Instant Pot Pinto Beans – Learn how to make tender Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot in 30 minutes with this quick and easy, fail proof step by step method.

No pre soaking needed!  { Video Tutorial included too}

INSTANT POT PINTO BEANS RECIPE { NO PRESOAK }

Skip the canned Pinto Beans and cook your beans in the Instant Pot instead. It is super quick and easy, and a lot cheaper. They are perfect for meal prep and to store for later too. Making Pinto Beans in Instant Pot is just really easy. You don’t even have to SOAK the Pinto Beans first. It is literally Dump and Start!

It is much quicker and cheaper than running to a supermarket to buy a can of Beans.

1 Pound of Dry Pinto Beans yields roughy 6 Cups of Cooked Beans. Use these Home Cooked Beans to replace Canned Pinto Beans in the recipes. Refer FAQ below to learn how to store any leftover beans.

ARE YOU NEW TO THE INSTANT POT? CHECK OUT OUR WHOLE COLLECTION OF RECIPES FROM BASICS, SIDE DISHES, DESSERTS TO MAIN COURSES TO MANY MORE.

Instant Pot has become a household name for Electric Pressure Cookers. There are so many other brands out there, so irrespective of what you have – cook pinto beans in pressure cooker to speed up your cooking.

WATCH A QUICK VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE PINTO BEANS IN INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER

How to cook pinto beans in Instant pot?

To cook pinto beans in the instant pot, you don’t need a recipe really. It is about getting the steps right.
Measure the Beans – Measure out 1 cup of Pinto Beans and place it in a wire mesh or a colander.

Rinse until clear –  Run the pinto under tap water and rinse it until clear. Remember to pick out stones or debris if any, in the process.

Add all the ingredients – To the Inner Pot of the Instant Pot, add the beans, water and salt.

Pressure Cook – Lock the lid, turn the vent to sealing position and pressure cook.

Natural Release – Once the timer has completed the pressure cook time, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and there after release any remaining pressure
Check – if the beans are tender, cooked and mashed easily. If you like it a bit more firmer, reduce the cooking time by another 5 minutes.

Drain the liquid from the beans if you like and reserve them for cooking your refried beans, frijoles charros / mexican pinto beans or even for your salad. This step is completely optional to your liking. Some people like to run cold water onto the pinto beans to stop it from further cooking.

I enjoy my beans with the cooking liquid and all the flavour are just in it!

Season with more salt and pepper as needed.

HOW TO SERVE THE PINTO BEANS?

Cooked Pinto Beans can be used in ample ways. Some of my favourite ways to enjoy the pinto beans are

Use them in Soups, Chili & Stews 

As Side dish

Cook them with mexican flavors and create Mexican Pinto Beans

Add them to your tacos, nachos, in your burrito bowls.

Serve them in your buddha bowl.

It is really wise cook a large batch and use them through the week isn’t it? What say? Any left over beans can be freezed for up to 3 months.

TIPS TO MAKING DELICIOUS PINTO BEANS

Use Vegetable Stock / Vegetable Broth instead of water to enhanced flavor.

Add Bayleaf , white onion and garlic along with the other ingredients in the instan tpot , while cooking

If you like a little lesser left over liquid while cooking the beans, reduce the quantity of water by another 1/2 a cup.  Keep in mind, beans will double in size when they cook.

For aldente pinto beans texture, reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes. I have cooked my beans for 30 minutes HIGH PRESSURE for soft, tender mashable beans.

Just like any other legumes, avoid using older beans. They would require a little more water and longer cooking time as they have been sitting dried for a longer time.

Experiment with Cooking Times of

I conducted a little experiment  to perfect my Pinto Beans, by altering the cooking time and keeping the ingredients with the same measurements. Place the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Lock the lid and follow the instructions as below.

1 Cup Pinto Beans

3 Cup Water

1 tsp Salt

Experiment 1

Cooking time 40 minutes HIGH PRESSURE & NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE

Experiment 2

Cooking time 40 minutes, 10 minutes NATURAL RELEASE & Quick Release any remaining pressure

Experiment 3

Cooking time 30 minutes, 10 minutes NATURAL RELEASE & Quick Release any remaining pressure

I found the beans extra soft with the first two experiments because of the longer cooking time. Since then I have been cooking for 30 minutes HIGH PRESSURE , allowing 10 minutes NATURAL RELEASE & QUICK RELEASE any remaining pressure. With this I found my beans soft, tender and ideal for my side dishes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PINTO BEANS

STORING LEFTOVER PINTO BEANS

Allow the beans to cool down completely and store them with the liquid in an air tight sealed container like mason jars for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Store the pinto beans in the freezer for up to 3 months. I like to portion my beans into small containers and store them in the freezer.

DO YOU HAVE TO SOAK THE PINTO BEANS?

Soaking Beans is optional. However, soaking the pinto beans will reduce the cooking time. Check out my post on How to Cook Chickpeas in Instant Pot for better idea.

HOW DO YOU DOUBLE THE RECIPE?

Double the measurements for the recipe, however cooking time remains the same. I have used Instant Pot Quart 6 for this recipe.

HOW DO YOU QUICK PRESSURE RELEASE INSTANT POT?

Quick-release is the process of releasing the steam after cooking. To quick pressure release on the Instant Pot,  carefully turn the valve from STEAMING  to VENTING position. This will result in a strong jet of steam coming from the pressure release valve . Once the steam has released completely from the valve, the float valve will drop into the lid when the cooker has depressurised. I prefer to use a spatula to turn the valve.

It is now completely safe to open the Instant Pot lid.

Remember to keep your face away from the Jet of Steam!

How do you do a 10 minute natural release instant pot?

Once your set pressure cook time is done and your IP display screen shows LO:o0 . Allow the IP to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure quickly.

HAVE YOU MADE THIS INSTANT POT PINTO BEANS ?

Be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a ★ rating!

Post a photo of your creation on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen.  I would love to see your take on this really staple pinto beans.

PERFECT INSTANT POT PINTO BEANS

5 from 5 votes

Print

Instant Pot Pinto Beans { No Pre Soak }

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Learn how to make tender Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot in 30 minutes with this quick, easy, fail proof step by step method. No pre soaking needed!  { Video Tutorial included too}

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: instant pot beans, instant pot pinto beans, mexican pinto beans, pinto beans

Servings: 3 People

Author: Sandhya Hariharan

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Dried Pinto Beans
• 3 Cups Water
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

1. Measure the Pinto Beans out.
2. Place them in a wire mesh and rinse them a couple of times until clear.
3. To the inner pot of the Instant Pot, combine the ingredients - rinsed pinto beans, water & salt.

4. Cover the lid, turn the pressure release handle (vent) to Sealing position.

5. Cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes - Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time for 30 minutes. For slightly firmer Pinto beans, Cook for 25 minutes.

6. Natural Release for 10 minutes - Once 30 minutes is done and your IP display screen shows LO:00. Allow the IP to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.

7. Check - Open the pot and check for the doneness. Check if the cooked pinto beans are tender and cooked well.

8. Drain the liquid from the beans if you like and set it aside for other uses. { Optional }

9. Allow the beans to cool down completely before storing them in a container.