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Home » Pressure Cooker Black Beans (Instant Pot)

Pressure Cooker Black Beans (Instant Pot)

November 28, 2016 By Dianna Moates 10 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Black Beans Galore

It’s such a treat to have fresh black beans available for making soups, like this Black Bean Soup (pictured below). But also adding to salsa, salads and main courses like tacos, enchiladas, or breakfast Huevos Rancheros.

Although you can make beans on your stovetop, one of the easiest ways is to make pressure cooker black beans. My favorite pressure cooker is the Instant Pot.

Pressure Cooker Black Beans

This black bean pressure cooker recipe is simple. A lot of recipes suggest you soak the beans first, but I didn’t do that, and they turned out perfectly soft. And these black beans go so well in this Vegan Black Bean and Corn Burrito from my fellow blogger at Stress Less Be Healthy.

However, if you’re making them on the stovetop (see below), soaking overnight for 8-10 hours or using the quick soak method (see below) is probably better.

This basic pressure cooker recipe is made with a few garlic cloves, a couple of bay leaves, and water. You can add vegetable stock, but make sure it’s unsalted. And don’t add ANY salt while you’re cooking them as they will not cook as well and may be tougher.

Black Bean Soup
Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes

Blacks beans are versatile. Try them in these different recipes:

  • Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cream
  • Black Bean Brownies
  • Black Bean, Beet Burger
  • Black Bean Sweet Potato Quesadilla

Every pressure cooker will vary, but I found 20 minutes on high in the Instant Pot was perfect. Do not fill yours more than half way with ingredients.

Try this delicious Black Bean Soup the next time you make black beans.

Pressure Cooker Black Beans in ceramic bowl next to pumpkin and oranges

To quick soak:

Rinse the beans, then add them to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and let them sit for 1 hour. Then rinse and cook as you would.

Stovetop Directions:

With water to cover, soak and drain the beans either 8-10 hours or with the quick soaking method above. Add your soaked beans to a large pot along with a couple of bay leaves, 1-2 cloves of rough-chopped garlic cloves and 1/2 chopped onion.

Cover with about 2 inches of water or a combination of water and unsalted vegetable stock (8-10 cups) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Pressure Cooker Black Beans ! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking in your caption, and I won’t miss it!

This recipe is Certified Plantricious because it meets the following guidelines.

"Cooking with Certified Plantricious Guidelines" seal

The Trusted Seal for
Plant-Based Nutrition

  • Must be whole food plant-based, contains no animal products
  • May be minimally processed
  • No added oil
  • No added sugars
  • No artificial additives or preservatives
  • Sodium (mg) to Calories ratio, 1 ≤ 1
  • Total Fiber to Calories, 2g ≥ 100 calories


 

Pressure cooker black beans
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4.09 from 89 votes
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Pressure Cooker Black Beans

No need to soak your black beans for this easy pressure cooker recipe. In 30 minutes you'll have beans to use in casseroles, on salads, or in salsa. They're a great addition to your plant-based diet.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Servings: 8 people

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker
  • Cutting board
  • Knife

Ingredients

  • 1 16 oz bag dried black beans picked over and rinsed
  • 7 cups water or 1/2 water and 1/2 vegetable stock
  • 1/2 onion peeled and chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
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Instructions

  • After picking over and rinsing the black beans, add them to the pot of your pressure cooker. (You can also soak them overnight or 6-8 hours earlier in the day. See step 4)
  • Add 7 cups water (to about 2 " over the beans) or a combination of water and vegetable stock, chopped onion, the crushed garlic, and bay leaves.
  • Cover and set your pressure cooker on high for 25-30 minutes. Let the beans sit after the timer goes off for about 10-15 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure. (Note: if you soak them, cook for 20 minutes)
  • If you prefer an even quicker method, soak your beans overnight, 6-8 hours, or quick soak and then add to your pressure cooker. They will cook in about 20 minutes if you do this. (See step 5 for the quick soak method.)
  • Quick Soak method: Boil 8 cups water in a large pot. Add the beans and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the stove and let sit for an hour. Then proceed with the recipe (10 minutes cook time.)

Notes

  1. If you don't use an Instant Pot, you can make these in a traditional pressure cooker as well.
  2. Cover soaked bean with 2" of liquid.
  3. Cover with lid and lock into place,. Bring to high pressure.
  4. Lower heat to maintain pressure and start timing.
  5. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.
  6. Let rest for 5 minutes after removing from heat. Release the steam carefully.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Pressure Cooker Black Beans
Amount per Serving
Calories
178
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
0.7
g
1
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.7
g
4
%
Cholesterol
 
0
mg
0
%
Sodium
 
64
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
33
g
11
%
Fiber
 
8.1
g
34
%
Sugar
 
2.6
g
3
%
Protein
 
11
g
22
%
Vitamin C
 
1.7
mg
2
%
Calcium
 
70
mg
7
%
Iron
 
2.9
mg
16
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The nutrition information is a rough estimate. Values will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it’s recommended that you calculate your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carolyn

    January 25, 2021 at 2:50 pm

    I don’t see your recommendation regarding pressure release. Already have a pot on so I will check to see what other recipes say. I may have missed it in yours.
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      January 25, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      Oh gosh, I did miss that. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’ll fix it right now. I’ve been cooking them at high pressure for 20 minutes after soaking for about 6-8 hours and then let them sit for about 10 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure.

      Reply
  2. Gloria Thompson

    February 20, 2021 at 9:38 am

    same procedure for white navy beans?

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      February 20, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      Hey Gloria, I haven’t tried white navy beans, but I’ve been meaning to try them. I would say yes, you can use the same procedure except, as I recall, they’re a little smaller so they may take a little less time. Beans made in the pressure cooker are really pretty easy. I often make them without chopped onion and add a little Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base for flavor instead of vegetable broth (2 level tablespoons for 16 oz of beans). It does have salt so be aware of that if you don’t use any.

      Reply
      • Sherba

        December 4, 2023 at 6:15 pm

        Thanks for sharing that you use better than Bouillon vegetable base. I will try it

        Reply
        • Diane Smith

          December 5, 2023 at 9:43 am

          You’re welcome. You probably saw the note, but use with caution because it does have quite a bit of sodium.

          Reply
  3. Marcia Bonilla

    March 12, 2021 at 1:02 pm

    You say it’s a pressure cooker recipe but you’re giving a recipe for the Instant Pot. I don’t have an Instant Pot with a timer etc. I have a real Pressure cooker. Do you have instructions for a real pressure cooker?

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      March 12, 2021 at 1:18 pm

      Good point, Marcia. I’ll make that more clear in the title. I can pull together instructions for a real pressure cooker and will add that to the post in a bit…. Since you don’t have a built-in timer, you’d have to set a manual timer. Are you using it on a stove or is it electric? This may not be enough, but here’s what one site suggests: “Following the manufacturer’s instructions, cover, lock the lid, and bring to high pressure. Lower heat to maintain pressure and start timing. Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Release the steam carefully (according to the manufacturer’s instructions).” Check back for my update in the notes section of the recipe.

      Reply
  4. Anita

    August 19, 2024 at 10:24 am

    1 star
    If you leave out at least half of the water, you might have black bean soup, if you reduce it further, you can eat them with rice, which is what we wanted. Good ingredients, but a disaster for anything but soup.

    Reply
    • Diane Smith

      August 19, 2024 at 2:05 pm

      Hey Anita, this recipe is not meant to make perfectly non-soupy beans which is frankly hard to do in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Perhaps my fault for not making that clear… will fix that. The beans are meant to be drained and used in other recipes like soup, burritos, salad toppers, quesadillas, etc. Or, if you want bean soup, keep all of the liquid. You can drain them or store them with the liquid depending on how you’d like to use them. I hope this opens up new possibilities.

      Reply
4.09 from 89 votes (88 ratings without comment)

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Pressure Cooker Black Beans in ceramic bowl next to pumpkin and oranges

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