charro beans soup with some white rice and that's my lunch. Es muy rico!
More Authentic Mexican Recipes:
If you enjoyed this recipe for frijoles charros, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Fried Pinto Beans
- Yucatan Fried Beans Recipe
- Refried Beans Recipe
- Black Bean Tostadas
I hope you make these Mexican Cowboy Beans! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
📖 Recipe
Mexican Cowboy Beans (Frijoles Charros)
Ingredients
- 6 cups of already cooked pinto beans with their broth **
- ¼ onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 3 ½ oz. chorizo
- 3 ½ oz. bacon chopped
- 2 large tomatoes chopped about 2 ½ cups
- 2 serrano peppers chopped
- 1 cup of cilantro chopped
Optional:
- 3 ½ oz. cooked ham chopped & 1 cup pork cracklings
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the beans and its broth in a large stockpot and set aside.
- Fry the bacon and chorizo in a skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes. If you prefer to cook the bacon first until it gets crispy and remove the fat, then add the chorizo to cook with the bacon. I just like to cook them together. At this time add ham and other meats like one ½ of diced hotdog sausages and 1 cup of pork cracklings, if using them.
- After 5 minutes add the onion, garlic, and pepper and fry for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in the Chopped tomato and cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 8 minutes.
- Once the tomato has released its juices stir in this mixture to the pot with the beans. Add ham and pork crackling is using at this time. And simmer for about 15 minutes, to blend the flavors. Add water if necessary. The consistency shouldn’t be thick.
- Add salt — to adjust taste — and chopped cilantro right before serving.
Rob nickel
Excellent soup
Diane
Love this recipe, although I did tweek it a little.
To much cilantro for our tastes so we cut it to 1/4 cup. (We have the cilantro tastes like soap gene). So cutting it back left flavor, but cut the soap taste to a minimal.
(I tried a batch without the cilantro and it was left wanting).
I also added about 1 cup of tomato juice, as I did not have fresh home grown tomatoes and store bought just don't have homegrown flavor.
Lee C
Mely,
How much water should I add if using canned pinto beans?
Do I use the juices in the can or rinse it out?
Looks delicious. Can’t wait to make it.
Mely Martínez
Hello Lee,
To render the same amount of servings (8) You would need 3 cans (16oz each) of beans and 4 cups of water.
Rena
If using caned pinto beans do I need to add water or could I use Chicken stock so that the pork rinds can cook long enough to get to its consistent of being soft and when do o add the extra liquid in ?
Mely Martínez
Hello Rena,
You can use either one.
Elyce
This recipe is awesome, everyone loved it