Beans in a Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot Beans)

Today, you are going to learn how to make beans in a pressure cooker. I will show you through this guide an excellent way to cook beans from scratch in only 30 minutes. This easy instant pot beans recipe is the best, as it will save you time while cooking.

Within an hour, or just 30 minutes, you can make a fresh pot of black beans, white beans, or chickpeas in the Instant Pot.

This guide on cooking beans in a pressure cooker will provide you with everything you need to know about cooking soft beans every time.

Best Pressure Cooking Beans

Actually, and fortunately, you can pressure cook any kind of bean. A few lists of beans you can pressure cook include:

• Navy beans
• Pinto beans
• Black beans
• Great Northern beans
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• Red kidney beans, to break down the lectins, I suggest you first boil the beans for around 10 minutes.
• Black-eyed peas
• Cannellini beans

However, you should know that the cooking time differs as it is determined by the bean variety and the age of the beans.

How Many Pounds of Beans to cook?

Well, you might also want to ask how many pounds of beans you can or should cook in an instant pot. Normally, I cook a pound of beans at a time in the pressure cooker.

And a pound of beans will make around five cups of cooked beans. This is more than enough to make numerous meals all through the week.

Also, if I don’t think I’ll use them all in one week, I usually freeze half the batch for future meals.

Preparing Beans in a Pressure Cooker

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 cups of dried Romano beans
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 3 cups of water (for washing and soaking the beans)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 2 bay leaves
• A pinch of chili pepper
• 8 cups of vegetable broth or water
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 whole red pepper or your preferred kind of pepper (chopped)
• A pinch of cumin
• Salt and pepper

Laid-Out Instructions

• First, you are to pick through the beans. Get rid of any stones or damaged beans you find.
• Then, you can proceed by washing the beans in a colander. After that, soak the beans overnight or for 4 hours, at a minimum.
• When that is done, proceed to rinse the beans. Afterward, you are to drain the beans. Now, move to the next step.
• Proceed by adding the onions, olive oil, and garlic. After that, broil until the onions become golden.
• With that being done, add in the tomato paste, dried parsley, chili pepper, red pepper, and cumin. Then, proceed to sear for an additional 5 minutes.
• After that, proceed by adding the bay leaves, beans, and 8 cups of broth or water. Now, close the pressure cooker and cook over high heat.
• Allow this to cook until the pressure intensifies. Then, decrease the heat to medium. After that, you are to cook for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Or, you cook until the beans are tender and fluffy. You are to taste the beans when they are ready.
• And, then, add any extra seasonings (salt and pepper), if required. Now, get rid of the bay leaves and garnish with fresh green onions. You can serve it with rice.

Instant Pot Beans – Follow These Suggestions for the Best Results

Beans tend to fizz and foam while being cooked in a pressure cooker, although, generally, cooking dry beans in a pressure cooker is a rather easy process.

That being so, it is obligatory to follow a few laid-out instructions when cooking dry beans in a pressure cooker.

These detailed instructions also include:

• First, you should never try to fill the pressure cooker past the half-full line. And, this includes beans, water, and ingredients.
• For pressure cookers to function properly, they have to contain at least ½ cup of liquid. And, during the soaking or cooking, you are to add 1 to 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
• Also, you are to add up to 1 tablespoon of salt. This measurement is for a pound of beans. Dry beans get to maintain their shape and exterior skin when oil and salt are added.
• This has been backed up by tests. The fizzing and foaming that occurs during pressure cooking are also reduced.
• I will suggest that you let the pressure drop itself. But you should know that this will add an extra 18 to 20 minutes to the cooking time.

More Tips for the Best Beans

Add Flavoring Ingredients

You can make your beans more flavorful by adding tasty add-ins such as onions, bay leaves, and garlic. They should be added at the start of the cooking process. Ensure they are cooked along with the oil and salt.

Natural Pressure Release or Quick Release?

This has to do with the pressure release, whether you should go with the natural pressure release or quick release.

I will suggest you allow your pressure cooker to release naturally. Or, probably, just for as long as it can release naturally before you proceed to open the pot.

Doing this will help balance some of the issues with appearance, which will then result in fewer ruptured beans.

Although this does not eliminate all ruptured beans, some will remain. The bean cooking liquid also has the tendency to foam up in the steam valve.

This happens when you do a quick release. So, you should allow the pot to depressurize for as long as possible. Doing this will help prevent it from foaming up.

Normally, I just allow the pot to release pressure naturally. But, when it gets to the point where I really need the beans, then I go ahead and hit the pressure valve to release it the rest of the way.

Final Thoughts on Beans in a Pressure Cooker

On how to store beans. Well, allow the beans to cool off completely, and then you should proceed by storing them in their liquid in the refrigerator.

Doing this will allow them to last for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them, and beans should freeze nicely.

Normally, I freeze my beans in their liquid in ziplock bags. Doing this also allows it to take up less space in the freezer.

They also defrost quickly. Freezing them will allow them to last up to three months.

And this will be the conclusion of this guide on “Beans in a Pressure Cooker,” as you now have everything you need to cook the best beans in a pressure cooker.