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instant pot pinto beans | pinto beans instant pot | mexican pinto beans no soak | pressure cooker pinto beans
5 from 35 votes

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Recipe by Amy + Jacky | PressureCookRecipes.com
How to cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans. No soak Mexican pinto beans (Frijoles Charros). Sweet-savory-tangy, creamy, and tender pinto beans. Great for potlucks, BBQs, parties, and dinners. You can serve this delicious, budget-friendly, and easy side dish with rice, cornbread, and more.
Servings 6 - 8
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

Garnish

  • Cilantro

Equipment

Instructions

  • Render Bacon in Instant Pot: Before you turn on the heat, layer 6 slices of bacon in Instant Pot.
    Amy + Jacky's Notes: We're using Instant Pot’s preheating heat to render & crisp the bacon.
    Heat up Instant Pot using “Sauté More” function. Flip bacon occasionally. Once Instant Pot says “HOT” (roughly 12 mins), the bacon should be done.
    Place bacon on a paper towel to absorb excess fat. If they're not done, brown for a few more minutes.
  • Saute Onion and Jalapeno: Add onion slices and jalapeno in Instant Pot, then saute for 3½ minutes. While the onions and jalapeno are sauteing, cut the bacon into bit size.
  • Saute Garlic and Spice: Add 3 bay leaves, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, and minced garlic in Instant Pot. Saute until fragrant (roughly 1 min).
  • Deglaze Instant Pot: Pour ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken 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 Pinto Beans: Add 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce, half of the bacon bits, well-drained pinto beans, and 3½ cups unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot. Mix well and make sure all the beans are submerged in the liquid.
    Carefully layer the crushed fire-roasted tomatoes on the very top. Do not mix after this.
    Close the lid and turn the Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 45 mins, then Natural Release for 20 mins. Open the lid carefully.
  • Thicken & Season Mexican Beans: Release some of the starch by stirring with a wooden spoon over "Saute" function. Stir pinto beans until desired thickness.
    Taste the beans, then adjust seasoning accordingly.
    Amy + Jacky's Notes: For reference, we added roughly 2 – 3 pinches of salt to season the beans and open up the flavors.
  • Garnish & Serve Pinto Beans: Give pinto beans a final taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro, remaining crisped bacon bits, and jalapeno (add spiciness). Serve these tasty pinto beans immediately, and enjoy~

Notes

1. Fresh Dried Pinto Beans: Although beans have a relatively long shelf life, older beans with varying dryness may need a much longer cooking time. Best to use fresh dry beans.
  • Hard Beans: If your beans turned out crunchy or hard (not tender and creamy), the beans may be old or weren't stored properly. Try adding extra pressure cooking time as needed.
2. Bacon: For adding some smoky flavor & aroma and greater depths of flavor. 
  • Vegetarian/Vegan option: You can omit the bacon and it'll still be delicious!
3. Fire Roasted Tomatoes: Use high quality fire-roasted tomatoes for best results. Make sure to adjust the flavor profile according to your tomatoes.
  • Substitute with Regular Tomatoes: If you can't find fire roasted tomatoes, you can roast fresh tomatoes in the oven.
4. Jalapeno: Without the seeds, this dish is mildly spicy. If you want spicier dish, keep the jalapeno seeds.
5. Unsalted Chicken Stock: Different salted chicken stock can differ in sodium levels. If you're substituting with salted stock, make sure to adjust accordingly. 
  • Vegetarian/Vegan option: Substitute it with vegetable stock.
6. Regular Soy Sauce: Not a traditional Mexican ingredient, but it'll add another layer of umami flavor.
7. Thickness: We designed this Frijoles Charros recipe to be a bit soupy. You can thicken it at the end to your desired consistency. 
8. Seasoning: Don't forget to taste and season at the end to open up the flavors.
Rate Amy + Jacky's Recipe: If you've tried our recipe, rate the recipe in the Comments section. Thank you!
Author: Amy + Jacky
Calories: 438.34kcal

Nutrition

Calories: 438.34kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.8g | Protein: 21.74g | Fat: 18.38g | Saturated Fat: 6.02g | Cholesterol: 28.05mg | Sodium: 730.38mg | Potassium: 1059.67mg | Fiber: 10.43g | Sugar: 5.38g | Vitamin A: 483.79IU | Vitamin C: 16.37mg | Calcium: 115.52mg | Iron: 4.19mg