One of my favorite uses of my Instant Pot is cooking dry beans. We rarely buy canned beans anymore. It’s just not necessary, and dry beans are cheaper, last (almost) forever, and take up less space in the pantry.

In the past (before the IP), I would buy a bag of dry beans with visions of myself as a smart, frugal, from-scratch cook. I was going to take those beans home and I was going to pre-soak them overnight, then I was going to let them simmer for hours until they were tender, and then I was going to season them and cook them some more with my choice of meats, vegetables, herbs and whatnot until I had a super delicious meal that made me all kinds of proud of myself.

…three years later, I would pull that bag of beans out of the pantry and do just that.

Because while I do think of myself as a good cook, and I’m a frugal person, and I have a firm grasp on what’s nutritious, I’m simply not that great at thinking ahead when it comes to meals. (I’m working on it.)

Every day at three o’clock I would realize that dinner needs to be made yet again. People eat every day! Why would this simple fact not occur to me the night before, when I was eating dinner and had time to throw some beans in a pot of water to soak??

I don’t know either. You’d think it would be easy.

Now that I have an Instant Pot, it IS easy, because I don’t have to soak them.

If it’s three o’clock in the afternoon and I suddenly remember that someone has to make supper or we won’t eat, I can pull out that bag of beans and have dinner on the table by five or six.

This is true for all kinds of beans – pinto, black beans, kidney beans, white beans, Great Northern beans, etc. You can cook them from dry to done in around an hour or so. You do not have to pre-soak them* and you don’t have to stand over them to make sure they’re boiling when they’re supposed to boil or simmering when they’re supposed to simmer.

What kind of beans can you cook in the Instant Pot?

I’ve used my Instant Pot to cook the following types of beans:

• pinto
• black
• Great Northern
• navy
• red
• kidney
• garbanzo

All of them work well for me; I just make slight adjustments to the cooking time depending on how I want them to turn out.

I didn’t include lentils in the list because they actually cook quickly using conventional methods. I’m sure you could cook them in the IP though. Just use a much shorter cooking time.

The easiest method to cook dry beans in an Instant Pot

All you need to do is rinse them, put them into the Instant Pot with the right amount of water, and set the timer for the right amount of time. The Instant Pot will come up to pressure, cook the beans, and then gradually release the pressure while you do something else – like cut up vegetables or read a book or do some online shopping.

Different beans do require different cooking times, and you’ll also want to adjust the time depending on how firm you want your beans. For example, if you want to make want black beans to top a southwestern taco salad or a bowl of chicken tortilla soup, you might cook them a little less than if you’re doing
refried black beans.

But the process is the same for every type of dry bean I’ve cooked in my Instant Pot. And it couldn’t be simpler. I just love it.

There are how-to instructions below.

*I’ve read other websites that say pre-soaking makes the beans easier to digest and … you know… less of a “musical fruit.” I don’t know and I’m willing to consider that possibility, but for me, the whole problem with dry beans was needing to soak them overnight.

Yield: 3 cups

How to Cook Dry Beans in the Instant Pot

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Learn how to make no-soak dry beans in an Instant Pot in less than half the time.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 bag of dry beans (pinto, black, red, kidney, white, etc.)
• water

Instructions

1. Rinse and sort dry beans
2. Place beans in the inner lining of a 6-quart Instant Pot
3. Cover beans with water so that there is approximately two inches of water above the top of the beans. (Do not exceed the Max Fill line of the Instant Pot.)
4. Ensure the sealing ring is seated correctly in the lid, place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock. Set the valve to the "sealing" position.
5. Pressure cook on high for 22 to 40 minutes; allow the pressure to naturally release for at least 15 minutes.
6. When the float valve drops, open the lid and check the beans. Drain any excess liquid and season as desired. *See note on cook times and doneness, below.

Notes

For black beans, 22 minutes should be sufficient cook time, while kidney beans might require more than 40.

If you open the lid and find your beans aren't soft enough, just replace the lid, set the valve to the sealed position again, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more. (This is also a good time to add any seasonings you want.)

A great way to use cooked beans is in a classic red beans, rice, and smoked sausage recipe. All can be made in the Instant Pot after you’ve cooked your beans. I have never tried cooking beans and rice at the same time. Have you? I often wonder if it will work! (I have now tried it! It does work; just use plenty of water. I do it mostly for soups.)

I have a list of meal ideas using smoked sausage here.

See more recipes using beans or legumes.