Instant Pot Beans – Quick and Easy!
Yep – Instant Pot Beans top the list of why I’m obsessed with my Instant Pot. And here are just a few other reasons I LOVE my Instant Pot! (And those of you who have one will just nod right along in agreement, I’m sure…) Hard boiled eggs. Fall off the bone tender ribs. Steel cut oatmeal. Carnitas.
Do You Have To Soak Dry Beans Before Cooking?
Beans have always kind of scared me (and, no, I’m not talking about being scared of the “side effects” people may get from eating too many… lol.) I’m talking about that pack of dried beans on the bottom shelf in the grocery store.
What the heck do you do with those?
Cooking with dried beans must require lots of planning. Right? Wrong! Gone are the days of soaking for hours and hours. Then hours and hours of simmering, stirring, and watching that darn pot. Not anymore thanks to Instant Pot beans.
(Exciting news!! My Instant Pot Authorized Cookbook is now available Amazon! Check it out here!)
It always bugged me that I never quite figured out how to make “real” beans! Especially black beans. I love them! And I always knew that cooking them the “real” way probably makes quite a difference in taste and texture. But I never took on the challenge.
Not until I discovered Instant Pot Beans! And guess what? It’s not even a challenge at all thanks to the wonders of that machine.
Now I cook perfectly cooked, perfectly textured Instant Pot beans all the time. It’s that easy!
One more word on soaking the beans – like I said, soaking is not necessary, but you will get a few more split beans than you otherwise would. So if you’re having someone really picky important over for dinner, feel free to soak those suckers for a few hours first, just make sure to reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- Dry Black Beans – I buy these in bulk whenever possible. (See full recipe below)
- Bay Leaves – Optional but adds a great depth of flavor.
- Garlic Cloves – Optional
- Salt – Pressure cooking the beans with salt adds significant flavor.
- Oil – This reduces the foaming that can happen with pressure cooking beans.
How to Make Pressure Cooker Beans
- Rinse dry beans and pick out any fractured or cracked beans.
- Put beans in the Instant Pot. Add water, oil, garlic, salt, and bay leaves (spices optional).
- Pour in water and set the timer to manual for 22 minutes. (It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to full pressure, then it will cook for the set 22 minutes.)
- Let “naturally release” for 5-10 minutes, then release steam. Stir, drain and serve. That’s it! So easy. So quick. So amazing!
Whether you soak or don’t soak, add spices or not, it is very important to add the oil! This will reduce the foaming that can occur with pressure cooking beans. Don’t skip that part!
How Long Does it Take to Make Instant Pot Beans?
Beans go from dry to done in less than an hour. Bigger beans take longer to cook. Use this cooking times list as a guide. Cook on high pressure, then allow for 5-10 minutes natural release time.
- Black Beans – 22 minutes
- Pinto Beans – 25 minutes
- Chick Peas – 35 minutes
- Red Kidney Beans – 25 minutes
- Navy Beans – 22 minutes
What is the Ratio of Beans to Water?
A general rule of thumb is to have 2 inches of water above the line of the beans when you cook them. This is roughly 5-6 cups of water for 1 pound of dry beans.
There you have it! Fresh, homemade, creamy, perfectly textured “real” beans in less than an hour! This recipe is for black beans, but it should work for any type of dried beans (you may have to adjust the cooking time a bit depending on the type.)
And if you’re looking for other kinds of beans, then check out my Instant Pot Pinto Beans! Perfect for all kinds of chili and salads!
Use them in all kinds of amazing dishes – street tacos, breakfast burritos, bean and corn summer salad, soups, and the list goes on and on and on. Yep – I’ve conquered my fear of beans. Thanks to the Instant Pot!
Get your Instant Pot through Amazon here
Instant Pot Beans - Ridiculously Quick and Easy!
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Dry Black Beans, Rinsed
- 5 Cups Water
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 2 Teaspoons salt, Optional
- 2 Cloves garlic, Peeled and smashed - optional
- 2 Bay Leaves, Optional
Instructions
- Rinse beans and add to Instant Pot. Add water, oil, salt, garlic and bay leaves. Put on lid (make sure the release valve is set to "sealing." Set timer to 22 minutes. It will take 15 minutes or so to come to pressure. When timer goes off, let sit 5-10 minutes, then release steam valve. When steam has fully escaped, take off lid, Stir and serve! Note: If you like really soft beans just add 5-10 minutes to your pressure cooking time.
i have 101 instant pot things to do i love it my favorite
If makin beans for bake beans, should i decrease the time since my beans would already be cooked? Or how would you do baked beans in instantpot
Yes, if your beans are already cooked, then just do your baked bean recipe but only pressure cook for about 5 minutes and it should be perfect!
If I only soak for 2 hrs, do I still reduce the cooking time by 10mins?? (2 hrs is not a lot)
If you soak for 2 hours, I’d still follow the cooking time as written. (you’re right… 2 hours is not a lot! 🙂 )
Just took pot out of box ,need all the help I can get re use
You’ve got this!! Let me know if you have any questions!
Is 3 Pounds of beans too much to cook in a 6qt insta pot? How much water do I add??
I personally haven’t done more than 2 pounds in my 6 quart. You’ll need about 15 cups of water. If that goes above the 2/3 line then it’s definitely too full! (The 1/2 line is actually a better line for beans because they expand so much)