Instant Pot Black Beans

Instant Pot Black Beans

Step-by-Step Guide on how to cook Instant Pot Black Beans with No Soak method. Save time with this easy foolproof way to make creamy hearty Mexican black beans from scratch. Tasty vegetarian dish, healthy side dish, burrito or taco filling, salad or nachos topping, or simple black beans soup.

Check out Our Handpicked Instant Pot Accessories

black beans Instant Pot

Instant Pot Black Beans

We love cooking black beans in Instant Pot! With the right cooking times and method, the beans come out consistently perfectly cooked. Tender, hearty, and creamy but not broken or mushy-soggy.

With the Instant Pot, it only takes a fraction of cooking time, and no soaking is needed. This means you don’t need to worry if you didn’t plan or prep ahead.

black beans in Instant Pot

We crafted this black beans recipe using 10 pantry ingredients to cook dried black beans from scratch.

It may look humble and simple, but it’s flavorful, wholesome, and nutritious. The savory, earthy flavors pair well with the refreshing tangy juicy tomatoes and aromatic cilantro. 

We designed this recipe to be simple, budget-friendly, and versatile so that you can enjoy it in many ways.

Enjoy it as a simple comforting soup, side dish, vegetarian dish, filling/topping, serve it with rice to make black beans and rice, and more!

How to Cook Instant Pot Black Beans

black beans recipe

Prepare ingredients for cooking Black Beans in Instant Pot.

black beans ingredients

GET FREE RECIPES & TIPS

100% Free! Tested recipes to your inbox weekly.

SUBSCRIBE

Please Confirm Your Email

Please check your inbox (sometimes Junk Box) and confirm your subscription! Then, add our email address to your contact list to ensure you will receive our recipes, tips, and giveaways!

Black Beans

Black beans, aka “turtle beans” or “black turtle beans”, are small shiny black-colored legumes. They taste dense, meaty, earthy, wholesome, and hearty & creamy on the inside when perfectly cooked.

They’re often used in vegetarian dishes and soups. Especially popular in Latin American, Mexican, and Cuban cuisines. In fact, they have become a cultural staple in South America!

Black beans are low cost, super filling, and health-boosting powerhouses. They’re a very good source of low-fat protein, fiber, antioxidants, and are great for our digestive tract. 🙂

Amy + Jacky’s Tips – Use Fresh Dry Beans: Although beans have a relatively long shelf life, older beans may take a much longer cooking time to soften. Sometimes the black beans can get so old and stale (even on store shelves) that they won’t cook properly even after a long cooking time. If possible, it’s best to use fresh dry beans.

How to Buy and Store Black Beans?

Make sure the black beans are whole and not cracked, dry and not moist, fresh and not old or stale.

It’s best to store the black beans in a dry, cool, and dark place in a sealed container.

Unsalted vs. Salted Chicken Stock

We develop recipes with unsalted ingredients because we can better control the flavors of the dish. If you’re substituting with salted chicken stock, keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Always taste and adjust accordingly.

how to cook black beans

Tools for Instant Pot Black Beans

Preparation

First, rinse black beans under cold running water. Pick out debris or stones if there are any. Then, drain well.

How to rinse black beans

Step 1

Saute Onion, Herbs, Garlic in Instant Pot

First, heat up Instant Pot by using the “Sauté More” function. Wait until the Instant Pot says “HOT”.

Amy + Jacky’s Tip! Make sure the Instant Pot is as hot as it can be to induce Maillard reaction.

Instant Pot Saute More

Add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot.

Add chopped onions in Instant Pot, then saute for 3 minutes.

saute onions

Add 1 tsp (2.7g) ground cumin, 1 tsp (0.6g) oregano, and 3 bay leaves in Instant Pot, then saute for another minute.

saute spices and herbs

Add minced garlic in Instant Pot, then saute for 30 seconds.

saute garlic

Step 2

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour 1 cup (250ml) unsalted stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.

deglaze with wooden spoon

Step 3

Pressure Cook Black Beans

Add 1 lb (454g) black beans and ½ tsp coarse kosher salt (can substitute with fine salt) in Instant Pot.

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! Don’t worry! Adding salt to the black beans won’t make it tough.

How to cook black beans in Instant Pot  #AmyJacky #InstantPot #recipes #healthy #vegetarian

Pour 5 cups (1.25L) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot, then give it a quick mix.

add unsalted chicken stock

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker High Pressure 50 minutes

Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure cook at High Pressure for 50 minutes, then Natural Release for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning the Venting Knob to Venting Position.

When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

black beans pressure cooker

Step 4

Season & Serve Instant Pot Black Beans

The black beans in Instant Pot is done!

Taste and season with more salt. For reference, 3 to 4 large pinches of salt work the best based on our testing.

thicken black beans

Garnish your black beans with chopped cilantro, then you’re ready to serve! 🙂

Amy + Jacky’s Tips! If you want to thicken the gravy with a more hearty texture, boil the black beans in Instant Pot using the “Saute More” function until your desired consistency. Stir occasionally. The gravy will become more and more flavorful.

Mexican black beans Instant Pot

Simple Black Beans Soup

If you want to serve this Black Beans Recipe as an ultra-simple Black Beans Soup, boil the black beans in Instant Pot using the “Saute More” function for another 4 to 5 minutes. This will add some more body to the black beans soup. Stir occasionally. Enjoy~

What to Serve with Black Beans

These creamy hearty black beans make a nutritious and tasty side dish, vegetarian main dish, simple soup, or an ingredient for other dishes.

You can make a Black Beans and Rice meal by serving it with some Instant Pot Rice.

instant pot black beans and rice

You can also add them to your tacos (i.e. Instant Pot Chicken Tacos), tostadas, salads, rice bowls, nachos, wraps, burritos, soups, salsas, enchiladas, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more! 

You can make black beans tacos by adding pico de gallo and guacamole. Or make healthy refreshing burrito bowls with your favorite toppings. Such as chopped tomatoes, sliced red onion, and diced avocado. 

Lastly, you can use these black beans to make black bean burgers, or black beans dip in place of Instant Pot Refried Beans.

These are just some of the many yummy possibilities on how you can enjoy these black beans. How about you? How do you like to enjoy your black beans?

Enjoy Flavorful & Creamy Instant Pot Black Beans!

5 from 81 votes

Instant Pot Black Beans

Author: Amy + Jacky
Easy foolproof way to cook Instant Pot Black Beans with No Soak method. Creamy hearty Mexican black beans from scratch made with healthy pantry ingredients. A tasty, healthy side dish, burrito or taco filling, salad or nachos topping, or simple black beans soup.
Subscribe for Free Recipes & Tips
Servings 4 - 6
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454g) dried black beans , rinsed & unsoaked
  • 1 (240g) onion , chopped
  • 8 (27g) garlic cloves , chopped
  • 6 cups (1.5L) unsalted chicken stock (or 4 cups unsalted chicken stock + 2 cups cold water)
  • 1 teaspoon (2.7g) ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon (0.6g) oregano
  • 3 (0.4g) bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
  • Cilantro , chopped
  • ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt (Substitute: fine salt)

Share this Recipe so We can create more yummy recipes for you.  Thank you 🙂

Instructions 

  • Saute Onion, Herbs, Garlic in Instant Pot: Heat up Instant Pot by using “Sauté More” function. Wait until Instant Pot says “HOT”.
    Add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil in Instant Pot. Add in chopped onions, then saute for 3 minutes. Add in 1 tsp (2.7g) ground cumin, 1 tsp (0.6g) oregano, and 3 bay leaves, then saute for another minute. Add in minced garlic, then saute for 30 seconds.
  • Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour 1 cup (250ml) unsalted stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Give it a quick mix.
  • Pressure Cook Black Beans: Add in 1 lb (454g) black beans and ½ tsp coarse kosher salt. Pour in 5 cups (1.25L) unsalted chicken stock, then give it a quick mix.
    With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure 50 minutes, then Natural Release for 20 minutes. Open the lid carefully.
    Amy + Jacky's Tip: Adding salt to the black beans won't make it tough.
  • Season & Serve Black Beans: Taste and season black beans with more salt. For reference, 3 to 4 large pinches of salt work best based on our testing.
    You can serve the black beans as a tasty side dish, topping, filling, or a simple Black Beans Soup. Garnish your black beans with chopped cilantro, then serve. Enjoy!~ 🙂
  • *Bonus Soup Tips: If serving as a Black Beans Soup, boil the black beans in Instant Pot (use "Saute High" function) for another 4 to 5 minutes. This will add some more body to the soup. Stir occasionally.

Notes

Use Fresh Dry Beans: Although beans have a relatively long shelf life, older beans may take a much longer cooking time to be softened. So best to use fresh dry beans if possible.
Salted Chicken Stock: We develop recipes with unsalted ingredients because we can better control the flavors of the dish. If you’re substituting with salted chicken stock, keep in mind that the sodium level can vary a lot between different brands. Always taste and adjust accordingly.
Thicken Gravy: If you want to thicken the gravy with a more hearty texture, boil the black beans using "Saute More" function until you desired consistency. Stir occasionally.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, don't forget to rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Calories: 183kcal
Course: Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: best instant pot black beans, black beans instant pot, instant pot black beans, instant pot black beans mexican, instant pot black beans no soak, instapot black beans, pressure cooker black beans

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 554mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2.6mg
instant pot black beans | black beans instant pot | black beans mexican | black beans no soak | pressure cooker black beans | how to cook black beans
Subscribe
Notify of
Rate the Recipe




Please read before leaving a comment :)

1) If you have a question, it'll be great if you can try to search for the answer first by checking the comments below. Thank you so much. :)

2) We’re super thankful for all the reviews. We may not be able to reply to all of you, but we read and enjoy every single one of them.

156 Comments
newest
oldest most helpful
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

SUBSCRIBE FOR

FREE RECIPES & TIP

100% Free! Tested recipes to your inbox weekly.

Close This