Crockpot drunken beans feature pinto beans cooked with beer and bacon. They are a tasty Mexican inspired side dish that are a perfect change to your normal baked beans but also go well with other Tex-Mex meals.

Serving bowl of drunken beans with bacon, jalapenos and cilantro in front of the slow cooker they were cooked in.

Beans, beans, the magical fruit, are even better with beer, jalapenos, and bacon. These are my twist on frijoles borrachos and they are delicious.

It seems like there is a crockpot of beans at every Midwestern BBQ and potluck. They are easy to make, easy to transport, and they are filling.

Usually we go with something like cowboy beans or the super tasty apple pie baked beans, both start with canned beans. Sometimes we break out the dried beans and make Instant Pot maple baked beans.

Those all have beans that are cooked in a sweeter sauce. Sometimes it is nice to have a more savory option.

Skillet with bits of cooked bacon, diced onion, and jalapenos in it next to crock pot with dried pinto beans, water, beer and seasonings inside ready to combine and cook.

Stirring diced tomatoes and fresh cilantro into crockpot with cooked frijoles borrachos.

That is where these drunken beans come in. They are flavored with beer, onions, jalapenos, bacon, and cilantro.

There is enough heat for them to be interesting, but I wouldn’t call them spicy. They are slow cooked in all of that flavor until the beans are tender.

I like to stir in a can of diced tomatoes after the beans are cooked. That helps to make sure the beans cook before they have any acid added, it helps them to soften faster.

Serving spoon filled with homemade drunken beans over the crockpot of beans.

Of course the cilantro is best added towards the end as well. That way you still get a little bright herbaciousness.

Though the leftovers still test fabulous, so if you need to stir the cilantro in earlier that is fine too.

Tips and Tricks

Of course traditional frijoles borrachos would be made with Mexican beer. However, you can use whatever you like.

I used a lager for this batch because that is what we had on hand. Even dark beers would work for this recipe.

If your beans are soupier than you would like, just mash a few and return them to the pot. It will help to thicken them up.

Bowl of crockpot drunken beans in thick broth with cooked pinto beans in beer, onions, jalapenos and bacon.

You can also remove the lid and cook the beans on high for a little while to help evaporate off any excess water. Or just make them a day in advance, they naturally thicken and reheat well.

If you need to speed up the recipe, soak the beans overnight. Then you can take an hour or two off the cook time.

For even faster results you can use canned beans. Just drain them well and cook them in some beer with the seasonings, onions, bacon etc. and don’t add any water.

That’s it! Make some to serve with chorizo tacos or make a batch for a carry-in. They may just become your new favorite beans.

Serving bowl filled with cooked pinto beans in broth made with beer, onions, and jalapenos with bits of diced tomatoes and cilantro mixed in ready to be served as frijoles borrachos.

Crockpot Drunken Beans

Servings: 14 Servings

Author: Carlee

5 from 1 rating

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8 15

Total Time 8 30

Ingredients

6 slices bacon
1 onion diced
3 jalapenos diced
1½ teaspoons garlic powder
12 ounces beer
6 cups water
1 pound dried pinto beans
1 Tablespoon salt
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
¼ cup cilantro chopped

Instructions

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from the skillet, but leave the drippings.
6 slices bacon
Cook the diced onion and jalapenos in the bacon grease until the onion is translucent.
1 onion, 3 jalapenos
Rinse the beans. Place in slow cooker with the water, beer, salt, garlic, and cooked bacon, onion, and jalapeno.
1½ teaspoons garlic powder, 12 ounces beer, 6 cups water, 1 pound dried pinto beans, 1 Tablespoon salt
Cook on high for at least 6 hours or low for at least 8 hours. The beans should be tender.
If needed, you can mash some beans to thicken the broth. Or continue to cook the beans on high with the lid off to help thicken the broth.
Stir in the diced tomatoes and cilantro. Serve right away or hold on warm until ready to enjoy.
14 ounce can diced tomatoes, ¼ cup cilantro

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Nutrition

Serving: 1half cup servingCalories: 134kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 8gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 562mgPotassium: 536mgFiber: 6gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 85IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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