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Mayocoba beans in the market are called peruano, maicoba or Mexican yellow bean
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.
Mayocoba Beans or Frijoles Canarios
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.
Cooking the mayocoba beans using the pressure cooker
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.
To cook the mayocoba beans just add water, onion, garlic and salt to taste
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.
My great grandmother taught me how to make mayocoba beans and since then I love to cook them
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.
Buttery mayocoba beans garnished with cotija cheese
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.
Looks yummy, I’ve never tried these before but they must be a great source of protein!
I have never heard of Mayocoba beans before! They look delicious and would be great for us to try as something different!
WOW! delicious. I searched Mayocoba beans on Google as I was skeptical about the availability of these beans. Sadly, these are not available in my region; however, I will try making this recipe with kidney beans 🙂 Thanks.
These look great! I love Mexican/Hispanic food. If I see any of these somewhere I’ll have to get some!
I have never heard of these beans before!! Being vegetarian I am always looking for new ways to get in some protein, this sound delicious.
Sounds delicious! Would be a great thing to have during the week!
I’ve never tasted Mayocoba Beans before and it’s sounds like the perfect bowl for when the weather is cold or when you just simply need some comfort food. It’s easy to prepare as well, which is great!
I don’t have a pressure cooker, Adriana–how do you recommend cooking the beans on the stovetop? Thanks!
Yes you can use the stove top or if you have a slow cooker you can do that too =)
What an interesting dish! I’m living in the Canary Islands and had no idea that mayocoba beans are also called Frijoles Canarios. Have to see if my MIL knows something about them.
Wow! I would love to dig into these – they look amazing and would be perfect next to so many dishes! Love recipes that family passed down!
I’ve never had mayocoba beans before. I need to try this immediately.
These beans sound wonderful and look so creamy!
I’ve always loved bean dishes and this one looks so hearty. I imagine that it has some delicious flavors too.
Is that 1 large garlic clove or a large garlic head? If it’s the head, do you peel it?
It is one large garlic clove or three small cloves all peeled. Thanks for your visit.
I bought them ,as a different bean to make my bean soup, I normally would use a white or navy bean with fresh veggies and Indonesian spices. No matter what I think it will taste yummy.
These beans are very tasty and easy to make. Can’t wait to make more.
Can you use a crock pot?
Yes you can use the crock pot however cooking time will be longer than using a pressure cooker. Thanks for stopping by.
This seems pretty straightforward so I’ll be going for it. I bought some mayocoba beans about a month ago and since I wasn’t sure what to do with them they set aside and hence forgotten. Today I was at Sprouts Market and came across peruona beans that look a lot like the mayocoba beans I had purchased and forgotten about. I purchased a couple of pounds and then compared the two beans. Yup, they looked alike. I went online and googled ‘mayocoba vs peruona beans’. Yup same bean with a different name. Your site popped up and I like simple so this is the recipe I’m going to make. I love that there’s no soaking and it’s just tossed into the pressure cooker. Now the big question, side dish whole or refried? There’s always a catch. Thanks to your Grandmother.
Many thanks for reaching out. Yes Mayocoba beans are also called canarios, mayo and Peruano. This recipe is very easy. You can soak them a day before but I never do that. Regarding how to eat them honestly you can eat those as soon as they are cooked. Come out creamy when cooked on the pressure cooker. You can also make refried beans if you desire. Watch this video as a reference https://youtu.be/u6qCYOXy7lE If you have another question happy to help. I was very blessed to have my grandmother taught me how to cook. She would enjoy and thank you for your kind comment too. Sincerely, Adriana
Really enjoyed reading your post about these beans. Have to check if its available in the US.
I love a classic pot of beans and I appreciate how easy they are in my electric pressure cooker. Great recipe!
My favorite Mexican restaurant made this! So delicious and comforting, one of my favorites.
These look like a great side dish or perfect to add to a brunch get together!
We eat a lot of beans but I usually stick with pinto, black or kidney. I’ve actually never heard of mayocoba. But I do have a pressure cooker so I’ll have to see if I can find some to try your recipe!
Oh, I really love beans! They look very nice and tasty! I definitely want to try this! Good idea. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I like.
Wait, how would you use these for hummus — in place of the garbanzos, or the tahini?
You use mayocoba beans instead of the garbanzos, the tahini paste is needed for making hummus. But garbanzos can be replaced with beans any kind including black, kidney and or pinto. Hoping this helps.
Do you let the pressure release naturally?
I use a standard pressure cooker not electric. I leave it in the stove and wait till it gets cold and safely open. Or I place it in the sink, open the faucet and let the water run cooling the pressure cooker so that it can be safely opened. I suggest you check your own pressure cooker’s manual before trying this as I do not know which pressure cooker you use.
Trying this recipe tonight! Do you discard the onion and garlic?
Yes, you can discard the onion and the garlic if you like. Happy you are trying this recipe.
I’ve never wanted to eat beans straight from the pot until now. These are so delicious and simple to prepare. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much, Tricia this comment makes me happy, so glad you tried my recipe and that it was a success.
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!
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!
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 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!