Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe (No Soak Required)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans are tender and flavorful, perfect alone or as part of a meal. Learn how to cook pinto beans in a pressure cooker! It’s the easiest pinto bean recipe, ever! Minimal cooking time with maximum flavor.
Savory and smoky with just a touch of heat, this pressure cooker pinto beans recipe is sure to become a new favorite!
Pair this simple side dish with all of your Mexican favorites or dig into a bowl for a hearty snack.
What I love about this instant pot recipe is that it’s so much faster than the slow cooker!
The high pressure makes the cooked beans perfect each and every time, and I don’t have to stress out or even worry about an overnight soak to prep the pound of beans before cooking them.
That not only makes this an easy recipe – it makes it a great recipe, too!
I love using my Instant Pot pressure cooker for this delicious recipe because it means that I can cook unsoaked beans in literally minutes of time.
It’s an easy way to not have to wait a long time for beans. (and I mean tender beans, too!)
You can add these cooked beans to Mexican dishes and vegan recipes or pair them with ground beef for a fun Taco night.
The first time that you make a batch of these Instant Pot pinto beans you’re going to be hooked and love that you didn’t have to do a ton of hard work!
Easy recipes like this are my favorite way to create unique dishes and cook delicious pinto beans.
I love the simple process – and Im’ sure that you will as well. Say goodbye to the days of taking forever to cook beans and let your Instant Pot do the trick!
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Not only is this no soak pinto beans recipe incredibly simple, but it takes a fraction of the time as stovetop versions!
Toss all of your ingredients into the stainless steel insert, seal the lid, and cook on High for 50 minutes.
Once the timer is up, let it release pressure naturally for about 30 minutes. Then, open the vent to finish the pressure release and drain before serving!
Instant Pot pinto beans are a great way to add protein to any meal, plus they keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days — perfect for leftovers or meal prep!
We also have a fabulous chipotle pinto bean copycat recipe you need to try!
Did you know you can make perfect corn on the cob in the IP as well? It’s also great for fluffy brown rice or these incredible pulled pork sliders.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Beans – We’ll be using dried beans (instead of canned) to make pinto beans in the Instant Pot. Otherwise, they’ll just come out as mush!
- Onion – For flavor and texture, feel free to leave this out if you prefer.
- Stock – Since this is a no soak pinto beans recipe, you’ll need plenty of liquid to get them nice and soft — a whopping 12 cups of chicken stock!
- Spices – I use a simple blend of Mexican-inspired spices when making pinto beans in the Instant Pot.
If you want to try something different, you’ll find more flavor combinations in the FAQ at the bottom of the post.
Tips for Making No Soak Pinto Beans
- Rinse first! Often there are tiny bits of debris that were missed during processing. Be sure to pick those out before starting the recipe.
- Salt after cooking. Salt can sometimes prevent the beans from softening.
Instead, taste your Instant Pot pinto beans just before serving and season as needed at that point. - Add a garnish. Enjoy a bowl of pressure cooker pinto beans with some salsa, cilantro, and fresh avocado.
Even a squeeze of lime would be delicious. Fresh cilantro is a great choice, too! - Vegetarian option: Simply swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock instead!
- Want to make refried beans? Reserve some of the cooking liquid from the IP. Add as much as needed while mashing for moisture.
While I’m a fan of this Instant Pot Pinto Beans recipe, the cooking process is really what sells me on this dish.
I swear – using the Instant Pot creates one of my favorite side dishes and perfect pinto beans.
Pinto Beans Instant Pot FAQ
It depends. Soaking the night before does help them cook faster (and a bit more evenly), but it’s not required.
For a stovetop cooking method, it may be better to soak so you don’t have the stove on for hours at a time.
Pressure cooking already reduces that time significantly, but you can cook them in as little as 15 minutes on High if you still prefer to soak them first.
Absolutely! This pinto beans pressure cooker recipe makes a nice big pot, so you can easily reduce the amount if you only want to make a pound at a time.
I like to use a blend of New Mexico chile powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and black pepper for a Mexican-inspired flavor.
These Instant Pot pinto beans are flavorful enough to eat alone but seasoned perfectly for a variety of Tex-Mex meals.
You could also lean heavily into tomato and molasses flavors, along with plenty of pork, for a number of baked bean recipes.
Or, lean into earthy flavors with some combination of thyme, sage, rosemary, and marjoram!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
Don’t miss a thing! Follow us on
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Other Easy Bean Recipes
Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe (No Soak Required)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pinto beans, dry
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced, about 1 small onion
- 2 teaspoons New Mexico chile powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- salt , to taste
- 12 cups chicken stock
- chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse dry beans under running water and drain through a sieve. Remove any loose debris or non-bean particles. Place beans in the bottom of the instant pot insert.
- Add diced onion,chile powder, cumin, paprika, and black pepper.
- Pour chicken stock into the pot and stir to combine everything.
- Fit in the instant pot, seal lid, and program to cook on HIGH for 50 minutes.
- Allow the instant pot to vent naturally for 30 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Drain the extra liquid from the beans (or use some of it to moisten beans if making refried beans).
- Serve with cilantro.
Donna’s Notes
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published March 2022, updated and republished February 2024
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.
What size Instant Pot did you make these in? 6qt? or bigger?
I made these beans today and was disappointed that they didn’t taste as good as they sounded. I’m not sure why, but they are bitter. The spices used would be a nice combo, but they just didn’t work for me. ☹️
Hi Susi,
The bitterness in dried beans (particularly pintos) is part of their chemical makeup. Also, the older the beans are, the more bitter they can be. Soaking them in cold water for several hours can help eliminate the bitter flavor. I suggest trying that and giving the recipe another shot.
TSRI Team member,
Becca
When made right, these beans are amazing! Definitely need to soak the beans before hand, but i usually do that anyway. I love simple instant pot recipes.