One of the easiest and best foods you can cook in the Instant Pot is beans: tender and perfect every time! Here’s how to make easy, no-soaking required Instant Pot dry beans. Use whatever beans you have on hand: black beans, pinto beans, white beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), lima beans. This step-by-step recipe will give you the very best results with minimal effort.
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Cooking your own beans, from scratch, is a great way to save money, eat healthier, and enjoy tender and flavorful beans.
- Dry beans are cheap, costing just $2-3 per 1 pound bag.
- They’re easy to find in any grocery store; no speciality store needed to find this nutritious food.
- A fantastic plant-based protein option with complex carbs and fiber (keeping you full for longer).
- A fantastic meal prep food. Make a batch of beans on the weekend and use them to make a variety of nourishing, inexpensive meals throughout the week.
- Beans are super easy to make, particularly in the Instant Pot or slow cooker (how to make crock-pot dry beans).
- Home-cooked beans taste so much better than most store-bought beans. Trust me, there’s a huge difference!
Ingredients Needed to Make Instant Pot Beans
For basic Instant Pot beans, you’ll only need a few things. You can easily customize the beans with various flavorings and veggies to enhance the flavor profile.
What kind of dry beans can you cook and for how long?
With this recipe, you can make a variety of different dry beans in your Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. The type of bean will determine the cooking time. Here are the best varieties to cook and the appropriate cooking times for each bean type.
BEAN COOKING TIMES
- Black Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
- Pinto Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
- Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas): Cook for 40 minutes
- Kidney Beans: Cook for 35 minutes
- Navy Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
- Great Northern Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
- Lima Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
- Black Eyed Peas: Cook for 15 minutes, with a 15 minute natural release (then manually release remaining pressure)
For beans, I recommend always using a natural release, unless stated (like with the black eyed peas) to keep the beans soft and intact.
How Many Pounds of Beans Should You Cook?
I recommend cooking 1 lb of dried beans in the Instant Pot, particularly if you have a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot. The problem with cooking more beans is that you’ll likely go over the fill line within the pot liner, which can cause the pressure cooker to overflow and fail.
DRY TO COOKED BEAN RATIOS
- 1 pound of dried beans = 2-3 cups of dried beans
- 2 cups dried beans = 6-7 cups cooked beans
- 1 1/2 cups cooked beans = 1 -15 ounce can of beans
Step by Step Instructions & Video
Step 1: Rinse Beans
Rinse the beans of choice under fresh water (such as: black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, lima beans, etc.) and pick out any undesirables (stones, etc.). To do this easily, place the dry beans in a colander and rinse with cold water, running your hands through the beans to find any stones, etc.
Step 2: Add Beans to the Instant Pot
Add the dry beans to the Instant Pot. I use a 6 quart Instant Pot (like this). An 8 quart Instant Pot also works well for cooking dried beans as you’ll need room for both the water and beans and don’t want to go over the fill line.
Step 3: Add Water and Seasonings
Add the white or yellow onion (keep the halved onion intact, no need to chop), bay leaves, garlic cloves, olive oil (prevents foam from forming at the top), salt (I use 1 tablespoon for 8 cups water and 1 lb of beans, but this will be based on your taste).
Step 4: Cook for 15-40 Minutes Depending on Type of Bean
Lock the lid on the Instant Pot and set the Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for the designated time according the bean used (see below for specific cooking times, anywhere from 15-40 minutes depending on the type of bean). The valve on top should be set to Sealed.
Cooking Time Note:
The Instant Pot does take some time to come to pressure and begin pressure cooking. Once the warm up is complete, the timer on the pot will begin counting down based on the set cooking time. Warm up can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes.
If the water added is super cold, it may take longer for pressure to build so adding warm water can speed this up, allowing the Instant Pot to reach pressure faster.
Step 5: Let Pressure Release Naturally
Once the beans are done cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure (use a hot pad holder or towel) and opening the lid. If you’re short on time, you can do a 15 minute natural pressure release, then a quick release. But the best results are always with a longer natural release.
How to Use a Natural Pressure Release
With a quick release, you’ll release pressure from the Instant Pot valve, moving the valve on top of the Instant Pot from sealed to open, after the cooking time is complete. With a natural release, you’ll allow the pressure to naturally release from the Instant Pot. For beans, I recommend always using a natural release, unless stated (like with the black eyed peas) to keep the beans soft and intact. If you’re new to using an Instant Pot, see my 16 must-know Instant Pot tips here.
Step 6: Remove Aromatics and Enjoy
Remove the aromatics (bay leaves, onions, garlic). Drain and rinse the beans, if desired. Or, you can store or serve the beans with some of the liquid. This all depends on how you plan to use the beans.
How to Store
Cooked beans are a great food to meal prep in advance and use throughout the week to make easy meals: on salads, to make tacos or burrito bowls, or add to soup.
Store a batch of beans in the fridge or freezer, in an airtight container. Store the cooked beans in some of the cooking liquid. This will keep the beans moist and fresh for longer.
Seasoning and Flavor Ideas
The best part about making beans at home, from-scratch, is that you can flavor them to your liking! I usually stick with just the basics: onion, bay leaf, garlic, and salt. If you’re in a pinch, you could even just do salt and beans (and water). Avoid acidic ingredients as they prolong the cooking time: lemon, vinegar, etc. Here are a few ideas for flavoring a pot of beans…
- Use Broth: Instead of water, use broth! Like chicken or vegetable broth.
- Add Salt: This is a given, but please add salt! I know some folks suggest that adding salt to the beans while they cook will prevent them from breaking down, but with the Instant Pot I haven’t found this to be true. Salt adds so much flavor.
- Add Veggies: For black beans or pinto beans, adding some chopped carrots, celery, peppers, onion, and garlic will give you delicious beans that you can eat straight from the Instant Pot. I add veggies and spices to make Instant Pot black soup with dried black beans.
- Add Spices: For black or pinto beans, I love to add cumin, chili powder, and (after cooking) fresh cilantro (lots of fresh cilantro). This is great for beans you’ll enjoy in tacos, burritos, etc.
Avoid Hard Beans With These Tips
- Use a Natural Pressure Release: By using the cook times recommended in this recipe and a natural pressure release after the cooking time is done, you should easily avoid dreaded hard beans.
- Use Fresh Beans: Another reason people end up with hard cooked beans is because their dry beans are too old. Buy the freshest dry beans possible, and don’t store them for years upon years in your pantry. Doing so will help you achieve perfectly tender beans every time.
7 Can’t-Miss Tips For Making Perfect Beans Every Time
- No Soaking Needed: You don’t need to pre-soak beans when cooking beans in the Instant Pot.
- Reduce Cooking Time if Soaking First: If you want to pre-soak your beans (for 8-12 hours) before cooking, decrease the cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
- Never overfill your Instant Pot: Check the fill line inside your Instant Pot to make sure you don’t go over this line.
- Store beans in the cooking liquid: Drain the liquid from the beans, using a colander, before cooking with or serving.
- 1 pound of dried beans = 2-3 cups of dried beans, 2 cups dried beans = 6-7 cups cooked beans, 1 1/2 cups cooked beans = 1 -15 ounce can of beans
- Natural Pressure Release, Always: It’s best to let the Instant Pot naturally release in pressure before opening the lid. If you must perform a quick release, wait for 15 minutes, allowing some pressure to naturally release. Then perform a quick release with the remaining pressure.
- Make-Ahead Tip: Use Instant Pot beans in your favorite recipes, store in the fridge, or freeze for later.
Easy Instant Pot Dry Beans (No Soak, Any Variety)
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot 6 or 8 quart size
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried beans any variety: black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, etc.
- 1/2 white onion or yellow onion, peeled and left intact
- 1 TB extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 medium garlic cloves peeled and left whole
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt *
- 8 cups water
Special Equipment:
- Instant Pot
- sieve or strainer to rinse the beans
Instructions
- Rinse the beans in a colander under fresh water, and pick out any undesirables (stones, etc.)
- Add the beans to the Instant Pot.
- Add all the remaining ingredients: onion, oil, garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt, and water. If you want to add any other seasonings (spices) or chopped veggies (carrots, celery) now is the time to do this.
- Lock the lid on and set the Instant Pot to Manual, High Pressure for 30 minutes (for black beans and pinto beans) or 40 minutes (for chickpeas). See cooking times in the notes below for other types. The valve on top should be set to Sealed.
- Once the beans are done cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure (use a hot pad holder or towel) and opening the lid.
- Remove the aromatics (bay leaves, onions, garlic). Drain and rinse the beans, if desired. Or, store or serve the beans with some of the liquid. If you're storing the beans in the fridge (or freezer), I recommend storing the beans in some of the liquid to keep them fresh.
Video
Notes
- Black Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
- Pinto Beans: Cook for 30 minutes
- Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas): Cook for 40 minutes
- Kidney Beans: Cook for 35 minutes
- Navy Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
- Great Northern Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
- Lima Beans: Cook for 25 minutes
- Black Eyed Peas: Cook for 15 minutes, with a 15 minute natural release (then manually release remaining pressure)
- Use 8 cups of water per 1 lb of beans if you plan to use the beans in recipes like soups, casseroles, or stuffed peppers; not on their own and plan to store them in the fridge or freezer.
- Use 6 cups of water per 1 lb of beans if you plan to use the beans on their own (like burrito bowls or refried beans) and want the beans to take on more of the seasonings you add. Less water means the juice will be thicker, starchier, and more flavorful and the beans will be as well.
Nutrition
My Favorite
10 Ways to Use Home-Cooked Beans
- Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers (with black beans)
- Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas (with mashed pinto beans)
- Hummus (with chickpeas)
- Marinated Chickpea Salad
- Beet Hummus (with chickpeas)
- Instant Pot Chili (with kidney beans)
- Stove-Top Chili (with kidney or black beans)
- 30-Minute Chicken and Bean Nachos (with black beans)
- Vegetarian Tuscan White Bean Soup (with Great Northern beans)
- Freezer Bean Burritos (with mashed pinto beans)
- Ground Beef Taco Meat: Add 1/2lb ground beef and 1/2 lb of cooked pinto or black beans, then cook according to the recipe.
- Refried Beans: Mash pinto beans with a bit of the liquid, add cumin, salt, or chili powder.
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I always bought canned. WOW. Had to try and you’re right, they are easy. The first time I made them, I added a few extra minutes so they would be easy to mush into refried like beans. Thanks!
Hi Ronda,
Thats great! So happy you loved the recipe!
LS Team
Can I soak and cook a pound of beans in a 3-quart. Instapot? I’m asking before I buy, but I’m leaning toward that size because of a lack of counter and cabinet space. Thanks so much. O
Hey Phyllis, I don’t have any experience with the 3qt. I’m guessing you can, but the amount will differ. Keep in mind, nearly all recipes online and in cookbooks are written for the 6-quart model so may have to adjust recipes.
SUPER awesome!! Wooohooo!!!
So glad you enjoyed the beans, James.
Do you decrease the cooking time if you want to use the beans for a salad?
Hey Sam, I don’t.
Could Ya use any type of beans??
Hey Sherry, Yes, pretty much. The directions recommend various cooking times depending on the type of bean.
Thank you for sharing
It was great
Glad you loved it!
LS Team.
I’m old school. Would you happen to know how long to cook SOAKED beans in the instant pot?
Hi Kristin,
I love cooking and like the science behind it to help in developing other recipes. Just bought my 1st IP (8qt). My Mother made the best southern bean soup from dried beans. She used baking soda or powder during one of the processes for the internal issues. Anyway I could never cook the dried beans properly even after soaking for days it seemed, or cooking for hours so I am hoping that this recipe will do the trick. Question though, I am going to start preserving some of my finished products once perfected and was wondering how I would preserve these beans. I am hoping that vacuum mason jars work. By the way I have the recipe for the bean soup and tastes like my moms using canned beans however not the same ingredients.
Thank Very Much
Rick C.
Hi Rick,
Kristin hasn’t tried preserving food. So unfortunately she won’t be able to help you with this question.
Best of luck!
LS Team.
You can home-can cooked beans by pressure canning them in a pressure CANNER, not your instant pot. Get yourself a good home canning book though because the pressure differs based on your kitchen’s elevation above sea level.
Hi do you have a recipe for baked beans in insta pot good for weight watchers
Thank youpe
It went well! Yes, I bought a recommended off brand mesh basket strainer for my IP (it’s also great for stock and hard-boiled eggs!)
I meant to take a photo but then just started making my hummus… much easier clean up, used less bowls, and none of the beans stuck to the mesh insert (which was my fear). Just pulled it out, put them in a bowl and made the hummus from there!
I am sure it would work for other beans as well 🙂
Hi! I will probably have an answer to this (by trial) before you respond but still curious as I couldn’t find anything out there on it…
Why not just cook the beans IN the mesh strainer insert? That way I can pull out the beans, straining themselves and not remove the inner liner to dump out?
I’m trying it that way right now so we’ll see! (I’m making hummus so I need to reserve some liquid anyway so thought this would mean one or two less dishes!)
Hey Jen, You could do this. Many Instant Pot models don’t include a mesh strainer. Let me know how it goes.
smart to preheat the water.
Thanks. This is very helpful, since the Instant Pot booklet gives no instructions for cooking dry beans – just cooking times. It should be noted that if you are someone who is concerned with reducing your energy use, soaking reduces the cooking time by at least half. For example, soaked cannellini beans only require 6 – 9 minutes vs. 25 – 30 minutes of cooking, so as little as about 1/4 of the energy use. I, on the other hand, forgot to soak but will try to get my act together for next time 😉
That’s awesome, Kate! Thank you for sharing that.
I just used this recipe to make pinto beans in my IP for the first time and they turned our perfectly! They were the same consistency as canned beans but had a lot more flavor! I’ll be using this to make black beans later this week!
Thank you so much for your review, Laura! So glad you loved it! 🙂
Has anyone else heard the advise never to salt the beans until they are soft? I have a number of Mexican friends and they all swear that salting the beans before they are soft prevents them from getting soft and you are more likely to get unsoftened beans. I especially noticed this when slow cooking but never knew if it was because my crock pot didn’t get hot enough or not. I am hoping the IP will give me better consistency with the beans. No one likes half cooked beans.
Hey Ruth, Since the Instant Pot cooks the beans super fast, the rule is kind of “thrown out the window.” I’ve had issues with salting beans when soaking or using the slow cooker, but not with the Instant Pot.
Cooks Illustrated actually suggests soaking dry beans in a brine before cooking, and it’s supposed to result in nice soft beans and more even cooking. I found the article on the thekitchn website if you want to google it and learn the science behind the recommendation.
Hey Kate, I would suggest that, but you really don’t need to do it with the Instant Pot. That’s the beauty of using a pressure cooker. But for the slow-cooker or stove-top, that method can be awesome.
Oh! That makes sense! But whenever I see an asterisk, I look for an added note. I did add the salt, even though I’ve heard it toughens the beans. These were NOT tough! In fact, best beans I’ve made so far, being a fairly new “bean cooker”! ?
A while back I read an article, (can’t remember who it was by,) which claimed the utensils that come with the Instant Pot are made to also lift the pot out. DO NOT DO THAT. I SPEAK FROM HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. ?
Making these today! Salt has an asterisk * after it in the ingredients and I cannot find what it’s there for!!! Help please!
Hi Nancy! Salt is always up to the one making the dish! So it’s there to let you know how much Kristin uses but you can use more or less. 🙂
Excited to try this. Just retired and my sister-in-law gave me one as a retirement gift! Trying today for first time, with red beans, that, yes, I soaked over night as I always do. Will try it next time without soaking, cause that would be awesome. We eat beans about twice a month, and this will be amazing if it turns out great. My husband is a skeptic and does love his beans, so would be tickled to prove him wrong. LOL
How long to cook cannelli beans ,I cooked them 30 min, they were awful had to throw them out tks
Hey Peggy, 35-40 minutes. What was awful about them?
How would I adjust other ingredients & time to just cook 1/2 lb/1 c beans? Thank you!
Hey Katie, Yes, that’s correct. Just reduce the amount of other ingredients.