How to Cook Soaked Beans in Instant Pot

Updated on November 17th, 2023

Cooking beans in the Instant Pot allows you to get tender beans in such a short time. However, if even the Instant Pot is too slow for you to cook beans, consider soaking your beans first. Beans cook even faster this way, and the results are really tender.

In this article, you’ll learn how to properly cook your soaked beans in an Instant Pot, in order to get the best possible results. Follow all the cooking instructions we’ve outlined for you, and pay attention to the timing guidelines.

Tips for Cooking Soaked Beans in Instant Pot

Pay attention to the following helpful tips when cooking soaked beans in the Instant Pot:

Soak your beans – Soak the beans for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight in plenty of cold water. Put the beans on the kitchen counter while it soaks. You can also put them in the refrigerator if your kitchen is too hot. Rinse and drain the beans before cooking as per your preferred recipe.

Don’t overcrowd your Instant Pot – If you want to make a big batch of beans, make sure to avoid filling more than half of the Instant Pot. If this happens, there may be a lot of bubbling. If you do go beyond the halfway point, make sure to keep from filling your Instant Pot past the maximum capacity line.

Seasoning ideas – Before you add the water and beans, you could sauté your preferred aromatics. For 1 pound of beans, try this simple but excellent recipe:

• While the Instant Pot is on the Sauté setting, heat some olive oil.
• Add 1 yellow onion (diced) and one pinch of salt after the pan is heated. Cook the mixture, making sure to stir occasionally. Do this until the onions are softened and turn golden, but not caramelized.
• Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes after adding 3 to 4 finely sliced garlic bulbs.
• Deglaze the Instant pot with water or broth, scrape off any browned parts, then pour in the soaked beans and pressure cook according to the recipe’s directions.

You could also add a liberal dollop of extra virgin olive oil to your cooked beans to finish. Doing this will add depth to the beans and make them attractive. You could also introduce a splash of white wine vinegar, lemon juice, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar, or red wine vinegar to finish.

Other seasoning ideas to try to include the following:

• Instead of water, try using veggie broth to cook the beans. This enhances the delicious flavor. Alternatively, you can use half broth and half water
• Also, try adding flavoring agents into the cooking water. Try using black pepper and bay leaves as examples. You might also combine some of the following ingredients, depending on the flavor profile you choose.

Salt your beans properly – Also, don’t forget to add salt to your meal.  While the beans are cooking, season them with salt to infuse flavor from within. Waiting till the end of your cooking to salt the beans, on the other hand, results in either overly salty or flavorless beans.

Use the natural pressure release mode – Avoid using the quick pressure release method when you’re cooking a large batch of beans. The foam from the beans will be spewed all over your kitchen as a result of this. Allow at least 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally (this could take up to 15 or 20 minutes). Then, to discharge any residual steam, flip the valve from the Sealing mode to the Venting mode.

How to store – If there are a lot of beans left over from your cooking, you can easily freeze them in portions, about 1½ to 2 cups each. In recipes that call for it, you can easily substitute one container of reheated beans for canned beans. When you store beans properly, they should keep for 6 to 8 months in the freezer.

Cooking Time for Soaked Beans in Instant Pot

The ideal timing guidelines to follow when cooking soaked beans in an Instant Pot have been described in the table below:

Instant Pot Beans (7 Servings)

Save Recipe Recipe Saved

Print Recipe

• Author: Bobby

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 pound of beans of choice (some examples to try are chickpeas, cannellini beans, pinto beans, or black beans)
• 5 to 6 cups of water or vegetable broth
• 2 to 2½ teaspoons of kosher salt (or 1¼ to 1½ teaspoons of sea salt)
• Other seasonings as desired (bay leaves, fresh or dried herbs, black pepper, garlic cloves, whole spices, chopped onions, etc.)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Cover the beans with cold water (about 6 cups) inside a big bowl or in the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Soak the beans for at least eight hours or overnight. After that, drain and rinse.
2. Inside the Instant pot’s inner pot, combine the beans with the water or broth. Season the mixture with salt and additional ingredients as desired. Stir everything together.
3. Pick the Pressure Cook mode and secure the lid of the Instant Pot. Cook the beans for 7 to 9 minutes for done yet firm beans, or 10 to 12 minutes if you want softer beans (do this only if using soaked beans, unsoaked beans will take longer to cook).
4. Allow at least 10 minutes (or between 15 and 20 minutes) for natural pressure release once the timer chimes. To evacuate any residual steam, use a manual pressure release. Remove the aromatics from the pot and move the beans into a bowl or glass Tupperware.
5. It’s a good idea to keep the beans moist and tasty by storing them in the cooking liquid.
6. Cooked beans can typically be preserved in an airtight storage container for up to 5 days in the fridge. You could also keep them frozen for 6 to 8 months in 1½ to 2-cup increments.
7. If not stored, serve your cooked beans as you please and enjoy.

This recipe for soaked beans in the Instant Pot yields tender and delicious beans, and you should definitely try it out if you’re a fan of bean-based recipes. If you would like to see more helpful ideas for cooking soaked beans in an Instant Pot, check out this video recipe.