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While writing The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook, I spent months learning how to cook beans in the pressure cooker. I’ve never cooked so many beans from scratch in my life!
Unlike cooking beans on the stove top, the pressure cooker makes it harder to check tenderness as you go. That means you need to use a well-tested recipe (like this one!) to save yourself some time and effort. My goal was to make these pinto beans taste like Chipotle’s, so if you love those, you’ll love these, too.
As it turns out, pinto beans are among the trickier beans to cook. Don’t assume you can cook them the same way as other bean varieties. (I’ve covered black beans and chickpeas in other posts.) When you follow this method closely, you should end up with delicious pinto beans on your first try!
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Instant Pot Pinto Beans ingredients
- Dry pinto beans. There’s no need to soak pinto beans before cooking them; however, you may achieve more consistent results if you do. If you’re measuring the beans by cup instead of using a food scale, be sure to follow the ratio provided in the recipe card below.
- Bay leaf. Adding a bay leaf to your bean cooking water is believed to help them tenderize and digest more easily. You can also use a piece of kombu seaweed for similar results. Be sure to remove this after cooking the beans, as it can be a choking hazard.
- Spices. Season pinto beans with ground cumin and garlic powder for a mild spice level. You can also add extras, such as smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Salt. While there is a rumor that salt might prevent beans from becoming tender, I’ve tested this side by side in the Instant Pot and found almost no difference. If you want your beans to have some flavor after cooking, feel free to add up to 1 teaspoon of sea salt per 8 ounces of beans.
- Water. The most important thing when cooking pinto beans in the Instant Pot is getting the dry-to-water ratio right. If you’re measuring beans with a dry measuring cup, use a 3:1 water-to-dry-beans ratio to ensure they are fully submerged throughout cooking.
How to Pressure Cook Pinto Beans
Step 1:
Add the dry pinto beans, ground cumin, garlic powder, bay leaf, salt, and water to the stainless steel bowl of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to the “Sealing” position.
Note: Newer Instant Pot models automatically keep the steam release valve in the Sealing position, so you might not need to move it. My older pot, purchased before 2020, still requires it.
Step 2:
Use the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. The Instant Pot will take up to 15 minutes to pressurize, so the screen will read “ON” until then.
You’ll know the pot is pressurized when the floating valve in the lid pops up.
When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes. (It will take longer if you double the recipe.)
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Step 3:
When the floating valve in the lid drops, it’s safe to open the lid. The pinto beans should be fully submerged in water. (If any beans are sticking out of the water, they might not be fully cooked.)
Test a bean by mashing it against the side of the pot with a fork. Once you’ve confirmed they are tender, drain away the cooking liquid using a fine-mesh strainer. Then, the beans are ready to serve immediately.
Note: With pinto beans in particular, it’s normal for some beans to be more tender than others. You may find that some beans have a firmer texture, while others are more tender and mushy. After testing several brands of dry pinto beans, this has been the case with all of them. I chose this cooking time to ensure the firmer beans are safe to eat. You can get slightly more consistent results by soaking the beans first. (Tips below!)
Detoxinista Tip
If you prefer to serve saucy pinto beans, reserve some of the cooking water and return it to the pot. Use the Sauté button to simmer the liquid until it thickens, about 10-15 minutes. You can add the beans back to the liquid and serve them from there.
Cooking Soaked Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot
Soaking beans before cooking them not only shortens the cooking time but also makes them easier to digest.
Here’s how to soak beans:
- Cover them with water. Beans will expand up to 3 times their size in 8 hours. Use a jar that will allow for that much expansion. Cover them with plenty of water (about 3-4 cups per 1 cup of beans) and let them soak for at least 6 hours before cooking. There’s no need to refrigerate them unless you plan on cooking them more than 12 hours later. I usually do this in the morning so I can cook them in the evening.
- Drain. When you’re ready to cook the beans, drain away the soaking water. This may also help remove some of the anti-nutrients and sugars that can cause gas or bloating.
Once the soaked beans have been drained, they are ready to cook. Even though they likely don’t require as much cooking water, I still use a 3:1 water-to-beans ratio for the amount of dry beans you started with.
So, if you soak 1 cup of dry beans, you’ll use 3 cups of fresh water to cook them. Include the spices listed below to season the beans. (I’ve noticed that soaked beans don’t absorb quite as much flavor as un-soaked beans, however.)
Soaked beans require significantly less cooking time, so you can cook them at high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a natural release. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it’s safe to open the lid. Drain the excess cooking liquid, and the beans are ready to serve.
How to Store Pinto Beans
Once your pinto beans are cooked, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. For even longer storage, you can freeze them!
To freeze pinto beans: Arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 4 hours. As soon as they feel firm, you can transfer the frozen beans to an airtight container or freezer bag. The beans will be individually frozen, making them easy to measure for future recipes. Frozen beans will keep well in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soaking Required!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pinto beans
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 whole garlic cloves)
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Add the dry beans, water, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and bay leaf to the stainless steel bowl of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to the "Sealing" position.
- Use the Manual or Pressure Cook button to cook at high pressure for 50 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize, so the screen will just read ON until then.
- When the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release, which will take about 20 minutes. When the floating valve drops, it's safe to open the lid. Test the beans for tenderness by smashing one against the side of the pot with a fork. It should mash easily, but if for some reason it doesn't, you can return the lid to the Instant Pot and cook for five more minutes until they are done to your liking.
- Drain away the excess liquid with a fine mesh strainer, or use a slotted spoon to serve the beans. For a thicker liquid, press the Sauté button on the Instant Pot and let the liquid simmer down for about 10 minutes with the lid off. The liquid should thicken and have a more concentrated flavor. Mash a few of the beans in the liquid for an even thicker texture.
- Store the beans in their liquid in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze them for up to 6 months. (See my tips for freezing beans in the post.)
Video
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Black Bean Tacos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Breasts
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how it turns out for you. I appreciate your feedback!
Beans have toxins in them you need to soak and rinse to get them out. I did not know this and even when you pressure cook they are still there and caused sores on my leg. Please do your research and let people know.
love your recipes. thank you
I also added a packet of Goya ham flavored concentrate when I started cooking down the liquid. I used a pound of beans so I had doubled all the spices. It turned out perfectly. I will do this again!
I set for 40 minutes, used 3 cups of beans and they came out mushy. I will use less time (maybe 30 minutes) next time. The taste was really good. Thanks for the recipe.
These are the best pinto beans ever. I changed the seasonings to suit my family. I am now enjoying leftovers for lunch.
Thanks for answering my questions. This was very helpful.
Great recipe and explanations – I’ve been looking for easy to follow instructions for pressure cooking with soaked beans since I go the IP. Just curious – seems like I could use less water with pre-soaked beans? I’m new to using a pressure cooker, but the beans I’ve made so far have come out very liquidy in the end (unlike on the stovetop). Any advice? THANKS!!
Yes, I think you could probably use less water with presoaked beans. I usually try to keep them very well covered because as the beans expand as they cook, any beans that are sticking out of the water at the end will sometimes be under-cooked compared to the ones that remained submerged for the whole cooking time. So, I’d rather simmer the water off at the end of the cooking cycle using the Sauté function, rather than have unevenly cooked beans that I might have to try cooking again. I’d love to hear if you try it with less water, though!
12 minutes in a regular Presto at standard 15 pounds with NR. Added a strip of bacon crisped and crumbled and resultant bacon fat for 1/2 recipe. Also sliced and included 1/2 a small shallot sliced.
Since I used a small amount of beans, I used Miss Vickie’s old technique of cooking beans in a small foil covered stainless bowl within the pressure cooker. Worked out great. Thanks for the post.
Very good! Will make again!
Sounds good! For more flavor add 2 strips of bacon and 1 seeded jalapeño. It really makes a big difference. Also fresh garlic is a must!