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 – Recipe Inspiration

I often shop at a local Latino foods market. It was at Ruben’s that I discover Mayocoba beans. I knew nothing about them, but I loved their tender, buttery texture and flavor. I had to know more.

After 3 trips to the Peruvian Andes in 2017, 2018, and 2019, I had experienced these Peruvian beans 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 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.

🥔 What are Peruvian/Peruano/Mayocoba/Canary Beans?

Peruvian beans are smooth yellow beans indigenous to Peru. These lovely beans are also know as mayocoba, canary, 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!

🔪 Instructions

Cook the Beans

1. 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!
2. 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).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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. Stir in the cooked bacon. Lower the heat to a low simmer, and cover until ready to serve.

💭 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

🧂 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

Tamara Andersen

A simple, but flavorful Peruvian beans recipe with Peruvian flair! Bacon, ají panca, bell pepper, garlic, and spices with mayocoba or Peruvian beans, rice, and avocado make a healthy and flavorful meal your family will love!

4.88 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Cook the Beans 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Healthy Main Dish

Cuisine Peruvian

Servings 4 servings

Calories 330 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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 - 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

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.

Notes

I deliberately try to keep the recipe card uncluttered. If you have questions about ingredients, check the “Ingredients” section in the post. If you need more instruction, see “Instructions” in the post. I include an FAQ section that attempts to anticipate questions. Email tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com if I’ve missed anything. I try to respond the same day or early the next.

Nutrition

Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 7g

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.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and/or star rating! Email us with any questions: tamara@beyondmeresustenance.com

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