A number of years ago, in an effort to lower our meat intake, we started to cook more beans. For a number of reasons, largely flavor and selection, we’ve ordered the beans from Rancho Gordo, an heirloom bean grower based in California.
Over the years I’ve had more kinda of Rancho Gordo beans than I can recall. So, in an effort to help you buy the best beans you can, here is my ranking of every Rancho Gordo bean that I can find.
Rancho Gordo’s Best Beans
Here is my ranked list of Rancho Gordo’s beans. Below the list I’ll leave some thoughts about notable varieties.
- Yellow Eye Bean
- Royal Corona Beans
- Marcella Bean
- Domingo Rojo Bean
- Eye of the Goat (Ojo de Cabra) Bean
- Cassoulet (Tarbais) Bean
- Mayocoba Bean
- Domingo Rojo Bean
- Flageolet Bean
- Large White Lima Bean
- Ayocote Morado Bean
- Christmas Lima Bean
- Rio Zape Bean
- Alubia Blanca
- Ayocote Negro
- Super Lucky 2021 Black Eyed Pea
- Cranberry Bean
- Buckeye Bean
- Moro Bean
- Santa Maria Pinquito Bean
- King City Pink Bean
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- French-Style Green Lentil
- Good Mother Stallard Bean
- Lila Bean
- Midnight Black Bean
- Pinto Bean
- Rebosero Bean
- Black Caviar Lentil
- Hidatsa Red Bean
- San Franciscano Bean
- Vaquero Bean
- Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea)
- Desi Chana
- Cicerchia Bean
Rating Explanations And Notes
Having ordered from Rancho Gordo a number of times and being part of their membership program, I’ve had most of the beans the they have sold in the last 5 or so years.
The Yellow Eye beans are truly exceptional. Not only are these Rancho Gordo’s best-selling bean, but they are super versatile and they taste great. This is one where you can never go wrong cooking, but they are best where a creamy texture and a slightly broken down bean is preferred. As Rancho Gordo notes, these like Navy beans, but better.
Royal Corona beans are huge beans that taste great. They are basically the best lima beans you’ve ever had, but they remind me more of Greek gigantes beans. They can feel a little carby, which keeps the out of the top spot.
Marcella, Cassoulet, and Flageolet are classic French and Italian beans that Rancho Gordo does perfectly. The Marcella is a good all-round bean, Flageolet are good in slow-cooked dishes and soups, and then the Cassoulet beans (the Tarbais) is what I use in my cassoulet but it’s good in anything slow-cooked or with pasta.
If you scroll down the list you’ll noted that I have rated the common “supermarket” type beans low. This is because I don’t feel that there is a significant difference between Rancho Gordo’s garbanzo beans and any nice, dried garbanzo beans you’d get at a grocery store (especially an Italian variety). The same goes for the lentils, Midnight Black beans, and, to a lesser extent the Pinto beans.
If you do want a Pinto-type bean, try the Santa Maria Pinquito or the Domingo Rojo. The Domingo Rojo is my favorite bean for rice and beans.
If you want an exceptionally interesting bean there is the Ayocote Negro, a type of huge black bean. It takes forever to cook, but at the end you will have a meaty, tasty bean that is perfect for black bean chili. The skin is a bit tough, otherwise it would be perfect for black bean burgers as well.
Perhaps the only beans I don’t like from Rancho Gordo is the Cicerchia. This oddly shaped heirloom bean is like an old world garbanzo bean, but I’ve never been able to get them to cook well so I haven’t found the texture to be enjoyable.