Instant Pot Ayocote Negro Beans. Big black Mexican beans in the pressure cooker.
I got a bag of these big beautiful black beans in my Rancho Gordo bean box, and had to give them a try.
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Ayocote Negro beans have grown in the Mexican highlands since pre-Columbian times. Ayocote is Spanish for runner beans, a name they picked up from the Aztec and pre-Aztec civilizations in the region. That said, don’t think of Mexican Black Beans (or Chipotle black beans) when you cook them. They have the runner bean flavor profile, starchy and meaty, similar to scarlet runner beans.
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🥫Ingredients
This is a simple dried bean recipe, so the ingredients list is pretty basic
- Dried Ayocote Negro beans (Marcella beans are particularly good)
- Half an onion
- Bay leaf
🥘 Substitutions
If you can't find Ayocote Negro beans, Scarlet Runner beans are a good replacement.
Don’t have half an onion? Substitute a couple of cloves of garlic, unpeeled. (Peeled garlic will disintegrate into the bean broth, which I find a little too garlicky. Whole cloves can be fished out of the pot.)
🛠 Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the reasons I became a pressure cooker convert. Try them - you’ll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips on make ahead freezer beans.)
📏Scaling
This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you don’t need as many beans, or have a 3-quart pressure cooker. Scaling up runs into space issues; if you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can double this recipe, but it’s too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.
🤨 Soaking Ayocote Negro beans
I do soak these beans (unlike regular black beans). Ayocote Negro beans are so big that they need a soak to cook evenly in a pressure cooker. I do an overnight soak - when I remember - and a quick soak when I don’t remember. (Which, unfortunately, is most of the time. I’m an enthusiastic home cook, but not that good at planning ahead.)
💡Tips and Tricks
- Salt your bean water! “Salt toughens beans” is a myth. Salting before cooking helps season the beans all the way through as they cook.
- If your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any “floaters” at the top of the pot, give the beans a stir, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes. Older beans take longer to cook, and if the beans have been sitting in the shelf at your store for a while, they may need extra time.
- Simmer to thicken: If you have the time, and want thicker bean liquid, simmer the beans for 20 minutes after pressure cooking. I set my Instant Pot to Sauté mode adjusted to low, set the timer to 20 minutes, and leave the lid off to let the broth evaporate.
Inspired by: Ayocote Negro Bean – Rancho Gordo
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Instant Pot Ayocote Negro Beans
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
Instant Pot Ayocote Negro Beans. Big black Mexican beans in the pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried Ayocote Negro Beans, sorted and rinsed
- 8 cups of water for soaking (see instructions)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt for soaking (optional, see instructions)
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ an onion, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Rinse the beans, then do an overnight or a quick soak.
- Overnight soak: Cover the beans with the 8 cups of water, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Leave the beans to soak at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- OR: Pressure Quick Soak for 1 minute with a 30 minute rest: Put the beans and 8 cups of water in the pressure cooker pot, and sprinkle with the salt. Pressure cook at high pressure for 1 minute (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot for 1 minute), then let the beans sit for 30 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure.
- Pressure Cook for 20 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release: Drain the beans, discarding the soaking liquid. Put the beans in the pressure cooker, add 5 cups of water, sprinkle with the teaspoon of salt, then add the onion half and the bay leaves. Lock the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker, or for 16 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. (Use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 30 minutes. (If you’re in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural pressure release.)
- Serve: Discard the onion and bay leaves – they’ve given their all to the beans. Serve the beans with their broth, or drain the beans and serve.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
You don’t need to overnight soak AND quick soak – do one or the other.
Can you skip the soak? Yes, if you pressure cook for 45 minutes with a Natural Pressure Release…and then check the beans. If they’re not cooked through, give them another 5 minutes under pressure to finish cooking.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker)
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Beans
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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☃️ Storage
A 2-cup container of beans, with cooking liquid, replaces a 15-ounce can of beans from the grocery store. They’ll last in the refrigerator for a few days, and freeze for up to 6 months. I always make extra beans, and freeze the leftovers for use in other recipes. Freezer beans are ready to use with about 5 minutes in the microwave, and are so much better than canned.
🤝 Related Posts
Instant Pot Scarlet Runner Beans
Instant Pot Chipotle Beans
Pressure Cooker Santa Maria Pinquito Beans
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Carol Rose says
Hello there, I’ve been growing these beans for a couple of years and they’re very delicious. I use an Insta pot to cook them and it takes about three hours total. Do you have any information on how these would cook in a crockpot? Thank you for any time you can spare. Carol Rose.
Mike Vrobel says
No, sorry, I don't know how long they would take in a crock pot. If you find out, let me know!
Suzanne says
I was looking for a simple recipe to use after I picked up a bag of
Rancho Gordo ayocote morado beans. The recipe was great. I had only soaked the beans about 6 hours so it took 60 minutes in a traditional pressure cooker. Delicious!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Kathryn says
I love the Ayocote Negro beans from Rancho Gordo. I dislike pre-soaking beans, and the Rancho Gordo beans are so fresh, relatively speaking, compared to supermarket beans that they usually need no soaking. These beans do well in my 6 quart Instant Pot at 65 min, High, with NPR. Just FWIW.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks for the info!