Tender pinto beans, zesty spices, and a thick gravy all come together in this simple, affordable, and easy recipe for homemade ranch style beans! Simmer them on the stovetop or prepare them in a Crock Pot. The flavorful dish is a perfect Southwestern side, an easy camping dish, or a hearty vegetarian dinner.
Table of Contents
If you love beans, be sure to try these classic calico beans, Southern lima beans with ham, Appalachian soup beans, old-fashioned Southern ham and beans, and Appalachian beans and greens, too!
You’ve probably enjoyed a can of Ranch-style beans from the grocery store, but maybe you didn’t realize just how easy it is to make them yourself from scratch. You’ll know the ingredients, you’ll be able to control the sodium and spices to suit your preferences, and you’ll save some serious cash!
What are Ranch Style Beans?
Ranch style beans are pinto beans in a chili gravy. They are similar to baked beans or “pork and beans,” but are not sweet like baked beans, and they don’t normally include bacon or pork. The zesty, bold, slightly spicy seasoning is the hallmark of Ranch style beans, and includes garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, and paprika (among other ingredients).
While “chili beans” and “ranch style beans” both have a chili gravy, they taste somewhat different. Chili beans can be made with pinto beans, but they may also use red beans or kidney beans. In general, you can use chili beans and ranch-style beans interchangeably in chili and other similar recipes.
Directions
The recipe card below includes both the stove top Dutch oven method and the slow cooker instructions for a pot of homemade ranch style beans. Pick whichever option suits your schedule best! Here’s the overview:
- Soak the Beans. Soaking dried beans overnight reduces the required cooking time significantly. The texture of the cooked beans is also best after soaking, with fewer that split open and burst. If you plan to use the Crock Pot, you can skip this step.
- Boil the Beans. After the beans have soaked, drain off the water and return the beans to the pot. Add 1 quart of fresh water, bring the pot to a boil, and then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer the beans for about 1 ½ hours.
- Add Remaining Ingredients. Stir in the tomato paste, onion, garlic, and seasonings.
- Simmer. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and then simmer (covered) for 1 more hour. You’ll know they’re done when the beans are tender and the gravy is thick.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the beans as a main dish with rice and a variety of toppings. You can set out shredded cheese, sliced jalapeño, chopped onion, sliced green onion, chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley or cilantro), and sour cream. Don’t forget a skillet of cornbread!
Popular in Texas, these ranch-style beans are also delicious alongside Tex-Mex or Mexican food like enchiladas tacos, this burrito recipe, this taco pie, and this taco bake with Doritos, nacho casserole, pulled pork nachos, a cornbread taco bake, chicken taquitos, crescent roll taco bake, taco casserole, or as a side dish at cookouts with grilled chicken, steak, pulled pork, crockpot barbacoa, or king Ranch chicken. No matter where you live, you can enjoy the classic Western dish at home with just a few minutes of actual hands-on prep. It will soon become a favorite family recipe!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- The beans will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 2 hours. After that point, store them in the fridge.
- Leftover beans will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: thaw frozen beans in the refrigerator overnight. Warm over low heat just until they reach the desired temperature. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until warmed through.
This recipe is a keeper!!
– Sheila
I made a few minor alterations and used the crockpot method. In place of 4 cups of the 7 cups of water, I used vegetable broth. My paprika is smoked paprika which I really enjoy. I also added 1.5 pounds of browned ground beef toward the end of cooking. Thank you so much.
More Bean Recipes to Try
Homemade Baked Beans from Scratch
16 hours hrs
New Orleans Red Beans and Rice Recipe
14 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Crock Pot Beans and Cornbread
20 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Ranch Style Beans
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) package dried pinto beans
- 1 quart (4 cups) water
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons total)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper to taste, optional for a spicy kick
- Optional, for serving: hot sauce, grated cheese, sliced jalapeno, sour cream, sliced green onion, chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, a splash of vinegar
Instructions
- Rinse beans. Place in a large pot and cover with 7 cups of water. Let stand 6-8 hours, or overnight. Drain and return beans to pot.
- Add 1 quart (4 cups) of fresh water to the pot with the beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours (or until beans are tender).
- Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1-1 ½ hours longer (until beans are tender and gravy is thick). Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
ALTERNATIVE SLOW COOKER METHOD:
- You do not need to soak the beans. Simply place the dry beans, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings in the slow cooker. Add 7 cups of water and stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are tender. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. If you don't want as much broth in the pot, just strain off some of the liquid or serve the beans with a slotted spoon.
Notes
- Adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste. As written, these are fairly mild beans. You can add as much cayenne or hot sauce as you like to increase the heat! Oregano is a nice addition to the seasoning blend, and you’ll also want to season well with plenty of salt and pepper.
- For even more flavor, cook the beans in unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth instead of water.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations and Tips for Success
- Adjust the seasoning to suit your family’s taste. As written, these are fairly mild beans. You can add as much cayenne or hot sauce as you like to increase the heat!
- Substitute dried ancho chiles, ancho chile powder, or jalapeno for the chili powder called for here. Don’t have onion and garlic on hand? Sub with ½ teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon of onion powder (or more to taste). Oregano is also a nice addition to the seasoning blend.
- For more flavor, cook the beans in unsalted or low-sodium chicken broth, beef broth, or vegetable broth instead of water.
- As written, this ranch-style beans recipe is vegetarian and vegan. If you prefer, you can flavor the beans with meat. Good options include a smoked ham hock, cooked bacon, smoked sausage, smoked turkey wings, or smoked pork neck bones.
- If you don’t have time to soak the beans in advance, try the “quick soak” method. Rinse them, place them in a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil the beans, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and then let the beans soak in the hot water for 1 hour. Drain the beans in a colander, rinse them under cold water, and proceed with the recipe.
This recipe was originally published in May, 2020. It was updated in July, 2024.
Hi, my beans are cooking as we speak in the the slow cooker but it’s more of a broth and I would like it to be thicker. How would I do that? Took a taste and the flavours good probably needs more salt. Also I was only able to put in about 5 cups of water due to cooker being smaller. Thanks!
Hi, Debbie! Beans thicken quite a bit as they cool, so definitely keep that in mind. If you like, you can pull out some of the beans, mash them, and then stir them back into the pot. This will thicken as well. Finally, you can transfer the mixture to a pot on the stovetop and just let them simmer (uncovered) until the liquid reduces to the desired consistency. Hope that helps!
Yum! They turned out fantastic. I Insta-pressured them for 30 min the first soak, drained and pressured again for 30 min. with 1 lb of crumbled raw hamburger. Then added all the flavored ingredients and let it simmer on warm until the cornbread finished, about 20 min.
Thank you! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
This recipe is a keeper!!
I made a few minor alterations and used the crockpot method. In place of 4 cups of the 7 cups of water, I used vegetable broth. My paprika is smoked paprika which I really enjoy. I also added 1.5 pounds of browned ground beef toward the end of cooking. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Sheila! I’m so glad that it worked well for you. I bet the beef and smoked paprika were great additions!
I’m throwing this in the crockpot tomorrow! I’m excited to give it a try! Would this recipe be the equivalent of 2 cans or more?
Hi, Robyn! It’s equivalent to about 3-4 cans once the beans are cooked. 🙂
I’m excited to try these! Do these taste like the canned variety?
Hi, Rebekah! Yes, I’d say they do…but better. 😉
The canned Ranch Style beans use garlic powder and onion powder instead of fresh onion and garlic cloves so I think the homemade variety should use the same for convenience.
Thank you for the feedback, Bill! The fresh ingredients provide a stronger flavor, but you could experiment with ratios for the powders.
Beans need to be soft before adding tomatoes. Acid keeps beans from softening.
Best seasoning recipe I have found. I leave out tomato paste and add 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for the perfect kick. Brisket or pulled pork are a great meat add too!
Thank you so much, Ken!