When it comes to a simple vegan, and vegetarian dish, Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice is the answer! This one-pot recipe is full of flavors and fun textures.
Not only that, but it's an extremely budget-friendly recipe, too! Having beans and rice are staples in the pantry, and this recipe proves why!
All you really need to think about once you make this simple meal is the side dishes that you want to serve with it. Since I consider this a one-pot meal, I typically just pair this with a salad.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this recipe
The burst of flavor from the black beans is actually surprising! You'll love this dish so much that you'll be craving it more and more.
- One recipe makes a huge batch of food
- It's the perfect way to stay on track with your meal planning and grocery spending
- You can add different ingredients to your own bowl once served to change up the flavors
Recipe Video
Recipe Ingredients
Olive oil - I also use coconut oil or avocado oil sometimes as well.
Red onion - Slice the onions thinly so that it pairs well with the other textures. You can use white onion as well.
Salt - To taste.
Vegetable broth - You can change this up and use Instant Pot Bone Broth as well.
Water - Tap or filtered water is perfectly fine.
Garlic powder - Don't confuse it with garlic salt.
Cumin - You don't want to leave out this flavorful ingredient.
Cajun seasoning - If you need a kick, add this!
Dried oregano - This pairs perfectly with all the other flavors.
Chili powder - You can add this or not, but I recommend it!
Hot sauce - Sriracha sauce is also a great idea! You can take it out for a kid-friendly version.
Black beans - Uncooked. Perfect bean for extra protein. You can use kidney beans, pinto beans or red beans as well.
Rice - Uncooked. You can use basmati or jasmine rice.
How to make Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice
Once you gather up your ingredients, you're ready to get started! Get ready - you're going to love it!
Step One: Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press "saute".
Step Two: Add the diced onions.
Step Three: Add the salt and saute for 3 minutes.
Step Four: Pour in the broth and mix well.
Step Five: Add in the water and stir.
Step Six: Add all the spices: cumin, Cajun seasoning, oregano and chili powder.
Step Seven: Add the hot sauce and stir.
Step 8: Pour in the black beans.
Step Nine: Add the rice into the Instant Pot and stir.
Step Ten: Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 28 minutes.
Step Eleven: Once the cooking time is complete, wait for a natural pressure release.
You don't need to stir it really once you take off the lid, but you can!
Serve and enjoy!
Variations
Change up the seasoning - You can easily make this spicy! Add some chili powder, red pepper flakes, and as much hot sauce as you can handle!
Change up the beans - Black beans are great, but you can also use Pinto Beans, kidney beans, or red beans as well.
Toppings - For extra taste, add cream cheese and parmesan cheese on top.
Recipe Notes
- The black beans that you're adding aren't canned black beans. They're dried black beans - this is important!
- You don't have to sautee the onions if you don't want to! If you want them to cook with the rest of the ingredients, let them.
Recipe FAQs
There are so many great benefits of eating black beans! They can help with:
1. Healthy bones
2. Lowering blood pressure
3. Managing diabetes
4. Warding off heart disease
5. Aiding in Healthy digestion
6. Weight loss
No, you don't have to soak the black beans. The Instant Pot is going to cook them perfectly for you.
I personally think that the canned beans will end up too mushy. If you do have to use them, I would reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes.
Instant Pot Bean Recipes
I have so many bean recipes that you gonna love for sure 🙂
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below. Thanks!
Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion chopped
- salt to taste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ tablespoon chilli powder
- hot sauce to taste
- 1 lb black beans
- 1 ½ cup rice
Instructions
- Press the saute button and add the olive oil.
- Add the diced onions and salt into the Instant Pot and saute for 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and water and stir.
- Add garlic powder, cumin, cajun seasoning, oregano, chili powder and hot sauce.
- Add black beans and rice and stir.
- Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 28 minutes.
- Once the cooking time is complete, wait for a natural release (or for at least 20 minutes).
- Take off the lid, serve - and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Notes
- The black beans that you're adding aren't canned black beans. They're dried black beans - this is important!
- If you are in a hurry, you don't have to saute the onions. Just let them cook with the rest of the ingredients.
- You can use kidney beans, pinto beans or red beans as well.
- Use basmati or jasmine rice for best results.
I made this for myself to eat on during the week. I work remotely and just want something to pop in the microwave. Beans and rice are filling and cheap & I happen to love them. Like another who posted, my beans were slightly crunchy - this seems to be the case with all dried beans I cook unless I cook them in an aluminum pot, like my grandmother told me (Not sure why that works???).
The flavor is great, but it isn't pretty and came out more like a giant purple-black dough. (I thought about making it into patties and frying. LOL)
It is also very good combined with taco meat and top with shredded cheese and crumbled tortilla chips.
Not sure where I went wrong - not enough liquid, maybe? I used 4 cups broth + 3 cups water and jasmine rice. It is super sticky and tough. - and I used my Pampered Chef Quick Cooker on the settings you listed. The only change I made was leaving out the garlic powder and hot sauce, but that shouldn't have made a difference in consistency.
Made this last night and it was a huge hit.
My beans didn’t cook evenly. Will the undercooked beans cook up if I add more liquid and recook them?
Sorry to heat that. Yes, they will. Just add more liquid and time.
You say that you have very many Instant Pots. This recipe includes many cups of liquid plus the beans and the rice. Pot size often matters; not wanting to overfill the pot. Which size pot did you use for this particular recipe?
Why not split the cooking into two sessions, since someone pointed out that the rice was soft due to a 28 minute pressure cooking time. First pressure cooking session without the rice. Add the rice. Second pressure cooking session with rice included - have firmer rice, to more closely match the firmness of the cooked beans.
I usually use my 6-quart Instant Pot, this recipe will fit in a 6-quart or larger. But that's a good idea, especially if you have a smaller Instant Pot model, to split it up as you suggested.
Hello,
Which kind of rice you use (that can cook for 28 minutes in the IP) without getting soft?
I usually use jasmine or basmati rice, it does get quite soft when cooked for this long but still holds its shape. You could also try it with brown rice!
You do realize you have the abbreviation “tbsp” in the written recipe and “tsp” in your video?
I didn't realize, thank you for pointing that out! tbsp is correct for big flavor, or to taste