How to Make Stovetop Frijoles de Olla from Dried Beans

What frijoles de olla should give you

Frijoles de olla, or beans from the pot, are dried beans simmered until tender in a generous amount of seasoned water. The result is a pot of whole, softened beans sitting in their own broth. If you want a thicker broth, you can mash some of the beans and stir them back in. Plan on two to three hours of mostly hands-off stovetop time, with a few scheduled checks on the water level and the beans' texture.

Ingredients for a pinto bean pot with epazote

The core method below follows a pinto bean recipe from New Mexico Magazine. It makes one pot from 2 cups of dried beans.

• 2 cups dried pinto beans
• 8 cups water, plus hot water for topping up
• 1 head garlic, minced
• 2 dried chipotle chiles
• Epazote (optional): 2 teaspoons dried or 1 tablespoon fresh
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Equipment: a pot large enough to hold the beans and water with room to simmer, a spoon for stirring, and a kettle or second pot to keep water hot for topping up. A potato masher or fork is useful if you plan to thicken the broth.

Step-by-step stovetop method

• 1. Sort the dried beans and remove anything that isn't a bean, then rinse them.
• 2. Put the beans, 8 cups of water, the garlic, the chipotles and the epazote (if using) in the pot.
• 3. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let the pot simmer gently, uncovered.
• 4. After 1 hour, stir the beans. Add hot water until the liquid is at least 1 inch above the beans.
• 5. Check again 30 minutes later and top up with hot water if the level has dropped below that mark.
• 6. When the beans have softened, add the salt.
• 7. From then on, check every 15 minutes. Keep the liquid above the beans and taste a few beans each time until they are fully tender. Total simmering time is usually about 2 to 2 1/4 hours.
• 8. Optional: to thicken the broth, scoop out 1/2 to 1 cup of beans, mash them and stir them back into the pot.

When to change course

• Liquid has dropped to or below the beans: add hot water to restore at least 1 inch of liquid above them. Using hot water keeps the pot simmering instead of stalling.
• Beans are still firm at the expected time: keep simmering and continue the 15-minute checks. Cooking time varies with the beans. Anna Rios gives a range of 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on the beans you use.
• Broth is thinner than you want: mash 1/2 to 1 cup of beans and return them to the pot.
• You haven't salted yet: wait until the beans have softened, as this method directs, unless you are following a recipe that salts at the start (see below).

How to judge progress and doneness

Watch three things as the pot cooks. First, the water level should stay above the beans throughout. Second, the beans should soften, which is your signal to add salt in the New Mexico Magazine method. Third, check for tenderness: taste a few beans at each 15-minute check, since beans in one pot don't always finish at the same moment. The beans are done when they are tender and sitting in broth. You can then adjust the body of that broth by mashing some beans.

Comparing seasoning choices: epazote, salt timing and bacon fat

Recipes for frijoles de la olla agree on a long, gentle simmer. They differ on bean variety, aromatics and when seasonings go in. Here is how three published approaches compare.

Approach	Beans	Aromatics and fat	Salt timing	Herb timing
New Mexico Magazine	2 cups dried pintos in 8 cups water	1 head minced garlic, 2 dried chipotles	1 1/2 tsp after beans soften	Epazote (2 tsp dried or 1 tbsp fresh) with the beans at the start
Anna Rios	1 lb Mayocoba (Peruvian) beans, water at least 4 inches above the beans	3 garlic cloves	About 2 tsp near the end	Optional 2 epazote leaves near the end
Foodocracy	1 lb Bayo beans	Half an onion, 1–2 garlic cloves, 2–3 tsp lard, bacon fat or neutral oil	1 1/2 tsp coarse salt before cooking	Cilantro or epazote after the beans are tender, plus optional half a jalapeño or serrano, then 15 more minutes of simmering

Anna Rios's version: she sorts and rinses the beans. A few hours of soaking is optional. She starts with water at least 4 inches above the beans, brings the pot to a boil and then simmers for 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on the beans, adding salt and epazote near completion.

Frijoles de la olla with bacon: Foodocracy lists bacon fat as one choice for the 2 to 3 teaspoons of fat added with the onion, garlic and salt before cooking. Lard or a neutral oil can be used instead. Once the beans are tender, cilantro or epazote goes in, along with optional fresh chile, and the pot simmers 15 minutes more.

Whichever version you choose, follow its seasoning order as a whole. Salting at the start in one recipe and at the end in another reflects a different overall approach, so mixing the timing from two recipes means you are no longer following either one.

An example planning worksheet

This is an illustrative worksheet, not one taken from any of the recipes above. Filling it in before you start makes the scheduled checks easier to keep track of.

• Bean variety and dry quantity
• Recipe followed, with its seasoning order written out
• Soaking: yes or no, and for how long
• Starting water amount or level
• Time and amount of each hot-water top-up
• Times of tenderness checks and what you found
• Shallow containers set aside for leftovers before cooking begins

Storing and reheating leftover beans safely

USDA guidance for leftovers applies to a finished pot of beans.

• Divide the beans and broth into shallow containers.
• Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the surrounding temperature is above 90°F. Hot food can go straight into the refrigerator.
• Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, and use the beans within 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat leftovers to 165°F. Because these beans are in broth, you can follow the USDA guidance for soups and sauces and bring them to a rolling boil.