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This recipe for Instant Pot Beans walks you through how to cook a variety of dried beans with or without soaking. I've included cook times for 11 kinds, plus the small details that decide whether you get tender beans or mush.
While I love Instant Pot for family meals, like Instant Pot Pot Roast, it really earns it keep with basics like these dried beans, Instant Pot Baked Potatoes, Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs, and Instant Pot yogurt.
Instant Pot Beans at a Glance
- Prep: Less than 5 minutes
- Types of Beans: Tested timing provided for 11 varieties of beans
- No Soaking Needed: But timing provided for soaked beans
- Money-Saver: A 15-ounce can costs about the same as (or slightly more than) a pound of dried beans, and one pound makes the equivalent of 3 to 4 cans.
Kristen's Keys for Cooking Dried Beans in the Instant Pot
Believe it or not, dried beans were the recipe that convinced me the Instant Pot was worth it. Since 2017, I've cooked more pounds of beans this way than I could possibly count. Here are the little things I've found make the biggest difference:
- Yes, you can skip soaking. The Instant Pot handles softening the dried beans beautifully. But I have included timing for soaked beans as well.
- Wait to add salt. There are different schools of thought on salting beans before cooking, but in all of my Instant Pot testing, I've had the most consistent results seasoning them after pressure cooking.
- Natural release matters. This helps the beans stay intact and creamy instead of splitting.
- Don't overfill the pot. Beans expand as they cook; keep the inner pot no more than ½ full.
- Check the expiration date. Older beans take much longer to soften and sometimes never fully tenderize.
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
How To Make Instant Pot Beans
Let me walk you through the basic step-by-step process of making dried beans using the Instant Pot.
- Rinse and sort your dried beans. I also recommend quickly checking for any rocks that may have snuck in; it has happened to me a time or two.
- Add beans, water, and optional aromatics to inner pot. Add the rinsed beans and 8 cups of cold tap water to the inner pot. If desired, add in garlic, onion, and a dried bay leaf for additional flavor.
- Pressure cook. Secure the lid, set the valve to "sealing," and cook on high pressure for the time directed for the type of beans you are cooking (see list below).
- Let pressure release naturally. Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you can do a quick release of any remaining pressure or allow pressure to continue to release naturally. Short on time? 10 minutes works, but the texture may not be as good.
- Season. Season with salt and, if desired, add a splash of apple cider vinegar for brightness.
- Serve or store. At this point, you can strain off the cooking liquid and use as desired or store cooked beans in a bit of the cooking liquid to keep them moist and tender.
Instant Pot Bean Cook Time
The following cook times are for unsoaked beans on high pressure.
- Baby Lima Beans: 18 Minutes
- Large Lima Beans: 22 Minutes
- Pinto Beans: 25 Minutes
- Navy Beans: 25 Minutes*
- Red Beans: 30 Minutes
- Black Beans: 30 Minutes
- Kidney Beans: 35 Minutes
- Great Northern Beans: 35 Minutes
- Cannellini Beans: 35 Minutes
- Butter Beans: 40 Minutes
- Chickpeas: 40 Minutes
If you like really soft beans, cook for an additional 10 minutes under high pressure.
For soaked beans, soak for 8-12 hours, drain, add to the inner pot with 5 cups of fresh water, and reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes.
*A note on navy beans: They are the one variety of beans that can get mushy if you don't pre-soak them. For Instant Pot baked beans, or anything you want to hold its shape, soak them in cold water for 8 to 12 hours, drain, and cook with 5 cups of water for 15 minutes on high pressure with natural pressure release.
How Many Beans?
You may be wondering how to use Instant Pot beans in a recipe calling for canned beans or how much this recipe makes. This will help.
- 1 pound of dried beans is about 2 cups of dried beans
- 2 cups of dried beans will make 5 to 7 cups of cooked beans, depending on the type of bean
- 1 (15-ounce) can of beans (drained) equals about 1-¾ cups cooked beans
- ½ cup dried beans makes about 1-¼ to 1-¾ cups cooked, close to 1 can
- 1 pound of dried beans is equivalent to about 3 to 4 cans of beans (drained)
How to Store Cooked Beans
- Refrigerate: Store the beans, with a bit of the cooking liquid, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Portion out 1-2 cups of the beans and place in a freezer-safe container, with a bit of the cooking liquid. Freeze for up to 3 months and defrost in the refrigerator as needed.
Instant Pot Dried Beans FAQs
Because beans expand as they cook, never fill the inner pot more than half full. A 6-quart is too small to double. However, you can double this recipe if you have an 8-quart Instant Pot. Use 2 pounds of beans, 10 cups of water, and keep the cook time the same.
Yes, you can halve this recipe for any Instant Pot size, and you'll need to if you're using a 3-quart. Use ½ pound of dried beans and 4 cups of cold tap water, and keep the cook times the same.
Try cooking for an additional 10 minutes on high pressure with natural pressure release. Keep in mind that expired dried beans may never fully soften.
A quick release can cause beans to split and become mushy, so it is best to allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes (20 is even better). If you you still end up with mushy beans, cut the cook time by 10 minutes. Instant Pots run differently, and how much bite you like matters too.
Start with cold water and make sure the beans are fully covered. After cooking, let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure.
Unless each variety has a similar cook time, I don't recommend it, as some beans may become mushy while another variety cooks. If you do opt to cook mixed beans together, select the LONGEST cook time.
Yes! Follow my Instant Pot Altitude guidelines for the appropriate adjustments.
More Instant Pot Recipes Using Dried Beans
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If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
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Instant Pot Dried Beans
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried beans, rinsed and sorted (this is equal to 2 cups of dried beans)
- 8 cups cold tap water, *see note
- 1 medium onion, sliced, optional
- 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled, optional
- 1-2 bay leaves, optional
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar, optional
Instructions
- Add the rinsed, sorted beans and water to the inner pot of your pressure cooker. If using, add the onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.
- Secure the lid on the Instant Pot and ensure the valve is in the sealed or locked position.
- Using the pressure cook or manual function, set to cook on High Pressure using the following times: Baby Lima Beans: 18 Minutes on High PressureLarge Lima Beans: 22 Minutes on High PressurePinto Beans: 25 Minutes on High Pressure Navy Beans: 25 Minutes on High Pressure**Black Beans: 30 Minutes on High PressureRed Beans: 30 Minutes on High PressureGreat Northern Beans: 35 Minutes on High PressureCannellini Beans: 35 Minutes on High PressureKidney Beans: 35 Minutes on High Pressure Chickpeas: 40 Minutes on High Pressure Butter Beans: 40 Minutes on High Pressure
- Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, you can do a quick release of any remaining pressure or allow the pressure to continue to release naturally. If you are short on time, allow for at least 10 minutes of natural pressure release, but note that the texture may not be as good.
- Once beans have finished cooking, stir in salt and vinegar if using.
- After cooking, let them cool, then store the beans in an airtight container in the fridge with a little cooking liquid for up to 5 days. The cooking liquid will help keep the beans from drying out.
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker (6 or 8 quart) (this is the least expensive, most reliable model)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this recipe putting all ingredients in the pot at the start because I didn't pay enough attention to the recipe. The flavor is pleasant and not too salty, which is surprising. I think Instapot recipes
call for a load of sodium. But the broth is abundant and the beans are still a tad crisp. I dropped a chopped up pork chop and it's juices back into the pot and added 10 more minutes on high pressure. This resulted in a savory flavor but still more broth than I would have preferred. It might be a great soup base this way. I am not sure by how much I can either reduce water or increase beans to get closer to the thickness I prefer. This recipe is a solid launching pad for finding my own recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kristen,
Thank you for this helpful video.
What size instant pot do you use?
I am new to using an instant pot and normally cook 2 pounds of dry beans in a large pot.
Thanks again.
Hi Annette! I have both the 6 quart and 8 quart--you can use either with success. Just be sure to do a natural pressure release as the inner pot will be quite full.
This recipe came out perfect and flavorful. I used pre-soaked beans (4 cups pre-soaked) to 8 cups of water. Added 1/2 of a minced onion and minced garlic (4 cloves) and bay leaves (about 3-4). Bay leaves add so much flavor. 🙂 I didn’t drain out all the liquid as I like to add some of the flavored liquid to my rice when eating them together. This was the first time that I prepared beans this well. Thank you for your thoughtful recipe and notes. It made all the difference in my day! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Bless you! Cheers!
Wonderful!! So glad you enjoyed and I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy here.
I have been making your pinto beans to the T weekly and they are delicious I have an 8 qt.
If I need to make 2 # how much water and time, please
Hi Sara! I am so glad this has become a staple at your house. Double the beans, seasonings, but only increase the water by 2 cups. And keep the cook time the same.
I got an Instant pot for Christmas. Never used one before. I notice that it has a "Bean" program. Can I just use that using the same recipe?
Hi John! I don't recommend using any of the pre-set programs. They are not specific to what you are cooking--only pre-programed guesses. It is best to manually adjust yourself. You can read more of my reasoning over at Instant Pot Functions. 🙂
Certainly simple enough. I don't think the liquid quantity is correct though. Since we're empty-nesters, I tend to cut recipes in half. In this case, I used one cup of dried black beans and 4 cups of liquid. Unfortunately, I had made bone broth which I used in some soup recipes and this. I ran the Instant Pot at high for 35 minutes which produced a texture between firm and mushy (the way I prefer beans), but I was left with about 2 1/4 cups of liquid at the end. As you may know, bone broth requires a bit of effort. Even using an Instant Pot, you need to "prepare" it twice to get the depth of flavor you'd expect from the all day, stove top version. It pained me greatly to have to pour off 2 cups of excess liquid at the end. When I make the other half of these dried beans, I think I'm going to go with about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. I'll let you know if that works.
Hi John! I don't recommend using broth for this recipe because of the added sodium and the amount of liquid needed. To cut the liquid down, would result in a significant change in cook time and if the liquid is all absorbed first, you can get a burn notice. If you try it though, keep us posted.
I love Your step by step instructions with good hints adding Apple cider vinegar to the cooked beans for easy digestion etc. I love beans but I can not digest it properly. I will definitely try your way. Thank you so much. Looking forward to see more tips. God bless you.
God Bless you as well Kay! I hope the apple cider tip helps you out!
If I cut the recipe in half, will that affect cooking time?
Hi Amanda! No, the cooking time remains the same if doubling or halving a recipe--but the amount of time it takes to come to pressure will vary.
Finally! All things dried beans + InstantPot in one place. This is a super handy guide, will reference it often. Love your tips and tricks. Making chili as I write this. Thank you!
You are so welcome Lori! Happy to help and enjoy the chili!
Your tips are great.