How to Make Baked Beans in an Instant Pot
I’ve actually only made baked beans in the oven once. I hated having to lug the heavy dish out of the oven several times during cooking to stir the beans! The next time, I made them on the stovetop, and they tasted just as delicious as oven-baked beans (at least in my opinion). That became my default method. It was much more hands-off than using the oven.
Then I got my Instant Pot, and things got even better. Now, my baked beans in an Instant Pot cook faster, turn out uniformly tender, and require even less hands-on time. And they taste just as delicious as ever!
If you’d like to learn how to make baked beans in an Instant Pot with minimal effort, so you can simplify breakfast prep while still serving your family nutritious, homemade food, let’s get started!
Why Make Baked Beans in the Instant Pot?
When I first got my Instant Pot, I thought its biggest benefit would be saving time. Wrong! Although the Instant Pot does cook baked beans faster than the stovetop or oven, my favorite thing about it is how uniformly tender it makes the beans. Achieving that on the stovetop takes a lot of patient simmering!
Homemade baked beans are also inexpensive (dried beans cost less than canned) and much healthier, especially when you consider the ingredient list of many store-bought versions. Plus, the Instant Pot lets me make a large batch at once, enough for 2–3 breakfasts for our family of six.
And the best part? While the beans pressure cook, I can get everyone ready for the morning instead of standing over the stove. That’s the kind of hands-off cooking I love!
Ingredients
- Beans: I use dried pinto beans soaked overnight in warm water. If you’re using a different variety, you may need to adjust the pressure cooking time (see the cooking times chart further down in this post).
- Water or stock (or a mix of both!): Add enough to cover the beans by about an inch so they can cook properly. You can replace some of the water with stock for extra flavor, but keep in mind that you’ll need to drain off most of the liquid once the beans are cooked. For this reason I only add a little stock for flavor and mostly just cover the beans with filtered water.
- Tomato paste: Adds a rich tomato flavor to the baked beans.
- Seasonings: I use good-quality salt and pepper, along with onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, soy sauce, and molasses for sweetness. You can substitute a little brown sugar for the molasses if that’s what you have on hand.
- Flour: Helps thicken the sauce at the end of cooking. You can also use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch instead.
- Butter: Stirred in at the end for extra richness and flavor.
Do You Need to Soak the Beans?
In a pinch, you can make baked beans with unsoaked beans. The recipe will still work. I however prefer to always soak any beans I use in recipes for several reasons:
- They cook faster once soaked, so I spend less time waiting for my food.
- They usually cook more evenly. You’re less likely to have some beans that are still a bit hard and some that are almost falling apart when you cook soaked beans.
- Soaking makes beans more digestible. It helps to reduce phytic acid which can bind minerals and affect their absorption in the body. In effect, you get more nutrient out of beans that have been soaked (and this is true of most legumes and grains).
How to Make Instant Pot Baked Beans
Step 1: The night before, place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover them with plenty of water. Leave to soak for 8–12 hours, or overnight. Drain and rinse well before cooking.
Step 2: Place the soaked and drained beans in your Instant Pot and cover with 1–2 inches of water or a mixture of broth and water. Secure the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15–20 minutes, then carefully release any remaining pressure.
Step 3: Check that the beans are tender but not falling apart. Use a ladle to remove some of the cooking liquid, leaving enough to cover the beans by about 1/2 inch.
Step 4: Stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce, molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Select Sauté and simmer for 10–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the sauce begins to thicken.
Step 5: In a small bowl, mix the flour with a little of the cooking liquid until smooth. Stir the paste into the beans and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
Step 6: Turn off the Sauté setting and stir in the butter until melted. Serve the baked beans hot with buttered sourdough bread.
How Long to Cook Baked Beans in an Instant Pot?
The age of the beans and how soft you want them can affect cooking time so treat this chart as a general guide. If the beans aren’t tender enough after the initial cooking time, simply pressure cook them for another 3–5 minutes. If you want to use unsoaked beans, you’ll need to add an extra 10-15 minutes to the cooking time.
| Bean variety | Pressure cooking time after overnight soaking |
|---|---|
| Pinto beans | 20 minutes |
| Navy beans | 15–20 minutes |
| Great Northern beans | 15–20 minutes |
| Cannellini beans | 15–20 minutes |
| Kidney beans | 15–20 minutes |
| Black beans | 15–20 minutes |
| Lima beans | 10–15 minutes |
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Add acidic ingredients later. Ingredients like tomato paste and vinegar can slow down the softening of beans. That’s why I first pressure cook the beans in liquid until tender, then add the seasonings and simmer everything together.
- Don’t overcook the beans. They should be just tender, not falling apart, so they can hold their shape while simmering with the seasonings for another 10–20 minutes.
- Don’t overfill your Instant Pot. If you want to double the recipe, make sure the beans and liquid stay below the halfway mark.
- Give the sauce time to develop flavor. Simmer the beans and seasonings for at least 10 minutes to let the flavors combine before thickening the sauce with flour. And don’t skip the knob of butter at the end! It’s a must for me because it makes the sauce so much richer.
Serving Ideas
I almost always serve baked beans for breakfast or lunch, but I think they’d also make a delicious topping for baked potatoes at dinner, especially with a generous handful of shredded sharp Cheddar on top!
Here are my favorite foods to serve with homemade baked beans:
- Whole wheat sourdough bread: Perfect for mopping up all that delicious sauce.
- Sausages, fried eggs, and roasted tomatoes: The traditional English way to serve baked beans as part of a hearty breakfast.
- Scrambled eggs: A simple, protein-rich addition for an easy breakfast or lunch.
- Potato pancakes or hash browns: Crispy potatoes pair beautifully with soft, saucy baked beans.
How to Store Baked Beans
- Let the baked beans cool slightly, then transfer them to an airtight container (I use mason jars for all my leftovers) and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Store for 3–4 days.
- Baked beans freeze well for up to 3 months for best quality. Freeze in meal-sized portions so you can thaw only what you need.
- To reheat, warm your beans gently on the stove. You’ll probably need to add a little broth or water as they usually thicken when sitting in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQ
Simple Is Beautiful
When I first wanted to learn how to cook, I tried following recipes from a gourmet cooking magazine. Even the simplest dishes had at least a dozen ingredients! After plenty of frustration, I realized something: there are recipes for artists, and there are recipes for moms.
If you’re a mom, your best friends are simple, old-fashioned, no-fuss recipes like pancakes, breakfast burritos, and these Instant Pot baked beans. They’re delicious, nutritious, affordable, and easy enough to make day in and day out without getting tired of cooking.
Baked beans are one of my breakfast (and lunch) staples. Served with buttered whole wheat bread, fried eggs, and perhaps a little sauerkraut on the side, they make one of the most nutritious breakfasts you can prepare at home.
I hope you love this recipe and that these baked beans in an Instant Pot become a regular part of your breakfast repertoire!
Would you like to keep in touch and learn more about old-fashioned cooking, baking, and the occasional natural home project? Then subscribe to my weekly newsletter! I sit down to write it every Sunday morning, sharing my latest cooking adventures and plenty of practical homemaking tips to keep you inspired throughout the week.
Instant Pot Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 2½ cups dry pinto beans (or other small to medium beans)
- 4-6 cups water (or some water and some bone broth)
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp molasses
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- The night before, place the dried pinto beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of water. Soak for 8–12 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse well.
- Place the soaked beans in your Instant Pot and cover with 1–2 inches of water or a mixture of broth and water. Secure the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes. Allow 15–20 minutes of natural pressure release, then carefully release any remaining pressure.
- Check that the beans are tender but not falling apart. Use a ladle to remove some of the cooking liquid, leaving enough to cover the beans by about 1/2 inch.
- Stir in the tomato paste, soy sauce, molasses, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Select Sauté and simmer for 10–20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small bowl, mix the flour with a little cooking liquid until smooth. Stir the paste into the beans and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
- Turn off the Sauté setting and stir in the butter until melted. Serve hot with buttered sourdough bread.
