Instant Pot Beans

Learn how to make Instant Pot beans in less than an hour. This is the quickest way to make beans without having to soak- it works with black, pinto, garbanzo, and white beans. Pair with Instant Pot white rice and make extras to use in delicious black bean brownies.

In my never-ending quest to put healthy food on the table without going broke, I’m always looking for easy ways to cut corners without sacrificing quality. A perfect example – get my kids to eat more beans.

Beans are healthy and cheap and we need to eat more of them, more often. That’s how cookie dough hummus, chocolate hummus, and cake batter hummus were born.

Oh yeah – and black bean brownies!

For years I’ve been making slow cooker beans. A few hours in the slow cooker (or up to 8 hours for my famous slow cooker refried beans), and you have a big batch of beans ready to go. I’m looking for something faster. That’s where the Instant Pot comes in.

For me, Instant Pot beans are super easy, fast, and practical for our busy lifestyle.

Reasons to Make Instant Pot Beans

• They’re hands-off. You don’t have to be home or you can sleep while it cooks.
• Frugal. They’re cheaper than canned beans (even more so when you buy dry beans in bulk!)
• Fast. You’ll have tasty beans within an hour.
• Bean variety. You can use this recipe for all types of beans like chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, chili beans, kidney beans, etc.
• Batch cooking. I can easily batch cook lots of different beans in one day and be ready for the whole month, rather than taking a week or longer to soak on the stove-top (since I only have so many pots big enough to soak AND I still need some to cook meals) and then to cook in the slow cooker (I just have one slow cooker).

Here’s What You Need

• Beans
• Water

Notes on Ingredients

Canned beans vs dried beans:

• After crunching the numbers to see if dry beans were cheaper than cooked beans (and they are – here’s the proof), I’ll never go back to canned beans.
• I’ll always have a can or two on hand for those “just in case moments,” but I’ll only buy them when they’re on clearance or on some crazy cheap sale for 50¢ or less per can (here’s how I got that number).
• I also like cooking them myself because it means less flatulence going on after our meals. Here’s our method to de-gas beans, but I’ve found that when I make Instant Pot beans, I don’t have to soak them beforehand!

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1. Place beans and water in the Instant Pot.

Step 2. Seal the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure value is set to “sealing.”

Step 3. Press the “manual” or “pressure cook” button so that it is set to high pressure and use the “-” and “+” buttons to adjust the timer to 25-40 minutes, depending on the type of bean.

Note: Check for cooking times under Recipe Tips.

Step 4. When the timer goes off and the beans are done cooking, use the natural pressure release (i.e. do nothing).

Note: DO NOT use quick release when making more than one pound of beans.

Step 5. Once the valve indicator has gone down, it is safe to open the Instant Pot.

Step 6. Drain the beans and use them in your favorite recipes!

Recipe Tips

• Cook Times on High Pressure with Natural Pressure Release
  • Black Beans: 30 Minutes
  • Chickpeas: 40 Minutes
  • Kidney Beans: 35 Minutes
  • Pinto Beans: 25 Minutes
  • Navy Beans: 25 Minutes
  • Great Northern Beans: 35 Minutes
• You’ll notice that my recipe calls for a 35 minute cooking time. That’s the average. I almost always cook my beans for 35 minutes when I need them to be firm yet perfectly cooked.
• You can certainly cook them longer if you want to. When I make my refried bean recipe in the Instant Pot, I cook them for 45 minutes because a) they’re going to get mashed anyway, and b) I want as much of those flavorful juices to be in the beans as possible.
• You can also cook them for a shorter amount of time. I’ve made many batches that come out wonderfully in just 20 minutes. I wouldn’t recommend cooking them for any less than 20 minutes though, to ensure they are well cooked. What I am confident in is that 35 minutes will give you perfect beans, every time.

FAQs

To Serve

Instant Pot beans would go perfectly in these recipes:

• Southwestern salad
• Pumpkin chili
• Black bean and corn salsa tacos
• Pumpkin swirl black bean brownies
• Black bean brownies
• Our favorite hummus recipe

Note: You can also spice up your beans by adding a few dashes of kosher salt, paprika, cayenne, oregano, cumin, chili powder, garlic cloves, or black pepper.

Psst! If you’re going to add salt, I highly recommend Ava Jane’s Kitchen. You may think all salt is created equal, but unfortunately, 90% of the salt produced around the world contains microplastics (gross, right?). Ava Jane’s Kitchen is an exception. Their salt is 100% microplastic-free, and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a bag for just 1¢!! (Get your penny bag of salt on this page.)

More Instant Pot Recipes

• Instant Pot Lentils
• Easy Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
• Instant Pot White Rice
• How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Instant Pot