Ingredients For Cooking Pinto Beans In Instant Pot
- Pinto Beans: Use fresh dry pinto beans although beans have a relatively long shelf life, older beans with varying dryness may take a much longer cooking time to be softened. Sometimes the dry pinto beans can get so old & stale that they wont cook properly even after long cooking time. So best to use fresh dry beans if possible.
- Ground Cumin: We like to freshly ground our cumin seeds with a Mortar and Pestle, as the flavor & aroma come out more intense and fresh. However, you can use store-bought ground cumin seeds.
- Jalapeno: You can keep the jalapeno seeds to make the dish spicier. This dish is mildly spicy without the seeds.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: Its critical to use a high quality can of fire-roasted tomatoes as it is one of the stars of the dish. You can also roast your own tomatoes over fire if you like.
- Bacon: Use bacon with some smoky flavor & aroma to maximize the depths of flavors for this Mexican pinto beans recipe. It pairs well with the pinto beans.
- Regular Soy Sauce: Adding regular soy sauce will add another layer of umami flavor.
- Unsalted Chicken Stock Different brands or even different boxes of the same brand of salted chicken stock can differ in levels of sodium, so we prefer to develop recipes using unsalted chicken stock for more control & consistency on the dishs flavor profile. Best if you can make your own chicken stock .
Cooking Beans In The Instant Pot
Ever since I got my Instant Pot, I started cooking all of my beans from scratch. Dont get me wrong I dont mind canned beans, but when possible, I prefer to cook beans from dried. Heres why:
- Canned beans are usually quite heavy on salt, they contain additives and preservatives to keep them for so long.
- Many canned products contain lots of PBA, which is not very safe if consumed often.
- Its much cheaper to cook your own beans, than buying canned beans.
- And to be honest, its quite fun to cook your beans from dried at home!
If youve been following my blog for a while, you might have seen other recipes where I showed you how I cook other beans in my Instant Pot. Such as chickpeas for hummus, broad beans, and lupini beans. And these pinto beans are incredible! I cook them along with spices, onion, garlic, and jalapeno and the result is seriously good.
How Do You Make Beans In The Instant Pot
- Rinse and drain the beans. You have the option of soaking the beans overnight, which will cut the cooking time in half .
- Put the beans in your multi-cooker with the garlic, shallot, bay leaf and bacon .
- Pour in 6 cups of water, and season the beans with a teaspoon of fine sea salt .
- Cook on high pressure until the beans are tender, then add a splash of apple cider vinegar, which will brighten up the flavors. Season with more salt to taste.
Read Also: How To Cook Frozen Meat In Instant Pot
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The Instant Pot makes it fast and easy to make homemade pinto beans. This side dish is extremely versatile and goes well with just about anything.
- 5 to 6 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 1 bay leaf
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Garnish Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Give the Instant Pot Pinto Beans a final taste, then garnish.
If you like it spicy, you can garnish the Mexican Beans with jalapeno. Garnish the pressure cooker pinto beans with chopped cilantro and the remaining crisped bacon bits.
Serve these tasty Instant Pot Pinto Beans immediately, and enjoy~
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Instant Pot Black Or Pinto Beans Recipe
Since our diet is predominantly plant-based, we focus most of our meals around vegetables and legumes. By legumes, I mean beans, lentils and peas. This group is my go-to protein and I aim to vary the sources as much as I can. There are so many kinds of beans out there, from the common black, pinto, garbanzo to heirloom varieties that are less widely seen. There are also so many different types of lentils different colors, some split, different sizes, etc.
I stock my pantry and fridge with precooked legumes for convenience since they do take a long time to cook from a dried state. They dont require much effort or hands-on time, but to cook dried beans over the stove warrants a pre-soak of many hours and then at least an hour cook time. In the slow cooker, I usually budget 6-7 hours. Although I cant admit to using my Instant Pot every day, or even often, I do love it for batch cooking beans. Even without soaking, I can make them in under 40 minutes
I like to make basic beans that I can then freeze or use in soups or on salads. But our hands-down favorite beans would be with cilantro, onion, and garlic. I use pinto or black beans and they are the perfect beans for refried beans, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, Tex-Mex bowls and more. Well eat them straight out of the pot or mashed with some of the cooking liquid.
What To Serve With Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are versatile. You can eat it without any other ingredient, or you can serve them as a main course or aside. It pairs well with several dishes. Here are a few ideas:
- You can serve pressure-cooked pinto beans with cooked Rice, Jollof Rice, Turmeric Coconut Rice, or Quinoa.
- You can serve them alongside quinoa and enjoy the many benefits of this combination.
- It goes perfectly well with flatbread.
- You can also serve it with gluten-free cornbreador any other toasted bread slice.
- You can use pinto beans as a dip as well. Simple mash it a little using a maser and serve it with tortilla chips and Vegan Cheese Sauce. It turns into a delicious dipping sauce.
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Variations For This No Soak Pinto Beans Recipe
- Pinto Beans with Ham Hocks. Add a smoked ham hock to the Instant Pot, and pressure cook it with the beans.
- Pinto Beans with Salt Pork. Instead of bacon, use diced salt pork in its place.
For more meal inspiration, follow me on Instagram at or on Facebook at .
Shop my favorite Instant Pot accessories and cooking tools on Amazon: The Feathered Nesters Recommendations
How To Thicken The Cooking Liquid
If you want the cooking liquid to thicken up, press the Sauté button while the lid is off. The liquid will start to boil and evaporate, so in about 10 minutes it will be thicker and more concentrated in flavor.
For an extra-thick option, you can mash some of the beans in the bottom of the pot, until the texture is to you liking.
Also Check: Instapot Says Food Burn
No More Long Cooking Hours
Remember the days when you had to cook beans on the stove for hours? I dont know about you, but any recipe that translates to having to watch something on the stove for hours and having to check every 15 minutes is something I completely avoid. Life is busy and theres hardly any time to spare, so the quicker we can prepare a healthy and nutritious meal for our family the better.
This Instant Pot Pinto Beans recipe only takes about 1 hour to cook and almost no effort or advanced cooking skills are required. Once you try this and see how easy it is, you might be hooked for life. It will be a total game-changer when it comes to batch cooking for the days ahead. You can store them in the fridge and use them for different meals throughout the week. Burritos, veggie bowls, or our favorite bean salad, youll be one step ahead of the game.
Can I Freeze Cooked Pinto Beans
So youve mastered how to cook pinto beans on your Instant Pot and you would love to spread your efforts into the future so you wonder whether you could freeze the newly cooked beans to eat later . We are very happy to report that you can indeed freeze them, amazing, right?
But, how? Let them cool down, measure them into the desired portions, and then place them in freezer-friendly bags . We recommend writing the date they were cooked and the portion on the outside to make it easier to use them later.
There you have it, perfectly cooked pinto beans in your Instant Pot!
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About These Frijoles Borrachos
Because you start with dried beans, this recipe takes a little time. Its pretty much all hands-off time and plus, you get to enjoy the delicious aroma while they cook. Just let your pot of beans simmer gently on the stove, and enjoy the fragrance. Anticipation can be one of the best parts of cooking!
Ill run through the recipe here to get you started, with lots of helpful tips. Keep reading to the end of the post for the printable recipe card with complete directions and nutrition information.
Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Beans
But aside from all the monetary and health benefits, these beans just taste really, really good. A few easy aromatics give these Instant Pot pinto beans loads of flavor, including:
- garlic & shallot: a whole head of garlic and a whole shallot impart an incredible flavor
- bay leaf: a bay leaf gives the beans a subtle herby depth
- bacon: BACON! This is optional, but two strips of bacon infuse the beans with a rich, smoky flavor
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When Is A Pressure Cooker Is Up To Pressure
- With the Instant Potmake sure the vent is in the sealed position, use the Manual setting and set the cooking time. When time light comes on, its up to pressure.
- With a stove-top pressure cookerheat on high flame until the steamy jiggle noise begins in earnest, then turn the heat down just so it maintains pressure, then start your kitchen timer.
How To Use Them
I love that these instant pot pinto beans can be eaten as is, or used in other recipes! Here are some of my favorite ways to use them.
Add a bit of cilantro, and eat them as is. You can strain them, or serve them with the liquid. I love them with a scoop of cottage cheese, as well.
Use them in enchiladas. Some of my favorites are these Easy Enchiladas or these Garlic, Bean and Chicken Enchiladas, using the pinto beans in place of the cannellini beans.
These beans are perfect for topping Navajo Tacos!
They are great in most chili recipes, like this Crock Pot Chili. If the recipe calls for another kind of bean, I will often use pinto beans.
These pinto beans are perfect for Refried Beans!
Also Check: How To Cook Frozen Tamales In Instant Pot
Do You Need To Soak Pinto Beans
When you are cooking pinto beans in an instant pot, you dont really need to soak it. Because the instant pot uses a pressure cooking technique, it cooks the beans a lot faster and excellently well. However, soaking the beans have its benefits as well.
When you soak the pinto beans for about 6 to 8 hours before cooking, the cooking time will reduce to half. However, soaked beans tend to split more than unsoaked beans.
Furthermore, when you soak pinto beans before cooking them, they are easier to digest as compared to unsoaked beans. Thats because when you soak the beans, the water removes sugars that cause gas from the beans. As a result, beans not only cook faster but also are easy for the stomach to digest.
So, if you have time, you can soak the beans for at least 6 hours before cooking them. And if you are in a hurry, you can simply rinse them and cook them in an instant pot. Either way, you will get delicious beans.
Pinto Beans Are Rich In Nutrients
Pinto beans are loaded with nutrients such as iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and Vitamin B1. When cooked plain, they are cholesterol-free and have a low amount of sodium and fat. They also have an abundance of fiber and protein.
The fiber in pinto beans helps prevent any digestive problems and aid in weight loss . For protein, pinto beans are a great alternative for meat. These two nutrients help to control your appetite.
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How Do You Serve Instant Pot Pinto Beans
I could eat these beans in a bowl all on their own , but theyre a healthy and delicious foundation to countless different dishes. Here are some suggestions:
- Bean bowls: Serve the brothy beans in bowls and garnish with toppings of your choice, such as cheddar cheese, sour cream and scallions
- Tacos & burritos: Layer the beans over tortillas with your favorite fixings
- Grain bowls: Serve the beans in grain bowls with vegetables and/or meats
- Nachos: Do I even have to say anything else?!
- Refried Beans: Cook the beans in a slick of oil and mash slightly for refried beans
- Soups: Add the beans to your favorite soups, or make a simple soup of beans, broth, garlicky sautéed kale, avocado and fresh lime juice
You can also wrap the beans in enchiladas or quesadillas, or use them in this slow cooker beef chilior this vegetable and quinoa chili.
Cooking Pinto Beans In The Instant Pot At A Glance
No soaking these pinto beans! The Instant Pot is the easiest way to go from dry to perfectly cooked beans in just over an hour.
Ratio: 1 part dry pinto beans: 3 parts chicken broth/waterCooking Time: 35 minutesYield: Approximately 5 cups cooked pinto beansStorage: 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator
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Serve Your Pinto Beans With Cornbread
You can serve your Instant Pot Pinto Beans with a Tex-Mex kick as a side dish, wrapped in a corn tortilla, or poured over cornbread. In the following video, I show you how to make a whole grain, sweet buttermilk cornbread in a cast-iron skillet.
Natural Pressure Release Or Quick Release
One last point to discuss: the pressure release. I think it’s worth it to let your pressure cooker release naturally, or at least for as long as possible before you open the pot. This helps offset some of the appearance problems, resulting in fewer blow-out beans — though you’ll still get some. The bean cooking liquid also tends to foam up into the steam valve when you if you do a quick release letting the pot depressurize as long as possible helps avoid this.
I usually let the pot release pressure naturally until the point when I need the beans, then I hit the pressure valve to release it the rest of the way.
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What Is The Ratio Of Beans To Water In The Instant Pot
When cooking beans in the Instant Pot, youll use 2 1/2 cups of water for every 1 cup of dry beans. Ive tried using less than that, but since beans expand as they cook, the ones that arent fully submerged in liquid will cook unevenly.
You can definitely use more water, if you want to, but its not necessary for pinto beans. Since this recipe calls for seasoning, you wont want to dilute the flavor any more, either.
If youre interested in cooking other legumes, check out my other Instant Pot tutorials:
New to using the Instant Pot? Check out my Instant Pot Tutorial video to learn almost everything you need to know about your electric pressure cooker in just 3 minutes.
How To Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans:
Making pinto beans in an Instant Pot is super simple! Here are the cooking details, but for the full, printable recipe, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Pro tip: I have and love this 6-Quart Instant Pot .
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