Slow Cooker Mayocoba Beans Recipe

I kinda’ wondered the same thing when I was in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. I was looking for some fun candies to bring home to my girls and came across these.

What are Mayocoba Beans

They are a mild bean similar to a pinto, Great northern beans, or black beans. Also known as canary beans or Peruvian beans, they came from Peru originally but now you can find them grown in California fields. As with other legumes they will help regulate blood sugar, assist and maintain a healthy weight, and are a great source of fiber.

For helping with digestion it is best to soak them beforehand. I just make sure to put them into a large bowl at night before bed and then they are ready to cook the next morning. Low and slow is always best when it comes to cooking mayocoba beans in a slow cooker.

How to Cook Mayocoba Beans

Yes you could certainly boil them in a large stockpot instead until tender, I feel like in a slow cooker is a lot more hands off. You just set to low and just let it go basically all day.

At about hour 6 they are perfect if you ask me, any longer and they’ll begin to get too soft and the texture isn’t as desirable. You don’t want creamy refried beans with them, a bit of texture is good.

Instant Pot Mayocoba Beans

For a faster approach you could use your pressure cooker instead. I use this technique often when making homemade Instant Pot baked beans for sure. I use a no soak method for those and you could in this case as well. Some swear that their gut isn’t pleased for that method, I don’t seem to feel that way myself.

1. I would still soak for an hour before
   1. if you don’t soak add 5 more minutes
   2. soaked for 8 hours you can decrease cook time to just 20 minutes
2. Then drain, rinse, and pour into your Ninja Foodi, IP or Crockpot Express works too
3. Pour your 1 lb. of soaked beans into the pot
4. Add 4 cups of water or broth
5. 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp garlic powder are great seasonings, some like a bay leaf
6. If you want meat this is a great ham hock recipe too

Close the lid and steam valve and set to high pressure cooking for 40 minutes and allow to naturally release at the end. This step will take about 20 minutes or so. Lift lid and serve.

Dry Beans in Dutch Oven

Ok so we have gone over the stovetop method, in an Instant Pot, low and slow is below so the last would be in the oven. I mean I guess you could cook to tender inside a Dutch Oven that way too. It would be similar to the pot with a lid on the stove method really, but a bit more hands off.

1. You want to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F first.
2. No need to soak these first but you could for an hour beforehand.
3. Rinse to remove debris and pour into your pot with water or broth that is 2 inches above the top of your dry beans.
4. Put the lid on, place on the middle rack and allow beans to cook 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours or until they are as tender as you’d like.

You could add salt and pepper at the beginning or wait to season when they are done. If you use broth vs. water as the liquid there is already some sodium in that so I would be light handed.

Same with cooking lima beans, I think it is best I think to add at the end after you drain them so you can get a better gage as to how much you really want. I do like some crumbled feta cheese on top when done, that’s so good.

How to Cook Mayocoba Beans

There is a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here is a quick rundown of how to cook dry beans in Crockpot. Doesn’t really matter whether you are using these, Navy, Northern or Peruvian Beans, it works the same way;

• Pour dry beans into a bowl with enough water to cover them + 4″ above the top. Let sit 10-12 hours.
• In the morning rinse them and pour into slow cooker.
  • Add a ham hock in the center (optional).
  • Pour in your choice of broth.
  • Make sure all beans are submerged.
  • Top with sliced onion and any seasonings you’d like.
• Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until tender. Remove ham hock and slice off meat, put that back into the pot.

Test for tenderness and turn to keep warm when done so you can serve. Taste, adjust seasonings and enjoy.

Slow Cooker Mayocoba Beans

If you added more broth and a second hock or leftover meat you could easily transition this into more of a soup than a side dish. Either way it is a very flavorful dish that is simple but has very clean flavors. Best way to cook dry beans in a slow cooker.