Borracho Beans (Slow Cooker Or Instant Pot)

Borracho Beans — These “drunken beans” are simmered with a can of BEER and can be made in your SLOW COOKER OR INSTANT POT! The bacon, sausage or chorizo, jalepenos, tomato, onion, garlic, herbs, and beer make these the BEST beans ever! A wonderful side for any Mexican-themed meal!

What Are Borracho Beans?

I love saucy beans with lots of robust flavor and if you fall into that group, you’re going to love these juicy borracho beans. 

Borracho translates to “drunk” in Spanish and these beans could be referred to as drunken beans and that’s because they’re cooked in beer. 

Although you won’t actually get drunk from the relatively low quantity of beer compared to the volume of beans this recipe makes, the beer adds such wonderful depth of flavor.

The explosion of flavor however doesn’t stop with just the beer. There’s also bacon, sausage or chorizo, and a mixture of other aromatic ingredients such as onions, garlic, jalapenos, and various spices.

My borracho beans recipe can be made in either your slow cooker or an Instant Pot. You can make the beans from scratch with either option, or simply use canned pinto beans. 

Ingredients for Borracho Beans

To make these juicy and flavorful Mexican-style beans that everyone adores, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Dry pinto beans OR canned pinto beans
• Water
• Salt
• Bacon
• Sausage OR chorizo
• Garlic
• Jalapenos
• Roma tomato
• Beer
• Mexican oregano or oregano
• Cumin
• Salt 
• Cilantro
• Lime

How to Make Borracho Beans in a Slow Cooker

Making slow cooker drunken beans is incredibly easy, as there’s minimal prep work on your part! 

1. Pour dry, uncooked pinto beans into the slow cooker and add water until the beans are covered by about 2 inches and stir in some salt.
2. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. 
3. With either option, you will place bacon in a skillet and cook briefly before adding the onions, and then the garlic.
4. Add a can of beer and the bacon to the beans, the sausage or chorizo,  jalapenos, tomato, oregano, cumin, additional salt, and stir.
5. Transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for another 2 to 3 hours, or until the liquid volume has reduced to your liking.
6. Add cilantro and lime, stir, and serve up your deliciously drunken beans.

Tip: You can omit the 6- to 8-hour cooking process in step #3 and just use canned beans if desired. 

How to Make Instant Pot Borracho Beans

Making drunken beans in the Instant Pot is just as easy as the slow cooker version, but the cook time is significantly reduced. Here’s how Mexican borracho beans are made in an Instant Pot: 

1. Pour dry, uncooked pinto beans into the Instant Pot, add water, close and secure the lid ,and make sure the vent is closed. 
2. Choose the Bean setting and set for 40 minutes.
3. Use quick release when beans are finished. Pour the cooked beans into a separate pan or large bowl. 
4. Which ever bean option you use, you will then place bacon in the Instant Pot and set it to Saute. Cook the bacon for 7 minutes before adding onion, and then the garlic.
5. Add the beans into the bacon mixture before adding sausage or chorizo, jalapenos, tomato, oregano, cumin, salt, and beer.
6. Set on Slow Cook for 2 to 3 hours, or if you want it to cook faster, set to Saute for 45 minutes. You may need to add more water if you’re cooking longer using the Slow Cook option on the Instant Pot.

Tip: As was the case with the slow cooker, you can omit the first 40-minute cooking process and use canned beans instead to save time.

What’s the Best Beer for Borracho Beans? 

I definitely recommend a darker beer for this recipe. I used Negro Modelo. Although I’m sure you could use a paler beer however for my personal preferences the beans taste better when simmered in a darker beer.

Can the Beer Be Omitted? 

No, definitely not! The beer is what makes this a true borracho beans recipe. If you don’t drink beer or prefer not to cook with it, I suggest finding another Mexican beans recipe.  

What’s the Best Sausage for Borracho Beans? 

I tend to use precooked smoked sausage, usually sold in a horseshoe or ring shape that I slice thin. This lends to bigger bites of sausage in the finished dish although you can use uncooked sausage.

If that’s the option you’re using, it’s easiest to use sausage that’s not in the casings, although you still could if that’s all you have. This type of sausage will be much more crumbled or ground in the finished dish, similar to how chorizo will be.

Use anything from mild to spicy or smoked, it’s totally up to you based on your preference. 

Can I Get Drunk From Drunken Beans?

The answer is definitely not! There’s only 12 ounces of beer in a recipe that makes about 12 servings, so that’s less than one ounce per serving.  Plus, the alcohol burns off in the cooking process.

These Mexican-style beans in my opinion are perfectly safe for everyone, including kids. Of course, do what’s right for you.

How to Serve Drunken Beans

These drunken borracho beans are excellent served with avocado, cheese, tortillas, or cornbread, and make a wonderful side to almost any Mexican-inspired meal.

Tips for the Best Borracho Beans 

For the absolute best-tasting beans, I do recommend starting with dry, uncooked beans and cook them yourself rather than using canned beans.

That said, you still can use canned beans, but they just taste that much better if you make scratch beans rather than cracking a can. 

However, from a time-management or workload perspective, use canned beans if you need to!

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4.54 from 13 votes

Borracho Beans (Slow Cooker Or Instant Pot)

By Averie Sunshine

Borracho Beans – These “drunken beans” are simmered with a can of BEER and can be made in your SLOW COOKER OR INSTANT POT! The bacon, sausage or chorizo, jalepenos, tomato, onion, garlic, herbs, and beer make these the BEST beans ever! A wonderful side for any Mexican-themed meal!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 lb. dry Pinto Beans, sorted and washed OR two-16 ounce cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
• ▢ 6 cups water
• ▢ 4 teaspoons salt, divided; plus more if needed
• ▢ 5 slices bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces
• ▢ 1 cup smoked sausage*, sliced into thin slices OR 1 cup chorizo
• ▢ 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
• ▢ one-12 ounce can beer**
• ▢ 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
• ▢ 1 Roma tomato, diced small
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, regular oregano can be substituted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
• ▢ 1 lime, juiced

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• SLOW COOKER - Add the uncooked beans into the slow cooker (I recommend a 7 or 8-quart) and add approximately 6 cups of water or until the beans are covered by about 2 inches. (If using canned beans, omit steps 1 through 3 and go to step 4).
• Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt. 
• Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Drain the beans after they're cooked and set beans aside.
• Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. 
• Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer, stirring nearly constantly.
• Add the can of beer and stir, noting the mixture will bubble up a bit so use caution.
• Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker and add in the beans.
• Add the sausage or chorizo, jalapenos, tomato, oregano, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, and stir.
• Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or until the liquid volume has reduced to your liking.
• Add the cilantro, lime, stir, taste to check for salt balance, adding more salt if necessary, and serve.
• Beans will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• INSTANT POT - Add the uncooked beans into the Instant Pot and add 6 cups of water, or until the beans are covered by about 2 inches.
• Close the lid and make sure the vent is closed.  Choose Bean setting and set for 40 minutes. (If using canned beans, omit steps 1 through 3 and go to step 4).
• Use quick release when beans are finished. Transfer the beans into a separate pan or large bowl; set aside. 
• Place the bacon in the Instant Pot and set to Saute. Saute the bacon for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
• Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer, stirring nearly constantly.
• Add the beans to the bacon mixture and stir.
• Add the sausage or chorizo, jalapenos, tomato, oregano, cumin, salt, and the beer. 
• Set on Slow Cook setting for 2 to 3 hours (Instant Pots have a Slow Cook setting) OR if you want it to cook faster, set to Saute for 45 minutes. You may need to add additional water if cooking longer on the Slow Cook setting; keep an eye on things and don't let the mixture get dry.
• Add the cilantro, lime juice, stir, taste to check for salt balance, adding more if necessary, and serve.
• Beans will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

*I use precooked smoked sausage (in a horseshoe shape) that I slice into thin pieces which gives the dish some bigger pieces/slices of meat versus crumbled raw sausage which is similar to how the chorizo would be. If you are starting with raw sausage, I would use sausage without the casings although theoretically you could still use it in the casings. I like a hotter smoked sausage although use whatever heat level you prefer. Or, use chorizo.

**Dark beer is best in my opinion. I use and recommend Negro Modelo or something similar. However, you can technically use any beer you like or have on hand.

***Note that the cooking times listed at the top of the recipe will vary dramatically if you're making the recipe in a slow cooker versus Instant Pot, and using canned beans versus scratch. At the longest, this recipe will take about 10 hours if making scratch beans and using the slow cooker. And at the fastest about 45 minutes if you're using an Instant Pot with canned beans; any other variations will effect the overall cooking time needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 432kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 1188mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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