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Instant Pot Recipes
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Dairy-Free
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Vegetarian
5I
5 ingredients or less
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Posted: 02/03/2020
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Ready to use in your favorite Mexican style recipe, or to just eat plain, these Instant Pot pinto beans are a game changer, with no soaking and a much quicker cook time.
I’m just in love with my Instant Pot! All right, maybe that’s a little over the top, but every day I find new things to love about cooking with my pressure cooker.
Mostly, I love the speediness. When you can take something like dry, hard beans and have them ready to eat in about an hour, I find that truly kind of amazing, don’t you?
And it’s all pretty much hands-off time, so you can be working on other aspects of your dinner, or just taking a break with a cup of coffee and a good book (my preference, for sure!).
The ultimate question is: How do pinto beans taste when they’ve been pressure cooked in an Instant Pot? Delicious! Much more tasty and economical than canned beans.
About these Instant Pot Pinto Beans
An important thing to remember is that dry beans absorb a lot of water. I use 6 cups of water with 1 pound of pinto beans. The beans don’t absorb all 6 cups of the water. You’ll have lots of nice bean broth, which you can eat with the beans. I like to let the beans sit in the cooking liquid while they cool a bit so they can absorb a little more of that delicious broth.
Season the beans liberally with chopped onion, a bay leaf or two, salt and pepper. Put the lid on securely, select Pressure Cook, set the cooking time for 50 minutes, and let the pinto beans cook. When the cooking time is up, natural release for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. That’s it! In just over an hour, you have perfectly cooked pinto beans, firm but not crunchy.
I like to use these cooked pinto beans in a variety of recipes. You can make them into refried beans, add them to your favorite chili with ground beef or turkey, make soup or vegetarian stuffed peppers (coming soon!), or use them in a taco salad. I really like this quinoa salad with pinto beans and avocado dressing. One of my favorite pinto bean dishes is frijoles borrachos, or “drunken beans”.
Instant Pot pinto beans are delicious just plain, too. I had a bowl of cooked pinto beans on the counter cooling and my mom and I kept sneaking a taste because they’re kind of addicting.
Do you need to soak the beans before they are cooked in a pressure cooker?
As I mention above, you don’t need to presoak the beans. However, according to the recipe booklet that comes with your Instant Pot, if you pre-soak the beans for 4-6 hours in water (4 times the volume of the beans), the cooking time will be reduced to 7-9 minutes.
If you have time to presoak the beans, as you can see, the cooking time is cut drastically. Soak or no soak? Decide which way works best in your schedule.
Or maybe slow cooking works best for you, I get that! Check out how to make slow cooker pinto beans.
How do you cook dried beans in an Instant Pot?
You can cook any type of dried beans in your Instant Pot pressure cooker. Water and beans are all you need, seasoning is optional. Check the cookbook that comes with your Instant Pot for guidelines on how long to cook each type of bean. Easy, easy, easy! I love to make Black Bean Soup in my Instant Pot.
How to make this Instant Pot recipe your own:
- Add seasonings, like garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and/or cayenne.
- Spice it up a little with a can of green chiles.
- Make them plain. I would definitely add a little salt though.
- Add chopped bacon to the Instant Pot and cook it with the beans.
- Try different varieties of beans.
Reheating and Storage Tips
Cooked pinto beans will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, ready to use in the recipe of your choosing.
For longer storage, freeze pinto beans in freezer containers with their juice, or in freezer bags if they’re drained, for up to 6 months. If you’re adding beans to chili or soups, you can toss them in without thawing. If you’re adding the pinto beans to salads, thaw overnight in the refrigerator for best results.
Other basics that will make you fall in love with your Instant Pot:
Do you really love your Instant Pot? If you’re still on the fence, try some of these game changing basic recipes, and watch out! You may find yourself falling in love.
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (this recipe tipped my mom into the love category)
- Instant Pot Applesauce (or maybe it was this one!)
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken (perfect for meal prep)
- Instant Pot Boiled Eggs (easy to peel every time!)
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot Quinoa (plain or cilantro lime)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Ready to use in your favorite Mexican style recipe, or to just eat plain, these Instant Pot pinto beans are a game changer, with no soaking and a much quicker cook time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans (about 2 cups)
- 6 cups water
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse beans and pick out any stones, pebbles, or non-bean materials. If desired, soak in water overnight to reduce cook time, but this is not necessary.
- Put beans into Instant Pot. Add water, onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir. Secure lid, turn valve to seal.
- Set pressure cooker to "pressure cook" or "manual" (depending on model), high pressure, for 50 minutes for dry beans (15 minutes for soaked beans). Let pressure release naturally (in other words, leave it alone) for 15 minutes.
- Quick release any remaining pressure by turning valve to “vent.” Remove lid.
- Carefully remove bay leaf. Beans can be drained, or you can scoop beans out with a slotted spoon, or enjoy them with the cooking broth. It’s delicious!
- Serve, garnished with chopped cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- Makes about 5 cups after liquid is drained.
- Want to keep it basic? This recipe will work just fine with water and beans, but I recommend adding salt at the very least.
- Want to kick it up a notch? Try cooking with chicken broth instead of water, and/or adding 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- For another twist, try adding a can of diced green chiles.
- To use as “refried” beans: Drain beans, reserving liquid. Blend with an immersion blender or a potato masher, adding liquid as needed.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 162kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Sodium: 246mg, Potassium: 649mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Dianna Franklyn says
Can’t wait to do your recipes.
Rachel Gurk says
Thanks so much Dianna!
CA says
Just to be clear though, your recipe calls for about as much sodium as one would normally find in the equivalent amount of canned beans. People act horrified when they read it on a label but then go on to add just as much if not more when they cook.
I’m not anti-sodium myself, I just think the argument that these beans will taste better than canned will suffice, and we don’t always have to toss in some dubious health and purity claim.
Rachel Gurk says
That’s fair! I also like things on the salty side so I tend to go heavy because I think it tastes better. But if you wanted to reduce sodium, you do have more control over it in this recipe vs a can. But your point is 100% valid and I’m going to revise the text of the post.
Nicola Corl says
I used kelp & dulse instead of salt. 95% less sodium and lots of beneficial minerals. The first time I made this I forgot to close the vent on my instant pot (big oops) and it read BURN by the time I got to them but I was able to salvage them by adding another cup and half of water and pressure cooking for 15 minutes-a bit overcooked but still delicious!
Cec says
This recipe was absolutely delicious! This time I put, chopped up jalapeño, chopped onion, fresh green chilies,
and leftover grilled chicken breast that I cut into pieces! It was over the top! Thank you for your recipe and it’s so quick and easy to make!
Rachel Gurk says
Sounds so good! I’m thinking I need to make a batch when I get home today, you have me craving these beans with your comment!
Suzanne says
Rachel, I love my instant pot, I actually have two! So glad I looked at your chili recipe with pinto bean, I had no idea these beans work very well for Chili! Soaking the beans at pressure cook for 50 minutes was perfect….thanks again!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Suzanne says
Had some pintos to get rid of. Crossing my fingers that it’s a great base recipe – it’s in the pot now. Hoping 50 mins isn’t overkill. The IP manual recommends 30 minutes for dry beans, but we will see. Used 1.5 c of beans because that’s all I had, and there’s only 2 of us. To this I added:
4.5 C water
1-ish TB adobo flavor Better than Bouillon
1 small chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped jalapeño, seeds removed
1 half red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 C minced cilantro, stems and leaves
2 small bay leaves
3/4 – 1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Ground black pepper
This is mostly how I was taught to make black beans in Costa Rica (gallo pinto) except minus the adobo flavor boullion paste – that’s just because I want these to be smoky, and we do not do ham/meat in this house.
Rachel Gurk says
Sounds delicious!
Karen says
I’ve never been a huge fan of pinto beans… until now. Thank you for this recipe! I followed your recipe, including adding the additional seasonings listed in your notes. I used Reduced Sodium Better Than Bouillon® Roasted Chicken Base to make the 6 cups of liquid, added a can of Rotel and topped it off with a dollop of sour cream. It was absolutely delicious and very filling. I wish I had had some fresh cilantro on hand to top it off with as well. Next time…
When I make it again, and I will, I will probably add some more beans and increase the amount of cayenne pepper. Again, thank you so much! Yum.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for leaving a review!
Cheryl Wilson says
Nowhere does it say wht temperature to cooki these beans. What an oversight.
Rachel Gurk says
Hi, this is an Instant Pot recipe so there isn’t a specific temperature. In step 3 it states, “Set pressure cooker to “pressure cook” or “manual” (depending on model), high pressure, for 50 minutes for dry beans (15 minutes for soaked beans). Let pressure release naturally (in other words, leave it alone) for 15 minutes.”
Do you have questions beyond that?
Susan Hofmann says
So easy and delicious! I may never buy canned beans again!
Rachel Gurk says
Glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for leaving a review!
Greg DeFauw says
Simple, delicious, healthy and inexpensive. I have been freezing half for later. I like to mix with rice and have with my lunch. The liquid to bean ratio and 50 minutes cook time in Instant Pot with some natural release is perfect. No more canned pinto beans for me. These are so much better.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
H Harold Hutchins says
I tried this recipe and it is to die for. Used all the ingredients including those listed below the instructions. I never thought if using chicken broth to cook my beans in but I will never use water again. I also cooked some red Chile and found I had consumed the entire pot of beans and never touched the red Chile. The flavor of the beans was to fantastic all alone. I have found a new New Mexico Tradition.
Rachel Gurk says
So happy you liked it! Thank you for the review!
Becca says
I’ve used this recipe as my base a few times now. I like to add bell peppers and jalapenos to it. The liquid to bean to cook time ratio is perfect. It also works when I double the recipe, but leave the cook time the same!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you like it!
H Hutchins says
First time I used my Instapot for pinto beans and they are absolutely fantastic. I added a lot of extras that the recipe suggested and it added a flavor and intensity I have never before experienced. I didn’t fix the red Chile because the taste was not needed.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed!