Instant Pot Pinto Beans are time-saving, healthy, and delicious. Go from dry pinto beans to perfectly cooked in just over an hour – no soaking required!
Stovetop pinto beans are awesome, but Instant Pot pinto beans are easier. The thing about the Instant Pot is that it allows me to ditch precooked canned beans (sodium and preservatives, oh my!) and focus on what’s really important- getting my family quality and nutritious food with as little effort as possible.
The dream right?
Pinto beans, like black beans, are a hot commodity in my house. We eat them with just about everything from fried eggs to tacos and burritos, they’re tossed in chilies and bean soup. Sometimes I’ll make refried beans to serve with Mexican rice and chicken mole or shrimp Camarones.
So many opportunities to enjoy this delicious speckled bean! And now (thanks to the Instant Pot) I actually cook them from scratch because most days I’m secretly wishing I could order delivery and the effort to make these beans is borderline zero.
You know what I’m talking about.
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/water
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Release: 15-minute natural release
Yield: Approximately 5 cups cooked pinto beans
Storage: 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator
How to Cook Pinto Beans in Instant Pot
- Rinse and sort: Rinse the beans in cold water and pick out any small pebbles, rocks or debris.
- Pressure cook: Put the beans in the pressure cooker and add the water, chicken broth, bay leaves, and salt. Secure the lid and set the cooking time to 35 minutes. Press start.
- Natural release: Once the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.
- Quick-release: Switch the sealing valve to the venting position and wait for any remaining pressure to release before carefully removing the lid.
- Season to taste: Season with additional salt or black pepper, to taste.
Optional Additions
This recipe makes pretty simple pinto beans. To infuse more flavor try incorporating one or more of the following:
- Ground cumin
- Cilantro
- Chili powder or paprika
- Diced or whole jalapeños
- Fresh garlic cloves or garlic powder
- Onions or onion powder
- Bacon or ham hock
More Instant Pot Recipes To Try,
- Instant Pot Oatmeal
- How to Cook Perfect Instant Pot Rice
- Perfect Instant Pot Black Beans – No Soaking Required
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes – Perfect Sweet Potatoes Every Time!
- Instant Pot Corn on the Cob
- How to Cook Instant Pot Butternut Squash (Whole and Cubed)
- Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soaking Required)
- Instant Pot Brown Rice Recipe
Have you tried cooking this Instant Pot pinto beans recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans - about 2 cups
- 4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth - low-sodium (or vegetable broth/ chicken stock/ water)
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt - plus more to taste
- 1 small white onion - minced (optional)
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse the dried beans in cold water and pick out any small pebbles or debris. Drain.
- Transfer the beans to the Instant Pot and add the chicken broth, water, bay leaves, and salt. Stir. Secure the lid and set the valve in the sealing position.
- Set your pressure cooker to Manual, high pressure. Set the cooking time to 35 minutes and press start. It will take approximately 15 minutes for the Instant Pot to reach full pressure and for the cooking time to begin counting down.
- Once the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. After leaving it alone for 15 minutes, carefully switch the sealing valve to the venting position and allow any remaining pressure release. Carefully remove the lid.
- Remove the bay leaves and gently stir to mix. Feel free to drain the cooked beans, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon, or enjoy them mashed with the broth.
- Season with additional salt and a little black pepper, to taste. Garnish with diced white onion, if desired.
Jessica’s Notes
- As written there is no need to pre-soak your pinto beans. If you would like to shorten the overall cook time, soak beans in cool water for 6-8 hours and reduce cooking time to 20 minutes on high pressure and reduce the total cooking liquid (water/chicken broth) to 4 cups.
- Using chicken broth will add more flavor to the beans compared to just cooking them with water. Feel free to omit the chicken broth and add 6 cups of water. Adjust salt to taste.
- This recipe makes approximately 5 cups of cooked pinto beans.
- Keep pinto beans stored in an airtight container and in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- This pressure cooker pinto bean recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian. To make it vegan, swap the chicken broth for water or veggie broth.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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