Learn how to make the easiest and most tender beans using an Instant Pot, whether you soak them or not! Great in soups, curries, salads or sides, once you learn how to use a pressure cooker for your beans, you will never want to cook them any other way.
Jump to:
- Health Benefits of Beans
- Why Cook Beans & Chickpeas in the Instant Pot
- Beans Conversion- Dried to Cooked and Canned
- Do I need to soak beans before pressure cooking?
- Cooking Times for Different Beans
- Step By Step Instructions for Instant Pot Beans
- How to Store Cooked Beans
- Bean Cooking Tips & Notes
- Instant Pot Beans FAQs
- Easy Instant Pot Beans Recipes
- Instant Pot Beans (Soaked & Unsoaked)
Beans and chickpeas are great healthy additions to your meals and sides. An inexpensive pantry staple filled with plant-based protein, fiber, and other vitamins, they are an easy way to add nutrients to your family's diet.
Beans are one of the oldest cultivated plants. People have been eating different variations of beans for about 10,000 years, making them an ancient and important part of our history. Remnants of beans have been found in tombs of ancient Egyptians, left as food for their souls in the afterlife.
While eating beans hasn't changed over the centuries, cooking methods have improved! In India, it's a common practice to pressure cook beans using a stove-top pressure cooker. In this post, we take that to another level of convenience by using the Instant Pot.
Once you've made beans from scratch, you'll agree with me that dried beans taste better than the canned ones. They are more creamy, have more flavor and the best part is, you know exactly what went into making them.
Health Benefits of Beans
Beans have a variety of health benefits, including:
- Excellent source of plant-based protein: Beans are a great way to get protein, especially for vegans, vegetarians, and people looking for protein sources not from animals.
- Full of antioxidants: Antioxidants fight free radicals, which are chemicals that can cause various diseases.
- Good for heart health: Beans lower cholesterol, which can be a cause of heart disease.
- High in fiber: High fiber diets may help lower glucose levels in people with diabetes, as well creating a feeling of fullness and aiding in weight loss.
As always, if you're following any diet for medical reasons, do check with your physician first.
Why Cook Beans & Chickpeas in the Instant Pot
I prefer to cook my beans and chickpeas in the Instant Pot rather than using other methods because:
- It's quick and easy! Rather than hovering over a stovetop for long periods of time, using a pressure cooker allows you to cook your beans virtually hands-free.
- Your beans and chickpeas can be cooked with or without soaking them first. Both dry and pre-soaked beans work well in the Instant Pot.
- The beans always end up perfectly tender.
- You get to control the salt and add other flavors in the beans.
Checkout these easy and delicious 15+ Instant Pot Bean Recipes!
You Might Also Like: Complete Guide on Instant Pot Lentils
Beans Conversion- Dried to Cooked and Canned
Dried beans double in volume after cooking. This easy and simple conversion chart will show you how many dried beans you need to make enough cooked ones, as well as how many cans you need if you're going with that option.
| Dried Beans | Cooked Beans | Canned Beans |
| 2 cups | 6 cups | about 3 (15.5-ounce) cans |
| ¾ cup | 1.5 cups | 1 (15.5-ounce) can |
Do I need to soak beans before pressure cooking?
I grew up watching my mom and grandma soak the beans overnight before pressure cooking them. I followed the same practice, but always wondered if there was really a need to do so.
So, a few years ago, I did some research and tried a few recipes without soaking them beforehand. Here's what I found out:
- Soaking the beans prior to cooking cuts down on the cooking time since they have already been rehydrated during the process of soaking.
- Beans contain sugars that the body cannot digest and cause flatulence. Soaking helps to remove some of those sugars. It also allows them to release some of their gases, making digestion easier.
- Reduces the phytate content in beans. Beans contain Phytic acid, which prevents absorption of key minerals like iron, zinc and calcium in the body. Soaking the beans, gets rid of that, making the the nutrient absorption easy.
How to soak beans? To soak your beans, rinse them first. Add them to a large bowl and cover them with water by 2 inches. Let them sit for 8-12 hours, or overnight, before rinsing again and cooking.
However, sometimes you simply don't have time to allow your beans to soak. The Instant Pot is great for those times, because, while cooking does take a bit longer, this method is still set-it-and-forget it.
Cooking Times for Different Beans
If you're wondering how long does it take to cook beans in Instant Pot, refer to this easy cheat-sheet for cook times. For each type of bean, they were soaked overnight, cooked on High Pressure, then the Instant Pot was naturally released.
Keep in mind that while you will set your cook time to the amount noted, actual cooking will take longer since the pressure cooker takes about 10 minutes to reach pressure.
| Beans | Pressure Cook Time – Soaked | Pressure Cook Time – No Soak |
|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas (Garbanzo) | 15 minutes | 40 minutes |
| Kidney Beans | 25 minutes | 45 minutes |
| Black Beans | 22 minutes | 35 minutes |
| Pinto Beans | 15 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Lobia (Black Eyed Peas) | 15 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Black Chickpeas (Kala Chana) | 20 minutes | 40 minutes |
Cooking Note: Beans take longer to cook when cooked with acidic ingredients, like tomatoes, vinegar or lemon juice. For example, Chickpeas cooked in seasoned water are done in 15 minutes, but in a recipe like Chana masala, which contains tomato and other acidic ingredients, they take 45 minutes.
Step By Step Instructions for Instant Pot Beans
- Rinse beans well: Rinse your beans over cool water in a strainer, removing any particles or pebbles.
- Add beans and water: Add beans and water to the Instant Pot, as well as any seasonings or additional vegetables.
- Set cooking time: Close the lid on sealing position. Using the above cheat-sheet, set the cooking time on High Pressure.
- Let Instant Pot naturally release: Allow the pressure cooker to natural pressure release (NPR). Open the lid once the pin drops.
How to Store Cooked Beans
You may find that you have leftovers after cooking beans in the Instant Pot. You can store your beans using one of the following methods:
- Refrigerate: Keep your Instant Pot beans in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for 5-7 days.
- Freeze: Cooked beans can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Bean Cooking Tips & Notes
- Soak - Soaking your beans dramatically cuts down on cook time, as well as making them easier on your stomach
- Salt - Beans soaked and cooked in salt water are more flavorful and tender, without bursting out of their skins
- Add enough water for soaking - Make sure you cover your beans by 2" when soaking them. This allows the beans to re-hydrate and become more tender.
- Add a pinch of baking soda while cooking - Baking soda creates an alkaline environment, which allows the beans to cook more quickly and turn soft and creamy from within.
Instant Pot Beans FAQs
It depends on the size of your Instant Pot, but for 2 cups of dried beans, you will make 6 cups of cooked beans. A 6-quart Instant Pot will hold up to 24 cups of cooked beans at maximum.
Dried unsoaked beans take much longer to cook versus soaked beans. Sometimes, if the beans are too old, they take longer to become tender. In that case, it is better to toss those beans.
The acidic properties of certain foods, such as tomatoes, can keep beans from softening. Avoid adding foods such as tomatoes, wine, or lemon juice to your beans until they have already become tender.
Soaking gets rid of a flatulence causing sugars and phytic acid in the beans. It is best to discard that water and use fresh water for cooking. And trust me, you don't lose any of that flavor.
Yes. Creating an alkaline environment by adding a pinch of baking soda causes beans to soften more quickly, allowing them to cook faster.
Check out more Instant Pot Bean Recipes & a similar detailed post on how to cook Instant Pot Chickpeas!
Easy Instant Pot Beans Recipes
- Creamy Black Beans Recipe
- Rajma in Instant Pot (Kidney Beans Curry)
- Instant Pot Chana Masala
- Bean Burrito • Instant Pot Burrito Bowl
- Moroccan Chickpeas Soup
- Black Bean Chili in Instant Pot
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Instant Pot Beans (Soaked & Unsoaked)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried beans
- 2 cups water or broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 bay leaf optional
- 1 pinch baking soda
Instructions
- Rinse beans well: Rinse your beans over cool water in a strainer, removing any particles or pebbles. Soak in fresh water for 8 to 12 hours or overnight.
- Add beans and water: Add beans and water to the Instant Pot, as well as any seasonings or additional vegetables.
- Set cooking time: Close the lid on sealing position. Using the above cheat-sheet, set the cooking time on High Pressure.
- Let Instant Pot naturally release: Allow the pressure cooker to natural pressure release (NPR). Open the lid once the pin drops.
Notes
- Soak - Soaking your beans dramatically cuts down on cook time, as well as making them easier on your stomach
- Salt - Beans soaked and cooked in salt water are more flavorful and tender, without bursting out of their skins
- Add enough water for soaking - Make sure you cover your beans by 2" when soaking them and 4 cups water to 1 cup beans when cooking. This allows the beans to re-hydrate and become more tender.
- Add a pinch of baking soda - Creating an alkaline environment with baking soda allows your beans to cook more quickly.
Carole Palmer says
“Add enough water - Make sure you cover your beans by 2" when soaking them and 4 cups water to 1 cup beans when cooking. This allows the beans to re-hydrate and become more tender.“
Thx for the recipe! I’m confused about the amount of water. An earlier reply to a comment says 2c. water for 1c. beans, but in the notes, (above), it says otherwise. Thx!
Aneesha says
HI Carole, the ratio is 1 cup beans to 2 cups water, sorry about the confusion. Thanks for pointing it out.
Erin Brackbill says
Your recipe says 2 cups of beans to 4 cups of water or broth. But then when you go down to your itemized directions it says 2 cups of beans to 8 cups of water. What is correct?
Aneesha says
Hi Erin, My apologies for the confusion. I have fixed the typo. For every 1 cup of beans, you can add 2 cups of liquid.
Jen says
Once cooked do you store with the cooked liquid?
Aneesha says
Hi Jen, yes I store it with the liquid.
Tim Enos says
Hyping the ability of the Instant Pot to cook harder varieties of beans without soaking is misleading. The Instant Pot is the only way to go for beans but the fact still remains that most dried beans you buy are a mix of old harder beans and younger fresh beans with different hydration levels. If you cook dried unsoaked beans, often you will find that the fresh beans overcook and the older beans may be undercooked. They are not uniformly cooked and that detracts from the appeal of the dish. Soaking is still the only way to deal with that problem.
Aneesha says
Hi Tim, That's a great point, and I also highlight the advantages of soaking the beans in this post. But for people who don't have the time to soak or simply forget, it does offer them an option. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!