Instant Pot Black Beans

published Aug 19, 2022
A photo of a bowl of black beans with a green garnish in small pieces on top, and a faded blue napkin below the bowl. There is a hand scooping a spoonful of the beans up, with polished red nails.
Credit: Laura Rege

The almighty Instant Pot is your fast track solution for no-soak, creamy, brothy, flavor-packed black beans.

Serves6

Makes6 cups

Prep10 minutes

Cook30 minutes

Jump to Recipe
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
A photo of a bowl of black beans with a green garnish in small pieces on top, and a faded blue napkin below the bowl. There is a hand scooping a spoonful of the beans up, with polished red nails.
Credit: Laura Rege

Put the can opener aside: These cooked-from-scratch black beans are infused with flavor that you just can’t get from the grocery store and they are not as intimidating to cook as you might think. The Instant Pot really revolutionized cooking beans at home. It’s fast and you don’t need to monitor a pot on the stovetop. No soak, super creamy, and so easy you’ll never want to open a can again.

The truth is, an Instant Pot plus just three ingredients — water, dried black beans, and salt —creates really tasty results. However, a few additional ingredients take these beans to the next level while keeping the flavor neutral enough to use in any dish. We love chipotle in adobo, which adds a slight smokiness, along with bay leaves, onion, and celery. Feel free to omit one or two if you don’t have them on hand or try adding other spices in the cabinet such as a pinch of cinnamon, ground coriander, or Italian seasoning.

How Can I Substitute These Black Beans for Canned Black Beans in Recipes?

One 15-ounce can of black beans is equivalent to 1 3/4 cups black beans after the beans have been rinsed and drained. Just sub in the equivalent amount. 

Do I Need to Soak the Beans? 

Soaking black beans is not necessary in this recipe. Just add them to the pot with water and let the Instant Pot tenderize and cook them. 

How Do I Tell If the Beans Are Done? 

Check a bean for doneness once the pressure is released; they should be tender and creamy with no crunch. On average, the beans should be done in 30 minutes. However, if the dried beans have been sitting in the pantry for a long time, they are going to take more time to cook. If you open the Instant Pot and find they could use a few more minutes, no problem at all: Just re-lock the lid and cook at high pressure for a couple more minutes. 

Instant Pot Black Beans Recipe

The almighty Instant Pot is your fast track solution for no-soak, creamy, brothy, flavor-packed black beans.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Makes 6 cups

Serves 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 pound

    dried black beans

  • 1

    large yellow onion

  • 2

    medium carrots

  • 1 large stalk

    celery

  • 4 cloves

    garlic

  • 2

    canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

  • 2 teaspoons

    kosher salt

  • 2 teaspoons

    dried oregano

  • 1 teaspoon

    smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon

    ground cumin

  • 1

    dried bay leaf

  • 1 (32-ounce) carton

    low-sodium vegetable broth (about 4 cups)

  • 2 cups

    room temperature water

Instructions

  1. Place 1 pound dried black beans in a colander and rinse under cool water. Let the excess water drain off. Transfer to a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.

  2. Prepare the following, adding each to the Instant Pot as you complete it: Peel and trim (leaving the root intact) 1 large yellow onion, then cut it into 4 wedges. Peel and halve 2 medium carrots crosswise. Cut 1 large celery stalk crosswise into 4 pieces. Mince 4 garlic cloves. Finely chop 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 2 tablespoons).

  3. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 dried bay leaf. Stir to combine. Add 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium vegetable broth and 2 cups room temperature water.

  4. Lock the lid on and make sure the valve it set to seal. Set to cook under HIGH pressure for 30 minutes. When the cook time is up, manually release the pressure. Remove the onion, carrots, celery, and bay leaf with tongs before serving.

Recipe Notes

Substitutes:
- Switch out the spices with any savory spice in the cabinet or add a pinch of cinnamon.
- Use all water instead of water and broth.
- Add 4 slices diced and cooked bacon instead of chipotle chiles.

Gluten-free: For gluten-free beans, make sure the chipotles in adobo sauce are wheat free.

Storage: The beans can be cooled and refrigerated in the broth in airtight containers for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.