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Home » Sides & Sauces

Fail-proof Instant Pot Beans

May 23, 2018 By Lorena Grater

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Here is your fail-proof guide for Instant Pot Beans. Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot pinto beans, instant pot kidney beans, and many more, basically an encyclopedia about cooking beans in the instant pot.

After pounds and pounds of bean pressure cooking I got it right. Here is your fail-proof guide for Instant Pot Beans. Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot pinto beans, instant pot kidney beans, and many more, basically an encyclopedia about cooking beans in the instant pot.

After seeing the same question popping up over and over again in several Facebook groups: “how to cook beans in the instant pot”, and after reading answers that couldn’t differ any more, I felt the urge to find out timings for myself. Just like back when I saw the same happening for Instant Pot Rice.

I’ve read people recommending cook times anywhere from 10 minutes all the way up to 60 minutes. How can that be? Why do the recommended times differ SO MUCH?!? I had to get to the bottom of it.

Well, first of all, many times it isn’t even specified what kind of beans. There are soooooo many  kinds and they all cook in different times. Asking “how to cook beans in the instant pot” is basically an incomplete question and often results in incomplete answers.

Second of all, it is never specified what the beans are meant for. Depending on if you want them for a salad or a soup makes a huge difference. For a salad you want them barely cooked so they hold their shape, stay dry and don’t become mushy. For a soup you want them super cooked and falling apart by themselves so you can blend them and create a creamy soup.

And lastly,it is rarely specified if the cooking time is requested or suggested for soaked or dry beans. This also plays a huge role in timing.

Which brings us to the first question and answer in our Instant Pot Beans Encyclopedia.

Unsoaked and soaked beans graphic for Instant Pot Beans Cooking

Soaking or No Soaking for Instant Pot Beans

Let me answer one important thing first: yes, you CAN cook both, soaked and unsoaked beans in the pressure cooker. So if you desperately want to skip the soaking process you absolutely CAN.

The question, however, should not be if you CAN cook no soak beans. The question is: do you really want to skip the step?

I never (literally never!) skip soaking. Why? Because it eases digestion A LOT. I, for one, don’t love feeling bloated and passing wind. If you enjoy that, by all means, go ahead and skip the step ;)

If you’re more like me and like eating healthy and yummy food without bloating and farting (high five my friend) then soak your beans for 8-12 hours before pressure cooking.

Generations and generations before us already knew about this trick and I rely a lot on their experience. A pressure cooker doesn’t break down the beans to a point where soaking isn’t necessary anymore to ease digestion. Maybe one day someone will invent a magical machine that can but for now, there isn’t one on the market that I know.

What the instant pot does it cook beans faster to reach the same consistency a regular pot with water does. That’s the advantage of pressure cooking. The soaking is still necessary.

There are other tricks to ease digestion such as adding “epazote” during the cooking process and/or removing the foam that forms on top. The most important and most effective is soaking though. Don’t skip the soaking even if you add epazote and remove the foam.

Sooooo, all experiments run for this post are for beans soaked for 12 hours at room temperature using filtered water. Then drained and rinsed and cooked in just plain, fresh, unsalted water.

Ok, now that we’ve had have that discussion let’s get to the next point.

Instant Pot Black Beans

My fist tests were run with Black Beans and that’s how I found out that the discrepancies of timing are often times likely due to what the beans are meant for.

After cooking for 30 minutes + complete natural pressure release the beans were nice and soft and perfect to use for a soup. They were cooked to the necessary consistency to blend into a smooth black bean soup.

However, they were way too soft to drain and use for a salad. They were much much softer than the black beans you’d find in a can for example.

The canned black beans are pretty firm and after draining ideal for a salad for example.

So the next goal was to find the best pressure cook timing to achieve firm beans for salad AND a consistency somewhere in between for Instant Pot Beans and Rice. Not too firm and not too soft.

After 20 minutes of high pressure cooking and full natural pressure release the Instant Pot Black Beans were thoroghly cooked through but still firm. I was able to drain them and use them in a salad.

After 25 minutes they had that perfect consistency for Instant Pot Beans and Rice.

Showing consistency of Instant Pot Beans after different cooking times

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

I thought all beans the same size would cook in the same time but no. It seems different beans have a different composition and cook differently.

Pinto Beans cooked faster in my experiment compared to black beans. I was very surprised actually. So much so, that I will have to rerun this experiment. Pinto Beans were the last beans I experimented with and I’m wondering if my Instant Pots (<– yes, plural, I have several because I’m obsessed, haha) were maybe overheating and cooking stuff faster?

Anyway, the Adzuki Beans definitely confirmed the fact that different beans cook at different times regardless of size.

The Instant Pot Pinto Beans were perfect for draining and using in salads after just 15 minutes high pressure and full natural pressure release.

Perfect for rice and beans after 20 minutes high pressure cooking + NPR. And suitable for soups after 25 minutes HP + NPR.

Flavoring Instant Pot Beans (salt while or after cooking)

Depending on what you want your Instant Pot Beans for you may or may not want to flavor them.

If you want your beans for a salad which will have a salad dressing it’s probably best to simply cook them in filtered water and nothing else. Drain the water and use the unflavored beans for your salad.

For Instant Pot Beans and Rice or for soup you’ll probably want to flavor while cooking. There is a couple simple rules to follow. Add onion, garlic, spices (except salt) before or during cooking but salt after cooking. Salt can keep beans from softening up so you want to avoid adding while they are cooking but rather once they’re already soft.

What I love to do is to prepare a “sofrita” first. You hit the sautée button first and while the pot heats you peel and finely chop onion and garlic. Once hot, add a splash of oil, the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until nice and brown. Then add beans and water and cook as instructed in the recipe card below.

And here the printable fool-proof timing guide for Instant Pot Beans:

Time Guide for Instant Pot Beans

6 different kinds of beans in bowls in front of an Instant Pot to show how to cook Instant Pot Beans

Instant Pot Beans

Prep Time: 1 minute
Total Time: 1 minute
Servings: 1 cup
Here is your fail-proof guide for Instant Pot Beans. Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot pinto beans, instant pot kidney beans, and many more, basically an encyclopedia about cooking beans in the instant pot.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1-3 cups beans - (black beans, pinto beans, adzuki beans, kidney beans, navy beans, or mung beans)
  • water
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Add beans to a large bowl and cover with abundant filtered water. At least 4 times as much water as beans. Cover with a clean dish towel. Soak for 8-12 hours on the kitchen counter. (If you soak them longer timings will differ!)
  • Drain beans and rinse really really well.
  • Add beans to instant pot and cover with fresh water to about 2 inches above the beans (two thumbs thick).
  • Put on the lid and turn the knob to the sealing position. 
  • Press manual (or pressure cook on newer models) set to high pressure and adjust timing follows depending on if you need the beans for salad/rice and beans/soup:
    Black Beans: 20/25/30 minutes + 20 mins NPR
    Pinto Beans: 15/20/25 + 20 mins NPR
    Navy Beans: 25/30/35 + 20 mins NPR
    Kidney Beans: 25/30/35 + 20 mins NPR
    Adzuki Beans: 5/10/15 + 20 mins NPR
    Mung Beans: 0 + 10 min NPR / 0 + 15 min NPR / 1 + 20 mins NPR
  • Let pressure release naturally for specified time above, then, if safety pin hasn't dropped on its own yet, release remaining pressure manually. 

Notes

Calorie information for 1 cup black beans cooked in water.
Very puzzled with some people getting mushed black beans and kidney beans with my times stated above and been trying to figure out why the discrepancies. I've tested the cooking times again with organic and conventional beans of different brands to figure out if that made a difference and it didn't so not sure what this could be attributed to. 
I know the age of the beans plays a role. If you were not successful with the times please let me know what brand you used, how many cups, what size and model Instant Pot you used, what timing you used, and if you can send me a photo or your mushy beans (via e-mail) that would mean the world to me! 
At 10 minutes + NPR for black beans MY beans in MY pot had a sandy texture and tasted undercooked.

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 15g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 610mg | Fiber: 14g | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3.6mg
Course Side Dish, vegan, vegetarian
Cuisine International
Keyword Instant Pot Beans, Instant Pot Black Beans, Instant Pot Pinto Beans
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Filed Under: Instant Pot, Sides & Sauces, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Keri says

    May 10, 2022 at 2:55 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you, this is great information!

    Reply
  2. Patty says

    April 25, 2022 at 12:49 pm

    To make beans with this recipe, what size instant pot are you using?
    I have a 6 quart, and eat vegan, so I want to make beans OFTEN. I DONT WANT TO OVERFILL the pot.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Lorena Grater says

      April 26, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      I use a 6-quart as well.

      Reply
  3. Nicole DuBiel says

    April 13, 2022 at 8:43 am

    This is awesome! Thank you.
    Any idea on time for small red beans to use in beans and rice?

    Reply
  4. Heather Martin says

    March 31, 2022 at 8:58 pm

    Very well researched. Thank you. I’m not sure of this but could the time beans take to cook be affected by altitude? I know eggs take different times depending on what altitude you are cooking them at.

    Reply
    • Lorena Grater says

      April 1, 2022 at 9:25 am

      There are many many reasons. Altitude is one but it’s negligible because it makes a difference of 2-3 minutes not 20 minutes like some report. Bean freshness and type play a much bigger role but unfortunately are things we can’t really control and don’t have access to the information typically. Most brands label “black beans” even though there are several different sub-types that most people (including me) have little knowledge about. We also aren’t given information about when the beans were harvested and packaged and how long they’ve been stored on shelves. The older beans are the longer they take to cook.

      Reply
  5. Eileen Ingraham says

    March 9, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    I have dried Peruvian beans to be cooked. How are these cooked in instant pot?

    Reply
    • Lorena Grater says

      March 14, 2022 at 4:43 pm

      I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of that kind of bean before. I don’t know.

      Reply
  6. Sharon says

    February 14, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    My InstaPot Max says you don’t have to soak bean before cooking. Maybe over soaked beans turn to mush in the IP?

    Reply
    • Lorena Grater says

      February 17, 2022 at 2:27 pm

      You don’t HAVE to soak them. I personally do for better digestion.

      Reply
      • Doc says

        March 13, 2022 at 3:31 pm

        But, if one were to want to forgo the soaking phase for time sake, how much time would be added to the cook time to get the same results?

        Reply
        • Lorena Grater says

          March 14, 2022 at 4:36 pm

          Unfortunately, I don’t know. I can’t digest unsoaked beans so I always soak them. I’m sorry I don’t have better advice.

          Reply
  7. Sr says

    February 11, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    Very helpful and nicely organized. Appreciate the effort it took to put this insight together! Thanks!!

    Reply
  8. Adrian says

    February 1, 2022 at 1:10 pm

    5 stars
    Finally! So glad i found someone serious with knowledge and experience. There is too many of these “boil for 10 minutes” recipes out there. Keep up the good work! :)

    Reply
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