After pounds and pounds of bean pressure cooking I got it right. Here is your fail-proof guide for Instant Pot Beans. Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot pinto beans, instant pot kidney beans, and many more, basically an encyclopedia about cooking beans in the instant pot.
After seeing the same question popping up over and over again in several Facebook groups: “how to cook beans in the instant pot”, and after reading answers that couldn’t differ any more, I felt the urge to find out timings for myself. Just like back when I saw the same happening for Instant Pot Rice.
I’ve read people recommending cook times anywhere from 10 minutes all the way up to 60 minutes. How can that be? Why do the recommended times differ SO MUCH?!? I had to get to the bottom of it.
Well, first of all, many times it isn’t even specified what kind of beans. There are soooooo many kinds and they all cook in different times. Asking “how to cook beans in the instant pot” is basically an incomplete question and often results in incomplete answers.
Second of all, it is never specified what the beans are meant for. Depending on if you want them for a salad or a soup makes a huge difference. For a salad you want them barely cooked so they hold their shape, stay dry and don’t become mushy. For a soup you want them super cooked and falling apart by themselves so you can blend them and create a creamy soup.
And lastly,it is rarely specified if the cooking time is requested or suggested for soaked or dry beans. This also plays a huge role in timing.
Which brings us to the first question and answer in our Instant Pot Beans Encyclopedia.
Soaking or No Soaking for Instant Pot Beans
Let me answer one important thing first: yes, you CAN cook both, soaked and unsoaked beans in the pressure cooker. So if you desperately want to skip the soaking process you absolutely CAN.
The question, however, should not be if you CAN cook no soak beans. The question is: do you really want to skip the step?
I never (literally never!) skip soaking. Why? Because it eases digestion A LOT. I, for one, don’t love feeling bloated and passing wind. If you enjoy that, by all means, go ahead and skip the step ;)
If you’re more like me and like eating healthy and yummy food without bloating and farting (high five my friend) then soak your beans for 8-12 hours before pressure cooking.
Generations and generations before us already knew about this trick and I rely a lot on their experience. A pressure cooker doesn’t break down the beans to a point where soaking isn’t necessary anymore to ease digestion. Maybe one day someone will invent a magical machine that can but for now, there isn’t one on the market that I know.
What the instant pot does it cook beans faster to reach the same consistency a regular pot with water does. That’s the advantage of pressure cooking. The soaking is still necessary.
There are other tricks to ease digestion such as adding “epazote” during the cooking process and/or removing the foam that forms on top. The most important and most effective is soaking though. Don’t skip the soaking even if you add epazote and remove the foam.
Sooooo, all experiments run for this post are for beans soaked for 12 hours at room temperature using filtered water. Then drained and rinsed and cooked in just plain, fresh, unsalted water.
Ok, now that we’ve had have that discussion let’s get to the next point.
Instant Pot Black Beans
My fist tests were run with Black Beans and that’s how I found out that the discrepancies of timing are often times likely due to what the beans are meant for.
After cooking for 30 minutes + complete natural pressure release the beans were nice and soft and perfect to use for a soup. They were cooked to the necessary consistency to blend into a smooth black bean soup.
However, they were way too soft to drain and use for a salad. They were much much softer than the black beans you’d find in a can for example.
The canned black beans are pretty firm and after draining ideal for a salad for example.
So the next goal was to find the best pressure cook timing to achieve firm beans for salad AND a consistency somewhere in between for Instant Pot Beans and Rice. Not too firm and not too soft.
After 20 minutes of high pressure cooking and full natural pressure release the Instant Pot Black Beans were thoroghly cooked through but still firm. I was able to drain them and use them in a salad.
After 25 minutes they had that perfect consistency for Instant Pot Beans and Rice.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
I thought all beans the same size would cook in the same time but no. It seems different beans have a different composition and cook differently.
Pinto Beans cooked faster in my experiment compared to black beans. I was very surprised actually. So much so, that I will have to rerun this experiment. Pinto Beans were the last beans I experimented with and I’m wondering if my Instant Pots (<– yes, plural, I have several because I’m obsessed, haha) were maybe overheating and cooking stuff faster?
Anyway, the Adzuki Beans definitely confirmed the fact that different beans cook at different times regardless of size.
The Instant Pot Pinto Beans were perfect for draining and using in salads after just 15 minutes high pressure and full natural pressure release.
Perfect for rice and beans after 20 minutes high pressure cooking + NPR. And suitable for soups after 25 minutes HP + NPR.
Flavoring Instant Pot Beans (salt while or after cooking)
Depending on what you want your Instant Pot Beans for you may or may not want to flavor them.
If you want your beans for a salad which will have a salad dressing it’s probably best to simply cook them in filtered water and nothing else. Drain the water and use the unflavored beans for your salad.
For Instant Pot Beans and Rice or for soup you’ll probably want to flavor while cooking. There is a couple simple rules to follow. Add onion, garlic, spices (except salt) before or during cooking but salt after cooking. Salt can keep beans from softening up so you want to avoid adding while they are cooking but rather once they’re already soft.
What I love to do is to prepare a “sofrita” first. You hit the sautée button first and while the pot heats you peel and finely chop onion and garlic. Once hot, add a splash of oil, the chopped onion and garlic and sauté until nice and brown. Then add beans and water and cook as instructed in the recipe card below.
And here the printable fool-proof timing guide for Instant Pot Beans:
Instant Pot Beans
Ingredients
- 1-3 cups beans - (black beans, pinto beans, adzuki beans, kidney beans, navy beans, or mung beans)
- water
Instructions
- Add beans to a large bowl and cover with abundant filtered water. At least 4 times as much water as beans. Cover with a clean dish towel. Soak for 8-12 hours on the kitchen counter. (If you soak them longer timings will differ!)
- Drain beans and rinse really really well.
- Add beans to instant pot and cover with fresh water to about 2 inches above the beans (two thumbs thick).
- Put on the lid and turn the knob to the sealing position.
- Press manual (or pressure cook on newer models) set to high pressure and adjust timing follows depending on if you need the beans for salad/rice and beans/soup:Black Beans: 20/25/30 minutes + 20 mins NPRPinto Beans: 15/20/25 + 20 mins NPRNavy Beans: 25/30/35 + 20 mins NPRKidney Beans: 25/30/35 + 20 mins NPRAdzuki Beans: 5/10/15 + 20 mins NPRMung Beans: 0 + 10 min NPR / 0 + 15 min NPR / 1 + 20 mins NPR
- Let pressure release naturally for specified time above, then, if safety pin hasn't dropped on its own yet, release remaining pressure manually.
The Easiest Instant Pot Risotto
Tropical Overnight Chia Pudding
Acai Bowl
Marion says
I’m glad I finally found a website that gives tried methods for cooking beans, it has been a journey.
I would like to make the baked bean recipe I usually make in a slow cooker. Can I saute the vegetables first and add the sauce that has tomato paste water vinegar and molasses in it and then add the navy beans. I am using the 6 qt Duo.
Lorena says
Hi Marion, I’m glad you like my post. It’s been a journey for me, too and I’m still traveling. All the timings have been true for me, my pot and my sea level and water so it’s super hard to find the magic formula for everybody. In terms of tomato sauce pressure cooking, that’s a difficult one. I’ve had tons of people report that they always get the burn warning when they cook tomato sauce in their pots. I myself have never seen that warning pop up on my display and I have two different Instant Pots. I am starting to believe that the ones that have the burn warning might be faulty. Anyway, I suggest you try with a small amount so you don’t waste too much in case it doesn’t work. If you have a 6 qt you should be able to pressure cook as little as 1/2 cup soaked beans and 1 cup of your sauce. I suggest you press sauté to stir-fry your veggies as you say, then hit cancel and remove the liner from the pot and put it on the counter to add beans and sauce, so it’s not too hot from the beginning. Add the liner back into the pot and then set to pressure cook as you would with water.
Marie says
Thank you for all your work and experimantation. I appreciat receiving instructions. Will be making beans tonight. Sorry my rating didn’t show up before.
Lorena says
Thank you so much for your words!
Marie says
Sorry my rating didn’t show up before.
Marie says
Thanks for all your experimentation and for very helpful instructions. Will be cooking beans tonight.
Deb Vesper says
My husband and I have had an Instant Pot for several years but never had nerve to try beans. Not until I read your post. We tried pinto beans today and they turned out PERFECT! We added some ham to it also. We did 25 minutes cooking and then 20 minutes npr. The beans we have are not fresh. At least 2 years old. Thank you so much!
Lorena says
Phew! You have no idea how happy your comment made me Deb! Tons not being successful at all is soooo frustrating. I’m happy that for most people it IS working. Such a relief.
Heidi says
I wonder if the different cooking times are related to the acidity of whatever liquid is being used – like the tomatoes in the chili with kidney beans would definitely make it take longer.
I know on the stove, when I put some flavored broth (that was likely both acidic and salty), I could not get my split peas to soften after 4 hours of boiling (which is ridiculous) – but I suspect the IP might have been able to do it – anyway, just a thought as to the difference in times for bean-cookery.
Thanks for the post – keep up the awesome posts, and the cheery responses to the frustrated few.
Lorena says
It could definitely play a role but I think there have been people trying my timings using just water, exactly like I did so in those cases it wouldn’t be the case. This is so frustrating :(
Paricia S. says
I am new to instantpot. Today I cooked kidney beans. The beans are old probably several years or more stored in glass jars in my pantry. I soaked over night 12 hours. Rinsed. Set the pot to 32 minutes. I did natural release for 30 minutes. I thought it was too long but was cautious as I didnt want bean froth all over the kitchen. Of course they were mushy. Any thoughts? Thank you.
Gina says
The cooking time variation might have to do with altitude. I grew up in Utah and we always had to adjust bake times and add extra ingedients for cakes.
Lorena says
Altitude definitely plays a role but it’s only few minutes, plus people are complaining that their beans are mush with my timings. I live at sea level so if altitude was the problem they’d have to be living thousands of feet below sea level, which is highly unlikely. I am starting to think that it is a combination of bean age and the individual instant pots but I can’t be sure and that’s what frustrates me the most. I can’t come up with like a formula that will work for everybody everywhere.
VTP says
I have a new Zavor pot so not apples to apples but probably pretty similar. Two things that may be the difference in timing – minerals in the water supply, and the amount of time for the presoak. I also live at sea level. My black beans soaked for nearly 15 hours (I forgot about them) but I was chicken to cook as long as you recommended anyway having past experience with an old fashioned stove-top version where 8 min was about right for medium softness. I cooked under pressure for 9 min and did the NPR of 20 min. They were definitely at the soup softness but not complete mush (which is great for soup anyway). Next batch of beans I make I’ll soak for exactly 8 hours and let you know if there is a significant difference. Oh, and my beans are embarrassingly old so should have taken longer… or not? Maybe your black beans are bigger than mine? I get mine in bulk at Sprouts.
Lorena says
Thank you so much for your feedback! This is great information. Can’t wait to read what you write about the 8-hour soak situation. I do wonder if there are different sized black beans. I should probably measure the ones I use for reference. That’s actually a great idea.
Lorena says
Patricia, this comment is making me cry. Seriously. I tested the timings soooo many times. I don’t understand why the timing is always the same for me, perfect for some and totally off for others. I could have sworn it’s the age of the beans but if you say yours are years old then this would refute the theory :(
Abha Patel says
I followed your timing and my black beans came out ridiculously mushy. I actually felt 25 min was too long. Going down to 8-10 min next time. I’ll have to do my own experimentations over the several months.
Lorena says
I’m so sorry the timings didn’t work out for you. I’ve now figured out that the age of beans plays a big role in the timing and unfortunately isn’t something I can take into consideration in my calculations yet because it’s impossible yet to find beans of different ages. Do you know how old your beans were? I’d love to get some more info so I can hopefully draw conclusions from all your comments. My black beans keep taking at the very very east 20 minutes or they are sandy and undercooked.
KGill says
I just cooked black beans in my 6 qt Instant Pot Duo, and they turned out a bit too mushy; I will reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes next time. Here is exactly what I did:
Quantity of beans: 1/2 pound
Brand: La Preferida black beans
Presoak: 10.5 hours
I sauteed onions, celery, garlic, and spices in the instant pot before adding the beans and covering them with cold water.
Cooking time: 25 minutes at high pressure, 20 minutes
natural release.
Result: The beans were quite soft, and were floating in lots of water (I probably added too much). I drained them, and will use them in soup; they would be too soft for using in a salad, but might be okay for beans and rice.
Cooking beans is not an exact science, especially when you are uncertain of the age of the beans. Your guide is very helpful, as at least people know where to start. Thanks for your hard work!
Lorena says
Thank you soooo much for your feedback!! Especially revealing all the timing and amounts and brand of black beans. This is so helpful!! Thank you!
Ronda says
This is weird but I mis-read the times for mung beans (hazards of a small phone !) so I cooked 2 cups beans and 2 cups water on high in my Instant Pot for 15 minutes and then let them NPR for another 15…they came out VERY al dente ! Edible but not soft enough for me…I think it’s because I didn’t soak first ? I would have thought they’d be absolute mush after pressure cooking for 15 X longer than the recipe called for. (I’ re-cooking for another 5 minutes as I type this !) Still LOVE this ez guide for cooking beans !!
Lorena says
Thank you for your kind words Ronda. Soaking is absolutely essential to experiment with my timings. From what I learned over time now though is that the age of beans plays a big role, too. I’m currently trying to reach out to a couple brands to find out if they always package same age beans of different age beans.
Dave Roberts says
Digestive problems with beans are caused by some complex sugars. Bring the beans to a boil to break the capsule so the sugars will dissolve, then add a half teaspoon of baking soda to the beans while they soak will make the water more alkaline, and a rinse in the morning will finish the job.
Lorena says
Great tips! Thanks for sharing :)
Al says
Well I’ve used cooked rice or shaved carrots for the farting problem always works when I’ve used it. No one I’ve served had that problem and was very glad cause this is because I be wanting my beans like right now hee no time for soaking beans but I agree with the soaking ok!!!
Lorena says
I had no idea shaved carrots help. I will definitely have to try that! Thanks for sharing that tip :)
Megan says
These times leave me with mush. I am using an 8-qt IP-DUO. Black beans soaked for 8 hrs. BBs at HP with NPR take 6 mins.
Lorena says
Hi Megan, I’ve found out now over time that the age of the beans plays a big role in the timing. Fresher beans take less time. I’ve never been able to cook through black beans in such a short amount of time. I guess I don’t have access to fresh beans, only old beans but I can’t know either as the age isn’t something companies put on their packaging :(
Lisa F says
Rancho Gordo brand puts a Use By date on it. It’s pretty reliable.
Lorena says
Hi Lisa, the use-by doesn’t indicate how old they are though, so that’s not of much help unfortunately trying to figure out the timing that works for everybody :(
Janet says
Thank you so much for ALL of the time and work you have put into the information provided!! I am going to do a mixture of pinto and great northern. Ive never cooked northern so I have two questions; can these be soaked together and is the cooking time the same for both?
Lorena says
Hi Janet, I’m sorry but I’ve never even heard about Northern beans. So, unfortunately, I have no clue how long they take to cook. Does the packaging say anything about timing? Could you figure it out depending on what it says on the Pinto Bean packaging and the Northern Bean packaging and calculate how much less time it takes to cook the Pintos in the IP and deduct the same percentage of time from the Northern Beans?
Jean Vann says
Northern beans are basically the same as navy beans..
Rachel says
No idea why people feel the need to give you a hard time. If you read through comments you’ll see there are a lot of variables and just knowing that is helpful. If beans get messed up,they are BEANS for crying out loud. You didn’t deep six a hundred dollar fillet. Thank you for your post. While I have made adjustments to your times, I don’t know where I would have even found a jumping off place without it. I have your site bookmarked.
Lorena says
You are amazing Rachel! Thank you so much for your kind words!
Tamara Pettinger says
I cooked 1 lb. northern small white beans just two days ago. I soaked them for 12 hours. Then put in white onion and garlic and 1 cup of ham pcs from a ham I baked a while ago (defrosted). I added 4 cups of water & 2 cups chicken broth to the pot and I cooked them for 35 minutes, letting the steam fully release. I used the saute setting to boil out a little of the extra water. They came out great.
Lorena says
Thank you for the feedback Tamara! Super valuable!
Diane says
Hi! I’m not sure if your question was answered or not, but the age of the bean does affect cook time. Fresh, dried beans (less than a year from harvest) will cook in less time than an older dried bean. I’m not an expert, but I do grow beans and that has been my experience. I just got an instapot for Christmas so I have been playing with the cook times.
Thank you for taking the time to put all this information together! It has been helpful.
Lorena says
Yes, I’ve learned that now from several comments. Once I have extensive info on how age affects cook time I will update the post that’s for sure. I have to first figure out how “old” beans are for the most part when sold in regular grocery stores for that I have to contact a couple brands. It’s on my to-do-list. Thank you for your feedback.
Shelly says
Hi,
Thank you very much for this post. I have a question, as I just received an instant pot and I’m also an inexperienced cook. My mom has a recipe for beans, but I was wondering how I might convert that to the instant pot structure.
I have the canned red goya beans, and I don’t mean to soak them. According to your guide, I would put them in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes, along with all the other ingredients? + 2 inches more of water than the bean height.
I have no idea if that’s correct? I would have the beans with small pieces of beef and some cut up red onion. Would this work?
Lynn says
This recipe is for dried beans, so you don’t have to buy canned beans which are much more expensive. The canned beans are ready to use in your recipe.
Kali says
Hi there,
#1. 30 min in IP for presoaked kidney beans is way too long. I’ve been cooking using IP over 2 years, 10 minutes is enough. For chickpeas – 4-5 minutes.
#2. Here’s the article which answers to all who believes that soaking helps to avoid digestion issues. Long story short – it does not, since it’s all on your individual ability to process fiber. Yes, the fiber is the culprit and soaking does not do anything with it.
Lorena says
Thank you for your feedback Kali, unfortunately, my own beans were literally raw after 10 minutes or chickpeas after 4-5 and the article you link to isn’t citing one single scientific resource (I had to delete the link as otherwise my spam filter won’t post the comment). If you can digest beans without soaking then by all means skip the step, you’ll have to adjust your cooking times but if you’ve been using your Instant Pot for two years you probably already know how long to cook most unsoaked beans :)
Kali says
Thanks for your reply, Lorena. So sorry that your spam filter does not allow links, so I have to quote. I hope PubMed is scientific enough. Enzymatic degradation of oligosaccharides in pinto bean flour. J Agric Food Chem. 2006 Feb 22;54(4):1296-301. The loss of raffinose oligosaccharides after soaking pinto beans for 16 h at the room temperature was 10%. No link, you can google it. I doubt that 10% loss can make us feel better. Question: does soaking have any scientific proof to be efficient in reducing the consequences?
Virginia Ganz says
If I don’t soak, I suffer.
Kat says
I have to pressure cook soaked chickpeas for at least 40 minutes, pinto beans 25 and small red beans 42.
Lorena says
That’s very very interesting, do you have any idea how old your chickpeas could be? I usually cook for 22 minutes high pressure + natural pressure release and they are perfect. I have no clue how old my chickpeas are though. They just must be always about the same age, that’s for sure. They always cook in the same time. Also, do you do natural pressure release?