Instant Pot Pinto Beans. Simple, delicious, dried beans, cooked in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.
I already have a pinto bean recipe on DadCooksDinner. But the recipe I use the most, simple Instant Pot Pinto Beans, aren’t on the blog. Let’s fix that, shall we? Here’s the method I use on weeknights.
No soaking, no fancy stuff, just a simple pot of beans, cooked from dried in about an hour. (If you *do* want to get fancy, this is the base recipe I use in my Refried Pinto Beans recipe.)
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🥫Ingredients
This is a simple dried bean recipe, so the ingredients list is pretty basic:
- Dried pinto beans
- Onion
- Bay leaf
🥘 Substitutions
- Don't have an onion? Substitute a couple of cloves of unpeeled garlic.
- Don't have a bay leaf? Skip it. The beans will still be good.
🛠 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 pinto beans?
I get the “to soak, or not to soak?” question all the the time. I don’t soak my cannellini beans in this basic recipe. They don’t need an overnight soak, and cook to tenderness with 40 minutes at high pressure.
That doesn’t mean you can’t soak the beans. They turn out fine, though the bean broth isn’t quite as full bodied. Soaked beans cook much quicker, 18 minutes at high pressure. I use that when I’m cooking the beans with other ingredients, where the shorter cooking time keeps me from overcooking the whole dish just to get the beans tender.
💡Tips and Tricks
- Quick release the pressure for beans. The sudden drop in pressure throws the water into a boil, which roughs up the beans, releasing starch and thickening the pot liquid.
- 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.
Recipe: Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Print🔪Recipe
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups of beans 1x
Description
Instant Pot Pinto Beans. Simple, delicious, dried beans, cooked in about an hour thanks to pressure cooking.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pinto Beans
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 small to medium onion, peeled and halved
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- Cilantro for garnish (Optional)
Instructions
- Sort and rinse the beans: Sort the pinto beans, removing any broken beans, stones, and dirt clods. Put the beans in a strainer and rinse under running water.
- Pressure cook the beans for 40 minutes with a quick pressure release: Put the rinsed beans in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker pot. Pour in the 6 cups of water, then stir in the teaspoon of salt and add the onion and bay leaves. Lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes in an electric pressure cooker or 35 minutes in a stovetop PC. (In an Instant Pot, use “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode set for 40 minutes). Quick release the pressure in the pot.
- Serve: Remove the pressure cooker lid – open it away from you to protect yourself from the hot steam. Discard the onion and bay leaves. Ladle the beans into bowls, and serve.
Equipment
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Notes
Want even thicker bean broth? Scoop a cup of beans and broth out and puree them with a blender (I use my stick blender), then stir the pureed beans back into the pot.
Want to soak your beans? Do the sort and rinse step, then cover the beans with water overnight. Drain the beans, and continue with the recipe, cutting the pressure cooking time to 18 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keywords: Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans
☃️ Storage
A 2-cup container of cooked pinto 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
Pressure Cooker Refried Pinto Beans - DadCooksDinner
Pressure Cooker Refried Black Beans - DadCooksDinner
Pressure Cooker Southwestern Pinto Bean Soup - DadCooksDinner
My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Wanda says
I like a lot of bean juice when I cook beans, should I just add more water when I put the beans on?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, you can. There is no evaporation with pressure cooking, so they should have a lot of bean juice to begin with - try it out and add water as needed.
Sally Gearhart says
Just made this recipe for my 85 year old momma who grew up on beans & cornbread. She was amazed at how good they were! The best beans I've ever made! Thanks so much ❤
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Jo Ann says
I’m new at instant pot cooking. I have found out the hard way that because you cook a smaller amount or size not to reduce the cook time. I want to try this recipe but I only want to cook a half of pound of beans. Should I reduce the amount of water to 3 cups instead of 6 cups
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, cut the water in half, but leave the cooking time the same.
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, cut the water in half but leave the cooking time the same.
DebInTX says
This was great. Never cooked beans in the instant but liked not having to prep the. Used chicken broth instead of water and added a few more seasonings, pressure cooked them 40 minutes but let the pressure die down itself because I like my beans kinda mushy. Continued to sauted them for about 20 while I cooked my cornbread, Worked great although still smashed a few more for my consistency. Great recipe!!
★★★★★
JoAnn Hill says
My hubby LOVES when I make this for him. Thx for a simple, delish recipe.
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Grandpacanfixit says
Excellent results!! The beans were delicious right out of the pot. This is my new go to recipe for preparing pintos for many other dishes including refried beans, chili and any other dish that requires pintos. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Vicki says
Hi Mike
I Read several recipes before choosing yours. I’m just glad I went with yours after making them.
They came out excellent! Perfect tenderness too
I Even added ham to ours.
Thank you so much for recipe
Elaine DuBose says
Hi Mike I was interested in understanding your comment about quick releasing so the beans will boil and create starch which thickens the soup. This is a technique used in making risotto too. I wasn't sure if you were talking about the end of the cooking cycle or at the beginning.
Mike Vrobel says
End of the cooking cycle. When the cooking time is over, quick release the pressure.
Sandra Cappello says
If you do have the 8 quart insta pot and you want to double the recipe, does it change the cooking time needed?
Mike Vrobel says
No. It takes the same amount of time.
Amy says
I make these all the time. Yummy and simple. Thank you!
★★★★★
Belinda says
This is my go-to recipe for pinto beans. Thank you!
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Ron says
Love this recipe
★★★★★
Lisa says
Best beans ever
★★★★★
pamela sittre says
I like to add a whole Jalapeno pepper to my beans for just a hint of kick!
Mary says
Delicious! My favorite recipe for making pinto beans. So easy and the beans are perfect every time. Thank you!
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Annie Uli says
I love this recipe. I too added a slice of bacon, and some garlic cloves, which I removed at the end. My kids would rather eat these for breakfast than cold cereal any day.
Glen in El Cerrito CA says
Looks fun and easy! Just picked up a 25lb bag at Costco and look forward to lots of IP adventures. Dumb question, how many cups of beans is a pound?
Mike Vrobel says
About 2 cups of beans is a pound
TDZ says
Fantastic! I ended up having to cook my beans for an additional 15 minutes but being close to sea level may account for that difference. I had never cooked my beans with onion before and I really liked it. I also added a little bit of pork back to the beans as well but I may try it again next time without. Thank you!
★★★★★
Penny says
This recipe turned out perfectly and was so easy to follow. Thanks!!
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Riki says
I made this as directed the first time, and they were perfect!! This is a fantastic base recipe for beans. Now this time, I got a little crafty. I cut up the onion and 4 cloves of garlic, plus a pound of anduoi sausage. Sauted the sausage on high in a T of oil until browned, removed it, then sauteed the onion until they looked clear, added the garlic and stirred for one more minute. Then I added one cup of water, and de-glazed the pot. Added 4 more cups, plus 1 can of diced, fire roasted tomatoes, and a few shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Put the sausage back in, the beans, salt, and bay leaves. Pressure cooked as directed. Served them with rice. Yum yum!
★★★★★