Instant Pot pinto beans are delicious, simple and easy! I will show you how to cook dry pinto beans in the Instant Pot, and there is no pre-soaking required.
Sometimes I think to myself: I couldn’t possibly publish this on the blog because it is just TOO simple. It is barely even a recipe!
But over and over again those types of recipes prove to be your favorites!
So I am happy to introduce to you The Easiest Pinto Beans Recipe Ever. 🤓👍🏻
Sometimes I prepare these exactly like my instant pot black-eyed peas. But I wanted to do a vegetarian/ vegan version for y’all because they are just as good y’all. Seriously.
I love that I can make these from dry beans, and they don’t have to cook all the live-long day!
Dry beans are suuuuper cheap, and they are great for stretching a buck. I barely buy canned beans much anymore. I mostly keep canned ones on hand for emergencies.
You can make them ahead, portion them out and freeze them if you wish.
Sometimes I make a batch of these Instant Pot pinto beans at the beginning of the week, along with some rice, and we eat them for lunch all week with various toppings: diced avocado, cilantro, hot sauce, salsa, etc.
Side note: skillet corn bread is excellent with these, as shown in these pictures.
The last thing I will say about my Instant Pot pinto beans is about the cook time. Usually the Instant Pot recommended cook times are pretty close to accurate. For some reason, they seem WAY off to me with their bean recommendations. That, or I like mine well-done! 😆
Either way, if you have tried with their time recommendations and have been unhappy with the texture of your beans, I say cook those bad boys at least 50% longer than they recommend.
I cooked these for a whopping 45 minutes (with natural release), whereas Instant Pot recommends 25 to 30.
And they turn out perfect every time!
Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans
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- Instant Pot
- Better Than Bullion vegetable base – I get mine at Publix or Walmart
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe
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Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Pre-Soaking)
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 5 1/2 cups water
- 1 2/3 Tablespoon Better Than Bullion vegetable base
- salt and pepper to taste (Honestly, mine didn't need any. The BTB flavored them perfectly. Taste them first.)
Instructions
Rinse off your pinto beans, and drain them using a wire mesh strainer.
Add them to the Instant Pot, along with the water and Better Than Bullion vegetable base.
Close and lock the lid, and cook on manual high pressure for 45 minutes. Note: It will take several minutes to come to pressure.
Allow the pressure to naturally release (Do not use the valve, but let it sit until the pressure indicator pin drops on its own. Mine took about 26 minutes, FYI.)
Recipe Notes
45 minutes is the pressure cook time, but this will take longer than that to cook. The pot takes a little while to come up to pressure, plus about 25 minute to naturally release.
I par-boiled my beans for 30 minutes, then I cooked them 45 minutes in the instant pot – they came out perfect. I used chicken broth instead of water and the bullion and I also used a pinto bean seasoning (3 tbl).
My bag of pinto beans was 20 oz. so I removed about half a cup of them. Need I had worried about the extra in the bag?
Hi Linda! Great question. Instant Pot does not recommend filling bean recipes more than half full in the pot (including liquids and all other ingredients). I can’t remember for sure, but I think they would have fit they extra 4 ounces. You would have needed to increase the liquid and seasoning a little too.
I did 40 minutes to cook beans before making chili. Worked great!, I figured I can always cook the whole thing a bit more if the beans are still tough…
I also like using dry beans because it makes me feel green: so much waste in buying the cooked beans in a can with all the stuff you really don’t need to buy: the can, the water, and you can store the dried beans just as long as a can.
Yessss! I agree about feeling more “green” eating beans this way. Not that we never eat canned ones (we totally do), but it feels so efficient.🤗
I have fixed pinto beans in my INSTANT pot several times. I went by your recipe but found the 45 minutes just wasn’t enough, beans still a little hard. I adjusted cooking time to 50 minutes and find this is perfect! Thanks for your recipe!
Glad it turned out delicious. Yep, times may vary for a variety of reasons. Glad they were good after the 2nd go-around. 👌🏻
Just made these tonight–they turned out great EXCEPT the 45 minutes with 26 minutes of natural release STILL left me with tough beans. : ( (My IP says 25-30 minutes for beans so I really thought your 45 minutes would be enough!)
Just to let anyone know, if your instant pot works the same way, i put the lid back on and did another 12 minutes of pressure cooking with another 26 minutes of natural release. I wasn’t sure if you could just redo it, but it worked!! Not sure why mine took so much longer, but they were exactly what I wanted after round 2!!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Shelley! Glad you liked the flavor. Yep, it’s possible that your beans were a little different size maybe?🤔 Glad you knew just to turn them back on for a few minutes. 👍🏻
I was always told that Adding salt to the beans while they cook makes them tough. Add the salt after, and they won’t take nearly as long.
Would it cook faster if you presoak the night before? The pot recipe tells you to presoak and I think that might be the reason that the. Shorter time is enough. NOTE : I have only made the refried beans recipe
Hi Marie! Yes, they would definitely cook faster with soaking. I just never do it that way since I got my Instant Pot.
Another reason the beans took longer to cook could be that they were older beans. if they have been IN STORage for any length of time they will probably take a bit longer.
My Hubby just got me an IP for Valentines Day. I have NEVER even used a pressure cooker before! (54 years old, sheesh,LOL) Anyways, I am going to try my hand at these beans. I figure if Im going to mess something up, it won’t be an expensive cut of meat.. LOL Thank you so much for your recipie Tips, and hope I don’t blow up My House.. LOL
Hi Cherie! I hope they were delicious for you, and I am betting that your house is still intact. 😉😆
I have a receipe for pintoi beans that came from using my crockpot and i now have an insta pot , it adds bacon, green chiles , chili powder and ground beef , 1lb of pinto beans and 8 cups of water , do i need to reduce the water AND CALL I ADD ALL THE INGREDIENTS AT ONE TIME
I APOLOGIZE I TRIED TO FIX THE WORD CALL TO CAN BUT IT WONT LET ME EDIT
Hi Brenda! Sounds delicious, and I would guess it would work. I would brown the ground beef on sauté first and then drain it. Return it to the pot and then add everything else. Note: this is a guess since I have not tested this myself.
i just make my own veggie broth with some carrots(3), onions(1), garlic (1 bulb), mushrooms (1/2 box), celery (4 stalks) and salt (1/2 tablespoon Kosher) add 4 cups of water and pressure cook high for 15 minutes and let depressurize.This will get you 4 cups of veggie broth. you can Cut back/out the salt if needed.
For the beans, I added 2 cups of beans, 2 cups of broth and 1.5 cups of water. Cook on high pressure for 1 hour.
Sounds delicious!😋
I don’t understand–did exactly as you said and the beans were still very hard–am cooking them again for nearly the same amount of time. And I didn’t use the quick release pressure either. (just in case you were wondering) How old is your Instant Pot?
HI Alison! Yep, they would be way too mushy if you then recooked them in chili. I would recommend reduced cook time for that, but it sounds like you already figured that out.😉👌🏻
I typically cook a 2- pound bag. Would I need to double the water?
Hmmm, you may not have to double the water. I would just make sure that the water covers all the beans by at least an inch or so.
Thanks for replying! I went ahead (before response) and doubled the water. So long as your beans are soft, it’s hard to cook beans incorrectly! 😉 They turned out fine, but there was a bit more liquid than I like, so I’ll adjust accordingly! Time-wise was perfect still!
Great to know…thanks for taking the time to circle back and let me know.🤗👍🏻
Thanks for the recipe.
You are so welcome! I hope you enjoy it!🤗
I like to make the beans the main dish rather than the side dish. I often add a tomato base and veggies. I’m wondering when I might put these in. My family also likes chili, and I usually add the tomato base early on so that the beans soak up the flavor. If I were to add ground turkey would I do that early on also or will the meat disintegrate?
After the beans are done, you can add some baking soda and all the gas releases from the beans. I use this method for all beans and my family is very appreciative. I start with a tablespoon and if I think it needs more I add a tablespoon more. You can tell as the pot will bubble up, and I mean bubble up. If it doesn’t bubble, add more.
Do you rinse it the baking soda off after?
I like Kitchen Accomplice boullion mix. It is liquid. They have a low sodium I think but the regular is not too salty to me. It is on Amazon, and I have also found it at a local variety store ~ Bartells ~ in my area
If you’re cooking these in 5 1/2 cups of water, what amount of liquid do you have left over after cooking?
Hmmm, not sure exactly🤔…although it is enough that the beans are still covered in liquid after cooking. I would estimate that the beans absorb about 1 to 1.5 cups? Which would leave 4 to 4.5 left. Hope that helps.
Too much. 4 1/2 cup water per one pound rinsed dry beans, high pressure, 30 minutes and you have little liquid.
I bought an Instant Pot Lux Mini,3 quart size,a few days ago. I have only cooked stew meat in it 1 time. My question for anyone is….Can I cook a 1 pound bag of dry pinto beans in this,using 5 & 1/2 cups of water,as @marjorieapinchofhealthy:disqus stated she did? Thanks to any 1 who can help me.
For bean cooking, you want to make sure your pot is not much fuller than 1/2 full. Otherwise, there is a good chance that you could have starchy liquid shooting out the top. I don’t have a mini, but I am guessing you might want to cut that particular recipe in half…with the same cook time as the original recipe. Hope that helps!
LOL at the boom-booms. 🤣 Cumin would taste great in these! I often put cumin in all kinds of beans simply because I love the flavor.
Hi, my husband is on a very low salt diet as well. After soaking them, I have been cooking pinto beans in my old Presto pressure cooker without any salt. Will this reciework without any salt? Also, I make my own salsa without salt. Could I add some salsa for flavor without changing the consistency if the cooked beans? Thank you for your help.
Yes, I think that should work great! Sounds like it would be good with the salsa in it.
I have used this recipe without salt and they turned out very good.
Better than bouillon has toxic ingredients – yes, the yeast can harm many!
Organic or not, it’s bad.
I use Imagine
Do you have any idea how the cook time would be affected by using fresh pinto beans? I picked some up at the farmers market, and I’m not sure how much less time to cook them.
This Vegebase by Vogue Cuisine looks great. It ain’t cheap, though! 12-ounce jar for $13.59, wow! Is it cheaper elsewhere do you think? It’s a dollar cheaper at Vitacost. Does it make that big a difference that throwing a whole bunch of good spices in the pot wouldn’t be as good?
That is a little pricey. The Better Than Bullion vegetable base I mention in the post is $3.72 at WalMart. I’d say the main advantage is convenience and simplicity. It has your salt and seasonings. So it cuts out the guesswork & measuring and just makes things suuuuuper simple.
Okay, so I’m going to pass and just throw in seasonings and onions. Thanks a lot for your recipe. Going to do my first non-soak beans next week in my new IP!
Yaaaay!
So, um . . . is there a gas issue because of the lack of soaking? Asking for a friend, haha!
😂🤣 I will say that I used to soak mine religiously. And after doing this method, I notice zero difference with myself and all 3 members of my family. Hope that helps!
I put a small oak twig on top and carefully remove it after cooking so that all the farts crawl up on to of it. Then toss it out before serving .:)
I was brought up to soak your beans overnight with a small amount of baking soda. This stops the bean from causing gas. When I use an electric pressure cooker, I just add the baking soda to the mix and cook.
Oh yum! Glad to know it tasted good. Yes, BTB is very salty.
Hi marjorie, just wanted to pitch in. the salt is why the beans are taking so long to cook. you don’t season beans before pressure cooking, or the salt prevents the beans from absorbing water and softening. Try cooking on plain water first, then seasoning after they’re done. good luck!
Hi Pedro, I just had to comment because although it is an often-repeated traditional statement that salt in cooking makes beans tough, modern testing by the Food lab and by america’s test kitchen and by Russ Parsons of the Los Angeles Times. All of them agree that adding salt does not increase cooking time. In addition, the Test Kitchen folks found that if you have hard water, adding salt improves cooking results because the salt molecules replace some of the calcium in the bean skins, softening them and allowing them to expand rather than bursting apart.