This recipe for Copycat Rubio’s Pinto Beans turn out very similar to the real deal!
I went to college in the 80’s, and one of the first Rubio’s fish taco restaurants had just opened by campus at San Diego State University. I ate so many Baja fish tacos during my college years, thanks to Rubio’s! And I always loved their beans too. This recipe for copycat Rubio’s pinto beans is a pretty good one. It’s simple to make them, and the key is getting them just as creamy as the ones they sell at Rubio’s.
Ingredients needed for Copycat Rubio’s Pinto Beans:
- one pound of dried pinto beans
- water
- kosher salt
- garlic salt
- freshly ground black pepper
How do you make Rubio’s Pinto Beans?
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. You will need two days to make this recipe since the beans need to soak overnight.
Place the pinto beans in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add kosher salt and let sit overnight.
Bring beans to a boil over high heat (using the soaking water) and cook until soft in texture, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the cooked beans sit in the pot of water for one hour.
Drain the remaining water (reserving a cup of the soaking water to set aside), and add garlic salt and pepper to the beans in the pot.
Using a potato masher, mash the beans until creamy in texture, leaving some beans whole. Sprinkle in the reserved soaking water, as needed, to make the beans nice and creamy… just like Rubio’s!
Serve these delicious, creamy Rubio’s beans with your favorite fish tacos (Rubio’s style), burritos or enchiladas. Enjoy!
Copycat Rubios "No Fried" Pinto Beans
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 1 pound pinto beans, well rinsed
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- ¾ tablespoon garlic salt
- ¼ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the beans in a large stock pot and cover with water. Add the kosher salt and let sit overnight.
- Bring the beans to a boil over high heat and cook until soft in texture, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for one hour.
- Drain the remaining water, saving ONE CUP of that water to set aside, and add garlic salt and pepper to the beans.
- Using a potato masher, mash the beans until creamy in texture, leaving some beans whole. Sprinkle in the reserved water, as needed, to create a creamy texture to the beans.
Notes
- *I like to sprinkle these with a little bit of crumbled Cotija (Mexican) cheese.
Do you cook the beans in the same water you soaked them in?
Yes!
Tried this recipe and it came out exactly like Rubios version. Many thanks!