Steve Sando, founder of Rancho Gordo, searched across the Americas for beans that are more flavorful—and more interesting—than anything in the supermarket. Try adaptable domingo rojos, quick-cooking midnight blacks, hard-to-find yellow eyes and more.
“The exciting thing about heirloom beans is they’ve been right under our noses this whole time,” says Steve Sando, founder of Rancho Gordo, based in Napa, California. But it took a while to find them. He and his team spent years researching beans to reintroduce indigenous varieties and culinary traditions from across the Americas to consumers in the U.S.
Once sourced, the beans are grown in California and a few neighboring states, before being picked, dried, packed and sent to customers within a year. That results in a fresher dried bean that tastes better and cooks faster than other dried beans that can sit in warehouses and on shelves for years before arriving to customers. “When you cook them, older beans can take longer and there can be a [strange] flavor,” Sando explained. The difference in flavor with these beans more than justify the difference in price.
Because most cooks are used to the lackluster sameness on typical grocery store beans, it’s been an uphill battle getting people to throw out their preconceived notions. “I’ve worked relentlessly trying to explain to people why these beans are so great,” he says. “Heirloom beans are just more interesting.” Sando also thinks there is a certain intimidation when it comes to cooking beans. Everyone has an opinion on how best to cook them, but in the end, all that these heirloom beans really require is “simmer until done,” he says. “It’s really hard to screw up a pot of beans.”
Shop the Rancho Gordo collection here
Rancho Gordo Midnight Black Beans
These black beans from Napa, California, have a rich flavor and creamy center, while still holding their shape after cooking. They cook up quickly, soaked or unsoaked, and have a lovely dark purple-black color. Try using the savory bean broth as a base for all kinds of soups or bean dishes. These beans can be eaten as a simple accompaniment to rice, or as an essential part of salads, soups, dips and side dishes.
Buy Rancho Gordo Midnight Black Beans here.
Rancho Gordo Domingo Rojo Beans
More diminutive than common kidney beans, these small to medium size red beans from Napa, California, have a soft and silky texture and deep, sweetish bean flavor. They’re a great choice for New Orleans Red Beans and Rice and a staple for many Caribbean cuisines. Domingo Rojo Beans hold their shape well when cooked, and the thick bean broth they give off enriches any sauce that coats rice and noodles.
Buy Rancho Gordo Domingo Rojo Beans here.
Rancho Gordo Pinto Beans
This heirloom variety of the classic pinto bean is fast-cooking, creamy and versatile. With their soft skins and smooth texture, these California-grown beans are so much better than typical supermarket varieties. All of Rancho Gordo’s beans stand out due to their high quality, as they are sold fresher than most dried beans that can sit on the supermarket shelf for years.
Buy Rancho Gordo Pinto Beans here.
Rancho Gordo Marcella Bean
Grown in California and named after Italian culinary icon Marcella Hazan, these creamy white beans are from Italian Sorana seedstock. Sorana is a cannellini bean with incredibly thin skin and super-creamy texture. They cook up buttery soft and silky without falling apart. Their superior texture and quality make them a definite favorite.
Buy Rancho Gordo Marcella Beans here.
Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Beans
A favorite in Maine, and hard to find outside the state, yellow eye beans are a must-have for New Englanders in the know. These sweet and silky beans make the absolute best baked beans, and they’re perfect for soups, stews and braises. Similar in appearance to black-eyed peas, these beans are creamy white with a molasses-colored eye and cook up round and full. As Rancho Gordo says on their website, “The flavor and texture make regular Navy beans seem sad.”
Buy Rancho Gordo Yellow Eye Beans here.
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Ancient Cookware Frijolera Bean Pot
When it comes to making the best beans, we go for low and slow. This traditional handmade Mexican glazed clay bean pot, with its narrow top and wide bottom, provides equal heat distribution so all the beans cook evenly over a nice, low heat. The beans can be pre-soaked, cooked and brought to table in this decorative Ancient Cookware vessel, called a frijolera (or, maker of “frijoles”). Each time we tried this pot, the beans cooked up moist, tender and perfect. We love how the lid fits snugly when turned to get an exact fit, even though it is not uniformly round, as it is handmade pottery. This pot can be used in the oven, microwave and stovetop over direct flame (if using with an electric stove, a heat diffuser must be used, and if using with an induction cooktop, you’ll need an induction cookware interface disk).
Buy the Ancient Cookware Frijolera Bean Pot here.
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