Name: Instant Pot Black Beans (Soaked or No Soak)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 pound Dried Black Beans (same as 2 cups); 6 cups Water (or broth); 1 teaspoon Sea Salt (optional)

Jump To Recipe

5 from 7 votes

50 minutes

This Instant Pot Black Beans recipe pressure cooks dried beans in under an hour. Use soaked or dry black beans and the results are juicy and tender every time!

cooked black beans in glass meal prep container with silver spoon next to Instant Pot

Table of Contents hide

1) Perfect pressure cooker black beans

2) Why I love Instant pot black beans

3) What you'll need

4) How to make this recipe

5) Soaked beans vs no soak

6) Can I use chicken broth instead of water?

7) Why some beans take longer to cook

8) Should I drain the juice from cooked black beans?

9) Can I freeze cooked black beans?

10) More recipes with black beans

11) Instant Pot Black Beans (Soaked or No Soak)

Perfect pressure cooker black beans

No more guessing when black beans are cooked. Forget standing over your stove. Oh, you can also kick canned black beans to the curb. This Instant Pot black beans recipe is so game changer for cooking dried black beans, soaked or not, you may never cook them any other way!

Before I talk all about pressure cooked black beans, allow me to say that these beans are so tender and delicious, I find myself eating them by the spoonful. They're seasoned with salt only, which is useful when adding them to other recipes.

Instant Pot black beans can be used for refried black beans, chicken burrito bowls, taco bowls, black bean and corn salsa, and taco pasta! Of course you can use these beans with any Mexican recipes.

Why I love Instant pot black beans

soaked or no soak - toss unsoaked black beans right into the Instant Pot. Or, if you're prefer soaked beans, just lower the pressure cook time by half.
minimal prep and no planning required - there's no precooking required. Just rinse beans, toss into the Instant Pot, press the button, and go to stuff!
quick-cooking - go from dried black beans to perfectly cooked black beans in one hour.
no babysitting - you don't have to stir or watch over a stove burner.
bye bye canned black beans - ok, maybe keep some on hand for emergency.
healthy and nutritious - naturally vegan, gluten free, loaded with fiber and protein
save money - cooking dried beans from scratch is more cost effective than opening a can of beans.
you control the sodium - add as little salt, or no salt, if you like.
versatile - you can make so many delicious recipes with black beans. So many!

What you'll need

Grab the full recipe below!

whole dried black beans - soaked or unsoaked beans
water - or broth
sea salt - this is optional and can be added to taste after pressure cooking the beans.
Instant Pot - I'm using the 6 quart Instant Pot but you can use any size!

Empty instant pot next to dried black beans in colander, ramekin of salt, and water in measuring cup

How to make this recipe

Add DRIED BLACK BEANS, WATER, and (optional) SALT to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on HIGH 30 minutes (for unsoaked beans) or 15 minutes (for soaked beans) with a 20-minute natural pressure release (NPR).

dried black beans in water in Instant Pot

cooked black beans in Instant Pot with stirring utensil

Test the beans for desired softness by biting into a few. If they're soft to your liking, transfer the beans out of the cooker.

Note: If the beans aren't soft enough for you, repeat pressure cook process with 3-5 minutes on HIGH with another natural pressure release.

cooked black beans in Instant Pot with stirring utensil next to glass jar of dried black beans

Soaked beans vs no soak

Soaking is not required for Instant Pot black beans. In fact, cooking black beans without soaking still gets you a pot of perfectly tender black beans in under and hour. However, if you are a bean soaker, you’ll want to cut the pressure cooker time in half. So, use a 15 minutes pressure cook time, but keep the 20-minute natural release.

Can I use chicken broth instead of water?

Absolutely! You can substitute any or all of the water with any broth when cooking black beans.

Why some beans take longer to cook

Older dry beans take longer to cook. When black beans aren't soft enough for my liking, I figure they're just older and need more than time than the recipe indicates. My solution is to simply run another 3-5 minute pressure cook cycle until they're done, even if it means repeating the process a few times, which I have.

Should I drain the juice from cooked black beans?

It depends on how you'll use the beans. The cooked bean juice, also called aquafaba, is a slightly thickened, silky sauce, which can be used in soups, sauces, entrees, and dips for flavoring and thickening. I say, keep the juice and use it for all the things because it’s so easy to drain or rinse if necessary. Also, storing your perfectly cooked black beans with their juice in an airtight container helps prevent them drying out. We like beans juicy and tender!

cooked black beans in glass container with silver spoon

Can I freeze cooked black beans?

Yes! In fact, it's a real time-saver to make larger quantities of Instant Pot black beans to use for other black bean recipes. Pro tip: portion the black beans into 1 ½ cup amounts – which is the volume of a 15oz can – and add some bean juice for freezer burn protection.

To freeze, allow cooked beans cool completely and store in freezer-safe packaging up to 90 days, or longer if vacuum sealed. To thaw, transfer the beans to the refrigerator for an overnight stay and they'll be ready to heat and serve.

More recipes with black beans