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Easy Instant Pot Black Beans from One Lovely Life

Easy Instant Pot Black Beans (No Soaking Required!)

5 from 6 votes
Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life
These easy pressure cooker black beans don't require any soaking! Don't miss my favorite ways to flavor them in the notes section below! 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
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Servings: 5 cups cooked beans
Calories: 108kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dry black beans - rinsed + sorted
  • 1/2 onion* (I leave mine whole rather than dicing
  • 1-2 cloves garlic* optional
  • 1 bay leaf*
  • 1-2 tsp. salt more or less, to taste
  • 6 cups water or low-sodium/no-sodium vegetable broth.

Instructions

  • Prep the Beans. To start, rinse the dry black beans in a colander or strainer. Sort out any damaged beans, rocks, etc. and discard them. Add rinsed and sorted beans to the Instant Pot
  • Build Flavor. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf, and 1 tsp. salt, then cover with water or broth.
  • Secure the lid and double-check that the pressure valve is set to SEALING (not "venting").
  • Press MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE and set beans to cook for 30 minutes. (It takes my instant pot about 10-12 minutes to come up to pressure.)
  • When the beans are finished cooking for 30 minutes, naturally release the steam 20 minutes.
  • Quick-release any remaining steam by carefully moving the sealing valve from "sealing" to "venting" (I like to wear oven mitts when I do this, just in case)
  • Remove bay leaf & onion (if using) and season the beans to taste with salt.
  • If for some reason your beans aren't quite tender yet, you can put them back in for another 5-10 minutes at high pressure & quick release the steam until you get to the softness you prefer. If your beans are older or your Instant Pot is a different size than mine, your exact cook time may vary. 

Notes

  • BASIC DRIED BLACK BEANS: 1 pound dry black beans (2 cups) + 1/2 onion (I cut mine into 2 large pieces) + 1-2 tsp. salt + 1 bay leaf + 6 cups water or sodium-free vegetable broth. You CAN use just beans + water, but I like adding the other ingredients for flavor! 
  • CUBAN BLACK BEANS: 1 pound dry black beans (2 cups) + 1/2 onion (cut into 2 large pieces) + 1 tsp. salt + 1 tsp. cumin + 1 tsp. chili powder + 6 cups water or vegetable broth + juice of 1 lime or 2 tsp. vinegar
  • BRAZILIAN BLACK BEANS: Dice & cook 2-3 slices bacon in the Instant Pot using the SAUTE function. Add 1 diced onion and saute until tender. Then, add 1 pound black beans (2 cups) + 3-4 cloves minced garlic + 6 cups water or vegetable broth + 2-3 tsp. salt. Cook as usual.
  • OTHER MIX-IN IDEAS: taco seasoning, green chilis, minced jalapeño, diced bell pepper, etc. (pick just 1-2)
  • OTHER BEANS. This method works for several other kinds of dried beans too! Pinto, kidney beans, and Great Northern beans all cook the same amount of time!

Video

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keyword: Instant Pot Black Beans, Instant Pot Brazilian Black Beans, Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans, Pressure Cooker Black Beans

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup cooked beans | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.1g | Protein: 10.5g | Fat: 1.3g | Sodium: 245.1mg | Potassium: 256.9mg | Fiber: 15.7g | Sugar: 1.6g | Vitamin C: 0.7mg

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/instant-pot-black-beans/