How to cook beans in the Instant Pot. The ultimate guide for cooking beans in the pressure cooker, including different types, soaking vs not soaking & more!
One of the reasons I got my Instant Pot was so that I could start cooking beans from scratch. Even though cooking beans on the stove is actually quite easy, for some reason I just have this mental barrier to it. I have a cupboard full of dried beans that inevitably end up just using the precious space I actually do have in my pantry.
Until I got an Instant Pot!
Now I'm a bean cooking machine and I freaking love it! It's easy, it's fast and I gotta say it's way better all around!
What Types of Beans Can You Cook in an Instant Pot?
That's a great question! And the answer is most. There's really only one type of bean I wouldn't bother cooking in the Instant Pot and that's red lentils. Red lentils are super delicate, cook very quickly on the stove already and you'll end up spending more time cooking them in your pressure cooker.
All other beans are fair game!
If you're wondering where to get dried beans, my friends at Bob's Red Mill are always my go-to! Their beans are super high quality and they have an amazing selection to choose from. Just check out the bean section on their site to see what I'm talking about!
Do You Have to Soak Beans?
Another good question! And my answer is…it depends.
A lot of people say that soaking your beans beforehand will help make them easier to digest. There are studies that show it does, others that say it doesn't make a difference at all. So I guess my point here is that it depends on your body.
If you find that beans are hard to digest, or that they give you gas/cause bloat, then you should probably soak them. If not, then you might be fine not soaking!
HOWEVER… when it comes to cooking, that's where the real benefit of soaking your beans lies. When you soak your beans, your cooking time is cut by at least 75% (if not more). So if you're in a rush, then for sure soak your beans!
note: If you do soak your beans, soak them overnight! (10 – 12 hours)
How Long Does It Take To Cook Beans in the Instant Pot?
When it comes to actually cooking your beans in the instant pot, the time varies by bean type. Chickpeas, for example, can take upwards of 40 minutes to cook, whereas lentils take less than 10.
And then there's the soak factor. If you've soaked your chickpeas, they only take about 10, whereas soaked black beans take about 5. So really…it's bean dependent!
To make it easy for you, I've put together a free printable cooking chart that outlines the various cooking times for 11 of the most common beans (and all beans that Bob's Red Mill sells too!). And we've even included the different times for soaking vs. not soaking!
How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot
Once you've got your timetable picked out and you know how long your bean is going to take, it's time to get cooking.
All you need to do to cook beans in the instant pot is add them into your pot, followed by 2 – 3x that amount of water. So if you're using 1 cup of dried beans (unsoaked), you'd follow that with about 2 – 3 cups of water.
Basically, you want the beans to be fully submerged or else they won't cook evenly.
From there, just pop on your lid, make sure your vent is sealed, choose your time and TURN OFF the keep warm setting! I've found this to be a really helpful trick to avoid mushy beans as the keep warm setting continues to cook them.
Once your Instant Pot has come to pressure, let it do its thing until the timer runs out. Then let the pressure naturally release – we've also included those times in the free guide – and you're done.
See how simple? It's seriously a game-changer!
Cooking Times for Beans in the Instant Pot
Now I know not all of you will want to download that guide – even though you should because it's easy to read – so I wanted to include the cooking times or you here. Here are the top 7 most common beans, their cooking times and also a recipe to try!
Adzuki Beans
- Soaked: 4 – 6 minutes
- Dry: 15 – 20 minutes
- How to use them: Adzuki Bean Dip
Black Beans
- Soaked: 5 – 7 minutes
- Dry: 25 – 30 minutes
- How to use them: Cilantro Lime Black Beans Quinoa Tacos or Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans
Cannellini Beans
- Soaked: 6 – 8 minutes
- Dry: 30 – 35 minutes
- How to use them: Tuscan Kale & White Bean Stew
Chickpeas
- Soaked: 10 – 15 minutes
- Dry: 40 – 45 minutes
- How to use them: Buffalo Chickpea Flatbreads
Kidney Beans
- Soaked: 5 – 7 minutes
- Dry: 20 – 25 minutes
- How to use them: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Quinoa Chili
Lentils (green, brown, black)
- Soaked: n/a (no soaking needed!)
- Dry: 9 – 11 minutes
- How to use them: Superfood Kale & Lentil Quinoa Salad
Pinto Beans
- Soaked: 6 – 9 minutes
- Dry: 30 – 35 minutes
- How to use them: Mexican Pinto Beans from Skinnytaste
Click to Download ‣‣ How To Cook Beans in the Instant Pot Guide
I wish the guide told how much liquid to bean/lentil ratios. The guide is helpful but the fluid information would make it incredible!
please send me the ultimate guide to cooking beans in the instant pot
Thanks for your helpful recipes and videos. Please email me the free guide to cooking times for beans. Thanks
Joce
Sorry about that! I just emailed it to you 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Alyssa thank you for making a guide, however, I didn’t receive it Can you please resend!
Thanks!
Sorry about that! I just emailed it to you 🙂 Enjoy!
The guide does not include quantities and is in gray don’t not black. It’s incomplete.
Hi, I didn’t receive your beans cooking guide to my email.
I just emailed it to you!
please email me a copy for how long to cook beans in my instapot.
Just emailed it over to you!
One thing I don’t see is how much liquid in instapot if you soaked the beans. I aaume it’s less than amount for I soaked beans. But nowhere in instructions do you tell me.
Hi Alyssa! I didn’t receive your bean cooking guide it wouldn’t open! Can you please resend! Thank you!
Sorry about that Tammy! I just emailed it to you 🙂 Enjoy!
I did not receive the cooking guide in my email
Sorry about that! I just emailed it to you 🙂 Enjoy!
This is great. But you really should just print out the guide on this page rather than having us download it.
hello! you are a pleasure to learn from although the mu ads are slowing everything down :/ The bean cooking guide doesn’t seem to exist now?
Hi- I did not receive the guide in my inbox. Let me know what I can do!
Sorry about that! I just sent it to your email 🙂
I did not receive the bean cooking guide
Sorry about that! I’m emailing it to you right now.
Hi tried to download your guid but did not receive anything.
Could you send it to me please.
Thank you, Elaine
Sorry about that! I just emailed it over to you 🙂
I didn’t get the cooking beans in the instant pot guide. could you please email it to me
Sorry about that! I just emailed it over to you 🙂
I downloaded your pdf and really appreciate that you took time to figure them all out and to share it with us. I’ve now made two different beans in my Instant Pot, using your guidelines. They were right on! So I’ll be making my beans in the IP from now on — thank you.
Thank you so much for the YouTube video which was very straightforward and thorough. Also, a huge thanks for the printable guide. I’m making beans tomorrow — no more cans!
I’m so glad you have found it helpful!! You will never go back to buying canned beans 🙂
Hi…tried downloading your guide and didn’t receive it. Can you please send it to me? Thx, David in Seattle.
Sorry about that! I just emailed it to you
Never received your guide for cooking bean. Cold you send it to my email. Thank you
Sorry about that! I just sent it over to your email 🙂
Is it possible for you to send me the bean cooking sheet please? It is blank when i try to click it. Thank you.
yes I just emailed it over to you! So sorry about that!
I watched your YouTube video on this and wanted to come over and get your guide but the link never went to my inbox. I was wondering if you could send me the link please and thank you.
I just watched your video and Loved it and wanted to get a copy of how to cook beans in the instant pot but I never received the link in my email. I was wondering if you could sent it to me. Thank you so much.
Sorry about that, Yvonne! I just sent it over to your email 🙂
Are you cooking the beans on high pressure or low pressure?
I used High Pressure
Hello, I clicked on link to get guide and didn’t receive it. Please send. Much thanks!
Sorry about that!! Just sent it over to your email 🙂
I never received the guide could you please send to my email. I even checked my spam folder Thank You
Just sent it to your email 🙂
Hi! I used the link to get a copy of your guide yesterday, however it never came. Can you please e-mail a copy?
Sorry about that! I just sent it over to your email 🙂
The link for the bean cooking cookbook does not work. Also the type in this section is a VERY light grey,,,, should be fixed I think. Thank you for offering the book and the info on bean cooking,,, I just hope you can get your web page working so you don’t have to e mail same to folks who write of the problem. I wonder how many folks DID NOT write you but wanted the “book” and are potential “lost” followers.!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your concern, John. I have emailed you the guide directly. I hope you find it helpful.
I used the link, but the field where you put emal and name dissapears. please send thru email.
I sent it to your email, Karen 🙂 enjoy!
used the link to get a copy of your guide for cooking beans, but it never came. Can you e-mail a copy please. thx
Just sent it over to you 🙂
Hi, Alyssa – May I please have a copy of your wonderful guide? Thank you!
Jen
Absolutely, Jen! It is linked in the article above but I have also sent it to your email 🙂
Hi! Love your page and videos. When will I get my printable guide for cooking beans?
Thank you!
Sending it to you now 🙂
You included that the ratio water to one cup of unsoaked beans is 2-3 cups water. Maybe I missed it but what is the water ratio to soaked beans?
Thanks for catching that Liz! 🙂 You will need 2 cups of water for each cup of soaked beans and about 3 cups of water for each cup of unsoaked beans
You mention turning off the keep warm button for beans. I’m not sure if I have an older model of instant pot. But if I turn off keep warm button it cancels the program. Do I wait till cooking time is over and THEN stop keep warm? Sorry, I’m new to all this
you might have to experiment with your Instant Pot a bit. IP changes things with every model and we found it necessary to turn off the keep warm button to avoid mushy beans with our model but maybe that isn’t the case with yours 🙂 After your beans are cooked and the IP has depressurized see if your beans need to keep warm a little longer or if you need to continue by turning off the machine.
My question is how much watts is your instant pot? I have a different brand pot. And it is 1550 watts.
I couldn’t really find that info! Here’s the one I have though 🙂 click to see
How can I get the Free Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot?
Follow this link: https://simplyquinoa.ck.page/e00a27bc81 and fill out the form 🙂 It will come straight to your email after that, check your spam folder if you don’t see it.
I’d love to get a copy of your guide to cooking beans if it is still available.
Thank you.
Woohoo! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Hi Aylissa,
I really like your presentation on your Youtube account. I just purchased the Instant Pot Pro/Air Fryer (not the WiFi) . I’m learning how to prepare healthier meals. I want to do prep work on the weekend and ease into the week of cooking dinner for my family. We don’t eat fast foods, however we eat carbs. I’m 58 and my twin sons are 11… they’re lean and full of energy. During the Pandemic I’ve put on the +19 lbs. I’d really appreciate the Free guide to cooking bean in the Instant Pot.
I look forward to getting your healthy meal plans. I want to experiment for about a week with basics so I don’t get frustrated.
Cheers
Laurie
I just sent that guide to you via email! I hope you enjoy your Instant Pot, Laurie and we look forward to seeing more of you in our SQ community 🙂
I just saw your helpful instant pot guide. Excellent. I do not know to to get to your blog. Can you please send me the guide for how long to cook each type of bean please.
Just emailed it over to you 🙂
Hi Alyssa, can you send me the Free Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot? many thanks
Just emailed it to you! 🙂
Hi….. can you send me the Free Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot too? I did sign up but did not receive the Guide.
Thanks!
Nancy
So sorry about that Nancy! I just emailed it over to you 🙂
How can I get the Free Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot?
I just emailed it to you 🙂
I haven’t received the Free Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot despite signing up for it. It hasn’t been emailed to me. Can you help with this? Thanks,
Yves Poirier
So sorry about that! I just emailed the guide to you.
Thanks for the guide and the recipes. The information is invaluable and so accessible.
You’re so welcome!
I haven’t received the Free Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot despite signing up for it. It hasn’t been emailed to me. Can you help with this? Thanks, Judy Bauman
I’m so sorry about that, Judy! I just emailed you the cooking guide, you should receive it shortly.
Alyssa, I still haven’t received the CHART. Can you help me too?
Thanks, Chari
Hi Chari. We’ve had a bunch of difficulty with this link so I will let you know if we’re able to fix it in the future. Sorry about that.
Hi Loved you video on beans in the instant pot but one problem.
I signed up to get the complete bean cooking chart but it never showed up in y email?
I even tried more than one email and connecting from different countries by VPN.
Thanks
Please email us and we’ll get you the link! he***@**********oa.com
I have tried 3 time to dwnld the Ultimate Guide to Cooking Beans in the Instant Pot.
It is not working.
Thanks
Toni
Hi Toni! Weird! Usually it takes a couple of minutes to show up in your inbox. Maybe check junk or spam messages?
Hi Alyssa! I loved the YouTube video and enjoyed reading this blog post. I am having the same issue that another commenter had. I put in my name and email address for the PDF file, and it indicates that my email address is accepted, then nothing. I tried a couple of different email addresses, so I don’t believe it is a spam filter issue. Please help if you can. Best, Bryan
Hi Bryan! Sorry for the late response. If this hasn’t been resolved, please email su*****@**********oa.com and we will be happy to get this sorted for you!
I attempted to send an email and the response I received is below. Would it be possible to simply email me the pdf to the address on this comment?
Your message wasn’t delivered to su*****@**********oa.com because the address couldn’t be found, or is unable to receive mail.
The response was:
550 5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try double-checking the recipient’s email address for typos or unnecessary spaces.
Weird! We’ve notified the team and you should be receiving an email from us shortly! Thanks for letting us know!
I wanted to let you know that it has been two weeks and I have not received any email communication from the team regarding the Bean Cooking Guide that we discussed. I can’t imagine I am the only one having these difficulties, and I would have thought it would have been corrected by now.
Best, Bry
Navy Beans are the go to bean for Boston Baked beans, a staple for many people. They didn’t make your list, which came at the price of one’s email. Great Northern didn’t make the cut either and is a very popular and often found bean at the grocery store. In fact, in my area, those two varieties are often the only beans available for making “sugar beans” or baked beans, Consider adding them to your list. I would imagine pinto is the closest in cooking times, but this will be unknown to a beginner. Otherwise, it’s nice to have a list which considers times both soaked and unsoaked.
I’ll have to check those out!
If you like beans, try ordering from Rancho Gordo in Napa, California. We love their mostly heirloom beans.
I’ll try that!
I cook beans (all kinds) a lot so I’m looking forward to the faster cook times. I’m wondering, tho, what if I want lots of juice in my beans? We are big into cornbread & beans but there needs to be plenty of juice. How can I cook beans with extra bean juice? Thx for your help!
I would just add extra liquid!
Tried 3-5 times to download the cooking beans in the instant pot…. not working…. added my name to the email list 5 times… still nothing….
It tells me im ready to go… then nothing shows up on thepage. Nothing to click on, no indication of where to go to download. It was a complete bust.
Please fix. Definitely interested in the cooking list. Please email it to me at ka******@*ol.com
Let me check it out!
This is fantastic info! Thank you so much.
You’re so welcome!
Hi, I want to make my beans by soaking them overnight and then use the instant pot to cook them. I am having trouble finding how much water to soak the beans in initially. Then when I cook them, how much water to use to cook the soaked beans. Your instructions for the amount of cooking water is for water to dry beans. Any idea how much water to use for soaked beans? I hate to waste a bunch of water.
Soaking should just be covering them by about 2″. And I think you could reduce the water by 1/2 cup!
Thanks for your reply. 🙂
Hi Alyssa! Thank you so much for your website and videos! Your video on cooking beans was EXCELLENT!
Plant based instant pot recipes is exactly what I am looking for! I’m looking forward to trying them! Keep up the GREAT job!
I’m so glad you found it helpful!!
The link to “a free printable cooking chart” doesnt take you to any chart.
It’s delivered via email, so just enter your info and it will be sent right over!
Sorry, the chart never arrived after multiple tries with multiple browsers. The page just ‘spins’ after submitting the email. It looks like a back-end problem.
Can you email me? al****@**********oa.com
Thanks for sharing this info on the dry beans. I am wondering how beans generally freeze once they have been in the instapot? Would you recommend doing that for the extras? Have you found cooked beans that are frozen to “dry” out?
I think you can freeze beans! I haven’t personally tested it with beans alone, but whenever I freeze a soup that has beans in it, they’re totally fine! I’d say that if you are reheating and they seem a little dry, just add a splash of water to make them almost “saucy” 🙂
My instantpot has really inspired me to add more pulses and quinoa to my diet. I also enjoy making steel cut oats.
YAY! I can’t wait to test out some oatmeal recipes and also more soups/stews 🙂
Hey is anyone else having trouble trying to get them guide. Every time I click the link it does nothing. Is this on my end? Thanks!
Updated! Here’s the direct link: https://queenofquinoa.lpages.co/instant-pot-beans-freebie/
I can’t seem to get the link to work to download the guide
Here’s the direct link: https://queenofquinoa.lpages.co/instant-pot-beans-freebie/” Sorry about that!