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Home Method Instant Pot
5
/5
1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Instant Pot Black Beans

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Vegan Vegan Vegetarian Vegetarian Freezer Friendly Freezer Meal Prep Meal Prep
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By: Denise Bustard4 Comments
Posted: 4/20/20 Updated: 11/17/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This simple method to cook Instant Pot black beans gives you perfect black beans each and every time! No soaking, the perfect texture, and so much more flavor than canned beans.

Prior to owning an Instant Pot, I considered beans to be one of those things that I just didn't have time to cook. But ever since the Instant Pot came into my life, I'm cooking Instant Pot Chickpeas and Instant Pot black beans from scratch, because they take just 5 minutes of prep time.

instant pot black beans in white bowl

The Instant Pot makes cooking black beans easy for a few reasons, but the biggest one? No need to babysit a pot to make sure it doesn't boil over or over-reduce, just set it and go about your day!

The method I'm sharing today can get into the Instant Pot with under 5 minutes of effort and yields 6 cups of perfectly tender and delicious black beans. We often freeze our black beans for later, so I'll share how I do that as well.

We love Instant Pot black beans because

  • they save us money
  • they taste way better than canned
  • thanks to the Instant Pot, they are so quick & easy to make
  • you don't need to soak them first
  • you can freeze them for later

Recipe Video

Want to see exactly how to cook black beans in a pressure cooker? Watch this 1-minute video! You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

ingredients required to cook black beans

Let's talk ingredients

You'll need:

  • 1 lb dried black beans
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt
  • water

These ingredients make a basic (but still very flavorful) batch of black beans that you can use up in a variety of meal prep recipes.

You can boost the flavors by adding additional spices:

  • add ½ an onion and 4 garlic cloves to the cooking liquid
  • try a squeeze of lime after cooking
  • add 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

close up of dried black beans showing stones to be picked out

How to prep your black beans

Before cooking, we will do a tiny bit of prep work to get them ready.

  1. weigh out 1 lb of black beans (I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, but this works out to roughly 2 ¼ cups of dried black beans)
  2. pick through and look for any stones, moldy beans or off-color beans
  3. rinse- if your beans are old and dusty you might want to soak them in water for 2 minutes, but I generally rinse mine under the tap

collage image showing how to cook black beans in the Instant Pot

How long to cook black beans in the Instant Pot?

35 minutes on high pressure followed by a 25 minute natural pressure release is the sweet spot for perfect black beans.

  • If you have a 6 quart Instant Pot, this will be a full natural pressure release
  • If you use the 8 quart Instant Pot, it might take longer than 25 minutes to fully release the pressure, and I recommend manually releasing any remaining pressure at the 25 minute mark

Do I need to soak my beans?

Some people swear by soaking their beans overnight and claim that it makes the beans easier to digest. Personally, I have never had an issue digesting un-soaked beans, so I skip this step (I was always forgetting to do it anyways!)

This cook time is for un-soaked black beans only. If you soak your beans overnight, this will significantly cut down on the cook time. I would recommend trying 9 minutes with a 25 minute natural pressure release.

How much water do I add?

For 1 lb of dry black beans, we are using 4 cups of water. This yields just enough liquid to cover the beans in jars if you plan to store for later.

How much does this recipe yield?

For 1 lb of black beans you will get roughly 6 cups of cooked beans + liquid. I divide this between three 2-cup Weck jars or three 1-pint mason jars.

Can I cook these on the stovetop?

Absolutely, please check my Perfect Black Beans post for stove top directions.

black beans in jars

Meal prep tips

  • half batch- if you don't need 6+ cups of cooked black beans, you can cut this recipe in half. Use the same cook time.
  • storage- after cooking, your black beans can be stored in the fridge for 4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • freezer- portion out your black beans into mason jars and top with the cooking liquid. Cool completely before freezing (leave lids ajar and ¼ of the jar empty to allow for expansion during freezing).
  • old beans- if you are using old beans, they may take longer to cook.

Find my Instant Pot models, jars and other kitchen equipment in my shop!

black beans in the Instant Pot after cooking

How to use up your black beans?

  • black bean hummus
  • refreshing quinoa black bean salad
  • refried black beans
  • Grilled Veggie and Black Bean Meal Prep Bowls
  • Fudgy Black Bean Brownies
  • One Pot Black Bean Fajita Pasta

close up shot of cooked black beans on spoon

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

a white bowl filled with black beans

Perfect Instant Pot Black Beans (no soaking required!)

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 35 minutes mins
natural pressure release: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Print Rate
This simple method to cook Instant Pot black beans gives you perfect black beans each and every time! No soaking, the perfect texture, and so much more flavor than canned beans.
6 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dry black beans
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups water

Instructions 

  • Weigh out 1 lb of dry black beans (or use 2 ¼ cups).
  • Pick through and remove any stones, discoloured or moldy beans.
  • Rinse beans under the tap or swirl in 1-2 inches of water.
  • Place beans into the insert of a 6 or 8 quart Instant Pot (mini will not fit this recipe).
  • Add salt, bay leaves and water.
  • Set the valve to 'seal' and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. The pot will take 30 minutes or so to come to pressure.
  • Allow pressure to naturally release for 25 minutes. If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot you may have to manually release the pressure at this point.
  • Remove bay leaves and enjoy!

Storage

  • Portion out into three 1-pint jars and cover with cooking liquid.
  • Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • To freeze- cool completely before placing in the freezer with lids ajar. Screw lids on once frozen solid. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips:

You can boost the flavors by adding additional spices:
  • add ½ an onion and 4 garlic cloves to the cooking liquid
  • try a squeeze of lime after cooking
  • add 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 129kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 200mg, Potassium: 561mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 6IU, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 2mg
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. D’Lyne and Dale says

    Posted on 1/27/25 at Posted on 1/27/25

    So simple and easy. I added garlic cause we love it. These were so delicious and easy. Not soupy or hard. Sheer perfection. Thank you for sharing 💝.

    Reply
  2. Jane Boice says

    Posted on 12/4/20 at Posted on 12/4/20

    I soaked my beams overnight, then cooked in Instant Pot 9 minutes in 4 cups of water. Natural released 25 minutes. Beans still hard, too hard to eat. I'm going to cook for another 5 minutes and release immediately, to see if they are finally done. Beans are not old. So disappointed. Other recipes for instant pot black beans said to cook 7 minutes if soaked. I'm going to make a note to try cooking in soaked next time and see if that works!

    Reply
    • Denise Bustard says

      Posted on 1/4/21 at Posted on 1/4/21

      Hi Jane, I'm sorry to hear you didn't have success with this recipe. Did you get them cooked through eventually?

      Reply
    • D’Lyne and Dale says

      Posted on 1/27/25 at Posted on 1/27/25

      5 stars
      Don’t soak… follow the recipe. So farm awesome.

      Reply

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Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too! Read more ...

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