When I’m asked to choose between pinto beans and black beans, I always choose pinto. They’re creamier, they’re usually more seasoned, their skins are thinner. In my personal bean ranking, they’re second only to cannellini beans. So, I had no problem tasting through ten cans of pinto beans in search of the best canned pinto beans.
If you think all canned pinto beans taste the same, then you obviously haven’t tasted pinto beans brands back to back. (Why not? Don’t you like to have fun?) Even within pinto bean brands, some varieties of canned pinto beans are better than others. The best pinto beans have firm, intact skins (but skins that aren’t too thick), creamy innards, and an earthy, beany flavor. Sadly, most of the canned pinto beans we tried were a letdown. They were too mushy or bland or tasted like a can. But three stood out as prime pinto picks. Here are the best canned pinto beans to buy—including organic pinto beans and low sodium pinto beans!
- Simple Truth Organic Pinto Beans
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These canned pinto beans manage to be extremely tender without breaking. The flavor is clean and pure. They could definitely use some seasoning (they’re not super high in sodium at just 120 mg per serving, so you can feel okay adding a few shakes of salt). Overall, it’s a fine can of pinto beans to keep in the pantry and the best organic pinto beans we tried.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Great Value No Salt Added
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There is definitely no salt in these low sodium pinto beans. But that doesn’t mean there’s no flavor. They are earthy and sweet and bean-y. They are also the firmest canned pinto beans on this list. My only quibble is with the skins—they’re slightly on the thicker side, though it does mean these pinto beans will hold up in a burrito. You won’t just end up with a tube of mush.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Goya Pinto Beans
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These canned pinto beans are huge! And they taste good, too. You get that good, earthy flavor (I’m so sorry to use this word again but, seriously, how do you describe the flavor of a pinto bean?), but then there’s also a super savory flavor—almost like they’ve been braised in broth. You can give these a quick rinse and pop them right into a burrito bowl—no extra seasoning needed. They are quite soft, though, so they can’t take much rigorous cooking. If you can handle a little extra sodium, these are definitely the best pinto beans to buy.
Credit: Merc / Target
Best Organic Pinto Beans
Best Low Sodium
Best of the Best
Other canned pinto beans we tried: Good & Gather Organic, Goya Organic, Bush’s Pinto Beans, Great Value Pinto Beans, S&W Pinto Beans, Hanover Pinto Beans, Bush’s Reduced Sodium
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!