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Brian was so excited when he finally perfected his “chorizo” spice blend for our recent tofu recipe and he kind of went a bit crazy trying to add it to everything! That is when he created what he now calls the “best smelling recipe he has ever made.” Lucky for you, he made a nice little video to show you just exactly how it’s done.
We’ve been trying to use our Instant Pot a lot more lately, so this was a perfect opportunity to test out the spice blend in a new way. We have a lot of dry beans on hand right now, so Brian decided to cook up a one pound bag of them.
We also added in some diced onion for an extra layer of flavor.
But Brian’s chorizo spice blend is the true masterpiece here. He worked super hard on this one and I think the final mix turned out really great.
If you enjoyed the chorizo tofu recipe, you’ll definitely want to try this one out and let us know if it’s the best smelling thing YOU’VE ever cooked!
Check out the video here and get the full recipe below.
Brian’s Chorizo-Spiced Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 16oz dry pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp coriander (ground)
- 1 tsp paprika*
- Dash of cinnamon
- 3-4 small bay leaves
- A few dashes of liquid smoke*
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp low sodium tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
Directions
- Measure all dry ingredients (chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, Mexican oregano, onion powder, coriander, paprika & cinnamon) into a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Dry sauté diced onion on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes until translucent and just starting to brown. If they begin to stick, you can add in a splash of water. If you are using an Instant Pot, you can do this directly in the Instant Pot using the sauté function. You will need at least a 6-quart Instant Pot for this recipe.
- Add dry spice mixture to onions and stir, adding in a splash or two of water as needed until a paste is formed.
- Add rinsed (uncooked) beans, 4 cups of water, bay leaves and a few dashes of liquid smoke. Stir to combine.
- Cook in Instant Pot on high pressure for 35 minutes. If you do not have an Instant Pot, cook pinto beans according to instructions on package or using your preferred method.
- Once beans have cooked, let pressure release naturally (for Instant Pot). Remove bay leaves and add in the remaining liquid ingredients (red wine vinegar, tamari, lime juice) and optional salt/pepper to taste. Stir and enjoy!
*NOTE: If you prefer not to use liquid smoke, you can swap in 1 tsp smoked paprika instead of regular paprika and omit the liquid smoke.
Our favorite way to eat these is on a bed of rice or riced cauliflower. You could also serve them in burritos, tacos, etc. or just eat them straight from the bowl!
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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, 6 quartStarPack Basics Silicone Spatula Set
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*We bought this giant container of Mexican Oregano. It does have bigger pieces, so it helps to use a spice grinder on it first!
KRUPS GX4100 Electric Spice Herbs and Coffee Grinder
Spice Hunter Coriander Ground Organic, 1.4 oz
Colgin Assorted Liquid Smoke Gift Box
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Every time I see you create a chorizo flavored recipe, or something spicy, I have the urge to send you a jar of Portuguese Crushed Red Pepper. It’s a liquid, rather than a dry spice, and is something I grew up with and still use nearly every day. It’s a staple in Portuguese cooking and my maternal grandfather used to make his own and can it so we had a few dozen jars so we didn’t have to buy it. (Like I do now, lol.) It’s vegan but there is some sodium in there though it’s used sparingly IN the food rather than as a condiment, though you could do that, too. It’s outstanding on home-fries and I put it on fried eggs (not 100% plant here) yadda yadda, I’ll include other uses when I send it. Reply to my email with a shipping address if you’re interested!
Just searched so I could find your first comment! Here it is! 🙂 I am emailing you now.
WHERE CAN WE FIND IT?
FINALLY! A wfpb bean that I love! Thank you I just made the best burrito bowl. I am struggling to find recipes I enjoy as I continue on my wfpb journey. This was the first day I actually enjoyed my meal and it was because of your beans 💚
Made this tonight, beans were hard, but I ran out of time so we ate it anyway.
Is it possible to make this with canned beans? Also would any bean work or only pinto?
Any bean will work and you can use canned beans if you like. I don’t think you will get as good of a final product but it will still taste great. 🙂
Oh my goodness! I just made these and they are amazing! Next time I will double the recipe.
What variety of liquid smoke did you use in this recipe?
I know you said the smell was amazing did you get the chorizo taste too?
We use Colgin brand liquid smoke. I got as close to chorizo flavor as I can without the meat and fat. 🤣
Hi Brian,
.
This recipe looks great! I quadrupled the amounts and stored it in a 1/2 pint mason jar. I kept the ratios the same but split the paprika amount between smoked paprika and ground chipotle. Also rather than cinnamon I used some ground clove as I believe that is a little more authentic to the chorizo style. Looking forward to coming up with other applications.
This sounds wonderful! I made the spice mix already, just soaking some( un-pinto) beans (kidney beans were all I had) and think I am gonna sneak in a bunch of veggies I have to use up too and make a sort of stew out of it (which will also stretch it for extra meals). Seems for one reason or another I can never follow a recipe as written! 😉
Brian,
You don’t know me, but I wish you luck on your goal to lose 10lbs by the 2-year anniversary. Jessica’s goal seems less momentous, so that’s why I’m addressing you.
Go Brian!
I just made this today and it was delicious! The seasonings were perfect. I did have to add more cooking time so that my beans were as soft as I like, but this recipe is a keeper.
Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Man, I watched the video and used the blog post for the recipe and still put the vinegar, lime juice, and tamari in right before cooking. Oops.
Oh no! Yeah, apparently it can slow down the cooking of the beans! Brian probably should have said that specifically 😉
Still turned out great! I have made them a second time now and did it correctly.
Awesome!!
Where’s the chorizo?
It is flavored like chorizo 🙂
My non-wfpb husband wanted to know what I was cooking and I told him beans, something he’s really not into. I’d made these for my lunch and he came over and said “can I have some”. He then proceeded to have two helpings! Btw, he called it “soup”–I decided he could call it anything he wanted if he would eat it!
Oh wow! Thanks for sharing that Marisa 🙂 You definitely brought a smile to Brian’s face! 😀
Ok here’s attempt number 2 which won’t be as eloquent. I love everything chorizo flavored having grown up in a household that was half Portuguese. We actually call it chouriço (rhymes with Sharisse.) So I gravitate toward anything that mimics the flavor without the fat and cholesterol. Full disclosure I am not WFPB or Vegan – Maybe about 75%. I just enjoy everything (dairy and Reese’s weakness) and am writing my own cookbook. Anyway. The Portuguese Crushed Red Pepper. Pimenta Moida. It’s a liquid rather than a powder so it dissipates easily in marinades but has fewer seeds. There’s salt in it but it’s typically not just a condiment; more like a TB or 2 in a full recipe. It’s definitely a NE United States thing. I’m happy to send you a jar. If you’re interested please send an email to the one I’ve submitted for this comment. Enjoyed the livestream today and love the videos!
Hi again! Just reached your second attempt… LOL! I am working from newest comment to oldest… probably should be going the other way. I am not sure if my reply will automatically send you an email. Let me know! Either way, I literally JUST submitted for our P.O. Box since writing the last reply to you 🙂 so we will have it ready hopefully tomorrow and I will email you directly! Thanks again and massive apologies for the delays.
Tried three times to comment here including an offer to send you a hot pepper paste to try that’s unique to my region (NE USA). Even discussed how you missed attempt 1 during a live stream. Uncle. I give up.
Sorry!! I have been so bad at keeping up with the comments here. I am finally getting caught up for real now. We are also working on a P.O. Box for people who want to send stuff, so please look out for that soon!
I’m making this recipe for the third time since you posted it originally. The first two times I made it as directed. This time I’m “cheating” by using a large can of pre-cooked pinto beans (La Preferida 50 oz.) I also mixed up a triple batch of the spices so I can make it two more times without all the measuring.
Love your show, love your recipes. So far, all the ones I’ve tried have been keepers. Thanks for the inspiration and good food.
Sounds great! Making the spice blend in advance is definitely the way to go. We want to make a GIANT batch of it!
THIS IS SO GOOD! Thanks! Love the both of ya, ye are great and have inspired me a lot.
Love from London
Thanks Hayley! 🙂
Love this recipe. I give it a touch more spice but love the idea of using it to top spaghetti squash or cauliflower rice. I had totally forgotten how good spaghetti squash can be. And the Healthspan cheese sauce is pretty darn delicious too (even if I have to limit it due to the nuts).
Thanks, Krocks! Keep on rockin it! ❤️💪🏻🥦🥔
Thank you! It is great with spaghetti squash or riced cauliflower! Add in some of the cheesy sauce… soo delicious!
Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Would you please send me the recipe Brian’s banana butter and the type of bread you use.
Thank you!
Totally new to WFPB eating!
Hello! The “banana butter” toast recipe (including more info on the bread) can be found here: http://bit.ly/KrockBreakfast
Hope that helps!
THese beans are so good. The first time I made them I did not have the Mexican Oregano and they were ok, but the second time I tried them, I used the Mexican and they were so much better! I love them! Thanks
Glad you enjoyed them! I agree the Mexican Oregano makes a difference!
Omg!!! I just made Brian’s pinto beans and I literally could have stuck my face in the bowl they were so freaking good!!! I watch you YouTube channel because I eat WFPB. So yummy with a great texture! Thanks for the recipe. Let me know when your cookbook comes out!
I don’t know where you two have been all my life! I just found you and this was the first recipe I tried. OMG! YUM! We used it as burrito filling, then over rice as leftovers, and one of the kids used it for breakfast. I thought I’d have lots left to freeze. Nope. Its gone. I used red beans since that was what I had, and had to double the cooking time since I didn’t soak them. Super yummy. The family loved it and I can’t wait to see what else I can try.
Need a more printer friendly version. Wow that’s a lot of wasted ink. No matter how many pages I click off, they print anyway. 10 pages instead of 1. Wow!!! Recipe better be worth the darned ink at least. Lol
There is a small “print” button on the top right of every recipe that will print text only!
You can always just screenshot the relevant sections and print those. Or you could save ink AND paper and just read the recipe off your device screen! Good luck and yes it’s worth it imho.
The beans are really good. However, I don’t think they taste like chorizo. Sorry, but they taste more like really good regular Mexican chili beans. I added more garlic and some smoked paprika.
I have only just discovered your website and decided, what the heck, why not try a recipe? I have never made beans from scratch before, and since I have an Instant Pot I decided to give this recipe a try. It was easy, except for the fact that I cannot find Mexican oregano in my area. After a search for substitutions, I settled on using 2 tsp marjoram and 1 tsp basil, otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. The end product looked the same as Brian’s. I had it for supper the same day I made it. The flavour and texture were good, I just added a few shakes of Mrs Dash Spicy on my serving. It was very satisfying and I look forward to enjoying the leftovers. Thanks for the recipe.
this recipe is great!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I wanted some veggies with it so I used 3 carrots and 2 celery ribs in addition, making sort of a chorizo pinto bean soup! This is going to be a staple as it was so flavorful. Can’t wait to try the tofu! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Made these last night. They were so good. It did take 45 mins. to cook the beans in my IP. Not sure why. They usually cook in about 22 minutes. We’ll definitely be having these again. Thanks!