No pre-soak required or hours standing at the stovetop for these Instant Pot Black Beans!! Get perfectly tender, creamy and healthier black beans every time!
Black beans are my favorite when it comes to cooking Mexican food! I love to serve them as a side dish or incorporate them into my Jalapeno lime chicken chili, Easy taco soup, and Southwestern egg rolls recipes and more!!
Black Bean Instant Pot Recipe
I know what you might be thinking why make my own black beans when opening a can is so easy?!
Yes, the can is easy and convenient, but with this Instant Pot recipe you can make large batches of black beans that have better taste and texture! Plus, you can always freeze some for later, thus saving yourself some money.
And I love that black beans are very healthy. They are low in glycemia, can help boost fat metabolism, and are high in fiber! Not to mention high in zinc, magnesium, iron, and folate.
And if you eat vegetarian style this bean is a great form of protein and source of iron. Delish and healthy – yes, please!
How to Make IP Black Beans
I love that this recipe doesn’t require you to pre-soak your beans, because I always forget to do that the night before!! And yes this recipe might seem like a long cook time but when compared to the soaking and stovetop method- this recipe is quick and easy!
Saute
- Turn Instant Pot on SAUTE mode. Once it is hot add your onion and pepper and saute for about 2 minutes.
- Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Finally add in the broth and water, all the seasonings and black beans.
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Place lid on, and turn Instant Pot on MANUAL mode with high pressure selected for 47 minutes.
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Natural pressure release- this usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
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Open the Instant Pot and stir and then let the beans rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Garnish with cilantro and queso fresco cheese, if desired.
Slow cooker
Combine one pound of beans with 6 cups of water and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Check the beans and if the beans are soft, salt them and cooking for another 20-30 minutes. Quick tip-when making beans in the crockpot make sure to cover the beans in enough water so that you have an inch or two of water above them. After about 3-4 hours the beans should have soaked up all the water.
How to Change Them Up
Black beans are really so versatile! Serve them alone, add them to a side of rice, or add them to your tacos or burritos. You can change the flavors, make them into soup and more!
Variations
- You can make Mexican black beans: which is a combo of spicing it with cumin, onion, garlic, and cilantro
- You can add in bell peppers to give it a different texture and a new flavor profile
- To make Cuban black beans you can add in onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and a couple of bay leaves.
Black Bean Soup
You can definitely use this Instant Pot Black Bean recipe to make my Black Bean Soup recipe!! Just make sure that if your beans end up being soupy, (which is totally fine), that you slowly add the additional liquid outlined in the recipe. That way you get your desired consistency for your black bean soup!
Black Refried Beans
You can also tweak this recipe to make refried black beans! You can follow our Refried Beans recipe but substitute the pinto beans for your delicious black beans!
Black Bean Recipe Tips + Tricks
Tips
- Wait to salt the beans until after they have become soft! Adding salt before this point causes the beans to actually harden and it takes longer for them to become tender.
- If you want creamier beans or a thicker broth you can mush some of the beans with your spoon because the fiber in the beans thickens the broth.
- 1 pound of dried beans is 2 cups dried beans which equals about 5 cups cooked beans
- 1 can of black beans is typically 1 ½ cups of cooked beans- good to know if you want to use your own beans in a recipe that calls for a can of beans!
Storing
Store your cooked beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It is possible that the fat will rise to the top of the container and appear as white flakes in your beans. Don’t be concerned if this is the case, once they are warmed up properly it will melt back into your beans!
Reheat them on the stovetop or throw them into your recipe to cook!
To freeze them make sure that they are completely cooled before placing them and a little bit of liquid into an air-tight, freezer-safe container or Ziploc. Freeze for up to 6 months. Let them thaw in the fridge and rewarm over the stovetop or into a crockpot/recipe!
I am sure you will love these black beans! With the Instant Pot they are so easy, taste amazing and cost less than a traditional can of beans! I call that a win-win!!
For more black bean recipes, check out:
- Turkey Black Bean Tacos
- Restaurant Style Black Beans (using canned black beans)
- Avocado Black Bean Corn Salsa
- Thai Chili
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Instant Pot Black Beans Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 1 Anaheim chili - diced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 5 cups chicken broth - low-sodium
- 1 cups water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb black beans - rinsed and picked through
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot on SAUTE mode. Once hot, add the onion and pepper, then stir, cooking for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and water. Add the garlic powder, salt, chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and black beans.
- Place lid on, and turn Instant Pot on MANUAL mode with high pressure selected for 47 minutes.*
- Once cooked, allow for the pressure to release naturally, this usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
- Open the Instant Pot and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro and queso fresco cheese, if desired. Cooked beans will last for 1 week in the fridge.
Really good blend of spices. I didn’t sauté the onions.
I never thought I would say this about beans, but these are so tasty that I could just eat a bowl of them sprinkled with cheese and call it lunch!
I can’t believe how easy these are to make in the Instant Pot. Perfect!