Tender and creamy Borracho Beans (or Frijoles Borrachos) are an easy Mexican dish made from pinto beans simmered in a beer broth with bacon, onions, tomatoes and spices. Serve with a side of cornbread or flour tortillas for the perfect Tex-Mex dinner!
I’ve been cooking with a lot of pantry staples like dried beans lately (so much so that I put together a list of 25 bean recipes to make with dried or canned beans), and I came to the realization that I had never shared a recipe for borracho beans!
Never heard of them? Basically, if you love beans, bacon and beer, then you’re going to love this one-pot recipe!
What are borracho beans?
Borracho Beans (or Frijoles Borrachos in Spanish) translates to “drunken beans.” They’re called this because the beans are cooked in beer. But don’t let the name fool you – these beans won’t leave you feeling boozy. The entire recipe contains only one 12-ounce beer, which translates to one ounce per serving.
What’s the difference between borracho beans and charro beans?
Borracho beans and charro beans are very similar. The difference is that borracho beans are cooked in beer and charro beans are not. Charro beans are typically cooked in water or chicken or beef broth.
How to make borracho beans
To start, you’ll need to decide whether you’re going to cook your beans from dried (which is what I highly recommend) or if you’ll used canned pinto beans instead.
Cooking your beans from dried will produce a thicker, creamier and tastier batch of borracho beans. The only downside is that it does take a little longer because you have to soak the beans for 8 hours, but trust me – it’s well worth it.
If you’ve never cooked dried pinto beans before, here’s a post with step-by-step photos on how to cook pinto beans on the stove. I’ve also included those steps in the recipe card below as well as instructions if you decide to use canned beans instead.
Once you’ve got all your ingredients ready to go, cook the diced bacon in a pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. (Here’s the Dutch oven that I love and use for all sorts of recipes like soups, stews and beans!)
When the bacon has browned and become nice and crispy, transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels and set it aside. Make sure to leave the rendered bacon fat in the pot because that’s what you’ll use to cook the rest of the ingredients.
Next, add in the onions and jalapenos. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and have softened.
Now, add in the garlic, chili powders, dried oregano (use Mexican oregano if you have it), salt and ground cumin. Saute for about 30 seconds to release the flavors into the onions. You don’t want to cook it too long though because you might burn the garlic.
Then add the cooked pinto beans, canned diced tomatoes, beer and brown sugar. Give it a good stir to combine everything and bring the beans to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, the beans should be creamy and super tender! If you used canned beans, they may not look quite a thick as the beans in the photos. If you’d like them a little more tender, simmer them a little longer until they’re perfectly thick. You may need to add a splash of water or chicken stock if it needs a little more liquid.
When you’re ready to serve them, mix in some freshly chopped cilantro along with the crispy browned bacon.
Tips for making the best borracho beans
- I recommend starting with dried beans for the most tender and creamy beans. If you’ve never cooked dried beans before, take a look at this post all about how to cook pinto beans on the stove. Rest assured that I’ve also added these instructions in the recipe card below.
- Don’t have dried beans? You can use canned beans instead. You will need four 15-ounce cans of pinto beans.
- You can use any type of green pepper you have. I used jalapenos, but you could also use poblanos, serranos or even bell peppers if you don’t want any heat whatsoever.
- You can use any beer you have on hand. I prefer making these beans with a darker-style beer (for example, I used a Negra Modelo which is a dunkel-style lager), but you could use whatever you have in the fridge. Except a sour beer. Definitely don’t use that.
Now that is one mouth-watering pot of borracho beans! Just the smell of these beans makes me think of barbecues and summer cookouts with my friends and family.
They’re always a big hit a pair well with so many Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes!
What to serve with borracho beans
While you can certainly eat a big bowl of these frijoles as a main meal, I usually eat them as a side dish. Here are a few ideas of what to serve them with:
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans* (see tips below for using canned beans)
- water
- 1/2 pound uncooked bacon
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced (seeds and veins removed if you don't want it spicy)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or regular if you don't have ancho)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 12-ounce bottle dark lager beer (I used Negra Modelo)
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Pour the beans into a large bowl. Pick out and discard any beans that are shriveled or split as well as any small rocks that may have made their way into the bag.
- Fully cover the beans with water (at least 3 inches over the top of the beans) and set on the counter to soak for 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain and rinse the beans under cool water. (They will have doubled in size during the soaking process!)
- Transfer the beans to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add 10 cups of water (and the optional ingredients if using them).
- Bring beans to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (I recommend checking them at the 2 hour mark and giving them a taste. They should be tender and fully cooked through, but still a little firm and not mushy. Cook a little longer if they're not quite done.)
- Drain cooked beans, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. Rinse and dry the pot.
- Return pot to the stove and heat over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
- Add the onions and jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the garlic, chili powders, dried oregano, salt and ground cumin. Stir and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the cooked pinto beans, diced tomatoes, beer and brown sugar. Stir together to combine and bring to a low simmer.
- Simmer the beans for 15 minutes and remove from heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro and crispy bacon. Serve immediately.
Isabel’s Tips:
- Don’t want to use dried beans? You can use canned beans instead. You will need four 15-ounce cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed. Then skip to step 7.
- I recommend starting with dried beans for the most tender and creamy beans. If you’ve never cooked dried beans before, take a look at this post all about how to cook pinto beans on the stove.
- You can use any type of green pepper you have. I used jalapenos, but you could also use poblanos, serranos or even bell peppers if you don’t want any heat whatsoever.
- You can use any beer you have on hand. I prefer making these beans with a darker-style beer, but you could use whatever you have in the fridge. Except a sour beer. Definitely don’t use that.
Nutrition Information
great recipe! One thing I wanted to comment on however, is the type of beer. As noted, you definitely don’t want to use a sour, but also don’t use an IPA or Imperial IPA. They have too much bitterness from the large amount of hops used and the beans don’t taste as good. Go with a much lighter beer, such as a lager or pilsner, etc..
Can leftovers be frozen for use at a later date
Hi Steve! Yes, they can.
After the beans are cooked do I discard the water that was used to cook the beans? Or will the beer be enough liquid to make the beans
Hi Marlen! You can discard the water. The beer should be enough liquid for the beans!
Duh! why didn’t I think about adding more liquid. Recipe sounds good. I’ll let you know after the Memorial weekend how everyone liked them. The crow will be introduce to something new.
If I cook the borracho beans a day ahead, will they be dry if served the following day?
Hi Irene! It should be okay, but I would save as much of the cooking liquid as you can! You can also add a little bit of water when reheating if you see its a little bit dry.
Could this recipe be done in the Instant Pot?
Hi Patty! We don’t have the instant pot version of this recipe yet, but there are lots of other great food blogs that might have exactly what you’re looking for.
Is one beer enough liquid for these beans?
Hi John! Yes, it should be but if you think it needs more you can definitely add it!
Can this recipe be use for crockpot?
Hi Rose! We haven’t tried it in a crockpot so we’re not sure, but you are more than welcome to try!