One of my favorite side dishes at a Mexican restaurant is whole pinto beans. I like them kind of soupy and really flavorful. When I discovered I could make beans in the instant pot without soaking and waiting I jumped on board. These instant pot pinto beans are so darn tasty!
Note: traditional beans require overnight soaking, but if you use a pressure cooker – you can skip the soaking all together. Dry beans to dinner in about an hour.
Easy Peasy Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Making these instant pot pinto beans is a cinch. Just follow a few steps:
- Rinse your beans (You don’t even need to soak beans with this method!)
- Chop your veggies
- Measure your spices
- Throw it all in the pot
Pro Tip: You can find dry pinto beans near the rice in the grocery store. You can also occasionally find them in bulk bins at select stores.
Redmond Real Salt
A key ingredient to this instant pot pinto beans recipe recipe is salt. Forget to add salt and you are left with bland and boring beans. It is no secret that we lovelovelove Redmond Real Salt. They are America’s only unrefined sea salt. The salt is mined in Utah. Not only is this a good source of sodium, but it has naturally occurring potassium which makes sodium absorption better. Aside for that I really love the taste. I dare you to compare Redmond salt to your typical table salt. You’ll be amazed at the difference.
Top It Like It’s Hot
After you’ve locked the lid, pressure cooked, and allowed a natural release – you need to top off this delicious side dish. While these instant pot pinto beans are delicious standing alone – if you want to topping them off makes them, well, over the top! I like to add:
- cilantro
- pico de gallo
- avocado
- cotija cheese
Instant Pot Pinto Beans: The Perfect Side
These beans are the PERFECT side to so many of our delicious recipes. May I suggest:
How To Make Your Instant Pot Pinto Beans Video
Just to show you how easy these are – check out my how to video. Now that you know these instant pot pinto beans are done in a snap – go make them! And come back and tell me how much you love them!
Mexican style pinto beans made in the instant pot. No soaking required.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 roma tomato diced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1 pound dry pinto beans rinsed
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth use veggie broth for vegetarian version
- 7 oz can diced green chilis
- 3/4 tbsp Redmond Real Salt
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 bay leaves
Using an electric pressure cooker, set to saute. Add olive oil.
Add onion, garlic, tomato, and jalapeño. Cook until tender.
Add beans, broth, diced green chilis, salt, cumin, paprika, and bay.
Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow a complete natural release.
Discard bay leaf.
Serve Immediately.
Optional - garnish with pico de Gallo, cilantro, avocado, and cotija cheese.
Recipe Video
Cooking Time Notes
Natural Release Time & Pressurizing Time
It will take several minutes for the pot to come to pressure, usually around 15 minutes. It will also take about 25 minutes for your pot to naturally release. Total time to prepare and cook this recipe is approximately 2 hours.
Elevation Adjustments
Additionally - cooking times need to be adjusted according to altitude. This recipe was create at sea level. For every 1,000 feet above 2,000-foot elevation, you must increase cooking time by 5 percent.
See Pressure Cooker Altitude Adjustments for more details on why this is necessary.
Recipe Adjustment Notes
If using regular broth rather than low sodium broth, decrease salt to 1/4 tablespoon.
For a soupier consistency add 1 cup water.
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so easy and delicious. wont be making them any other way!
I’ve only seen 4 and 7 OZ cans of green chilis. Are you sure that should be 17?
That’s a typo – it should be 7oz.
This was really good. I think though it needs more time. A fee of the beans were hard. But oh my…the flavor was amazing with just the right amount of heat and Spice. My husband was making a pot of beans the traditiOnal way when i Thought – let me try my instapot and now he’s hooked! Thank you!
4 cups of liquid is not enough. I use 8 cups of liquid/broth for 1 lb of dry beans. any beans that are not completely submerged in liquid while cooking will be hard. 50 minutes & natueal release is perfect.
I prefer to have mine al dente and with less liquid after cooking. In the recipe notes I mentioned adding additional liquid if you prefer a softer bean and a soupier finished product. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for a Fantastic recipe! I made it for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I did MAKE ONE change. I threw everything in the pot without sauteeing the aromatics first. I didnt even bother tO chop the onion, garlic or jaLapeno pepper. I juSt thRew them in whole. ThIs is what I always do with beans in the instant pot. The pressure cookEr Practically melts them into the beans. And they flavor everything
PERFECTLY. I used to saute the aromatis first, but with a long cooking recipe like this, it dOesnt make a difference. Thats why i love my IP–it saves time and work and it makes perfect pot of beans. Give it a try!.
This was AMAZING! I LEFT OUT THE JALAPENOS FOR THE LITTLE ONES AND THEY ATE IT UP. I FEEL LIKE THIS DOES NEED A BIT MORE WATER AND TIME, THE TOP LAYER OF MY beans were hard.
Needs more time
Sometimes, depending on the brand of beans, it does need to have more time. I’ve definitely noticed a difference in quality of beans!
I just made this and I didn’t have any veggies; I threw the beans, vegetable broth plus water, and salt, bay leaf, cumin and paprika. I used smoked paprika instead of regular. substituted garlic and onion power, and added cayenne for heat. The flavor is absolutely delicious. The only thing I would do differently next time is cut the salt in half and maybe cook a tad bit longer. It was way too salty and some of the beans were a bit too firm. Otherwise, it was delicious and I will definitely do this again! thank you!
Thanks for your comment Susan! We always love hearing from those who make the recipes. I agree – if you use regular broth plus the salt it is too salty. I always use low sodium broth, and once I used regular and these came out too salty. I’ll make a note of that in the recipe card. Thanks for your input!
I just made these today because i had some beans to use up and this recipe turned out amazing! Definitely making again! Thank you.
THE beans were amazing! It tasted great with pico on top! Definitely putting it in the rotation. Thank you!
i have an 8qt instant pot. Can i safely double the recipe?
I think you should be fine.
PERFECT ReCIpe!! Thank You
Remember to remove bay leaf after cooking. bay leaf stems do not break down in cooking and if ingested, can puncture the stomach.
Yes, thanks for reminding me to include this!
I’ve been on the hunt for a good “BEANS-as-a-meal” recipe and this is it! Thank you so much for sharing!
These turned out fantastic- great flavor. I Followed the recipe exacty, however i found that 50 minutes followed by a full, natural release just wasnt enough for mine. I started it back up fOr 10 more mInutes & a quick release. Perfect.
I found the time it takes to make this recipe deceiving. It takes much longer than 1 hour and 10 because you need to add the time for a natural release. It was frustrating to have dinner 40 minutes later than I told everyone it would be. I would encourage you to change the time to reflect the actual time it takes to make this recipe.
Also, my family did not care for this recipe as the taste was meh and the beans were not done.
Hi Aaron, I appreciate your comment and input. I have added a note about the natural release time and cooking adjustments depending on altitude. Traditionally the time it takes for the pressure cooker to come to pressure as well as the natural release are not included in cooking times, but I think you are wise to suggest that these be noted. We are always working to make our recipes better so thank you for your feedback.
GREAT flavor but not enough liquid. My beans were a little too firm still despite using 5 cups of broth. I put the beans on top of baked potatoes!
I need to add a note about adding additional liquid depending our your elevation. I am at sea level and my beans turn out perfect per the recipe. My mom lives at about 5000ft and needs extra. I’ll make that note now. Thanks for your feedback.