Chipotle Burrito Bowls (in the Instant Pot!)

chipotle bowls served with brown rice and black beans.

Chipotle Burrito Bowls (in the Instant Pot!)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: black beans, burrito bowl, chipotle, rice

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 30

Pressurization:: 20

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

One of the coolest things about the Instant Pot is that you can cook TWO dishes at the same time. Take these Chipotle-inspired burrito bowls, for example. You can cook seasoned black beans from scratch on the bottom, with a bowl of tender brown rice on top. They stay separate, but both cook perfectly at the same time, in the same pot. It's such a game changer!

Print Recipe Add to Collection

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

1 cup dried black beans (not soaked)
3 ½ cups water
1 whole chipotle pepper (from a can in adobo sauce)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup brown rice , rinsed
sea salt
1 ¼ cups water
lime slices & fresh cilantro , for serving

Instructions

In the bottom of the Instant Pot, add the dry beans, water, whole chipotle pepper, cumin and oregano.
In an oven-safe bowl that is roughly 7 inches in diameter, add the brown rice, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1 ¼ cups of water. Place a 2.5-inch trivet in the beans at the bottom of the pot so you can place the bowl of rice on top.
Secure the lid to your Instant Pot and move the steam release valve to SEALING. Press the MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK button on your machine, then cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. It will take about 10 to 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure before the cook cycle begins.
Once the cook cycle is complete, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. The Instant Pot screen will read LO:10 when 10 minutes has passed. Move the steam release valve to VENTING to release any remaining steam pressure. When the floating valve in the lid drops, it's safe to open the lid.
Use oven mitts to remove the bowl of cooked brown rice, and the trivet from the beans. Use a spoon to remove the whole chipotle pepper (so you don't bite into it later), then stir the beans and test for tenderness by pressing one against the side of the pot with a fork. When they mash easily, season with ½ teaspoon of salt. (If they are not tender, you can always return the lid and cook for 5 more minutes, but don't add salt until they are done.)
The beans will be sitting in excess liquid, so you can use the SAUTE function if you'd like to get rid of that quickly. I've found they get less watery the longer they sit in the pot, so I don't always use the sauté function and instead serve them with a slotted spoon.
Serve the cooked rice and black beans with your favorite burrito bowl toppings, like shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, a squeeze of lime juice, and some fresh cilantro. I like to store the leftovers separately to keep them more visually appealing, but you can store them together for an easy-to-grab lunch later. Leftovers should keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this entire batch. It's automatically calculated using an online ingredient database, so it's an estimate, not a guarantee.

Update Note: This recipe was updated slightly in 2026 to use more water for cooking the black beans. I learned while testing black beans in the Instant Pot that using more water ensures that no beans end up too firm.

Stove Top Directions: If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can make this recipe on the stove using two separate pots. I would start with the dried beans because they'll take longer to cook than the rice. Since water evaporates with stove top cooking, you'll need to cover the beans with close to 3 inches of water, instead of using the measurements given in the recipe, but include the rest of the ingredients as called for above. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are fork-tender. I'd start check on them after 1 hour, but it may take up to 1 hour and 45 minutes for them to be ready. Season the black beans with salt AFTER they are tender for fastest cooking results. Brown rice takes 30 to 45 minutes on the stove, so cook that according to your package directions, and then serve it together with the black beans when both are ready.

Nutrition