With an Instant Pot and about 1 hour, you can make perfectly cooked pinto beans every time! Let us show you how.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
The Instant Pot is our preferred method for cooking pinto beans because it’s quick and easy (no soaking required!) and yields perfectly tender beans!
Here’s what you need to know:
- Ratio = 1 part pinto beans : 3 parts water
- Cook Time = 35 minutes
- Release = 15 minute natural release, then release any remaining pressure
Pinto beans are incredibly versatile and can be added to soups, stews, chili, bowls, tacos, refried beans, baked beans, vegan sausage, stuffed peppers, and much more!
Did you find this helpful? If so, be sure to check out our Instant Pot Cooking Times Guide for perfectly cooked grains and beans every time!
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!
Instant Pot Pinto Beans (Fast, Perfect, No Soaking!)
A quick & simple method for making PERFECT pinto beans in the Instant Pot every time! Just 1 ingredient and 1 pot required!
Servings 4 (3/4-cup servings)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pinto beans
- 3 cups water (or vegetable broth for more flavor)
Instructions
- Add pinto beans and water (or vegetable broth) to the Instant Pot and stir to prevent sticking. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes (it will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins).
- Once the timer goes off, allow to naturally release for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid once steam has fully escaped and strain off any excess cooking liquid.
- Enjoy immediately in soups, stews, chili, bowls, tacos, refried beans, baked beans, vegan sausage, stuffed peppers, and more! Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop, adding a little water, as needed, to prevent sticking.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Total time includes active cook time, release time, and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to heat up (~8 minutes).
*Total time includes active cook time, release time, and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to heat up (~8 minutes).
Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)
Serving: 1 three-quarter-cup serving Calories: 183 Carbohydrates: 33.6 g Protein: 11.6 g Fat: 0.8 g Saturated Fat: 0.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.17 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 1 mg Potassium: 559 mg Fiber: 11.5 g Sugar: 0.4 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 1.03 mg Calcium: 58.99 mg Iron: 2.68 mg
C says
Hi,
I have beans that are older. I searched & found no information on adjustments to cook these. No one wants to invest cooking efforts not to have them be the best outcome, nor to discard what they could use wisely (perhaps cook longer?). I am learning how to use beans so not a top chef, but, a real person. Maybe this could help your page & blog & followers. It could help me.
Hi, unfortunately there isn’t an easy answer! You would likely need to cook them longer, but it’s difficult to say a precise amount of time because it will depend on the age of the beans and the conditions they’ve been stored. You could try starting with the time listed in the recipe and check the beans, adding more time as needed (in 5 minute increments) until the beans are tender. Before you reseal the lid for additional cooking, be sure to re-secure the silicone seal as it can come lose after cooking and removing the lid.
Jesse Hudson says
I use a pressure cooker I like to boil beans then pour the water off 2 times . It really cleans the beans up a bit.
WesinRoc says
Hi there,
The Minimalist Baker is becoming one of my first go-to sources for awesome plant-based meals. Thank you so much.
Question regarding cooking these unsoaked pinto beans – and also other unsoaked beans: if we wish to double the recipe, how much more water and how much more time should we allot in an instant pot?
Hi Wes, thank you for letting us know! We’re so glad you’re enjoying our recipes. Same answer as on the kidney beans – same cook time, but double beans and double (or nearly double) the water. Enjoy!
Wes Becker says
The Mnimalist Baker is becoming one of my go-to sources for plant-based food. Thank you so much! Quick question: with your instant pot, no soak bean recipes, if we want to double the recipe, do we need to adjust the cooking time in the instant pot at all?
Thank you!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying our recipes, Wes! You would keep the cook time the same, but double the amount of beans and double (or slightly less than double) the water. Just make sure not to fill past the 1/2 line, as that’s the Instant Pot’s recommended maximum for foods that expand. Hope that helps!
Deborah Grimes says
Where can I find your reply to my question about pinto beans
Also, I am single and I live alone. I need recipes that’s easy, 3 to 5 ingredients and good for my health. I have GERD, acid reflux and cholesterol. I get so depressed when I can’t find the right recipe and really hate to cook for myself
Hi Deborah, if you scroll down to the comment section, you should see your comment and our reply! So sorry you’re going through health struggles. You can use our recipe index and filter by simple factor “7 ingredients or less” which should get you closer to what you’re looking for. Hope that helps!
Deborah Grimes says
Can I add the seasoning or ham hocks with the beans
Yes!
BE Davis Brown says
If you can find them use smoked ham shanks, there’s more meat compared to the hocks. Once upon a time I went all out and bought some country style pork ribs put them in my smoker and later froze them to add to beans and they had even more meat and served with rice and veggies makes a complete meal.
LibraBrat says
Planning to make it tonight with Puerto Rican seasonings and sofrito for dinner. I love all your recipes, so I’m excited to try this. I’ll ket yall know how they come out and if this is Puerto Rican approved lol
Yum! We can’t wait to hear what you think!
Rj says
Hey, LibraBrat
Are you using a 6-Qt Instant pot?
Tim says
I needed a use for a leftover meaty ham bone… this did the trick.
Thanks for sharing, Tim!
Mike says
I am a habitual recipe modifier. The core recipe was perfect, but I made it with a couple of chicken bouillon cubes added to the water. Put in half of a chopped onion, a couple of chopped garlic cloves, a teaspoon of ground cumin, a teaspoon of chili powder, and one nice hot jalapeño that I chopped up with seeds, membrane and all.
This is way too good and healthy too!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Mike. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Cole says
I don’t know where I went wrong, I followed these instructions perfectly but my beans didn’t cook enough.
Hi Cole, is it possible your beans were old? That can cause them to have trouble softening.
Lesley says
Um, it takes 22 minutes for my 6 quart Instant Pot to come to pressure at an altitude of 5280′. You might want to mention that it takes longer to cook at higher altitudes. . .
Interesting! We don’t have experience cooking at altitude. We assume you didn’t adjust the number of servings at all? We ask because if you make a larger batch, it will take longer to come to pressure.
Jason S says
The boiling point of water is lower at high altitude, whether on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker, so many things take longer to cook at high altitude. The standard guidance is to cook 20-40% longer, but it’s dependent on the altitude. I wouldn’t worry about the feedback as this is a standard issue with all high altitude cooking, having nothing to do with this recipe, and it would be silly for every recipe to include an altitude cooking time chart.
Andy says
Do you increase cooking time for 3 cups of beans?
Nope! Cooking time remains the same. It will just take longer for the Instant Pot to pressurize/de-pressurize with a larger volume.
Deborah says
I am wondering if I can put fatback in to season my beans?
Hi Deborah, we haven’t tried that but you can add whatever you’d like for seasoning! Let us know how it goes!
Daniel says
I have been using this since I got my instant pot last year. Perfect results every time. My only modification is I add 2 bay leaves and a splash of liquid smoke to the pot.
Yay! Thanks for the great review and sharing your experience, Daniel!
Dawn says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I followed it exactly (except I doubled it-which is fine in an instant pot, with no changes in timing). I added 2 tsp salt after cooking. Perfect!
Yay! Thanks so much, Dawn!
Susan says
Perfect beans! So tender! My IP tends to run hotter too so I reduced the cooking time to 28 minutes Thank u! For your reliable recipes!
Yay! So glad this worked well for you, Susan. Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Georgia says
I needed some beans for another recipe and found this one (I trust Minimalist Baker enough to try it first.)
I had a mixed container of pinto beans so some were over cooked and the others were perfect. I didn’t mind because I like my soups a little thicker.
I tasted it to adjust the seasoning, and found myself calling my son in to try them and we almost didn’t have enough for the recipe! They were so delicious made with just chicken broth. This will be my go-to recipe now, thank you!
Amazing! We’re so glad you both enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing, Georgia! xo
Trisha says
My Anasazi beans, similar to pintos, were perfectly cooked at 25 minutes.
I added 1 strip of kombu (sea kelp) that’s supposed to reduce gassiness, and a half small onion. While beans cooked I chopped onion, celery, carrots. Took the beans out, then simmered veggies with a chopped sweet potato and a few chopped mushrooms in Better Than Bouillon veggie broth, then added back the beans and their broth along with some herbs. Stunningly delicious soup that was easy to make!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing, Trisha! xo
Helen in Denver says
I really like these proportions using just one cup of beans — this worked perfectly in my mini Instant Pot. The beans came out perfectly for adding to a batch of chili. Thanks Dana!
Yay! Thanks, Helen!
Jason says
Flavor is fine. You will need to cook a lot longer than 35 minutes. I would go at least 50.
Thanks for sharing, Jason! We also find that the age of our beans can make a big difference in the cook time.
James Bond says
Agreed, 50 min required for my last pound of beans. Different brand than I normally used. Kinda odd. 35min usually works fine, but when I opened to check it they were still white! put back in for 15 more minutes cook time and perfecto. Will need to dig that package out of the trash can …didn’t think those beans were that old???! weird.
Randy Sandberg says
I hear you on this Bond, James Bond. Beans always seem to take longer than directions call for. For example, Instant Pot black beans, recipe found on this awesome website, called for 30 minutes and I had to go 50 minutes before they were even eatable in my 6 quart IP. And they were most certainly NOT mushy. So, thank you for your comment. I’ll make the pinto beans now and once again set my dial to 50 minutes. Note that both the black and pinto beans are not old. :-)
Lesley says
If you’re living in a high altitude, you’ll need a longer cook time
Cadillac Jack says
I’ve made this recipe several times and have never had a problem. I add several beef bullion cubes, large onion , and cube up some ham or hammocks. My excess water I drain off with a few beans and have some bean soup..
Those additions sound delish! Thanks so much for the review, Jack!
Rosa says
Is a crime to strain the liquid, it’s the best part, I love to put it in a bowl with rice and eat it as soup..
… white rice, Spanish rice, it works!
Sharon Pritchett says
I like to add some spicy sausage, I use Conecuh brand that’s made in the South, with the pinto beans and serve over white rice.
Sounds delish! Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
Diane says
Can’t wait to do this recipe, do I leave the remain beans in its broth to freeze or while saving in the fridge? Or should I drain all and freeze them without any liquids?
Hi Diane, either way works! We’d say leave in the broth in case you want to use it. You can always drain it later.
Pamela Wooden says
Thank you for the cheat sheet (pdf). I’ve been placed on a gluten free diet so I welcome these ideas with the various Legumes. Btw, any difference in timing in Colorado, elevation 5280?
Thanks in advance, Pamela
We’re so glad it’s helpful, Pamela! We don’t have experience cooking at a high elevation, but our understanding is that you’ll need to cook for a longer amount of time (~15% longer). The Ultra and Max models come with the ability to adjust pressure settings for altitude. Hope that helps!
Emma says
Diane – I’m weird I know but I drain the beans and freeze in freezer bags. I then take the bean liquid and freeze in ice cube trays, then put the cubes in a freezer bag. That way I can defrost as needed.
Elizabeth says
How long do they need if you soak them overnight before you cook them?
Sarah F says
This was perfect in my 3 quart Instapot Mini! I added some onion, garlic, and spices as well, and made refried beans with them. I cooked them first with the beans unsoaked, and then did another batch with soaked beans, and the recipe worked great both times.
I just have to say thank you for helping me get into cooking. These recipes have been so inspiring and they’re so approachable for someone who’s developed a lot of anxiety around cooking. This was the first thing I’ve “cooked” in years, and it feels awesome to be taking care of my health at the same time. Thank you!!
Aw, we’re so glad this recipe was helpful! Thanks so much for your lovely review, Sarah! xo
Beth Martin says
I don’t know what it is with my pot, but every bean recipe I’ve tried leaves me with bean mush. I went with 30 min here, instead of 35, and got the same. I need to find a good recipe for mashing these because while a few are still bean shaped, they won’t hold up to a single stirring without falling apart.
Woah, so strange! We’d suggest contacting the manufacturer.
Emma says
My instant pot also cooks ‘hotter’. Try cooking for half the time and see how close to finished they are. After a few tries, adjusting time up or down, you’ll get a good baseline and can extrapolate for other bean types.
Grace says
I doubled the recipe, used half water/half broth, added a tsp of salt and the beans turned out perfectly! There was a fair amount of water left over, but better that than not enough. I normally soak beans overnight and then use the Instant Pot, and it often results in many busted beans. This method did not! A win for sure and very nice not having to plan ahead and soak. Thanks for all the new IP recipes!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Grace!