Instant Pot Black Beans (Perfect Beans Every Time!)

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Bowl of perfectly cooked black beans made in the Instant Pot

We debuted our Instant Pot by making brown rice, so it was only natural that we try its perfect match: black beans!

Making homemade black beans (from dry beans) is cost-effective and delicious, but it can be a little time consuming on the stovetop.

But with a little help from the Instant Pot, perfectly tender black beans are ready in under 1 hour with just 1 pot and 3 ingredients (no soaking required)!

Dry black beans, onion, vegetable broth, and salt for making our Instant Pot Black Beans recipe

How to Cook Instant Pot Black Beans

  1. Add beans and water (or broth) to Instant Pot. We also like a little onion and salt for added flavor (optional).
  2. Secure lid, press Pressure Cook — High, and set to 30 minutes. It will take ~8 minutes to pressurize and then the cooking will begin.
  3. When the Instant Pot timer goes off, set a separate timer for 20 minutes and allow the steam to release naturally (that means don’t push any buttons!).
  4. Carefully remove lid and enjoy perfectly cooked beans!
Broth, onion, and black beans in an Instant Pot

How to Use Black Beans

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Wooden spoon in a pot of perfectly cooked easy Instant Pot Black Beans

Instant Pot Black Beans (Perfect Beans Every Time!)

A quick and simple method for making PERFECT black beans in the Instant Pot every time! Just 3 ingredients and 1 pot required.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Instant Pot of Homemade Black Beans with onion
4.70 from 148 votes
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 58 minutes
Servings 6 (half-cup servings)
Course Side
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 5 Days

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry black beans, rinsed and sorted
  • 1/4 medium white or yellow onion, skin on (NOT chopped — keep in a wedge // optional)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup vegetable broth (or sub water)
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  • Add beans, onion (optional), salt, vegetable broth, and water to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes (it will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins). Then let the beans rest in the pot for 20 minutes so the steam can dissipate naturally (this means you don't push any buttons — we recommend setting another timer so you’ll remember to remove the lid after 20 minutes).
  • Carefully remove lid once steam has fully escaped. The beans should be tender and perfectly cooked, but if they're not that's usually caused by having old beans or hard water – you can seal the lid again and pressure cook on high for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until they're tender.
  • Remove onion and strain off any excess cooking liquid (or sauté for 10 minutes with the lid off, stirring frequently, to evaporate excess liquid).
  • Enjoy immediately, or store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with store-bought vegetable broth.

Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)

Serving: 1 half-cup servings Calories: 116 Carbohydrates: 20.9 g Protein: 7.6 g Fat: 0.5 g Saturated Fat: 0.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 284 mg Potassium: 305 mg Fiber: 7.6 g Sugar: 0.9 g Vitamin A: 5.16 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 27 mg Iron: 1.87 mg

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  1. Lynne says

    I love the ease of ratios,instapot steam release info.Quick and to the point.Soooo Glad I found this cooking site!Go Minimalist!

  2. Christi Townsend says

    Could you please tell me how many pounds of dry black beans will cook well in my Instant Pot Duo Nova 8 qt.? I’d like to cook as many as possible. Cooking for a camp. Can I put 3# in? 4#?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Christi, we aren’t certain, but you don’t want the liquid + beans to go past the 1/2 line. We’d estimate about 2 pounds. Hope that helps!

    • Josh says

      I can easily do a pound in my 6 qt, and probably two. I’ve done a pound in a 3 qt and it was pushing the limit. I’d say you could PROBABLY get away with 3 lbs in the 8 qt, but four is seriously pushing it.

  3. Keren says

    Thank you for the recipe!
    One suggestion, don’t discard the broth , it’s full of nutrients including iron!
    Make it in to a soup, add some cheese and roasted tomato salsa, Yummy it’s delicious!!!!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Rachel, you can measure your beans but 1 lb should be ~3 cups, and you will need to increase the liquid accordingly. The time will be the same. Hope this helps!

  4. Kubotronic says

    It came out a bit soupy even after I sautéed it for 15 min. So I just skimmed a few off and the rest I ate like a soup. Came out delicious!

  5. Jenny says

    I make this recipe routinely, particularly for my chili. They come out perfect every time and I use the onions the chili, as well as any leftover liquid. Beautiful recipe!

  6. Michelle says

    this recipe has been very helpful for me. It was my first time using an instant pot and making the black beans in it. This is my 3rd time and I doubled the recipe. Love my black turtle beans. Question tho, why do you cut the onion in a wedge and recommend leaving the peel on?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad it’s been helpful, Michelle! Leaving the onion as a wedge infuses the beans with flavor without having bites of onion. Leaving the peel on keeps it more whole so it’s easier to take out. Hope that helps!

  7. Deb Edwards says

    I thought this recipe worked well, I may have left them in a little too long, but my guests still liked them. Thanks for posting!

  8. Heather H. says

    Thank you for an awesome recipe! I’ve used it quite a few times & changed it up each time — so versatile!
    I’ve never changed the bean to liquid ratio — that’s perfect! I just switch up a few spices, add garlic cloves, etc.

    Thanks again! I look forward to making even more of your recipes!

  9. Matt says

    Followed the recipe but beans were very mushy. I would only do 20 mins on high next steam. I also quick released the pressure. Ok think If I’d let it sit for another 20 I’d have had soup!

  10. Billie says

    This whole slew of recipes around black beans is just what our family needed❣️The most nutritious and with so many great recipes I can put them all over the menu ‼️You’re amazing. Thank you ♥️😘♥️♥️♥️

  11. Carina says

    Just made this and it came out perfect. I doubled amount of beans and liquid, we like them soupy. Mashed some and used them for breakfast burritos this morning. Thank you for this simple, yummy, minimalist😉 recipe!

  12. Mari says

    I am so glad I found this recipe on line. My beans came out perfect, and I will use this recipe again and again. I wondered about the delicious broth it made, so I researched if I could use it for soup. Sure enough…there are lots of recipes that encourage us to use the broth because it is so tasty. Thanks for perfecting your recipe and sharing it with all of us.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Mari. Let us know what kind of soup you make with the broth!

  13. Shannon says

    I love this recipe and it always works well for me! a question: if you halve the recipe, does the cooking time get halved too?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Shannon, we’re so glad you enjoy it! The cooking time stays the same. It will take a little less time for the Instant Pot to become pressurized and it will naturally release faster. But you don’t have to modify any of the directions. Hope that helps!

  14. Bea says

    Thank you for sharing the instructions, this is my first time using an instant pot after my crockpot broke down, the beans came out wonderfully, great texture and awesome flavor!! I added a garlic clove and a bay leaf, thank you all for the tips.

  15. Dana says

    Today was the first time ever for me using IP or any pressure cooker. Spent a couple hours reading instructions and looking up recipes, was worried I wouldn’t find instructions for just basic black beans. So glad I was wrong. Thanks for a nice simple set of instructions for a nice simple ingredient. I agree with others who said the instructions as written is too much water. I used 1 pound of beans (approx 2 1/4 cup) and 6 cups liquid, fearing that using less would not be enough. Definitely would have worked with less, but now I have liquid for the next batch. 30 minutes cook and 20 minutes release, and I have super soft, creamy beans. Almost too soft, but will make awesome mashed beans to spread on tortillas.

    • KC says

      after reading your comment I cooked 1 pound of beans in 4 cups of water and 1 cup of veggie stock. Turned out well. Would NOT have wanted to use any less liquid.

  16. Amanda says

    This is just the best recipe! I typically double it and cook in an 8 qt instant pot. I add a couple garlic cloves and some extra onion and cumin. Love, love, love the recipe. Thank you!

    • Glen says

      Hello,

      Excellent recipe but make sure to remove stickers from onion skins. Had to toss a whole batch because sticker was on skin and I did not want chemicals in my batch. : )

    • Emme says

      Since onion just rips my stomach up no matter how I cook it or don’t cook it, I use garlic and it turns out very very mellow and wonderful. Thank you

    • Wendy says

      First thing I made in my IP, and the beans turned out nice and tender. I can hardly wait to use the pot for other things.

      Question: Can the liquid be used for soup? Seems a shame to throw it out.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Yay! So glad this recipe was a success for you, Wendy. We typically discard the liquid, it can be quite starchy from the beans, but it might work for a soup. Let us know if you give it a try!

  17. D says

    I made these, the beans were hard after the instructions for instapot. I added 2 more cups of liquid (vegetable broth and water) the beans were really hard after another 30 minutes in the instapot and taste burnt!

  18. Mary Ruth Jurgaitis says

    As I read other comments about beans being old, I felt that I should cook mine a little longer. My bag of beans has been sitting in my pantry for a few years now, so I figured they were in the “old” category. I found out they really weren’t OLD. As a result they ended up quite soft for what I planned to use them for. HOWEVER! They will be great for refried beans, so no loss and I will know better next time when I want to use them in chili.

  19. Megan says

    These were so incredible! My kids love them too. We have made the recipe several times and it is always perfect. Sometimes I use more broth than water and add Mexican seasoning. Thank you for giving us so many wonderful recipes!

  20. Pomy Singh says

    I doubled the recipe at my own risk after reading a few comments, here is what happened. I set the IP to 38 minutes which could have maybe been reduced to 36 and with a pure doubling of the recipe, it had too much water. I think next time I’d reduce the liquid by two cups.

    It is SO delicious. This bean recipe is literally all I need in my life. I took some other people’s advice on adding a bit of seasoning and I topped it with Rainbow Plant Life’s cilantro crema. Yum yum yum

      • Angeleet says

        Looking forward to trying this. My question is I like to soak all my grains for 24 hours before I cook with them and discard the liquid. . Any thoughts on adjustments for cooking in the IP?

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Angeleet! We don’t soak our beans, but you can if you prefer. If you do soak overnight you might reduce your cooking time to 15 minutes, since the beans will already be partly hydrated. Hope this helps!

    • Anita says

      Hi Pomy, I too follow rainbow plant life as well as minimalist baker – could you share the cilantro crema recipe as it doesn’t come up on website.

      Thanks Anita

  21. Shannon says

    Absolutely delicious however I did have to cook beans 1 hour. Do you think my beans were old? Thanks for posting your recipe.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Shannon, thank you for sharing your experience! Yes, they likely were old. We’ve had that happen to us more recently too!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        It’s doesn’t! It will just take a little longer to come to pressure and release the pressure. Hope that helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Liz. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo

  22. Stephanie says

    I love this recipe and does actually come out perfect every time, with a little bite left in the bean. This, along with so many other MB recipes are fantastic and are loved by even my meat and potato husband.

  23. Aneila says

    These turned out great! I did have to pressure cook an additional 5 minutes, but my beans may have been a little old. I added some garlic cloves after reading the comments and also a few spices (cumin, coriander, chili powder, smoked paprika, & salt) since I was making them for black bean tacos. They had wonderful flavor and texture!

  24. Ed says

    I made these beans and they were delishish. I changed the recipe slightly. I added a beef bouillon cube as I had no stock. Otherwise everything the same. I did cook for 35 min and my pot has hold function so held for 20 min. As is they turned out great. I did take them one step farther and made them into refried black beans. Make bean recipe and after discarding onion mash remaining. Put in frypan and reduce over med heat to remove water. Keep stirring as they may stick. Lowered heat as they thickened. 20 mins more and they turned into the best bean dip ever. This recipe is a keeper as I’ve been looking for a refried bean recipe for a long time.

  25. Roseann says

    I have made this several times. Not sure if my beans are “old” (I buy from bulk bins), but when I follow the timing here, they have been coming out a little dry. Maybe undercooked? What’s worked for me to get softer beans is to soak them first for 24hrs, then pressure cook for 35 min.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Roseann, we’ve had that experience lately too, while they worked perfectly in the past. So we’re thinking old beans could be the issue – maybe caused by supply issues during the beginning of the pandemic? We’ve found that cooking an additional 5-20 minutes (depending on the beans you end up with) fixes the issue. Hope that helps!

  26. S says

    The beans come out perfect every time. I’ve made this about ten times now. I like to add some cloves of peeled garlic for extra flavor. Thank you, Minimalist Baker team!!

  27. Rona says

    I made it as written except I used chicken broth in place of the vegetable broth because that’s what I had. I had to cook another 5 minutes after the first release. Only waited 10 minutes the 2nd time & then did a slow manual release. They’re delicious. I’ll be doing this in place of canned from now on.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! We’re so glad they turned out well. Thanks for sharing your experience, Rona!

  28. Monica says

    Perfect! I doubled the amount of beans and soaked overnight. Doubled the water/stock, used half an onion but kept 1/2 tsp of salt. Pressure cooked for 28 minutes. So easy and delicious, will be having it on top of some turmeric rice for lunch!

  29. Paul says

    Literally the best black beans recipe. I was looking for something that captured the feeling of eating at hispanic restaurants back home in Florida and you did it. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Paul! Thanks so much for the lovely review!

  30. Diana M Butler says

    Thank you so much for this simply perfect recipe. I used an assortment of small beans including black beans, red beans, and cranberry beans. I doubled the recipe exactly, including all of the timings, using broth and onion as suggested. My beans were perfectly cooked and delicious!

  31. Marie says

    These turned out amazing! We made a huge batch and kept the timing the same, the beans turned out perfectly. For lunch today we used them in the corn bread and black bean enchilada bake…DELICIOUS! Thanks again for a winning recipe.

      • Tracy says

        Loved this. I had gotten out of the habit of making beans from scratch after a few misses in my slow cooker. I gave this a “one last try” in my instant pot and I’m so glad I did. They were perfect. Gonna make a second batch right now to freeze for a future meal.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          We’re so glad it turned out well in the Instant Pot! Thanks for sharing, Tracy! xo

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hi Salina, you can definitely soak them first. Maybe start with 5 minutes less?

  32. Becca says

    I’d like to double the recipe. Do I need to adjust the time? (This will be my first ever Instantpot recipe!) Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Becca, no need to adjust the cooking time! Just make sure the total volume doesn’t go past the 1/2 line on your Instant Pot. Hope that helps!

    • Jenny says

      I made 4 cups and added the other ingredients accordingly and the top beans were not even close to done. I will increase cooking time in the future.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Jenny, sorry to hear they didn’t soften for you. That can mean the beans are older, you’re at high altitude, or are using hard water. We’d suggest trying an additional 5-10 minutes to see if that helps next time.

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hi Austin, that’s kind of the nature of the Instant Pot – if you use less water, the beans cook unevenly. To resolve this issue, you can either drain some of the water off and/or after releasing the pressure, remove the lid, select sauté, and let excess water evaporate (stirring occasionally). Hope that helps!

      • Janice says

        I did mine for 35 minutes and they were not done. Just put them in for 8 more minutes. My beans are from rancho gordo and theirs are always fresh.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Janice, perhaps one of the other factors mentioned here (hard water, altitude) was an issue?

  33. Dianne says

    Hey! I tried this recipe and the black beans came out firmer than I like – almost tasted like they weren’t cooked all the way, kinda crunchy. Is that normal? Any tips?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Dianne, sorry that happened! They should turn out more cooked than that but can vary based on factors such as how old the beans are or whether you’re at high altitude or using hard water. We’d suggest cooking for 35 minutes next time!

      • james says

        a pressure cooker eliminates the variations from altitude so that shouldn’t be an issue.

        different bean varieties make a big difference. I eat a lot of beans and record observations of timing vs brands/types in my notes app.

    • Nick says

      Same result. Dry beans, not soaked, cooked to tender in under an hour isn’t possible. Edible but not enjoyable.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Nick, we’re sorry that was your experience! We’ve made this recipe several times with success as have many other readers. Another issue besides the ones mentioned in the comment to Dianne could be if there’s too much salt.

      • John Hocutt says

        Hi, Mr James,

        Pressure cookers add pressure on top of the pressure that’s around the pressure cooker. For example, the air pressure in Denver is 80% of sea-level (3 psi/21 kPa less) and water boils at 202 °F/94 °C instead of 212 °F/100 °C (10 °F/6 °C less). When two cooks use their pressure cookers at sea-level & in Denver, both pressure cookers add 11 psi/75 kPa to the the original pressure of the pots, but the Denver pressure cooker still has a pressure 3 psi/21 kPa less and thus a temperature 6 °F/3 °C less than the sea-level pressure cooker.

        The result is that the Denver pressure cooker reaches 236 °F/113 °C instead of the 242 °F/116 °C the sea-level pressure cooker reaches and will cook a little slower than at sea level. The good news though, even though the Denver pressure cooker is cooking 10 °F/6 °C lower than at sea-level, it is still cooking 34 °F/ 19 °C higher than would happen with an open pot which markedly reduces the cooking time.

        To make up for that lower pressure at altitude, add 5-10% to your pressure-cooking time and your beans should turn out fine.

          • John Hocutt says

            After I did all the research about altitude effects on pressure cooker cooking temperatures, I got to thinking about all the complaints about pressure cookers not cooking beans. I never have problems with undercooked beans and I do bump into old beans.

            It dawned on me that folks are blaming poor cooking on old beans when it could be due to improper venting of their pressure cookers at the start of their pressure cooking cycle. Air molecules have less heat capacity than do water molecules and thus an air-water atmosphere will cook less effectively (colder) than one consisting of pure water. Failure to vent all the air out of the pot before it is sealed has roughly the same effect as cooking at 5,000 ft and can be compensated for by extending the cooking time by 15%.

            What’s even worse is cooking at altitude combined with not properly venting which will compound the undercooking. It would take an extension of 25-30% to compensate for that situation.

            I imagine a lot people don’t understand the science behind pressure cookers and are likely not making sure that their cookers are cleared of all their air. At one point I thought I was speeding things up by giving my lid a small press to get the valve to seat early… in reality I was making my cooker cook colder due to the residual air. What I do with my pot now is I leave the sealing weight open till it’s producing a good stream of steam… once I confident that all the air has been replaced by water vapor, then I close the value and am confident my pressure cooker will cook its hottest and quickest.

    • Joseph says

      Probably because of the salt added to dry beans – it makes them tough – you’re not supposed to add it until after they’ve been cooked to the desired temerature.

  34. steve says

    If you want to give then a cool Brazilian twist…….squeeze the juice on one large orange put the peels/halfs in to soak for about 15 min or bring to a boil turn off let steep for 5 min…….AWESOME!

  35. Leah says

    These are the best black beans!!!! I have made at least 10 times. So easy and come out great every time. I usually don’t bother to take out exactly 20 mins after done – usually just leave til I’m ready to eat, and haven’t had any issues! Perfect for week day meal with very little hands on time.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy them, Leah. Good point- the amount of time for the natural release doesn’t make much difference. Thanks for sharing!

  36. Adriana says

    I just made these twice. The first time I got busy and left them in for 35 min after cooking for 30 instead of 20 as I got busy. The beans were way too mushy. I decided to make a second batch. I cooked them for 30 min and this time left them to rest for only 15 min after, just to error on the side of caution. Still way too mushy. I might be able to use them for baking but definitely not for the soup I intended them for. Next time I’ll try cooking them for 20 min and see what happens.
    I’m quite disappointed, usually I love your recipes!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Adriana, so sorry to hear that’s been your experience. We’ve never had them getting mushy in that time frame. To confirm, you’re using dry black turtle beans (not canned)? Let us know how it goes at 20 minutes!

      • Adriana says

        I did use dry black turtle beans (and not pre-soaked). I will definitely try it again for 20 min next time.
        With all these over-cooked beans I made your black bean brownies and those, as usual, turned out fantastic.

        • Al says

          The freshness of your dried beans matters. If they’re very fresh (as yours probably were), then they need shorter cooking time, whether done on the stovetop or Instapot/pressure cooker.

    • Paula says

      The timing worked perfectly for me. I got soft beans but they held up their shape. Just how I like it.
      Other factors might have affected our results, like altitude, soaking time, hardness of water, or even the beans.
      I did not at the onion, but seasoned with sauteed garlic at the end. Just personal preference. That’s how my grandma use to make beans.

  37. Rachel says

    So good! I have been looking for something to improve my bland black bean problem, and this recipe worked so well!

  38. Donna Duvin says

    Can you provide a recipe for plain black beans that have been presoaked? My husband is vegan and also very health conscious. We’d like the simplest recipe w/ shortest cook time

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Are you still cooking in the instant pot? If so, I’d guess that soaked black beans would cook on high pressure in ~10 minutes with a natural release!

  39. Steve says

    I followed the directions, but the beans were too firm. Is this because I failed to soak them overnight or 24 hours?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Steve, this recipe doesn’t require soaking. A few possibilities: 1) the beans are old, 2) your water is hard (has a high mineral content), or 3) the steam release valve wasn’t sealed. You can cook them for another 5-10 minutes to see if that helps.

  40. Jackie says

    I made this today and I must say – these are the best black beans I’ve ever made. I used a red onion and messed up the wedge so now I have onion floaters but that is quite fine by me – these are delicious!

    • Bill says

      I must have hard water. My city water comes from ground wells, so most likely is hard water. 30 minutes does not soften my beans, 50 minutes does. Also, half teaspoon of baking soda can help soften dried beans. I will try a shorter time with baking soda added in the IP TO test.

  41. Manning says

    Used this recipe and beans turned out perfect. Used the onion wedges with skin on, salt and pepper. Used 4 cups of vegetable broth for 1/4 cup of beans so a bit more fluid then necessary but will repurpose it with the flavor for some chicken, beans and rice.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Manning. We are so glad it turned out well! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hi Yvonne, Yes, you can use this recipe for that. But we’d suggest draining off the liquid before making a salad. Hope that helps!

          • Nicole says

            I’ve never cooked dried beans before, but I love black beans and decided to try this recipe. Followed it exactly and ended up with hard beans. Based on the reviews of other readers I decided to try again for 10 mins pressure cooked and 10 minutes of natural release. Turned out perfect! Thanks for the recipe!

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hi Nicole, sorry to hear it didn’t work at first, but glad you were able to troubleshoot! The time can vary based on a variety of factors such as hard water, how old the beans are, and saltiness of the broth. Thanks for sharing your experience!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kartavya, we’d suggest modifying the serving size to 3 (half batch) to make sure it fits. Hope that helps!

  42. Molly Kimball says

    I’ve made these beans twice now. So simple, and they are the perfect consistency with a versatile flavor for using in recipes or eating as-is!

  43. Jessica says

    I just finished this recipe using chicken stock instead of veggie( that is what I had on hand) , I used the entire one pound bag with 8 cups of stock. 1 whole onion, and two large garlic cloves. ( discarded them at the end and cut onion into 4 pieces before putting in the pot.

    Turned out perfect! I could eat them just by themselves and be perfectly content. Yummy! Thank you for sharing this recipe is a keeper!

  44. A.S. says

    I made this according to the directions here, but substituted with chicken broth. In addition, I added two cloves of garlic (which I removed after the beans were cooked and drained. I then mashed them with a fork and gently stirred them back in with the beans). It was divine! Hope this helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, thanks so much for the lovely review, Chelsea. We are so glad you enjoy it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  45. Dana says

    WOW. I know this isn’t a surprise to you, but I still need to say it……these beans are perfection! To think I have been cooking black beans for hours on the stove in my dutch oven and they weren’t even close to as delicious and tender as the beans I made today! Thank you very much :)

  46. AJ says

    For those users who live in the mountains- be sure to adjust for high elevation instant pot cooking! Makes a big difference.

  47. Lisa B. says

    I make this recipe on a regular basis, portion out the beans and use them in salads, soups and other dishes. One tip! Don’t toss the liquid, use to make flavorful black bean soup.

  48. Desiree says

    Just wanted to comment that our black beans turned out PERFECT! I’m thrilled to have this easy recipe in my back pockets for days when I don’t feel like cooking much. We did black bean rice bowls with salsa, guac and tortilla chips. Amazing!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Oh no! Sorry to hear that, Britney! Is it possible you used slightly more beans and/or slightly less water? That could make a difference. Otherwise, we’re not sure- was it just the burn message or was there visible burning on the bottom of the pan?

        • Britney Reid says

          Hi There,

          Thank you for responding! I used 3/4 of a cup of dry black beans 2 cups of water and 1 cup of vegetable broth. There was visible burning on the bottom of the instant pot but it washed out. I had just bought a bag of beans, maybe they were old? I’m going to try again maybe human error?

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Maybe? So strange! We’re not really sure what else could have gone wrong. Maybe make sure to give them a stir before cooking?

  49. Phil Freemore says

    Did you actually try this ‘recipe’ or just dream it up? Used freshly purchased black beans, followed the steps exactly (even let the pressure release for longer) and they came out crunchy. Duh.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Phil, sorry to hear that! We’ve made this recipe many times with success as have many of our readers. That could happen if the beans are old or if your water is hard (has a high mineral content). Or perhaps the pressure didn’t seal properly?

    • Bill says

      There is no reason to be rude. More often than not it’s user error. I am sure you left it on venting instead of sealed.

  50. chris says

    Just made these (without the onion because of the outbreak) and they came out perfect. I bought an instapot years ago and never used it but this inspired me. I threw in some garlic and cumin and it came out divine.

  51. Melody Climo says

    My beans came out perfectly. I used 3 cups of water, no veggie broth and no salt. I also didn’t take them from the Instant Pot until it had cooled completely.

  52. Katie says

    I followed the recipe exactly, but my beans turned out crunchy. I had to cook them for an hour longer and increase the liquid.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Katie, we wonder if the beans were old? They should definitely not take that long.

    • Barb says

      Years ago, when I first got my Instant Pot I read that salt should be added to the cooked beans and not to the cooking water. Following that advice, I’ve never had a batch of beans under cook in the prescribed time.

  53. Tania says

    These were very good! I have been making beans in the IP so much more and I can’t believe I ever thought canned beans were good! Dried beans just have a much better consistency and taste.

    • Brandie Lamberth says

      I just made these. I added a lot more spices but these are perfect. I have had trouble with other recipes getting the beans soft. I did keep it on keep warm for almost 2 hours but other recipes I gave cooked mire on the stove and that still didn’t fix them. Thanks for sharing. These are a keeper.

  54. amanda says

    Just made this and it came out perfectly! My only additions were a little bit of cumin and a little adobo sauce i keep frozen in cubes. I ate some with avocado salsa and tortilla chips as I planned, butafterwards kept sneaking bites of the leftover beans as they were cooling bc they were so delicious by themselves! having a recipe that didn’t require making the whole bag was super helpful as well.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed them! And love those additions. Thanks for sharing, Amanda!

  55. April Saunders says

    Thanks for these step-by-step instructions. I did soak the beans first and used vegetable broth (and some water), keeping the 3:1 ratio of beans to broth. Perfect! And on my first go ;)

  56. Betty Cassady says

    I made these today. I made 1 pound of black beans, added 1Tbsp salt, 2 tsp cumin, the onion and 5 cups veg broth. I cooked them as you described with no soaking. They turned out perfect. Very delicious.
    I think the 5 cups broth was good for me. I don’t like the excess liquid I have to discard when i do the 1 to 3 or 4 cup ratio usually recommended for beans.
    Next time I will add garlic and jalapeños and increase the cumin to 1Tbsp.
    I am excited to try your brown rice.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for sharing, Betty! Instead of discarding the liquid, you can switch to “Sauté” after pressure cooking and removing the lid, stirring frequently to evaporate the water. Depending on the amount of leftover liquid, it should take ~10-15 minutes. Hope that helps for next time!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We haven’t, but since it cooks faster, we think it might get mushy. Let us know if you try it!

    • mouses says

      That would not work.

      The cooking time is way too off. Best way: cook your rice, then cook your beans.

      This recipe holds the perfect 1:3 needed for a instant pot. If you want to mix that up, expect some wildly varying results.

  57. Sophie B says

    Mine ended up being really crunchy so dinner was delayed by 45 minutes having to cook them longer. I

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sophie, sorry to hear that! Is it possible the beans were old? We’ve heard that can cause them to take more time to cook (or not soften completely).

      • Laura says

        How do you know if your newly purchased dried beans are old??? I bought beans and cooked them. They were crunchy. I cooked them for 15 more minutes on high pressure and let it natural release all the way. I live at 500 feet elevation and my water ph is at 7.2. I have fish so I check it weekly before adding water to my tank.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Laura, we’re not sure of a good way to tell if they’re old, unfortunately. You could try soaking them overnight before cooking to see if that helps them soften.

    • Linda says

      These turned out great for me. Now that I know it works, I’ll probably double the amount I make at one time.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Thanks for sharing, Linda! You can use slightly less water when doubling. The key is for the beans to stay underneath the water line during the whole cooking process. Hope that helps!

      • Crystal Beasley says

        If you add the salt in the beginning of the cooking it can prevent them from getting tender. If you’re using a stovetop you’d have to cook for hours and hours longer till they’re done. With a pressure cooker it could still take 45 minutes more.

  58. Karen Hobbs says

    I ran out of stock and Better than Boullion and all the dried Veggie stock powdee….so I improvised and used Old Bay Seasoning- left over from a Faux crab jackfruit recipe…. It tasted fantastic!!!!
    I am constantly having to improvise these days rather than run any extra exposure/health risks to get the recommended one ingredient I need. Either my taste buds are gone ( Yikes!) or it all tasted good with a bit of substitution now and then!
    Be well!!!
    Karen , Bend, Oregon

  59. Lisa says

    Will you consider doing a Next Steps recipe to have refried IP Black Beans? I enjoy your refried lentils recipe and would like to try refried black beans. Thanks! Keep the recipes coming.

    • Mary says

      This was a fantastic and efficient way to make black beans. Two questions.
      1. Should I put a bit of the cooking liquid in with the beans if I am refrigerating them for future use?
      2. Can I use the same recipe for red beans and/or white beans?”

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Mary, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! It depends what you will be using it for- you can include the cooking liquid for more flavor, but it isn’t essential. Red or white beans may take longer- stay tuned for future recipes =)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jill, we haven’t tried it, but we would think same amount of liquid, but less time. Hope that helps!

    • Bebop says

      If you soak overnight measure the water you add to soak and add 1/2 cup more water or broth. Don’t dump the water that you soak the beans in, there are nutrients for you in the water the soaked beans are in. This is what I do anyway. I also added cilantro and tomatoes and garlic.

    • mouses says

      For sure.

      If you soak them (really not needed with the instant pot) – drop the cook time down from 30 mins to about 25 mins.

      The key to beans is remembering they are little flavor packages. Prep them first, and leave them a bit firm, and then add them into whatever it is you are cooking and let them soak up all that flavor.

      If you have a functional instant pot, however, there’s no need to soak. This is what a pressure cooker is for!

    • Crystal Beasley says

      The benefit of soaking beans is to remove the ogliosaccharides which are the complex starches we have trouble digesting. That’s what gives us gas when we eat beans. Soak and pour off the poots is what I say. 😊

  60. Felicia Bimer says

    They really did turn out perfect. Doubled the recipe and used 4 cups of vegetable broth with two cups water. One tsp of sea salt. Yum!

  61. CJ says

    Followed recipe exactly and the beans turned out great. I used them in a taco skillet and have leftovers for lunches.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Oh you can totally keep it and use it in other capacities! We just don’t enjoy it for serving.

      • Maryanne Dower says

        Hi
        I have an 8 quart instapot. What size pot did you use? I’m confused if I should add additional liquid/ additional ingredients/cooking time if you used a 6 qt. for this recipe. Look delicioius and can’t wait to try it.
        Thanks,
        Maryanne

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Maryanne, we haven’t tried it in an 8 quart, but you may need to add additional water so that the beans stay beneath the water line the entire time. We’d suggest an additional cup. Hope that helps!

    • mouses says

      No.

      This is the joy of using a instant pot. The cook time does not even start until the entire device is under pressure. Double, half, triple – as long as you follow the same ratio you’re going to get the same result.

  62. Mady says

    These were good but I wonder if my beans were old or something. They still were a little hard/chewy after 30 mins, so I brought them back up to pressure and cooked another 7 minutes and they were much better but they could take even a few more minutes I think. I love the flavor, I just may up the cooking time next time.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mady, perhaps they were old as ours are tender and not hard/chewy at all after using this method. Let us know how it goes next time!

    • Jason says

      They do seem to take a few min more. I let them simmer on sauté for 5-10 min more after the recipe time. I also add a bay leaf.

    • Allison says

      It might be because of your water supply. One type of water (hard maybe?) means beans take longer to cook. You can cheat by adding 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking soda to the water to get around it. – you won’t be able to taste it, promise.

  63. Small Kitchen Cook says

    When it says to “strain off” the cooking liquid, does that mean discard it? Is there any reason not to use the cooking liquid as a soup base?

    • mouses says

      You can, but you really don’t want to.

      That cooking liquid is where all the ‘uncomfortable’ parts of the bean cooking process go.

      If you want to save and reuse that – you can, but those around you might get a bit annoyed with some smells that might not make them happy :-)

  64. Lena says

    Loved the recipe, thank you so much!
    Would like to cook dried kindney beans this time… is the bean : water ratio and the cooking time the same one as for black beans? Thank you!

  65. Gloria says

    Hi, I live these beans! Quick question, when doubling the beans, do the liquids need to be doubled too? Thank you!

  66. Allen says

    Hello! I just bought an InstaPot Ultra. The recipe calls for 30 minutes at High Pressure but my Ultra only goes up to 6 minutes…. am I missing something here?

    Thanks.

    Allen

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Gloria. We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Julia, we haven’t tried with soaked beans, but it would probably take slightly less time. Let us know how it goes!

    • SCOTT J CUMMINGS says

      Just follow the recipe it will be just like you had soaked them, and you won’t know the difference.

      • Rick says

        I used your timing advice with beans soaked overnight and they were still tasty but a bit mushy. Next time I’ll try 20 minutes with soaked beans – or better yet, I won’t soak them!

  67. kadie says

    made this and it’s the best instapot dry black bean recipe i’ve tried yet! i didn’t have broth so used 6 cups water and a dash of salt for 1lb bag of beans. love the onion addition! and garlic of course. i did add 2 bay leaves, about 10 whole peppercorns, cumin seeds (didn’t have powder). love the amount of liquid left – it’s a great foundation for a black bean soup. sharing with family and friends. thank you!

    • CLAIRE G says

      I made the mistake of not reading this first and soaked my beans overnight, too… ended up cooking in IP for 10 mins instead of 30 mins but did everything else exactly the same. Perfect!

  68. Beth says

    Thank you for the clear (and perfect) instructions. The only thing I would add is that mine had a good bit of liquid left in the pot when done. I was wrapping in tortillas, so I just strained off the liquid. Delicious and cooked to perfection.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Linda, canned black beans are already cooked, so we wouldn’t think they would need as much time in the Instant Pot. But you could season them the same way.

          • Debbie says

            I followed the directions exactly and the beans burned. Instant Pot told me food was burned. The beans were not cooked near enough-they’re hard. What happened?

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hi Debbie, did you add the full 3 cups of liquid? If so, we wonder if it was some kind of error. Were there any signs of burning? We’ve occasionally had the Instant Pot show a burn message when there’s nothing burning and had to restart it to complete the cooking process.

  69. Clara says

    My Instant Pot has the “Keep Warm” function on as a default after the pressure cooker phase. Since these black beans take 30 min. on pressure cook and another 20 min. to dissipate the steam…does toggling OFF the keep warm function help the steam to dissipate faster by cooling the pot faster? Is this desirable or not?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, I’m not sure about that! I haven’t tried that but I’m guessing it’s similar! Let us know if you give it a try. The main difference would be the time to “heat up” because an instant pot (ironically) requires 5-8 minutes to reach temperature.

  70. Debbie says

    Thanks for video. I was wondering is black turtle beans the same beans as you are using? Just another name.

  71. Katie says

    Delicious. Would love to know how to double the recipe. Is it as simple as doubling the ingredients or does the cook time change?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Doubling should be fine! I would be cautious when tripling (we haven’t tested that yet!).

  72. Tina says

    I have seen similar bean recipes where the recommendation is to cook a whole onion or half onion (not chopped). I’m always curious as to WHY! Any explanation? I’m dying to know if it’s a texture thing, a flavor thing, etc. Thanks!

  73. Larissa says

    I make instant pot black beans all the time and I only set it to manual 10 mins natural release. I soak the beans minimum overnight before cooking. When cooked, I drain all the water afterwards. Perfect all the time :)

  74. Naomi Livingston says

    If I wanted to cook 3c of beans, do I just triple everything? And cook the same amount of time?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      So doubling is most likely totally doable. But tripling may result in some some undercooked beans. I’m not sure. This also depends on the capacity/size of your instant pot.

      • Naomi Livingston says

        6qt ipot. I will try just doubling it then. The beans were absolutely flavorful and perfect. Not mushy.
        Would you consider perfecting other common beans like garbanzo, red kidney and pinto?

          • Jennifer says

            I’m wondering if I could use the same recipe just with a different bean. Currently, I have Great Northern and Pintos. What do you think?

          • Valerie Torres says

            Does it matter what size instant Pot we use? I recently purchased a 6 Quart.

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            We used a 6 quart to make this recipe. With a larger size, we’d recommend adding more water so the beans stay covered.

  75. Ada says

    Please more instant pot recipes! We just got one as a wedding present and can’t help to use it. I would be trying this receipt this weekend with black eyed beans :)