Who has time to let beans soak and then cook all day long? I know I don’t. I try to plan my weekly meal ahead of time, but sometimes I don’t know what’s for dinner until a few hours before. That’s when one of these two cooking methods for beans comes in handy.
These perfect pinto beans require no pre-soaking because of the magic of the Instant Pot.
I love to make a couple of batches and store cooled beans in pint-sized mason jars. Then they go in the freezer and we have beans when we need them.
Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot
- Prep Time: 5 min.
- Cook Time: 90 min.
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Ingredients
1 pound (2 cups) dried beans (see notes below on cooking times for different bean varieties)
8 cups water
1 Tbsp. olive oil (this minimizes foam that can clog up the pressure valve.)
1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar*
Instructions
Rinse and drain pinto beans using a colander, sort through a discard any stones or debris.
Add beans, water, and olive oil to the Instant Pot.
Close and lock the lid, cook on manual high pressure for 25 minutes.
(this will take longer than that to cook because the pressure has to build up first.)
Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Total time in the pot is about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. The pot has to come to pressure before the 25 minute cook time and it is better to leave the beans in the pot until the pressure valve releases on its own. If you can’t wait for that natural release, allow to cook 10-15 minutes before manually releasing the valve.
Drain and cool the beans before storing.
Stir in the raw apple cider vinegar
Store in glass containers or glass jars. I like to measure mine into 2 cup servings (pint jars) because that’s about how many beans are in one 15 oz. can. 2 cups of beans will fill a pint jar all the way to the top so cool and then freeze before adding the lid, or store them in a quart sized jar.
Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Tips for Perfect Beans
*Adding the apple cider vinegar will help make your beans be more digestible.
You might be tempted to add more beans or double the batch. Don’t do it! (If you have an 8-10 quart instant pot you can double this recipe). Your pot should not be over half full, with beans and water, this makes it difficult for your pot to come to pressure properly and cook your beans perfectly.
If you want to salt your beans do this after they have cooked. Adding salt to beans before they cook can make it harder for them to break down and cook properly.
This recipe makes 6 cups cooked beans and is equivalent to three 15 oz. cans of beans
Instant Pot Bean Cooking Times by Variety
Black Beans: 30 minutes on high pressure
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): 40 minutes on high pressure
Kidney Beans: 35 minutes on high pressure
Pinto Beans: 25 minutes on high pressure
Navy Beans: 30 minutes on high pressure
Great Northern Beans: 35 minutes on high pressure
Cooking in the Crockpot
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Ingredients
2 cups dried beans, rinsed well
8 cups water
1 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Combine the beans and water in the crockpot.
Cook on high setting for 5 hours
Drain and cool the beans before storing.
Stir in the raw apple cider vinegar
Store in glass containers or glass jars. I like to measure mine into 2 cup servings because that’s about how many beans are in one 15 oz. can. 2 cups of beans will fill a pint jar all the way to the top so cool and then freeze before adding the lid, or store them in a quart sized jar.
Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Tips for Perfect Beans
*Adding the apple cidar vinegar will help make your beans be more digestable.
If you have a large crockpot you can 1 1/2 or 2 times this recipe.
If you want to salt your beans do this after they have cooked. Adding salt to beans before they cook can make it harder for them to break down and cook properly.
This recipe makes 6 cups cooked beans and is equivalent to three 15 oz. cans of beans
Crock Pot bean cooking times does not change very much based on variety. Check tenderness after about 4 hours to see how they are doing.
Approx. 5 hour cooking time for:
Black Beans, pinto beans and navy beans
Approx. 5 1/2- 6 hour cooking time for:
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), Kidney Beans, Great Northern Beans
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[…] probably eat these beans at least once a week! I cook and freeze extra pinto beans to make this a simple quick recipe for busy […]
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