Peruvian Beans
Peruvian Beans (aka Peruano beans, mayocoba beans, canary or canario beans) are indigenous to Peru. This Peruvian beans recipe actually features Peruvian flavors unlike most recipes I’ve come across. With simple ingredients like ají panca, bacon, onion, and tomato paste, and served with salsa criolla, avocado, and rice, this healthy beans recipe evokes memories of chilly nights in the Peruvian Andes. I think you’re going to love them!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Peruvian Beans
I often shop at a local Latino foods market. It was at Ruben’s that I discovered Mayocoba beans. I knew nothing about them, but I loved their tender, buttery texture and flavor. I had to know more.
After our first 3 trips to the Peruvian Andes between 2017 and 2019, I had experienced these Peruvian beans quite a few times. It was then that I decided I needed to include them in the recipes on Beyond Mere Sustenance. It’s been awhile, but here we are finally in 2021 with a recipe.
In researching “Peruvian beans,” I discovered most available recipes are Mexican rather than Peruvian. Obviously, I love Mexican recipes, but I wanted to represent the Peruvian flavors I’ve come to love. As I’ve often said, I am not attempting to recreate abuelita’s recipes, rather I want to bring Peruvian flavors to non-native home cooks!
While this recipe for Peruvian beans is simple, it does require ají panca paste. If you have a Latino foods market, or a grocery with a large international foods section, you may find it locally. I can get it locally in McAllen, Texas. When we lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico, we could get it in El Paso. If not, order ají panca paste online.
The other somewhat obscure ingredient is harina de camote (sweet potato flour). Again, you can often find it locally in the international foods section or at a Latino foods market. You can substitute potato flour, masa de harina, or even cornstarch. I use it to make a slurry to thicken the broth in the beans.
2024 Update
Just yesterday, my husband and I returned from our 6th month-long studies abroad trip to Peru! We had 9 fantastic students, and our in-country time flew by. The overnight flight home was another story entirely.
Prior to the students arrival, I enjoyed cooking in a well-appointed kitchen at our Airbnb in Urubamba, Cusco, Peru. Each day we walked to the mercado, and I went looking for mayocoba beans. I asked at a couple of stalls for “mayocoba beans.” Fortunately, one Quechua lady said “canario?” YES!!! I bought 400 grams of canario beans. These creamy-textured beans are known by many names around the world, and I should have realized the locals knew them by a different name.
Much to my surprise, locating bacon was quite a challenge. Bacon is not a typical Peruvian breakfast food. The bacon I did eventually find was a little disappointing, but the resulting pot of beans was still delicious once I added fresh palta (Peruvian avocado) and salsa criolla with beautiful, fresh ají rocoto, amarillo, and limo peppers. I wish I’d taken a photo of the completed dish!
🥔 What are Peruvian/Peruano/Mayocoba/Canary/Canario Beans?
Peruvian beans are smooth yellow beans indigenous to Peru, but popularized in Mexico. These lovely beans are also know as mayocoba, canary/canario, and Peruano beans. At some point, the Peruvian beans were cross-pollinated by Mexican agronomists, and the mayocoba beans were named for Mayocoba in Sinaloa state.
Rice and beans are an important part of the Central and South American diet. You’ll find a version of rice and beans in almost every region. El Salvador has Casamiento, Nicaragua has Gallopinto, Brazil has Feijoada, Peru has tacu tacu, I’ve done shrimp, black beans, and rice…
More than just an inexpensive and nutritious food source, these rice and beans dishes often provide the flavor that helps define a cuisine like Creole red beans and rice. It is my aim to put Peruvian beans and rice “on the map!”
Peruvian Beans Nutrition
1 cup of cooked Peruvian beans provides:
- 180 calories
- 11 grams of protein
- 31 grams of carbohydrates
- 1.5 grams of fat
- 13 grams of fiber
- 530 mg potassium
- 85 mg calcium
🥘 What I Love About This Peruvian Beans Recipe
- The Peruvian-flavored beans taste delicious!
- I can make a large batch and freeze for future meals.
- Beans and rice are easy on the budget.
- Beans and rice are nutritious!
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- mayocoba beans – Also known as Peruvian beans, Peruano beans, canary beans, they are a smooth creamy bean that is probably most like a pinto or cannelini bean. Either would work as a substitute.
- bacon – Omit the bacon for a delicious plant-based meal with rice.
- onion
- bell pepper
- garlic
- ground cumin
- ají panca paste – Ají panca is a dark red, mild chile pepper with a nice smoky but fruity flavor. I keep them in my pantry in dried form, but I love the paste for quick meals. A paste made from pasilla peppers would probably be the best substitute. You could also use ají amarillo paste. It will be a slightly different flavor, but will be delicious!
- tomato paste
- chicken broth
- oregano – I have ridiculous amounts of fresh oregano in my garden, so I always use a couple of healthy sprigs. Substitute 2 teaspoon of dried Mediterranean oregano leaves if necessary.
- harina de camote – Harina de camote or sweet potato flour is a typical Peruvian thickener. You can substitute sweet potato starch, rice flour, potato flour, or cornstarch. Remember to add a little slurry at a time to achieve desired thickness.
- vinegar – Red wine vinegar would probably be the Peruvian choice, and that is what I use. White wine vinegar and sherry vinegar are fine as well.
- honey
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- sides and garnishes – I serve these rice and beans with salsa criolla, avocado, lime wedges, cilantro, and a bit of crumbled cotija or queso fresco. Delicioso!
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Cook the Beans
- If you’re lucky enough to have cooked beans, you get to skip this step! Otherwise, you have a couple of options. Don’t forget to add about 1 tablespoon of salt to the bean water!
- Soak the beans. This step is optional. It removes some of the undigestible sugars and the gastric distress that accompanies them. You can either soak them overnight, or you can bring them to a boil in a large pot of water, then soak them for an hour (quick soak).
- Instant Pot – While this process doesn’t really save time, it does save trouble. Cook the beans under pressure for 30 minutes, then allow them to naturally de-pressurize (about 20 minutes). With the time it takes to bring the IP to pressure, this method requires about an hour.
- Stove top – Bring the beans to a boil in a pot with plenty of water. Reduce heat, and then simmer until tender but not mushy. The beans will cook further when the Peruvian Beans are finished.
- Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the bean liquid if possible, and measure out 4 cups of cooked beans before proceeding.
Make Peruvian-Style Peruvian Beans
- Fry the bacon – Chop the bacon into one inch pieces. Fry until crisp, then remove to a paper towel to absorb excess grease. Leave about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pot.
- Sauté the aromatics – To a heavy pot over medium-high heat, add the onions, cumin, garlic, ají panca and tomato paste, and bell pepper.
- Continue cooking the aromatics until the onions are softened and the mixture is fragrant (about 5-10 minutes).
- Stir the beans into the aromatics.
- Add the broth and oregano. Bring to a simmer, and cover.
- Cook until the beans are very tender and flavors are combined (about 15 minutes). Remove oregano sprigs.
- Make the thickener – Whisk the harina de camote (or other thickener) into the reserved bean water. If you forgot to save some bean water, or if you’re using already cooked beans, whisk the thickener into either water or broth. This is called a “slurry.”
- Finish the pot of beans – Stir the slurry (a little at a time) into the pot of beans over fairly high heat. Allow the beans to boil before adding more. Continue adding until thickened to your preference.
- Add salt as needed, honey, and vinegar. Stir in the cooked bacon. Bring mixture back up to a simmer for 5 minutes before serving. Lower the heat to a low simmer, and cover until ready to serve.
- Garnish as desired with lime wedges, cotija, avocado, cilantro, etc.
💭 Tips
Cook the beans in quantity. Freeze in zip bags for future meals. 1 cup of dried beans yields about 4 cups of cooked beans. I cook the entire bag. Be sure to check out my Peruvian tacu tacu recipe for a healthy, flavorful, and frugal way to use leftover beans!
Season your beans when you cook them. A trusted source – Serious Eats answers Should I Salt My Bean-Cooking Water?. Your beans will be more consistently seasoned, and more beans will be intact.
❓ FAQ
Yes. While you may have heard otherwise, salting the beans results in creamier beans that are more intact. See the article linked above for more interesting information!
The beans are excellent warmed up for lunch. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Make a double-batch, and freeze in zip bags for 1-2 months. You’ll have an easy meal when you don’t feel like cooking.
Salsa criolla is a very typical salsa to serve with beans. Rice or quinoa, and avocado, some lime wedges and cilantro make a really tasty and healthy meal!
A slurry is a thickener made with a liquid (bean water, broth, or water in this recipe) and a thickening agent (harina de camote). You can substitute sweet potato starch, potato flour, rice flour, wheat flour, or cornstarch. Add a little at a time until desired thickness.
🫙Useful Stuff
Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This helps to offset the costs of maintaining my blog and creating awesome content! 😊
- Peruvian Mayocoba Beans
- Goya Canned Canary Beans
- Inca’s Food Ají Panca Paste
- Harina de Camote (sweet potato flour)
We stayed in the fifties in McAllen on November 4. I must admit I’ve loved the cool, grey weather (and the break from the heat). Cheers to soups, stews, and healthy, hearty beans and rice!
Peruvian-Flavored Peruvian Beans
Click to rate!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried Peruvian beans (aka mayocoba or canary beans) - or 4 cups cooked beans
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 6 slices bacon - cut in 1" pieces
- 1 onion - chopped
- 1 bell pepper - diced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoons ají panca paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 teaspoons oregano leaves (Mexican or Mediterranean) - or 2 generous sprigs of fresh oregano
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup harina de camote - (see Ingredients in post for substitutions)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- garnishes - lime wedges, avocado, cotija, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- Cook the beans according to your preferred method. Add the tablespoon of salt to a generous pot of water. See post Instructions for more information.
- Fry the bacon. Drain bacon on paper towels. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pot.
- Cook the aromatics. Over medium-high heat, add the onion, cumin, bell pepper, garlic, ají panca and tomato paste. Sauté until onion is softened and mixture is very fragrant.
- Add the beans, broth, and oregano to the pot. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer 15 minutes. Remove oregano sprigs if you used fresh.
- Make the slurry. Whisk the camote de harina with reserved bean water (water or broth). Stir slurry into the beans mixture a little at a time over high heat until desired thickness is achieved.
- Add salt as needed, honey, and vinegar. Stir in the cooked bacon. Bring mixture back up to a simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
- Garnish as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
🍷 Pairing Suggestions
This Peruvian beans recipe requires salsa criolla IMHO!😉 While white rice is certainly appropriate, this simple Peruvian rice takes no longer to make, and bumps up the flavor. Chicha morada is a ubiquitous, non-alcoholic beverage in Peru. If you prefer a cocktail try this el capitán cocktail, this chilcano, or this Peruvian sangria.
I used masa harina since that’s all I had and it added a really nice depth to it! I’ve never had this dish before, it’s so delicious!!!
I’m so glad you liked it Olga! Thanks for providing feedback!
where does the red wine vinegar come in?
I’m sorry for the slow response time Clay! I’m in the middle of a huge renovation on our 1907 house, and I’m not online as often. The instructions in the recipe card do include the vinegar, but I managed to miss it on the body of the post. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Very delicious dish. Surprised how the honey and vinegar added to the flavor. I used instant potatoes to thicken. I’ll look for the sweet potato starch next time.
Thanks for the feedback Christine! It may be helpful to another reader… I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish!
Thank you for this bean recipe, I am still obsessed with Peruvian food and most especially bean soups. I recognize the Mercado above as well, were just in Urubamba about 3 weeks ago and we stayed across the street at Tambo Del Inca hotel.
You made my day Andi! Thanks for taking time to write! I love the mercado in Urubamba… If we leave the US, we will go to Peru. Regardless, we plan to spend a lot of time there!
I used a can of chipotle tomato sauce, in place of the tomato paste and aji panca paste. And added one diced large jalapeño. I also used fresh diced sweet potatoes, after cooking they thickened the bean soup perfectly.
Thank you for taking time to provide these useful substitutions Billie! They may help another reader!
Peruvian Recipe… so if ur going to substitute make sure u stay within the Peruvian Realm….
What are you referring to Margarita? In the US, it is not always possible to get ingredients that you can easily find in Peru. I suggest substitutions for my readers that cannot get them. This happens to be one of my most popular recipes, so I think it’s probably okay. Thanks for your feedback.
Great recipe, appreciate it
These beans are SO good! My wife and I have been vegan for a number of years, so we eat a *lot* of beans and have a ton of recipes. This is going to be one of my new favorites. Obviously, we didn’t use the bacon, but I substituted smoked salt to help maintain the flavor profile. I kept the rest of the ingredients the same, and along the way discovered something new and delicious: aji panca paste. I had to order it from Amazon since I couldn’t find it anywhere in my area. Long story short, this one is a keeper!
I’m so glad you liked it! Aji panca is so flavorful, and a great ingredient to keep on hand. Thanks for providing feedback. It may help another vegan reader!
I LOVE this recipe! I have searched for years for a consistent recipe for creamy but firm beans. The recipe is distinct and reliable.. muy sabroso, and in Japanese Oishi!!
OMG! You’ve made my day Anna! Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback. I do so appreciate it!
Made this once with a few substitutions because I couldn’t find the Mexican spice or the sweet potato flour, it was deliscous! I am making my second batch today after I found the exact items listed, I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to provide feedback Jennifer!
Made this for the first time (used smoked turkey bacon) and it was incredible. Will be making again, thanks!
Thank you for taking time to provide feedback Daria! It’s always helpful to other readers!
These really remind me of the beans my dad made back in the day. Very nostalgic and tasty! Would recommend and will make again.
Thanks for taking time to provide feedback!
Just curious, is there a reason to only combine the aromatics with the beans at the end instead of cooking with the beans?
Thanks for your question Eric. The beans do finish with the aromatics, but the beans need to be cooked prior to putting the dish together. I typically don’t cook my beans with all of the aromatics even when I’m doing something simple like navy beans and ham. The long cooking time required to get the beans tender, removes the flavor from the aromatics. I will cook dried beans with a ham hock, an onion cut in wedges, and a couple of bay leaves. The cooking liquid is mostly drained off, and the flavor of the aromatics would go with it. I hope that clarifies?
I’d like to pressure can this. Has anyone tried it? Would you cook the bean less so they don’t become mushy? Would you add a little citrus acid to the jar?
Hi Martin! I really can’t help you with canning as it’s not something I’ve done since I was a teenager helping my mom. I would think you would cook them to al dente to keep them from becoming mushy, and the recipe includes a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. A squeeze of lime is usually added as a garnish, so I don’t think it would hurt to add it to the jar.
Aja, any particular brand of aji panca that you recommend? A favorite? I’m craving for this recipe with all the garnishes!
This is a great question! I haven’t had any quality issues with any of the brands I’ve used, but I do try to use Peruvian brands like Inca’s Food or Belmont. Goya is probably the most widely available, and is fine, but it is headquartered in the US.
This recipe is so good, and I want to try this weekend. However I can’t find dried Peruvian beans in my local grocery store. What other beans that have similar taste as Peruvian beans, which I can use?
Good question Hayley! Peruvian mayacoba beans have a buttery soft texture that is unique. However, you can still enjoy the flavor of this Peruvian beans dish by using another white bean like cannelini or navy.
This looks seriously amazing and just the thing to have simmering on the stove in the winter. I think I can get the paste locally as we have some good international markets, but I already have a bag of navy beans in my pantry. Will navy beans work okay?
The texture will be a little bit different CB (mayacoba beans have a unique buttery texture), but the flavor will be just as good!
When do you add the bacon.
Hi Sheryl! I’m sorry for not clarifying… The cooked bacon gets added in to the beans at the very end just before serving. I clearly missed this step in the instructions. Thanks for calling it to my attention!
Thank you. That’s what I did. We loved it.
I’m so glad! Thanks for the update Sheryl!
Bacon belongs to its own food group according to the boys! (smiling) Love all the delicious spices, aromatics and sauces in your Peruvian beans. Adding a few ingredients to my International store visit so we can make these this week.
Haha! Our boys would get along well… they also think bacon belongs in its own food group!
This dish is a magic trick—how do these humble ingredients turn into a special occasion dish? I loved it, my husband loved it, and we’re looking forward to the leftovers. I was worried about buying a whole jar of aji panca paste but now I am happy to have it.
Hi Eileen! Peruvian ají pastes do wonderful things to simple ingredients. I also feature it in my sopa criolla (beef noodle soup). I’m so glad you and your husband loved it, and appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback!
I made these yesterday and wow! These beans have so much flavor with the right amount of heat!!! These are definitely in my rotation. I had never heard of Mayocoba beans before seeing this recipe. I purchased some at our local international store. I love beans and these are no exception. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful dish!
I’m so glad you loved the beans Lynn! Mayocoba beans are my favorite, and I love helping readers discover new ingredients. Thanks for taking time to comment!
Tamara, I have a two pound bag of Mayocoba beans I’ve been wanting to try, but didn’t have a Peruvian recipe to use till I found yours. I’m a fellow Texan living in the Hill Country, and want to make this ASAP! Where did you find the Aji Panca paste and Harina de Camote? I love using authentic ingredients, and hope I can find this locally instead of paying more through Amazon. Thanks so much for sharing this amazing recipe; I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Juli! It’s great to hear from a fellow Texan! We have a locally-owned Latino foods market in McAllen called Ruben’s, and he carries all the Peruvian pastes, the giant corn, the purple corn, and the harina de camote. I have also gotten things from Amazon, but I do prefer the local markets when possible (especially when in a hurry!). I hope you like it as much as we do. Our Peruvian guides (indigenous Quechua) cooked food for us on our treks that we didn’t have in restaurants. We love these beans, and hope you do too!
I know San Antonio has similar markets, but probably the smaller communities do not… Good luck!
This was amazing! I never leave comments, but I had to for this recipe. Having never tried a Peruvian dish, I was going out on a limb. This is a must for anyone that loves smoky, sweet heat. I had to order the aji panca online. I’m in KC and could have probably found somewhe, but I was being lazy. 🙂 Followed the recipe exactly, including salsa criolla and avocado for topping. Thank you for this!!
I’m so glad you loved the beans Mellissa! And thanks for taking time to comment… it means a lot. BTW, I sometimes order the aji panca online. It’s all good!