Instant Pot Black Beans

Instant pot black beans are the best way to make black beans from scratch without soaking! Just minutes of cooking time, and you'll have perfectly tender, but never fall-apart black beans! The 6 quart instant pot is a miracle worker for cooking dried beans in under an hour, without soaking.

Instant pot black beans:

The only reason I bought an instant pot was to make beans from scratch in it. My family has a few members that are vegan and meat-adverse, so we go through quite a few cans of beans in a week. Plus, we really love beans around here, if you didn't know!

I love making beans from scratch, but they require too much of my time these days. I often never remember to soak them overnight, nor do I have time for babysitting them on the stove all day! The last time I made beans from scratch without a pressure cooker was before I had kids, hah!

So, I use my instant pot to make these creamy little black beans. The cooking time is perfect, so the beans will be tender but not mushy, over-cooked or split. Well, a few beans may split, but that is normal and true for any canned varieties, too. These are great in my black bean quesadillas.

No soak black beans:

When compared to canned beans, dried black beans will save you a little bit of money and can be easily stored in containers in your pantry. With an instant pot (or any pressure cooker, really) the overnight soaking step can be removed and below you will find everything you need to know, to make delicious, ready to serve, black beans, in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients:

• Dried Black Beans. You need 2 cups or 1 pound. This recipe starts with dried black beans, similar to my Instant Pot Black Bean Chili.
• Bay Leaf.
• Onion. Half of an onion, with the skin on and root intact is the easiest for removing after cooking.
• Garlic. Two cloves of fresh garlic, smashed to release flavor. Or, substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Salt. Start with 1 teaspoon before cooking, and then add extra after cooking to taste.
• Water.

How to make instant pot black beans no soak:

1. Gather: The ingredients needed are: 2 cups of dried black beans, 2 cloves garlic, half of an onion, a bay leaf, salt, and water. First, rinse 2 cups of dried black beans, and pick them over to discard any small stones, plant debris, or broken beans.
   
2. Assemble: Place the rinsed beans in the instant pot, and then add one bay leaf, half of an onion sliced (leave the root intact so it's easier to remove later), 2 smashed garlic cloves, 1  teaspoon of salt and 6 cups of filtered water.
3. Pressure cook: Stir everything together very well, and then place the lid on your instant pot. Press PRESSURE COOK, and toggle to HIGH pressure. Set the timer to 25 minutes. Ensure the valve is set to 'SEAL' so pressure can be reached. The instant pot will beep to acknowledge the selection, and then it will begin the process of building pressure. Once pressure is reached, it will beep again to start the 25 minute timer.
4. Release: When the timer goes off, let the beans sit for an additional 15 minutes to allow pressure to naturally release. This isn't enough time to release ALL of the pressure, though, so after 15 minutes, use a hand protected by a thick oven mitt to open the valve to release the remaining pressure. Be careful--the steam is very hot!
   
5. Taste and serve: Remove the lid, and give everything a stir. Pick out the vegetable pieces with tongs, and then taste the beans. Add any additional salt. You can drain the liquid entirely from the beans, or keep it for storage.
6. Storage: The beans will keep for 4 days in a tightly covered dish in the fridge. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months. To defrost, place in the fridge overnight.

What can I substitute for black beans?

This instant pot black bean recipe is specifically to provide you with delicious black beans. While you can serve these black beans by themselves, this recipe is really intended for you to add to a burrito bowl recipe, or pair with seasoned rice for a yummy beans and rice dish.

Stay tuned for a recipe for instant pot pinto beans, and many more ways to use these black beans.

Because black beans are very affordable (about $1.00 US Dollar per pound), high in protein and fiber, and work well as the base of many recipes, they are one of the best beans to keep in your pantry. They can be used in so many recipes, like black bean soup, black beans and rice, black bean and corn salsa (a personal favorite), burrito bowls, refried black beans, and so many more that you will find here.