Instant Pot Pinto Beans come together in a snap and are a fantastic vegan dinner or easy side dish. Blend them and use them as the perfect burrito filler!
Since publishing my Crockpot Pinto Beans last year, they have become super popular. Despite being a vegan recipe, they are perfect for meat eaters to use as a side dish or a filling for burritos. They make a great healthy budget friendly dinner. And I just love how simple they are to make.
Given their popularity, I thought it would be helpful to give you a way to make them in the Instant Pot as well. It’s important to note that when you transfer recipes from the slow cooker to the Instant Pot, you cut way back on the time, but you also need to cut back on the liquid! Slow Cookers aren’t sealed, so some liquid escapes during cooking, much like on the stovetop. This isn’t the case in pressure cookers, so we’ve cut the liquid back quite a bit. Otherwise, this is the same great recipe you know and love, just made more quickly.
How to Cook Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot
Here is a brief overview of how to cook pinto beans in an instant pot. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe including all measurements and cooking times.
- Prepare the beans. After soaking your beans overnight, drain the beans and rinse them two times. (I like to do this step while my Instant Pot is pre-heating on the “Sauté” setting.) See more on soaking pinto beans overnight below.
- Sauté the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in the Instant Pot. Add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic to the hot instant pot. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Once you add the beans, vegetable broth, and seasonings, close the lid and set the instant pot to seal.
- Cook the pinto beans. Set to high pressure for 25 minutes. Once done, stir the beans and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Instant Pot that I Love
Soaking Pinto Beans
While you can skip this step in pinto bean recipes, it’s beneficial because it will cut down the cooking time compared to making dry pinto beans in your instant pot. Soaking the beans also improves their texture and makes them easier to digest. Since placing them in water in the fridge overnight is an easy feat, I think it is worth it. Finally, this recipe will only work with pre-soaked beans.
How to Serve Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Pinto beans are versatile and can be enjoyed in many ways. This vegan pinto bean recipe is also gluten-free, and can be served as a main dish, as a side, or in your favorite Tacos.
Packed with protein and flavor, these pressure cooker pinto beans can be served as is, whole in tacos, mashed to serve as a side, or as a filling in my Baked Burritos or any recipe that calls for refried beans.
- Blend up the cooked pinto beans and use them on Taco Pizza.
- Enjoy over rice or Cauliflower Rice.
- Serve them as a side with Chicken Tacos or Slow Cooker Carnitas.
Baked Burritos
Mashing Pinto Beans
I love to mash or put the cooked beans in a food processor to make refried beans. This consistency makes them a great side or filling for tacos, burritos, or any recipe that calls for refried beans.
I recommend adding them to your blender in batches. You may need to add a little bit of vegetable broth to achieve your desired consistency or if they aren’t blending well.
Blender
Crock Pot Pinto Beans
In addition to cooking pinto beans in your instant pot, you can also make Crockpot Pinto Beans. The cooking time for pinto beans will depend on the setting you use. Either high or low cooking settings can be used with a successful outcome. Cook the beans on low for eight hours or on high for four hours.
Crock Pot Pinto Beans
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat over low heat or in the microwave until heated through. Pinto beans freeze very well and can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. See below for how to freeze beans.
Freezing Pinto Beans
Prepare the recipe fully and let it completely cool. Place beans in freezer bags and remove extra air. Freeze flat and thaw in the refrigerator when ready to enjoy. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or broth to thin.
Other Great Recipes
- This Homemade Salsa Recipe comes together in your blender in minutes.
- You cannot beat the combination of flavors in this homemade Taco Salad Recipe.
- Sheet Pan Nachos are the perfect easy dinner or filling snack.
If you try this instapot pinto beans recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave a review and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans (453.6 grams) soaked overnight, see note
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (591.471 ml)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to 'Sauté.' Let it preheat.1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- While you are waiting for the instant pot to preheat, drain the beans and rinse them two times.1 pound dry pinto beans
- Once the instant pot says 'Hot,' add in the vegetable oil. Then add in the onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Cook until the onion is just translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.1 small yellow onion, 1 jalapeno pepper, 4 garlic cloves
- Add in the vegetable broth, then the seasonings and the beans.2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Close the instant pot and make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set to 'High Pressure' for 25 minutes. Once the cooking time is over, use a manual pressure release, turning it to venting. Once the float valve has fallen, remove the lid.
- Stir the beans, adjust the seasoning as needed, and enjoy.
Notes
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