Black beans in the Instant Pot is the secret to cooking tender delicious beans every time. This black bean recipe has only 3 ingredients, takes 5 minutes to prepare and less than an hour of cooking by itself in the pressure cooker.
It is easy, inexpensive and healthy. Take a look at the recipe below and try it out for yourself to see just how simple and delicious it is!
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Black Beans in the Instant Pot – The Easiest Cooking Method
Cook fresh and tender tasting black beans prepared from dried without soaking. Black bean recipes like Blackstone Quesadillas, side dishes, Mediterranean recipes, salads, casseroles, soups, and veggie burgers are great ideas for using these cooked versions instead of canned ones.
Prepare a batch each week and you have a head start for make ahead meal prep!
Black Beans in the Instant Pot – How to Sort Dried Beans
Before cooking, sort 2 cups of dried black beans. To sort pour some in your hand one handful at a time and look for bad ones to toss out. Those that are discolored or look bad or different from the rest of the batch should be discarded.
Also, be sure no tiny rocks are mixed in. Today’s processing methods are good, but every once in a while a pebble might be in a package of dried beans or peas. That’s why the package directions tell you to sort then before cooking.
Black Beans – How to Rinse Before Cooking
To rinse dried beans before cooking, after they are sorted place them in a large bowl. Run cold water over them in a large bowl. Hold the beans in the bowl with a slotted spoon and tilt the bowl to drain water before cooking.
Black Beans Recipe – How to Cook
Next, place the beans in the inner silver pot and cover with 5 cups of water and a tablespoon of salt. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and give it a stir. Note: The olive oil is necessary to keep them from frothing up in your Instant Pot and clogging the seal.
Next, place lid (with seal in place) on top and turn to close. Turn valve on top to sealing position. Press the “beans” button or set to manual for 35 minutes on high pressure. That’s it.
How Long Does It Take to Cook Dried Beans?
First it takes about 10 minutes for the pressure to build and begin cooking and then it cooks under pressure for 35 minutes. Next it will beep when the time is up.
Afterwards let the pressure release naturally (just let it sit there) for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes there is not much pressure left. You should release any remaining pressure by using a large slotted spoon to nudge the valve to the vent position.
Take the top off, remove the silver pot, then taste a spoonful after it has cooled off a little. Add more salt or pepper if you wish, serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Black beans go great with Mexican dishes. You can serve them flavored with salt only so they are a mild balance to a spicy dish.
Alternatively, adding spices like chili powder, cumin, garlic, onion, and red pepper will give you a burst of flavors. Add them to the water before cooking, stir and cook as directed in the original recipe.
Use black beans in tacos, quesadillas, soups, salads and wraps.
Black Beans – Storage
Cool beans before placing in a storage bag or container. This recipe will keep for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze a large batch or separate into smaller containers or bags to have cooked black beans ready for a side dish or addition to soup, salads, casserole, or other recipes.
Curious about how long food can be kept in the refrigerator? See our article How Long is Food Good for in the Fridge?
Guide to Using an Instant Pot
For more detailed directions on using an instant pot pressure cooker see my post about How To Cook Using Your Instant Pot.
Black Beans – Related Recipes
Fresh purple hull peas are easy and delicious beans in the Instant Pot!
Dried black eyed peas are flavorful and easy to cook in the Instant Pot.
Combine black and white varieties in the pressure cooker for a mild bean recipe that goes well with spicy Mexican dishes or casseroles.
FAQs – Black Beans in the Instant Pot
The ratio of beans to water in the Instant Pot is 2 1/2 cups of water for each cup of dried beans. They should have enough water to cover them and a little extra for expansion as they cook.
If you use too little water, the beans will dry out on the top layer. If you use too much water the juice will be thin. That’s ok unless you want the broth to be thicker and creamy. Just don’t overfill the pot past the fill line.
Cooking time for dried beans to cook in an Instant Pot range from 20 minutes to 35 minutes cook time followed by a resting period of 15 minutes, then release pressure.
Small varieties like black beans cook in 20 to 30 minutes while large ones like kidney beans take 35 minutes.
Beans can be hard after cooking for several reasons. If they are larger types they need to presoak for 12 hours to soften the exterior so water can get in while they are cooking. Be sure to keep beans covered with water and allow enough room so they can move freely and not be overcrowded.
Hard water may make beans hard when using it to cook them in. Use distilled or filtered water instead of hard tap water. Chemicals like chlorine in tap water from the sink may affect the process of breaking down the outside of beans so they can’t cook evenly and thoroughly.
Old beans may be hard after cooking. Look at the expiration date on the package. Also visually examine dried beans before cooking. If they look old and shriveled, discard them.
Beans may need to cook longer. Cooking for too short of a time period will result in undercooked, hard and crunchy beans.
Black Beans In Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Water
- 2 Cups Dried Black Beans (sorted and rinsed)
- 1 Tbls Olive Oil (extra virgin)
- 1 Tbls Salt
Instructions
- Sort and rinse 2 cups of dried black beans.
- Place beans in the silver pot of your instant pot.
- Cover with 5 cups water.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of salt then stir to combine.
- Place lid (with seal in place) on top and turn to close and lock. Turn valve on top to sealing position.
- Press the "beans" button on the Instant Pot or set to manual cook for 35 minutes on high pressure. It will beep when the time is up.
- Afterwards let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure by using a large slotted spoon to nudge the valve to the vent position.
- Carefully take the top off, remove the silver pot, taste and add more salt or pepper if you wish and serve.
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