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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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Instant Pot Dried Beans
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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.
The salt myth has been roundly debunked. Go ahead and salt your water. Sometimes the best beans I've made have had only salt and pepper added tot he water. Depends on the bean. The only thing that makes beans cook slower is their age (and whether you soaked the beans beforehand). I make beans often (in the instant pot) and so far the best method I've found is to do the initial cook, instant release, test, and then cook in five minute intervals and keep doing quick releases until the texture is right. But I also don't have the patience for that, so I often do the natural release and go ahead and let the beans blow out a bit.
Hi Tim! That is true that you can cook your beans with salt, but it slows the process down a bit at the beginning in salted water if they are not soaked first. However, I agree, age of beans matter more than ANYTHING!
I’m new to the Instant Pot (literally arrived yesterday!) and am so excited to get started with it! I have a 16 oz bag of 13 bean soup medley that I want to cook but don’t know how to judge the time as there are many different beans (black turtles, baby Lima’s, black eyed peas, great northern, large Limas, red kidneys, small reds, cranberry beans, yellow peas, red lentils, and garbanzos). What would you recommend? I have the 8 quart duo model
Hi Terrie! I am so excited for you to begin cooking with your Instant Pot--I highly suggest you sign up for my Free Instant Pot Tips to help you get started. Can I ask you if you are just trying to cook the beans, or make the soup? That is 2 separate methods. The beans themselves will need between 20-35 minutes with those varieties. If you are preparing the soup, I would wash and sort beans and then place in pressure cooker. Pour in 8 cups of water and then place lid on pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes and then let pressure release naturally. Rinse beans and then add back into pressure cooker with remaining ingredients for bean soup. Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure and let pressure release naturally. That should allow the larger beans (like kidneys and garbanzos) enough time to soften. Another option is to soak beans overnight in cold water and then prepare soup as directed using pre-soaked beans. The cook the soup on high pressure for 15-20 minutes with a natural pressure release.
Great article. Does it matter if you use one of the cheaper instant pots without the bean setting or do you need to have the one with the bean setting?
Hi Peter! I never use the pre-set settings. Just cook on high pressure using manual/pressure cooker. See more on how I use instant pot functions here. Hope that helps!
Do you use the 'keep warm' feature? Or just let it shut off after the cook time?
I have done both with equal success 🙂
Yes the beans were soft. Yes this was quick and easy. But they had no taste whatsoever. I added onion and ham like I normally do in a crockpot. Instead of a delicious broth, I had water with no flavor even after salted. I think I'll go back to the crockpot.
Hi Lora. This recipe is not at all intended to be flavored beans, like you would make with a ham hock, etc. This recipe is simply for plain cooked beans made faster that are soft--which is exactly what you said happened. I am sorry for your misunderstanding of the final product.
If I presoak the kidney beans, do I keep the ratio of beans to water the same, but just reduce the cooking time? I’m presoaking beans now for a recipe tomorrow.
Hi Debbie! You will only need about 2/3rds of total liquid. Just be sure your beans are covered by about 2 inches of water, and use at least 1.5 cups of water😊
I'm new to using an instant-pot..This was a great help I was nervous about using it for the first time. Your instructions and tips were just what I needed to get started. Thank you.
Hi Joyce! I love when I can help take the fear out of using the Instant Pot! I hope you find many more recipes to enjoy!