Instant Pot Cranberry Beans. Dried cranberry beans are so much better than canned, and pressure cooking has them ready in about an hour.
I've made recipes that include cranberry beans before, but here is a simple โbeans and nothing but the beansโ recipe. Later this week Iโm using cranberry beans in a more complex recipe, so I figured I should cover the bean basics first.
Jump to:
Cranberry beans go by a few different names. Theyโre cargamanto beans in Colombia, where they originated, and are called Borlotti beans in Italy. (Italy also calls them Saluggia beans - but only if they are from Saluggia in Northern Italy.) Wherever theyโre from, they are a small, tan bean, with wine-red speckles, that turns completely brown when cooked. I get my cranberry beans from Rancho Gordo (yes, again). I am willing - no, happy - to pay extra for high quality beans. But, donโt let that stop you from getting them at your local grocery; as long as they havenโt been sitting on the shelf for years, theyโll cook up fine with these instructions.
Where to find cranberry beans
I get most of my beans online, through Rancho Gordo. They're expensive, but very high quality beans. Your local grocery store may carry cranberry beans, and your local "healthy" grocery store almost certainly does. And, the other place I find them is at my local Italian specialty store - borlotti beans are a big part of Italian cooking, so they always have them in stock.
Pressure cook all the beans
Of course, Iโm using my (not so) secret weapon, and pressure cooking my beans. Bean cooking is one of the reasons I became a pressure cooking fanatic - itโs amazing how quick and easy bean cooking is with a pressure cooker. (For some other examples, see my instant pot kidney beans recipe or my instant pot black-eyed peas recipe.
๐ฅซIngredients
This is a simple dried bean recipe, so the ingredients list is pretty basic
- Dried Cranberry beans (aka Borlotti beans)
- A sprig of rosemary
- A few cloves of garlic
๐ฅ Substitutions
Donโt have rosemary or garlic? You can substitute a bay leaf for the rosemary (or skip it), or a peeled onion for the garlic (or skip it).
Cranberry beans are pretty common, but if you can't find them, I'd substitute pinto beans, which have a similar shape and flavor.
๐ Equipment
A 6-quart pressure cooker. Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the key reasons I became a pressure cooker convert. Try them - youโll never go back to canned beans. (OK, maybe you will, for convenience - but see the Storage section for tips)
๐Scaling
This recipe scales down easily - cut everything in half if you donโt 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 itโs too much to fit in a 6-quart pressure cooker.
๐คจ Soaking cranberry beans?
I get the โto soak, or not to soak?โ question all the the time.
I donโt soak my cranberry beans in this basic recipe. They donโt need an overnight soak, and cook to tenderness with 40 minutes at high pressure.
That doesnโt mean you canโt soak the beans. They turn out fine, though the bean broth isnโt quite as full bodied. Soaked beans cook much quicker, 20 minutes at high pressure. I use that when Iโm cooking the beans with other ingredients, where the shorter cooking time keeps me from overcooking the whole dish just to get the beans tender.
๐กTips and Tricks
- Salt your bean water! โSalt toughens beansโ 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 โfloatersโ 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 Sautรฉ mode adjusted to low, set the timer to 20 minutes, and leave the lid off to let the broth evaporate.
Instant Pot Cranberry Beans
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups cooked beans 1x
Description
Instant Pot Cranberry Beans. Dried cranberry beans are so much better than canned, especially when pressure cooking has them ready in about an hour.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried cranberry beans (aka borlotti beans), sorted and rinsed
- 8 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 sprig Rosemary (or a bay leaf)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the cranberry beans, removing broken beans, stones, and any other non-bean material. Put the beans in a strainer, rinse the beans, and set them aside to drain.
- Everything in the pot: Pour the beans into an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Stir in 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt, then add the rosemary sprig and peeled cloves of garlic
- Pressure Cook for 40 minutes with a quick release: Pressure cook on high pressure for 40 minutes in an electric pressure cooker (โManualโ or โPressure Cookโ mode in an Instant Pot), or 35 minutes in a stovetop PC. Quick release the pressure in the pot.
- Serve or Save: Remove the rosemary and garlic cloves and discard. Serve the beans as-is in their broth, freeze in their broth for later (see notes for freezing details), or drain and use them as directed in another recipe.
Equipment
Notes
Soaking the beans: I donโt soak my beans, but if you want to, go right ahead. After sorting the beans, cover them with water overnight, then drain and rinse. Continue with the โeverything in the potโ step, but only pressure cook soaked cranberry beans for 20 minutes with a quick release.
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 Sautรฉ mode adjusted to low, set the timer to 20 minutes, and leave the lid off to let the broth evaporate.
Storing for later: I love freezer beans. Theyโre so much better than canned, and ready to go in about 5 minutes with a microwave. Store the beans in their cooking liquid in 2-cup containers, and when a recipe calls for a can of beans, I pull one out of the freezer. Theyโll last for about 6 months in the freezer.
Tools
6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot 6-Quart Pressure Cooker)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
โ๏ธ Storage
A 2-cup container of beans, with cooking liquid, replaces a 15-ounce can of beans from the grocery store. Theyโll 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.
๐ค Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Venetian Pasta and Beans (Pasta e Fagioli alla Veneta)
Instant Pot Minestrone
Instant Pot Cannellini Beans with Tomatoes and Pancetta
Instant Pot Snowcap Beans
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.
Craige
After 40 mins my Goya brand Roman beans (same as cranberry I believe) were almost about to be mushy. Still taste great, though! All I added was a big clove of garlic and a bay leaf to a 1/2 pound of beans.
Lorrie
This sounds delicious and perfect for no meat Mondays. Mine are in the instant pot now with fresh rosemary sprigs as recommended. Iโm serving with chopped onions and cornbread. Thanks.
Mike Vrobel
You're welcome!
smanders
This was so helpful. Thank you for bringing attention to such a delicious and healthy lesser known bean.
Mike Vrobel
You're welcome!
Mauri PBrodo
Mike, I love Cranberry beans. With this recipe I can have them anytime. I hope you are doing well. ๐