Instant Pot black beans allow you to skip the overnight soaking process completely! The pressure cooker is the perfect solution for tender, creamy legumes made in under an hour! Add beans to any dish for a boost of fiber and protein.
Cooking black beans is a simple process of soaking and simmering on the stove top. However, many home cooks hesitate to make them because the process takes several hours. That’s where the Instant Pot steps in! The electric pressure cooker makes delicious black beans faster and it’s a completely hands-off method.
A whole pound of the black beans can be cooked in just 30 minutes under force. A 20-minute natural release allows the starches inside the food to gelatinize to create a luscious creamy texture. This is a tasty easy recipe to add to your culinary toolbox.
How to cook black beans in the Instant Pot
- Sort dried black beans, discarding any broken pieces.
- Wash and rinse the beans.
- Add beans, 6 cups of water, and salt to the Instant Pot.
- Cover and cook on “High Pressure” for 30 minutes.
- Naturally release the pressure for 20 minutes.
- Drain the liquid and serve the black beans.
Do you need to soak the beans before pressure cooking?
No, the dried beans do not need to be soaked before adding to the Instant Pot. That’s because the boiling point is higher in the sealed vessel, upwards of 246ºF (119ºC) at the high-pressure setting around 13 psi (pound per square inch).
The elevated temperature cooks the beans much faster than the stovetop method. Overall, I found that the unsoaked beans have more of the characteristic earthy flavor and deeper purple color compared to soaked beans.
Health benefits of black beans
Dried black beans are a nutritious, versatile, and affordable staple ingredient. They are a go-to vegetarian and vegan protein source that also delivers extra B vitamins. It’s always handy having a bag or two stocked in your pantry to use for various side dishes.
How many cups does 1 pound of dry black beans yield?
One pound of dried black beans yields about 5 cups cooked. That is a generous amount of legumes prepared quickly in a large batch. You can freeze them to use at a later time, or portion out some beans and rice for meal prepping.
How do I make beans more flavorful?
The benefit of using a multi-cooker is that you can use the saute function to add rich aromatics to the beans at the beginning of cooking. Make a sofrito with olive oil, finely chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, and garlic for a Cuban-style dish.
Add seasonings like cumin, chili pepper, garam masala, or smoked paprika. Add in robust herbs like bay leaves, oregano, or whole pieces of rosemary and thyme. Another option is to cook the beans in vegetable broth or stock for an even more savory taste.
More Instant Pot recipes
Is there a benefit to soaking the beans?
Soaking black beans in salted water is an option for even more tender outer skins and creamy centers. Pre-soaked beans kick starts the hydration process which means less cooking time is needed under pressure. Some people have found that soaking also reduces the occurrence of gas as some of the indigestible oligosaccharides are removed.
Instant Pot Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black beans, picked over and rinsed
- 6 cups water
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add black beans, water, and salt to the instant pot.
- Make sure the release valve is in the "Sealing" position.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, turn and lock.
- Press "Manual" button on the Instant Pot on high pressure, and then set the timer to 30 minutes using the "+" or "-" buttons.
- It will take about 15 minutes for the pot to heat and build up pressure. You will see some steam release from the lid, and then the time will start on the display.
- Once cook time is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 20 minutes.
- Use an oven mitt or towel to slowly and carefully twist the steam release handle on the lid to "Venting" position. The initial release will spray some moisture around the pot so be careful.
- Remove the lid, opening the top away from you as steam will be released from the pot.
- Carefully drain the liquid from the cooked black beans and serve warm.
Equipment
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Clint Stucky says
Your article on cooking black beans in an Instant Pot says that over-night soaking is not necessary when pressure cooking. I know from experience that it’s not necessary for tenderness but.. I read somewhere that 1) over-night soaking reduces flatulance. Also, another site claimed that soaking 2) reduces some of the anti-nutrients in beans. If I may ask, do you happen to know of any scientific validation for either of these claims?