We use canned beans to make this recipe because it’s so much easier then preparing your meal the day before and soaking dry beans overnight.

If you like the simplicity of using a can, check out our list of canned bean recipes for more ideas.

Mexican Kidney Beans Recipe

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Mexican Kidney Beans Ingredients:

You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the recipe card below.

• Olive oil – You need a little bit to help sweat out the onions and garlic and assure that they don’t stick to the sauce pan. You could use butter, but I like that the olive oil adds flavor without making the onions too heavy.
• Fresh onion – A white onion has a mild flavor, which allows the beans to stand out more than if you used a strong yellow onion.
• Fresh garlic – This adds a lot of flavor to the dish. Minced garlic, usually is sitting in oil, is more mild.
• Canned kidney beans – You could substitute pinto or black beans.
• Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds a lot of flavor.
• Cumin – This adds a smoky flavor that you expect from Tex Mex food.
• Salt – Salt bring out all of the other flavors.
• Cotija cheese – This creamy Mexican cheese adds a saltines to the beans.

How To Make Mexican Kidney Beans:

Heat a little olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan.

You just want to get for about a minute or two until it’s warm.

While the oil is heating, finely chop the onion

You want to chop it small so it sort of melts into the bean liquid as it cooks.

Add the chopped onion to the saucepan.

Sauté for about five minutes until the onion is softened.

You don’t want to caramelize the onion at all because that will add a really bold flavor that you’re not looking for.

Grate in the garlic and cook it for one minute.

If you don’t have a microplane grater, you can just chop the garlic . You want to make sure that you chop it really finely so it incorporates into the onions.

Open the can of beans and add all of the contents, including the liquid, into the saucepan.

Add in the seasoning.

Stir until the ingredients are combined.

Bring the liquid in the saucepan to a boil over high heat, then bring the heat down to medium.

Chop the cilantro and add it to the saucepan, reserving some of it for a garnish. Stir.

Simmer the liquid for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

When the beans are softened, but not completely soft, they’re ready. Of course, if you’d like a firmer or a mushier bean, heat them to your taste preference.

Taste them at this point. You may want to add just a little more salt to bring out the flavors.

Put the beans into bowls.

Top with some crumbles of Cotija cheese.

The cheese is very crumbly and will easily break apart between your fingers so you don’t need to use a knife to cut this.

Also, cotija cheese is a really soft, mild cheese that will add a little bit of saltiness to your beans, but not enough to compensate for a lack of salt.

Finish with the reserved cilantro and serve.

We serve these Mexican kidney beans with a ton of our Mexican recipes, like our 10 minute tostadas and sheet pan chicken fajitas.

I also make cilantro lime rice to round out the meal.

Pete actually really likes just scooping these beans on top of the cilantro lime rice, so you could serve them that way.

You could also stick them in a flour tortilla to make a vegetarian taco for Meatless Monday.

Lots of options.

Mexican Kidney Beans: Frequently Asked Questions