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Before owning an Instant Pot, I would have never considered cooking black beans from scratch. The process can take up to 2 hours, and I don’t have that kind of patience. (Especially since you’d have to check on them now and then.)
That’s why the pressure cooker is a game changer. It will cook black beans to perfection, so the process is almost entirely hands-off!
While writing my best-selling Instant Pot cookbook, I tested cooking these beans both soaked and unsoaked, in case you want to make them as a replacement for canned beans. You can also find a flavorful, seasoned version below!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“Love this recipe. Perfect, awesome and so very delicious. I’m never soaking beans overnight again and only using canned black beans in a pinch. These were incredibly tasty.” – Melanie
How to Cook Instant Pot Black Beans
Step 1:
To prepare seasoned black beans, press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot and allow the bottom to heat up. Add in the olive oil and yellow onion, and stir for 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, cumin, and oregano, and stir briefly. Then immediately press the Keep Warm/Cancel button, so the garlic won’t burn.
Step 2:
Add 1/2 cup of water to help deglaze the bottom of the pot. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the Instant Pot.
(This ensures you won’t trigger a BURN error during the pressure cooking cycle.)
Once the bottom of the pot appears clean, add the remaining 4 1/2 cups of water, along with the black beans, bay leaf, and salt. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to the Sealing position.
Step 3:
Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. It will take approximately 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, so the screen will display ‘ON’ until then. (If using soaked beans, cook for 9 minutes instead.)
When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if using soaked beans).
When the screen reads L0:10, move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it’s safe to open the lid.
Remove the bay leaf and use a fork to test one of the beans for tenderness by mashing it against the side of the pot. It should be very tender and creamy in the middle.
Step 4:
To eliminate excess liquid in the pot, press the Sauté button and let the liquid simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Keep in mind the liquid will continue to thicken as the beans cool, so I don’t recommend simmering for longer than 15 minutes.
Season with additional salt (I add 1/2 teaspoon) and a tablespoon of fresh lime juice, to brighten up the flavor. Serve warm, with fresh cilantro on top, if desired.
how to Cook plain black beans
Combine 1 pound of dry beans with 5 cups of water. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to the Sealing position. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button, and cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. (Or cook for 9 minutes if using soaked beans.)
When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if using soaked beans). When the screen reads L0:10, move the steam release valve to the Venting position to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it’s safe to open the lid.
Test a bean for tenderness by pressing one against the side of the Instant Pot with a fork. It should mash easily when it’s tender. Drain the beans, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Store Black Beans
Cooked black beans will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze them for a longer shelf life. To freeze black beans, see the FAQs below.
Ingredients
Seasoned Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste
- 1 pound dry black beans (about 2 heaping cups)
- 5 cups water
- fresh lime juice , to taste
Instructions
Seasoned Black Beans
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot, and allow the bottom to heat up. Add in the olive oil and yellow onion, and stir until it looks softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, and oregano, and stir briefly, then press the Keep Warm/Cancel button, so the garlic won't burn.
- Add in 1/2 cup of water, to help deglaze the bottom of the pot. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the Instant Pot, so you won't trigger a BURN error during the pressure cooking cycle.
- Once the bottom of the pot looks clean, add in the remaining 4 1/2 cups of water, plus the black beans, bay leaf, and salt. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. It will take roughly 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure, so the screen will read ON until then. (If using soaked beans, cook for 9 minutes instead.)
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if using soaked beans). When the screen reads L0:10, move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to open the lid.
- Remove the bay leaf and use a fork to test one of the beans for tenderness, by mashing it against the side of the pot. It should be very tender and creamy in the middle. To eliminate the excess liquid in the pot, press the Sauté button and let the liquid simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the beans don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep in mind the liquid will continue to thicken as the beans cool, so I don't recommend simmering for longer than 15 minutes. Season with additional salt (I add 1/2 teaspoon) and a tablespoon of fresh lime juice, to brighten up the flavor. Serve warm! Leftover beans can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Plain Black Beans (Substitute for Canned Beans)
- Combine 1 pound of dry beans with 5 cups of water. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing. Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button, and cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. (Or cook for 9 minutes if using soaked beans.)
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if using soaked beans). When the screen reads L0:10, move the steam release valve to Venting to release any remaining pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to open the lid.
- Test a bean for tenderness by pressing one against the side of the Instant Pot with a fork. It should mash easily when it's tender. Drain the beans, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, so you can use it in recipes.
- To freeze cooked beans, line a baking sheet or plate that will fit on a flat shelf in your freezer with parchment paper. Arrange the cooked beans in a single layer, so they will freeze individually instead of in clumps, and place in the freezer for 2 hours. Transfer the frozen beans to an airtight container so they'll keep well in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipes That Use Black Beans
If you try these Instant Pot black beans, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how they turned out for you.
Just wanted to confirm that yes the age of the beans effects the texture.. I had 2 separate bags of beans from the bulk section in my cupboard so I combined them and it seems that half the batch was a little mushy and the other half was just right.
These turned out perfect!
If this recipe doesn’t work, I recommend trying different beans.
When I first started buying dried beans (within the last year), I was buying packages off of the grocery store shelf; and could never get a decent result using a quick soak, full soak, or instant pot.
I read a suggestion to buy bulk beans instead of packaged because they tend to be more fresh. I have found consistently good results since making that change.
Thanks for the tip! Glad this method worked out well for you.
I’m going to leave a note in defense of pre-soaking your beans. If you pre-soak the beans, not only does it soften them up a little before you cook them – but it also soaks out the enzyme in beans that can cause, ahem, digestive distress in many people. So if you soak them, then drain them and cook, that can make it easier to digest.
It does take time, but a Greek playwright I once knew gave me a tip – there’s a quicker way to soak them. Put the beans in a pot, pour in enough water to cover them by about 2 inches, then bring to a boil and boil the HECK out of them for a couple minutes. Then take them off the heat and soak them, but you only need to soak them for an hour or two that way. This method seems to be especially good at getting rid of that enzyme that gives people digestive issues (or, as that playwright told me, “it gets rid of the f*rts!”)
Because the cooking time is much shorter, pre-soaking also saves energy.
Beans were perfect! Thanks for the great instructions
I followed this recipe to the T. And I got nothing but excess water in my beans. I’m so disappointed. I was really counting on it to turn something out because I was low on time. I feel like cook time AND the amount of water should be less. I’m off to find a different
This recipe is meant to replace the canned beans you would buy at the store, so you should expect excess water– that’s why the instructions have you drain it at the end. It’s not a side dish type of recipe, just a method for cooking beans so you can use them in another dish. (Like in the recipes listed at the bottom of this post.)
Beans came out great!!! Do you think this works for kidney beans too??
Used Trader Joe’s organic black beans and halved the recipe. Came out perfect. Love the taste and texture. Never buying canned again. Thank you!
I cooked the black beans for 25 minutes. Your instructions say to let the steam release naturally for 20 minutes. Should I have turned off the instant pot after cooking them for 25 minutes? I waited 20 minutes after the 25 minutes cooking time and had to push the steam button to release the steam. The books were overcooked.
The Instant Pot automatically turns to a warm setting after the cooking cycle has finished, so there’s no need to press a button while you wait for the pressure to release, and it’s normal to still have some steam release after the 20 minutes are over. The age of the beans will affect how long it takes them to cook, so maybe your beans are fresher than the ones I’m able to buy in the Midwest? I’ve never had my dried black beans cook faster than 25 minutes, unless I soak them ahead of time. Maybe you can release the steam faster next time if your source for beans seems to be pretty consistent!
SO so happy. I received an Instant Pot pressure cooker for Christmas and found this recipe. I followed your directions and beans came out just perfect. So impressed. Thank you!
I’m so glad they turned out well for you!
Black beans came out great in the IP. Would you cook garbanzo beans the same way?
Same method, but longer cooking time. When I cook dried garbanzo beans without soaking them ahead of time, they take close to 50 minutes with a natural release after that.