Skip to Content

What To Serve With Pinto Beans: 17 Recipes For Your Southern Hankerin’

What To Serve With Pinto Beans: 17 Recipes For Your Southern Hankerin’

Are you searching for some ideas of what to serve with pinto beans? If you’ve got a hankerin’ for a well-rounded meal, we have your list of dishes that go great with pinto beans!

Pinto beans are always a staple in Southern cuisine. 

Buy them canned for an easy side, or soak and cook for a custom, versatile dish. 

Both are ultimately filling!

I’m a huge fan of pinto beans. All I can say is there’s nothing more exciting than serving the dish with tortillas, barbecue, and brisket. 

But what do you eat with pinto beans besides these three dishes?

If you’re looking for satisfying meals with pinto beans, I’ve got you covered! 

Look at these delectable dishes: crisp Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes, flavor-packed Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread, decadent Southern Fried Chicken, tangy Apple Carrot Slaw, and more!

Keep an eye out for #10: a restaurant copycat side-dish recipe that you will LOVE.

Discover some of the best pinto beans side items, including recipes from our most treasured cookbook and those from around the web.

When it comes to pinto bean sides, nothing beats a big slice of a hot, tender, and buttery piece of Jalapeño cheddar cornbread. 

Cook this version in an iron skillet and it’s relatively easy and cheap to make! 

The golden and tender, slightly crispy crust of this cornbread blends perfectly with the tenderness of your home-cooked pinto beans.

If you’re wondering what goes good with pinto beans, then this might be the sign to give this classic beer bread a try! 

In every bite, you’ll notice a slightly sweet and buttery flavor that goes well with pinto beans. 

That’s right, combining these two is sure to be a party in your mouth!

If you’re looking for sides to serve with pinto beans that can complement the flavor and texture of the comfort food, these braised ham hocks should get you started!

Easy to put together, the secret of the tenderness of this ham hock recipe lies in cooking the meat in the oven after it’s fried to golden brown perfection.

Turkey isn’t just for Thanksgiving, and it’s also bound to elevate your pinto beans. 

It’s true—these smoked turkey legs are so incredibly juicy and tender, making them an ideal side for your favorite homemade pinto beans. 

Season the meat with an aromatic blend of brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne, allspice, and paprika. 

It’s so flavorful!

True, juicy, and tender ham like this Dr. Pepper-glazed ham is always present at the holiday table. 

But who would expect that this luscious dish pairs well with simple pinto beans?

You heard it correctly! 

Glazing the ham with Dr. Pepper-based glaze adds tempting color and texture to the soft meat. 

Oh, I’m starving!

Imagine having a fresh-baked stuffing meatloaf and top it with tender and creamy pinto beans. 

Capital W-O-W!

The best part about this stuffing meatloaf recipe is using only four ingredients: hamburger, stove top stuffing mix, butter, and eggs to make it happen!

What to eat with pinto beans? You’ll be head over heels for this roast chicken!

The combination of onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary, butter, and lemon offers this roast chicken savory notes that linger on your tongue.

What’s more, the recipe is versatile. 

It matches perfectly with wild rice, green beans, and even your pinto beans!

Pinto beans are considered a staple in Southern cooking. So pairing them with another down-home Southern dish would be terrific!

In this Southern fried chicken recipe, the chicken pieces are dredged in a seasoned flour two times before frying in oil until crispy. 

Apart from pinto beans, you can serve the fried chicken with deviled eggs and coleslaw.

Mashed potatoes get a buttery and luscious twist with a more creamy depth of flavor and a hint of tang from the buttermilk. 

With five ingredients, you can make these buttermilk mashed potatoes in just 30 minutes. 

You can serve this side alongside pinto beans or fried chicken. 

Looking for something without dairy and no animal products at all? 

Try these Vegan Mashed Potatoes!

Bring this sought-after copycat recipe of the all-time favorite Texas Roadhouse seasoned rice to your family table and serve it alongside your pinto beans. 

It’s gluten-free (yes, it is!) and truly satisfying!

This Texas Roadhouse seasoned rice is also best paired with some buttered shrimp or a sizzling steak.

Green tomatoes, flour, eggs, salt, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and paprika is all you’ll need to create this delicious summer side dish. 

You can serve it with your choice of dipping sauce, but I love using them as a scoop for my pinto beans. Yum!

Wait, did I mention you can cook it in an air fryer?

This fried okra recipe features Cajun seasoning, cornmeal, baking powder, and all-purpose flour, resulting in a crispy and scrumptious side (or appetizer). 

Also, the recipe is customizable. 

Adding a bit of cayenne pepper to the batter gives the overall dish a spicy kick. 

Serve alongside your pinto beans, or dip these in ranch dressing or hot sauce!

Browning the chicken thighs and seasoning the meat helps create this braised-based recipe’s nice and crispy skin. 

If you don’t want the additional fat and calories, remove the skin after cooking your chicken thighs. 

Serve these braised chicken thighs with pinto beans or over a bed of cauliflower rice.

Roasted pork chops and pinto beans are a match made in heaven!

The savory taste of the meat blends harmoniously with the tenderness and creaminess of the beans. 

What’s more, these roasted pork chops are bursting with the tangy flavors of ranch seasoning. 

They’re made in 30 minutes, too!

You’ll love the simplicity of this macaroni and cheese, so make it a habit always to serve this recipe alongside your pinto beans. 

Simple yet satisfyingly creamy and cheesy, this dish features three different kinds of cheese: sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan, and Gruyere cheese.

Combine apple slices with butter, cinnamon, maple syrup, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla extract for an enjoyable side that’s so darn heavenly!

And in case you have leftovers (which is impossible), simply store the rest in an airtight container and reheat them in your microwave when they’re ready to be served!

Another tasty side that matches well with pinto beans is this apple carrot slaw. It has a wonderfully creamy and tangy flavor with a nice crunchy texture! 

The recipe starts with the coleslaw mix and ends with combining the cabbage mix with the mayo sauce and grated carrots. 

It’s delicious on its own, but feel free to pair the slaw with your favorite dishes like pinto beans or meat.

🍎 Read This To Choose the Best Apple Peeler 🍎

The bottom line

There you have it! 

Though you can serve pinto beans on their own, it’s always great to have some sides that will complement and take the dish up a notch!

For fun dinner ideas with pinto beans, I suggest pairing the Southern food with grilled corn and grilled chicken

These are worth a try!

What To Serve With Pinto Beans

What To Serve With Pinto Beans 🫘

CookingChew shares 17 recipes for pinto beans—all gathered from their most treasured cookbook and those from around the web.

Ingredients

  • Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
  • Classic Beer Bread
  • Braised Ham Hocks
  • Smoked Turkey Legs
  • Dr. Pepper Glazed Ham
  • Stuffing Meatloaf
  • Roast Chicken
  • Southern Fried Chicken
  • Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
  • Texas Roadhouse Seasoned Rice
  • Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
  • Crispy Fried Okra
  • Braised Chicken Thighs
  • Oven-Roasted Pork Chops
  • Homemade Baked Mac And Cheese
  • Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices
  • Apple Carrot Slaw

Instructions

  1. When you want to know what to serve with pinto beans, pull up this list.
  2. While cooking your pinto beans, choose at least two Southern sides.
  3. Prepare the ingredients and start making them. 
  4. Serve these two side dishes with tender and delicious pinto beans.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

ERNEST WHEELES

Wednesday 15th of March 2023

I hail from the southern cook capital of the world (Alabama) near Talledega. I accidently found your web site last week doing a search for something, I now wait for your e-mail just to see whats on your mind today in general. I only have one thing to say........ YOU MAKE MY HEART SING. Thanks for a great web site!

Skip to Recipe