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I love the taste of the mayocoba beans, they are buttery and delicate. These beans in Mexico are called frijoles canarios. At home my great grandmother was the one that used to make them in a big clay pot. She will cook those beans for hours and hours. But then the pressure cooker was introduced to her kitchen and those were ready in less than an hour for us to enjoy.
My great grandmother taught me how to make mayocoba or canary beans. And since then I love to cook them and serve as a side dish for my meals, to spread on quesadillas and sopes, or to eat with as a main dish like a soup or for refried beans.
Buttery Mayocoba Beans
Ingredients
- 1 bag of mayocoba or canario beans 2 pounds
- 6 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 large garlic
- 1/2 white onion
Instructions
- Clean the beans with running water and add them to the pressure cooker.
- Add the water, the salt, garlic and onion.
- Close the pressure cooker and follow safety measures to avoid the pot to cause an injury.
- Cook the beans for 40 minutes.
- Serve the beans on a bowl and garnish with cotija cheese.
Notes
In the area that I live sometimes is difficult to find latino ingredients. I was surprised to see this frijoles canarios sold at my local supermarket, so I had to buy them.
I bought a big bag and cooked the mayocoba beans at home using my great grandmother’s original pressure cooker. If that pot could talk I am sure it will tell so many delicious cooking stories.
Mayocoba beans in the market are called peruano, canary, maicoba or Mexican yellow bean. The flavor is very delicate and mild, and the texture is like butter. This type of beans are perfect for mashing and to use for dips or hummus.
You can also fry them and use as a spread. Some say these beans are good for salads and a good replacement for pinto beans in soups. But in my opinion the mayocoba bean is too tender for those applications.
In my Mexican cuisine when we prepare carne asada or grilled meats we always have buttery beans topped with aged cotija cheese as an option for a side dish. Along with rice and salsa, avocado slices and limes and of course corn tortillas.
Serving beans in a parrillada is a must have. That is why I am sharing this recipe for mayocoba beans for you to try in your next Mexican parrillada feast.
How to soak and cook without a pressure cooker? These beans probably need more care than harder beans.
You can cook the beans in a dutch oven or cast iron pot with a lid. The cooking process will be about 3-4 hours over medium heat covered, checking water level from time to time and adding more water if needed. It is recommended to soak the beans overnight before cooking. Hoping that helps.
I tried today. Very simple and delicious. I had to add more water after 30 min, and add 20 min to PC. I added cotija cheese and did a rough blend with an immersion blender. My family loved the beans!
Absolutely delicious beans, but 6 cups of water was nowhere near enough for 2 lbs of beans. I’d put 10 cups in next time. I used 6.5 cups because I put 1/4 cup of dried minced onion in and wanted to have enough to reconstitute the onion. Using dried onion and jarred garlic is SUCH a time-saver.
Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. I use 6 cups of water, and the results are perfect for a 2 pounds bag of beans. As always is all about adjusting to your taste, and cooking technique. Glad you tried our recipe.
I ran across mayocoba beans about 6 years ago. I had no clue what they were but I bought them anyway. I came home, googled them, cooked them and then wondered how I lived without them all of this time!! These are so buttery-like and make their own beautiful sauce. This was my first attempt using my old fashioned, stove top pressure cooker just like your Grandmas. I must say, they turned out perfectly and so delicious. 40 minutes was the number I was searching for. I’ll continue making them in my pressure cooker as a time saver. As you stated, Adriana, the cotija is such a wonderful topper. Thank you for sharing your recipe and the beautiful memories of your Grandma.
Thanks so much for your kind comment I am so glad you tried these beans and that you used my Grandma’s recipe for cooking them. She’ll be proud in heaven xoxo!
I found these beans at my local market and because the fiber content was so high I decided to try them. Thank you and your grandmother for the recipe! I am a native so cal gal and am no stranger to Mexican food but these are new for me! Cannot wait to make them.
What a beautiful message, you made my day! Thanks so much for getting inspired to cook this tasty beans and for coming back to thank us. Have a blessed day!