How do you cook beans in an instant pot

One of the easiest and best foods you can cook in the Instant Pot is beans: tender and perfect every time! Here’s how to make easy, no-soaking required Instant Pot dry beans. Use whatever beans you have on hand: black beans, pinto beans, white beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), lima beans. This step-by-step recipe will give you the very best results with minimal effort.

• Dry beans are cheap, costing just $2-3 per 1 pound bag.
• They’re easy to find in any grocery store; no speciality store needed to find this nutritious food.
• A fantastic plant-based protein option with complex carbs and fiber (keeping you full for longer).
• A fantastic meal prep food. Make a batch of beans on the weekend and use them to make a variety of nourishing, inexpensive meals throughout the week.
• Beans are super easy to make, particularly in the Instant Pot or slow cooker (how to make crock-pot dry beans).
• Home-cooked beans taste so much better than most store-bought beans. Trust me, there’s a huge difference!

Ingredients Needed to Make Instant Pot Beans

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 Quart)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 pound dried beans
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 white or yellow onion
• salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups water

What kind of dry beans can you cook and for how long?

With this recipe, you can make a variety of different dry beans in your Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. The type of bean will determine the cooking time. Here are the best varieties to cook and the appropriate cooking times for each bean type.

• Black Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
• Pinto Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
• Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas): Cook for 40 minutes
• Kidney Beans: Cook for 35 minutes
• Navy Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
• Great Northern Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
• Lima Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
• Black Eyed Peas: Cook for 15 minutes, with a 15 minute natural release (then manually release remaining pressure)

How Many Pounds of Beans Should You Cook?

I recommend cooking 1 lb of dried beans in the Instant Pot, particularly if you have a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot. The problem with cooking more beans is that you’ll likely go over the fill line within the pot liner, which can cause the pressure cooker to overflow and fail.

DRY TO COOKEDBEAN RATIOS

• 1 pound of dried beans = 2-3 cups of dried beans
• 2 cups dried beans = 6-7 cups cooked beans
• 1 1/2 cups cooked beans = 1 -15 ounce can of beans

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Rinse Beans

Rinse the beans of choice under fresh water (such as: black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, lima beans, etc.) and pick out any undesirables (stones, etc.). To do this easily, place the dry beans in a colander and rinse with cold water, running your hands through the beans to find any stones, etc.

Step 2: Add Beans to the Instant Pot

Add the dry beans to the Instant Pot. I use a 6 quart Instant Pot (like this). An 8 quart Instant Pot also works well for cooking dried beans as you’ll need room for both the water and beans and don’t want to go over the fill line.

Step 3: Add Water and Seasonings

Add the white or yellow onion (keep the halved onion intact, no need to chop), bay leaves, garlic cloves, olive oil (prevents foam from forming at the top), salt (I use 1 tablespoon for 8 cups water and 1 lb of beans, but this will be based on your taste). 

Step 4: Cook for 15-40 Minutes Depending on Type of Bean

Lock the lid on the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for the designated time according the bean used (see below for specific cooking times, anywhere from 15-40 minutes depending on the type of bean). The valve on top should be set to Sealed. 

Cooking Time Note: 

The Instant Pot does take some time to come to pressure and begin pressure cooking. Once the warm up is complete, the timer on the pot will begin counting down based on the set cooking time. Warm up can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes.

If the water added is super cold, it may take longer for pressure to build so adding warm water can speed this up, allowing the Instant Pot to reach pressure faster.

Step 5: Let Pressure Release Naturally

Once the beans are done cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure (use a hot pad holder or towel) and opening the lid. If you’re short on time, you can do a 15 minute natural pressure release, then a quick release. But the best results are always with a longer natural release.

How to Use a Natural Pressure Release

With a quick release, you’ll release pressure from the Instant Pot valve, moving the valve on top of the Instant Pot from sealed to open, after the cooking time is complete. With a natural release, you’ll allow the pressure to naturally release from the Instant Pot. For beans, I recommend always using a natural release, unless stated (like with the black eyed peas) to keep the beans soft and intact. If you’re new to using an Instant Pot, see my 16 must-know Instant Pot tips here.

Step 6: Remove Aromatics and Enjoy

Remove the aromatics (bay leaves, onions, garlic). Drain and rinse the beans, if desired. Or, you can store or serve the beans with some of the liquid. This all depends on how you plan to use the beans.  

How to Store

Cooked beans are a great food to meal prep in advance and use throughout the week to make easy meals: on salads, to make tacos or burrito bowls, or add to soup.

Store a batch of beans in the fridge or freezer, in an airtight container. Store the cooked beans in some of the cooking liquid. This will keep the beans moist and fresh for longer.

Seasoning and Flavor Ideas

The best part about making beans at home, from-scratch, is that you can flavor them to your liking! I usually stick with just the basics: onion, bay leaf, garlic, and salt. If you’re in a pinch, you could even just do salt and beans (and water). Avoid acidic ingredients as they prolong the cooking time: lemon, vinegar, etc. Here are a few ideas for flavoring a pot of beans…

• Use Broth: Instead of water, use broth! Like chicken or vegetable broth.
• Add Salt: This is a given, but please add salt! I know some folks suggest that adding salt to the beans while they cook will prevent them from breaking down, but with the Instant Pot I haven’t found this to be true. Salt adds so much flavor.
• Add Veggies: For black beans or pinto beans, adding some chopped carrots, celery, peppers, onion, and garlic will give you delicious beans that you can eat straight from the Instant Pot. I add veggies and spices to make Instant Pot black soup with dried black beans.
• Add Spices: For black or pinto beans, I love to add cumin, chili powder, and (after cooking) fresh cilantro (lots of fresh cilantro). This is great for beans you’ll enjoy in tacos, burritos, etc.

Avoid Hard Beans With These Tips

• Use a Natural Pressure Release: By using the cook times recommended in this recipe and a natural pressure release after the cooking time is done, you should easily avoid dreaded hard beans.
• Use Fresh Beans: Another reason people end up with hard cooked beans is because their dry beans are too old. Buy the freshest dry beans possible, and don’t store them for years upon years in your pantry. Doing so will help you achieve perfectly tender beans every time.

7 Can’t-Miss Tips For Making Perfect Beans Every Time

• You don’t need to pre-soak beans when cooking beans in the Instant Pot.
• If you want to pre-soak your beans (for 8-12 hours) before cooking, decrease the cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
• Never overfill your Instant Pot. Check the fill line inside your Instant Pot to make sure you don’t go over this line.
• Store beans in the cooking liquid. Drain the liquid from the beans, using a colander, before cooking with or serving.
• 1 pound of dried beans = 2-3 cups of dried beans, 2 cups dried beans = 6-7 cups cooked beans, 1 1/2 cups cooked beans = 1 -15 ounce can of beans
• It’s best to let the Instant Pot naturally release in pressure before opening the lid. If you must perform a quick release, wait for 15 minutes, allowing some pressure to naturally release. Then perform a quick release with the remaining pressure.
• Use Instant Pot beans in your favorite recipes, store in the fridge, or freeze for later.

Easy Instant Pot Dry Beans (No Soak, Any Variety)

The easiest and best way to cook dry beans. This simple method uses an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) to cook dry beans in under 90 minutes (no soaking required). Use any variety of beans. See the notes for cooking times for each bean type.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Natural Pressure Release30 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course How To, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 1 pound beans (5 “cans” worth of cooked beans)

Calories 335 kcal

Cost: $5

• 1 pound dried beans any variety: black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, etc.
• 1/2 white onion or yellow onion, peeled and left intact
• 1 TB extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves peeled and left whole
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt *
• 8 cups water

• Rinse the beans in a colander under fresh water, and pick out any undesirables (stones, etc.)

  

• Add the beans to the Instant Pot.

  

• Add all the remaining ingredients: onion, oil, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and water. If you want to add any other seasonings (spices) or chopped veggies (carrots, celery) now is the time to do this.

  

• Lock the lid on and set the Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for 30 minutes (for black beans and pinto beans) or 40 minutes (for chickpeas). See cooking times in the notes below for other types. The valve on top should be set to Sealed. 

  

• Once the beans are done cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure (use a hot pad holder or towel) and opening the lid.

  

• Remove the aromatics (bay leaves, onions, garlic). Drain and rinse the beans, if desired. Or, store or serve the beans with some of the liquid. If you're storing the beans in the fridge (or freezer), I recommend storing the beans in some of the liquid to keep them fresh. 

  

Bean Cooking Times:

• Black Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
• Pinto Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
• Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas): Cook for 40 minutes
• Kidney Beans: Cook for 35 minutes
• Navy Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
• Great Northern Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
• Lima Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
• Black Eyed Peas: Cook for 15 minutes, with a 15 minute natural release (then manually release remaining pressure)

For beans, I recommend always using a natural release, unless stated (like with the black eyed peas) to keep the beans soft and intact.

How to determine the amount of water in the Instant Pot when cooking beans…

• Use 8 cups of water per 1 lb of beans if you plan to use the beans in recipes like soups, casseroles, or stuffed peppers; not on their own and plan to store them in the fridge or freezer.
• Use 6 cups of water per 1 lb of beans if you plan to use the beans on their own (like burrito bowls or refried beans) and want the beans to take on more of the seasonings you add. Less water means the juice will be thicker, starchier, and more flavorful and the beans will be as well.

Calories: 335kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 20gFat: 3gSodium: 496mgPotassium: 1248mgFiber: 13gSugar: 2gVitamin C: 4.9mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 6.1mg

My Favorite

10 Ways to Use Home-Cooked Beans

• Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers (with black beans)
• Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas (with mashed pinto beans)
• Hummus (with chickpeas)
• Marinated Chickpea Salad
• Beet Hummus (with chickpeas)
• Instant Pot Chili (with kidney beans)
• Stove-Top Chili (with kidney or black beans)
• 30-Minute Chicken and Bean Nachos (with black beans)
• Vegetarian Tuscan White Bean Soup (with Great Northern beans)
• Freezer Bean Burritos(with mashed pinto beans)
• Ground Beef Taco Meat: Add 1/2lb ground beef and 1/2 lb of cooked pinto or black beans, then cook according to the recipe.
• Refried Beans: Mash pinto beans with a bit of the liquid, add cumin, salt, or chili powder.

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