These Santa Maria style Pinquito Beans are the perfect summer barbecue side dish! Originally created in Santa Maria, California to be served alongside Grilled Tri Tip, these beans are smokey and sweet with the perfect blend of spices. Eat them with tri tip or serve alongside whatever else you are barbecuing this summer!
What are Pinquito Beans?
Have you heard of Pinquito beans? They are small pink beans that grow on the coast in central California. They are a cross between a pink bean and a small white bean. I have yet to learn of another location where they are grown and harvested. They are hearty little beans with a meaty flavor. They keep their shape when you cook them, which results in this amazing texture for your final bean dish. These beans are soft and tender but not mushy and they are nutty and earthy and oh so creamy!
Where to find pinquito beans:
Sadly, pinquito beans are kind of tough to find outside of California, or even in California! I live in Ohio and couldn’t find them at my store. You have two options: you can buy them online from California bean companies like Susie Q’s, Rancho Gordo, or Lompoc, (I bought them in bulk from Susie Q), or you can substitute a small white bean like a navy bean.
It won’t be quite the same because pinquito beans have their own very unique flavor that you will be missing out on, but you will still get a really wonderful bean dish at the end of the day. Don’t use pinto beans or kidney beans. Although they are related to pinquito beans, they are just not the right kind of bean for this dish; a nice small white bean will get you closer to the flavor and texture of pinquito beans.
Santa Maria Beans ingredients:
Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- Dry pinquito beans (1 pound)
- Ham hock
- Bacon (1 pound)
- 2 fresh Anaheim chiles (or a 7 oz can of fire roasted green chiles)
- White onion
- Garlic
- Ancho chile powder
- Brown sugar
- Dry mustard
- Paprika
- Tomato sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Sour cream (garnish)
Pinquito Beans Recipe variations and substitutions:
Your biggest question is probably, “What can I use instead of pinquito beans??”
The short answer is, you should just buy pinquito beans online from California bean companies like Susie Q’s, Rancho Gordo, or Lompoc.
You can also substitute a small white bean, like a navy bean, but it won’t be quite the same because pinquito beans have their own very unique flavor that you will be missing out on.
Don’t use pinto beans or kidney beans. Although they are related to pinquito beans, they are just not the right kind of bean for this dish; a nice small white bean will get you closer to the flavor and texture of pinquito beans.
If you don’t want to roast and peel your own Anaheim chiles, you can replace them with a 7 ounce can of green chiles; buy the fire roasted kind if you can find them. Drain the chiles and add it at the same point in the recipe as the fresh ones.
How to Make Santa Maria Pinquito Beans:
Boy, am I glad I figured out a recipe guys. These beans are GOOOOOOD. If you are a fan of slow cooked beans, you have got to try these pinquitos!
The recipe is a little untraditional because it’s made in two pans. Normally when I make beans I throw everything into a pot and simmer until it’s tasty. But quite a few of the recipes I found had you cook the pinquito beans in water separately, then add it to a sauce made in a different pan. I was dubious at first, but I tried it both ways, and the two pot version is indeed more flavorful and hearty, so I’m sticking with it.
First throw the beans and water into a big pot with a ham hock. I love the smokey flavor that ham hocks add to the final dish! Plus there is a little bit of smokey ham left on those hock usually, that I like to chop up and add to the beans when they’re all done cooking.
Cook the beans at a low simmer for a couple hours, until they are nice and tender. They won’t be falling apart like pinto beans; they will remain as they are when you started cooking: tiny cute pink beans. Don’t add salt; salt inhibits a bean’s ability to absorb water and will just slow down your cooking time.
Meanwhile, put together your bean sauce. Start out with a full pound of bacon. (See, I told you this was good stuff.) Crisp up the bacon, then add in a white onion and some roasted Anaheim chiles.
I love the flavor that fresh roasted chiles adds to the final dish, but I get that roasting peppers is annoying, and some of you might not even have Anaheims at your store. You can use a can of diced green chiles if you must. See notes for details.
Next add in some tomato sauce and spices: paprika, mustard, and ancho chili powder are the most important spices in traditional Santa Maria Beans. Oh, and garlic. Don’t forget the garlic!! Simmer the sauce over low heat for a few minutes and then add in the beans. You can add as much of the “bean juice” that you want. I added most of mine in but use your best judgment to get the consistency you want.
Then serve these beans alongside some Grilled Tri Tip! It’s heaven! In Santa Maria, the full traditional meal includes Grilled Tri Tip, Santa Maria beans, mild tomato salsa, garlic bread, and a cold relish tray. YUM.
How to store Pinquito Beans (Santa Maria Style):
Santa Maria beans can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheated in the microwave or a pot on the stovetop whenever you want them.
Can Santa Maria Pinquito Beans be frozen?
Yep! If you find the whole batch is too much for you at one time, you can freeze the finished beans for up to six months. Perfect for pulling out any time the pinquito cravings hit!
Pinquito Beans Santa Maria FAQs:
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PINTO BEANS AND PINQUITO BEANS?
Pinquito beans will seem familiar if you like pinto beans. They’re a smaller, pinker cousin with a pretty similar flavor. They keep their shape when you cook them (unlike pinto beans), which results in this amazing texture for your final bean dish. They are soft and tender but not mushy; They are nutty and earthy and oh so creamy!
WHERE ARE SANTA MARIA PINQUITO BEANS GROWN?
Santa Maria Pinquito beans are exclusively grown in California’s central coast, in the Santa Maria Valley. If you’ve never had them, you are in for a treat!
More Recipe Suggestions:
California Walnut and Kale Bucatini
Fried Green Beans with Sriracha Mayo
Creamy Chicken Poblano and Black Bean Soup
Santa Maria Style Pinquito Beans
Equipment
- Instant Pot (Optional Cooking Method)
- Crock Pot / Slow Cooker (Optional Cooking Method)
Ingredients
In a large pot:
- 1- pound pinquito beans dry
- 1 ham hock
- 10 cups water
In a 12-inch, high sided skillet:
- 1 pound bacon chopped
- 2 Anaheim chiles*
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic smashed and minced
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- sour cream to garnish
- white onion chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the beans. Rinse the pinquito beans under water and pick out any stones or debris. Add the beans to a large stock pot along with the ham hock, and about 10 cups of water. The water should cover the beans by at least a couple inches, the water amount doesn’t have to be exact. Cover the beans and turn the heat to high. Bring to a rolling boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, usually this is about medium-low heat, but every stove is different. There should be a slow bubble in the center of the pot. Simmer for about 2-3 hours. Check the water level and add more hot water as necessary to keep the water at least 1 inch above the beans. Make sure you bring it back to a simmer if you add water. The beans are done when they are tender but still firm. They will keep their shape but should not be chalky.
- Roast the Anaheim chiles. Place the 2 chiles on a foil-lined baking sheet. Turn the broiler up to high heat and move the oven rack up as high as it will go. Place the chiles directly under the flame and roast for about 7-10 minutes, checking the peppers every 1 minute. Don’t walk away! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had something I’m broiling burst into flames because I forgot about it. Set a timer and stay nearby. After about 3-4 minutes, the skin of the peppers closest to the flame will turn black. Remove from the oven and use tongs to turn the peppers over. Broil the green sides of the peppers until they are black. Rotate again as necessary to make sure all sides of the peppers are roasted and black. Remove from the oven and immediately seal the peppers so they can steam place them in a sealed Ziplock bag, place them in a bowl with plastic wrap tightly over the top, or place them on a flat countertop and place a bowl directly over the top. Just make sure the steam can’t escape. Steam for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, carefully peel off the waxy outer layer of skin. Discard the stem, seeds, and membrane. Use a knife to chop the green fleshy roasted chiles into half inch pieces and set aside.
- Make the sauce. Chop the raw bacon into bite size pieces. In a 12-inch high-sided skillet, add the bacon and cook over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes until quite crisp. Drain most of the grease from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon bacon grease behind in the pan. (Save the excess bacon grease for making pancakes!)
- Add the chopped white onion to the pan with the bacon. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add in the roasted and chopped Anaheim peppers and 4-5 cloves of smashed and minced garlic (about 2 tablespoons).
- Add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, and 1 teaspoon paprika. Sauté for another 2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the spices smell toasty.
- Add a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then lower to a simmer over about medium low heat, there should be some slow bubbles in the middle of the pan. Let simmer for about 30 minutes until slightly thickened. If your beans in the other pot aren’t tender yet, turn off the heat on the sauce while the pot of beans finishes up.
- When the beans in the other pot are nice and tender, drain the beans (but don’t you get rid of that bean juice! Hang onto it.) Take out the ham hock, chop up any meat that’s left on it and throw it into the sauce.
- Add all the beans to the sauce and turn the heat back on to medium. Add the water you saved from cooking the beans a little bit at a time until it is a consistency you like. I actually ended up adding all of my bean juice, but you really need to use your best judgment here. You don’t want to water down your beans.
- Let the beans simmer in the sauce for a few minutes before devouring! Garnish with sour cream and raw white onions if you want. But please, if you know what’s good for you, serve these beans with juicy Grilled Tri Tip!
Notes:
- *Roasting fresh chiles gives you this unbelievable flavor, but it’s kind of an annoying step, I get it. You can replace the fresh chiles with a 7 ounce can of green chiles; buy the fire roasted kind if you can find them. Drain the chiles and add it at the same point in the recipe as the fresh ones (step 4).
- INSTANT POT: I have not tried this in the Instant Pot yet. When I try it, I will update. I did read a review in my research that said they soaked the beans for about 8 hours, then discarded the liquid and cooked the beans in new water in the Instant Pot for about 10-12 minutes. If you don’t pre-soak, I imagine it would take a couple more minutes. Let me know if you experiment with this!
- SLOW COOKER: I haven’t tried this in the slow cooker yet. The time that I tried to make these beans all together in a pot on the stove, they tasted watered down and sad. The sauce is just a lot richer if you cook it separately first. So, I will have to do some more testing before I’m confident with a slow cooker version. But: if you want to cook the beans and ham hock in water in the slow cooker, it will work just fine. Cook it on low for about 6-8 hours or until the beans are nice and tender, then combine with the sauce made as described in the recipe, adding as much of the bean liquid as you want to get the consistency you like.
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