Instant Pot Beans: How to Cook Dried Beans in a Pressure Cooker with No Pre-Soaking Required: The EASIEST, FASTEST way to cook dried beans with success. 
Do you guys have an Instant Pot?
No?!!!
Well, you need to get on it and get one ASAP!! I mean, like yesterday! I myself was skeptical of these magical pressure cooking pots, but my I figured that since I am looked to for answers on all things food related, I owed it to you all to get one and see if the all the buzz was true.
It was.
Number one reason to fall in love with your pressure cooker is when you make Instant Pot Dried Beans!
If beans aren’t your thing, check out my collection of Easy Healthy Instant Pot Recipes.
These pressure cookers are the BEST thing ever in a person who is busy but wants to cook home cooked meals. I was hooked the first time I used my Instant Pot–which by the way was when I tried to make my 5 Ingredient Pot Roast with a frozen chuck roast and it was ready in less than an hour!! Crazy–right?!!
My latest obsession is making my dried beans in the Instant Pot.
I use beans in so many dishes like Black Bean Tacos, Minestrone, and Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers, that to be able to make beans quickly without pre-soaking, is a dream come true for me.
And in seriously a matter of 5 minutes prep and less than an hour, I have cooked dried beans that are ready to use. Not to mention, pressure cooking the beans results in the most tender beans I have EVER had! They have better texture than canned beans.
Instant Pot Beans
Okay, let’s break cooking dried beans without soaking down for you.
YES, you can cook dried beans WITHOUT soaking first. I know, mind blowing!
How To Make Instant Pot Beans
- Rinse and sort your dried beans–just look over your dried beans to be sure there are no rocks that have snuck in!
- Place 1 pound dried beans with 8 cups water in your Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for directed time.
- Once cook time has released, let pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes before trying to do a quick release of pressure.
- Once beans have finished cooking, add in a splash of apple cider vinegar and salt. The salt flavors the beans, the vinegar helps make the beans easier to digest.
- I do like to store cooked beans in a bit of the cooking liquid to keep them moist and tender while they sit in fridge, this is not necessary, but suggested.
Instant Pot Bean Cook Time
- Black Beans–30 Minutes on High Pressure
- Chickpeas–40 Minutes on High Pressure
- Kidney Beans–35 Minutes on High Pressure
- Pinto Beans–25 Minutes on High Pressure
- Navy Beans–30 Minutes on High Pressure
- Great Northern Beans– on 35 Minutes High Pressure
How to Flavor Beans
Instead of just cooking dried beans in water alone, I like to add a little flavor to my beans. This step of course is optional, but highly encouraged.
- Along with beans and water, add an halved onion and bay leaf.
- You will want to add salt or homemade taco seasoning AFTER your beans have been cooked. Adding salt BEFORE cooking dried beans can make it harder for your beans to break down and soften properly.
How do I know how much dried beans to cook for a recipe?
- First of all, let me start by saying that one pound of dried beans is equivalent to about 2 cups of measured dried beans. Therefore, if you don’t have a one pound bag of dried beans, just measure out 2 cups of beans for this recipe.
- Dried beans will triple in quantity when cooked. So for 1 pound, or 2 cups, of dried beans, you will have 6 cups cooked beans.
- Most recipes call for 15 ounce cans of beans. This is about 2 cups COOKED beans.
- Therefore this recipe for dried beans makes 6 cups cooked beans, or the equivalent to 3 cans of beans.
How do I store leftover cooked beans?
You can cook extra beans in your pressure cooker to have on hand for recipes.
- Store leftover cooked beans in the refrigerator for 5 days. I keep the beans with a bit of the cooking liquid (much like you see in canned beans to keep them moist.) Just drain before serving.
- Or freeze prepared beans in 1 to 2 cup portions in freezer safe bags/containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can add a bit of cooking liquid to the beans you plan to freeze as well.
A Few Hints For Cooking Instant Pot Dried Beans
- If you like your beans SUPER soft, without a bite left to them, cook for additional 10 minutes on high pressure.
- If you have pre-soaked your beans, reduce cook time by 10 minutes.
- Never fill your inner pot of your pressure cooker more than 1/2 full when cooking beans.
- It is best to let the pressure release naturally for beans to retain shape. However, you may do a rapid release after 10 minutes, by putting on oven mits and pushing steam valve to release. Just be careful not to burn stand too close–that steam can burn your face!
- If you find beans to be hard on your stomach or make you gassy, either pre-soak beans overnight first and/or add in 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar after cooking.
- You will most likely have liquid left after cooking the beans in the instant pot, just drain off the liquid before using in recipes.
Recipes to Use Cooked Beans
- Healthy Black Bean Baked Tacos
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Vegetarian Lentil Chili
- Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili
Let’s Make Instant Pot Beans
Instant Pot Dried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried beans rinsed and sorted (this is equal to 2 measuring cups full of dried beans)
- 8 cups water
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 onion, sliced optional
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar optional
Instructions
- Place beans, water and onion and bay leaf if using in pressure cooker.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and close valve to "seal."
- Cook on High Pressure for Following Times:Black Beans--30 Minutes on High Pressure
Chickpeas--40 Minutes on High Pressure
Kidney Beans--35 Minutes on High Pressure
Pinto Beans--25 Minutes on High Pressure
Navy Beans--30 Minutes on High Pressure Butter Beans--40 Minutes on High Pressure
Great Northern Beans-- on 35 Minutes High Pressure - Allow to naturally release until pressure subsides, or at least 20 minutes before doing a quick release.
- Once beans have finished cooking, stir in salt and vinegar if using. Store cooked beans in a bit of the cooking liquid to keep them moist and tender while they sit in fridge, this is not necessary, but suggested.
Notes
- For incredibly soft beans without much structure left, and 10 minutes to cook time.
- For pre-soaked beans, decrease cook time by 10 minutes.
- For cooking in your pressure cooker at higher altitude, keep in mind these Instant Pot Altitude Conversions.
My Must Have Instant Pot Accessories for Making Dried Beans
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Kristen Chidsey
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This, like all of your recipes, was amazing!!! Thank you so much for all the wonderful recipes! I love my instant pot and I love your website! 🙂 I always know that your recipes will turn out great, and I’m recommending your website to my friends with instant pots!!! Cheers!
Thank you so much Melissa! I am so happy that you enjoy my recipes so much! I try really hard to get them right for you all! Thanks for letting me know how you enjoyed the beans as well 🙂
I made Great Northern beans according to your recipe. I didn’t add salt, and the best by date on pkg is 2022. Cooked 35 minutes according to recipe, let the pot NR all the way. They are still a bit hard on the outside. If or when I try again, I’ll add 5 minutes to the cooking time for dry, or I may just go ahead and soak them awhile. Thanks.
Hi Diane. Do you live at a higher elevation? That may be cause for you need to add more time. I have an altitude conversion chart that may help. Also, just like ovens, every instant pot can run a bit hotter or colder, so just note you need to add 5 minutes for dried beans in the future for your personal preference. Hope that helps!
Great info!!! And it all worked!! xxx
YAY!! I am so glad you had success!
If you go back and read, the schedule times, it says 35 mins i believe. But if soaked take off 10 mins. Fir cooking and 10 mins only for natural release.
Hope this helps
Craig 🍽……
Kristien,
I just want to know why you have left out the time cooking for “ButterBeans”.
You have every orher bean under the sun but no Butter beans.
But im sure your going to fix that right, am i correct in typing that,🤔👍
Craig 🍽
Hi Craig! I need to update that for sure 😉 Butter beans will take 40 minutes on high pressure. Enjoy!
If you pre-soak say kidney beans, how long would you then cook them in the IP and the NR time?
Never mind! Just saw your note about reducing cook time by 10 minutes.
No worries! Glad you found the answer
Reduce by 10 minutes😊
What do you do if you have a mix of two beans?
Hi Caitlin! I would use beans that cook on similar amounts of time, but then cook for the longer of the 2 times if different.