Instant Pot Black Beans
This Instant Pot black beans recipe is an easy side dish made in a fraction of the time it takes to cook on the stove top. No soaking required!
We love beans, they are the perfect addition to a meal because they are so hearty and they just soak up any flavor that they are cooked with so you can make so many different flavor combinations with them.
How to cook black beans in the Instant Pot is similar to our Instant Pot pinto beans recipe but we subbed out black beans for pinto beans and we skipped the bacon so this recipe is totally vegetarian.
We’ve added just the right amount of spices to create a flavor packed dish that has some bold undertones thanks to green chile peppers.
It’s perfect served over rice, in a burrito bowl or as part of a big salad.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
When you are ready to make this recipe, make sure you have the following ingredients:
- Dried Black Beans – You really can’t substitute this ingredient or you won’t be making homemade black beans anymore. If you want to try some other bean recipe give our Hoppin’ John and Navy Beans and Ham a try.
- Olive oil – You can use canola oil if you don’t have olive oil on hand.
- Aromatics – An onion and fresh garlic add fragrance and flavor.
- Spices – Cumin, chili powder, and a pinch of salt is all you need to season the black beans.
- Vegetable Broth – Vegetable broth adds a very mild flavor but also provides the liquid to cook the beans. If you don’t have it, you can use water. We don’t recommend chicken or beef broth, they can become overpowering.
- Tomatoes and green chilies – Tomatoes and green chilies add some bold extra flavor to the beans.
New to using an Instant Pot? Make sure you read our beginner’s guide on “How to Use an Instant Pot” to get started!
Instructions
Step 1 – Prep the beans and cook the onion. Start by removing any debris from the beans and rinsing them under cool water.
Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the olive oil and diced onion. Cook it for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Once they are soft, add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Press CANCEL to stop the saute function.
Step 2 – Add the rest of the ingredients and cook. When the garlic and onions are ready, add the beans, cumin, chili powder, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth to the Instant Pot and stir it all together.
Lock the lid into place and turn the valve to SEALING. Set to HIGH pressure for 40 minutes.
Once the timer goes off, allow it to release pressure naturally for 20 minutes before turning the valve to VENTING to release the remaining pressure.
Carefully remove the lid and add salt and pepper to the beans.
Serve hot with your favorite Mexican or Southwestern inspired meals and enjoy!
Tips for Preparing Dried Beans
You need to prepare the beans a bit before cooking them. The first step is to spread the beans out on a plate or baking pan. Once spread, you need to pick out any bits of broken beans, stones, or other debris that may be in there. You will probably find very little to pick out, but it is worth the extra time to do it since sometimes the producer can miss a small stone. And you don’t want to bite into that!
Once sorted, place the dried beans in a colander and run cold water over them to rinse of any dirt or debris.
The third and final step usually involves soaking the beans for several minutes. One of the big advantages of the Instant Pot is you don’t need to soak the beans first. You can just start cooking once the beans are rinsed.
Add a Little More Flavor
If you want even more flavor, you can play around some with the seasonings. We love adding cooked bacon, dried chorizo, ham , or a hambone to the beans (like our Instant Pot Navy Beans and Ham) and cooking it all together.
If you add meat to the beans, it provides some of its own flavor to the beans and can elevate the beans to the next level!
How to Store Them
You can easily make black beans ahead and portion them out for the week. Before storing them, allow the beans to cool completely and then place in several small or one large airtight container. You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To reheat the beans, place them in a bowl and microwave until warmed through. If you prefer, you can reheat them in a pot on the stove top over medium heat until warmed through.
To freeze the beans, let them cool completely. Once they are cool, place them in plastic freezer bags. Squeeze out as much extra air as you can, seal them, and then wrap in a layer of aluminum foil.
The aluminum foil will help keep them from developing freezer burn. You can store the bean in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Place in a pot on the stove top and reheat over medium heat until warmed through. You could also place them in a microwave and heat for a few minutes until warmed through.
We highly recommend refrigerating or freezing in individual batches to make reheating the beans easier.
What to Serve Black Beans With
Here are some great ideas of what to serve your black beans with to make a great tasting and filling meal.
- Easy Pork Tacos – These pork tacos are quick and simple, but they are loaded with flavor.
- Chicken Taco Braid – A fancy way to serve chicken tacos, this recipe pairs great with black beans.
- Chicken Tortilla Casserole – This warm and comforting casserole tastes great with homemade black beans placed inside.
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole – Another comfort food, black beans are great served alongside this chicken casserole.
- Beef Enchilada Casserole – This beef enchilada casserole packs a lot of flavor into one meal and tastes even better with black beans alongside.
- Beer Braised Beef Enchiladas – Black beans and enchiladas are a perfect combination of flavor and will leave you feeling satisfied.
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Instant Pot Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound Dried Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 cup Onion, diced
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 5 cups Vegetable Broth
- 10 ounces Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the black beans under water to clean them.
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the olive oil and onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened then add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Press CANCEL to stop the saute function.
- Add the beans, cumin, chili powder, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth to the Instant Pot and stir together.
- Lock lid into place and turn the valve to SEALING.
- Set to HIGH pressure 40 minutes.
- When the timer goes off press cancel and do a natural release for 20 minutes.
- Turn the valve to VENTING to release the remaining pressure.
- Remove lid, and add salt and pepper to the beans.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
This was such an easy recipe. And so tasty! I can’t wait to try more from your blog.