One of my favorite things to make in the Instant Pot is beans! Cooking dried beans usually takes hours, but they cook in a fraction of the time in the pressure cooker.
These Mexican flavored beans are savory, juicy and soft. And aside from tasting great, they are full of nutrients!
Contents
Can You Make This Recipe Without Soaking the Beans?
Yes! I prefer to soak the beans overnight if I remember ahead of time. That way, the beans will cook more evenly and in less time the next day.
If you’re making them for dinner, you can start soaking them in the morning instead. They really only need to soak for about 6 hours.
And if you forget to soak them but suddenly get a craving for Instant Pot Black Beans, don’t worry! It’s still possible. You only need to add 10 minutes to the cook time (so cook for 40 minutes instead of 30) and wait an extra 10 minutes before doing a quick pressure release.
You’ll also want to add more water if you didn’t presoak your beans. I would try doubling the amount of water—so about 6 or 7 cups.
Can I Use Canned Beans for this Recipe?
No. Canned beans are already cooked, so they will turn quite mushy in the Instant Pot.
Canned beans only need to be rinsed before eating, and lightly heated up for a couple minutes if eating warm. You can actually eat them cold straight from the can in cold applications like a bean salad.
Do I Really Need to Rinse and Sort Through the Beans?
Yes! It only takes a minute, and you do not want to skip this step.
It’s pretty unlikely that you will find a pebble among your beans, but it does happen on occasion and you don’t want to risk biting into a rock and breaking a tooth!
Rinsing the beans will remove any dirt or debris covering the beans. You want your beans to be clean, not tasting like dirt.
Variations
These means are flavored primarily with cumin and chili powder, which gives them a bit of a Mexican flair. If you want more versatile beans that can be used in a number of different recipes from different cuisines, you should flavor only with salt and pepper.
I also like to add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the beans when they are finished for a burst of acidity. You can use any type of vinegar. I like to use apple cider vinegar, or lime juice!
How to Serve
These beans make an excellent side dish for any Mexican meal. For a complete nutritious meal, you can make these Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas and serve it all together.
This Instant Pot Black Beans recipe also makes for a great component in salads and even for stuffing your enchiladas.
I like to use the leftovers to make refried beans! Heat the leftover cooked beans on the stove top and blend until smooth, or to your desired consistency.
More Bean Recipes
If you like these black beans, try making Instant Pot chickpeas, Instant Pot pinto beans or Instant Pot lentils.
- 1 lb dry black beans
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Soak the beans overnight.
- Rinse beans and make sure there are no pebbles.
- Add all the ingredients in the Instant Pot and mix well.
- Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 30 minutes.
- When cooking ends, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. (basically do nothing and just wait).
- After 10 minutes, do a quick pressure release (move the vent to "venting").
- Open the lid and enjoy.
