by Texas Homesteader ~
It’s super easy to cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans in only 30 minutes. And I often cook a large bag at one time. You’d be surprised at the many ways to serve them. Come see.
(Note: Some links in this post will take you to other related articles for further information. But links preceded with * are affiliate links. If you click and buy something I could receive a tiny commission.)
There’s a whole list at the bottom of this post of our favorite Instant Pot recipes, or you can click the button below. Be sure to check them out. 
But for now, let’s talk about dry pinto beans, m’kay?
Do You Need To Pre-Soak Dry Pinto Beans?
Most folks these days say you don’t have to pre-soak your pintos when cooking them in a pressure cooker. But I find they always cook better if I do.
So I’ll sort the beans that morning, rinse them and then cover them with water, allowing them to soak all day. That way when I go to make my beans for supper it’s super easy and lightening fast!
Cooking Instant Pot Pinto Beans
When it’s time to start supper I’ll take those beans that have been soaking for several hours and strain out the water. Then I bring out my Instant Pot.
NOTE: I bought a 6-quart *Instant Pot Duo and I absolutely love it!
Here’s How I Cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans:
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- 2 lbs dry pinto beans (you can cut ingredients in half if you’re only cooking 1 lb of dry pinto beans, cook time remains the same)
- 2 quarts of Homemade Broth (for soaked beans, more if unsoaked)
- Seasoning to taste (I use 3 Tablespoons of my homemade Pinto Bean Seasoning per lb of dry beans)
- Salt to taste (I add 1 teaspoon salt per lb of dry beans)
- Cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes plus 10 minute natural release time.
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Sometimes I’ll use the sauté feature to cook chopped onions/peppers in a tablespoon or so of Bacon Grease before adding the soaked beans. Sometimes not. It just depends on how much time I have and whether or not I have onions/peppers available.
How Much Liquid For Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Soaked beans won’t require as much broth or water when cooking them as unsoaked beans.
When I’m making Instant Pot beans I add the beans to the inner liner and add water or broth until:
1″ over the level of soaked beans.
2 – 2½” over the level of unsoaked beans.
How To Season Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Now I add our favorite homemade Pinto Bean Seasoning. RancherMan’s declared this seasoning is PERFECT for pinto beans. (awwwww RancherMan – you sweet-talkin’ man you!)
It only takes 3 Tablespoons of my homemade pinto bean seasoning per pound of dry beans. So I sprinkle in my seasoning and give everything a quick stir.
How To Cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Lock Instant Pot lid with lever on ‘SEALING’.
Cook Time For Instant Pot Pinto Beans:
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- 30 minutes high pressure cook time
- Natural release10 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure.
- After you open the Instant Pot, give a couple of beans a taste. Older beans may still have an undercooked texture to them. If so cook another 5 minutes.
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Can You Cook Older Dry Beans?
It’s true that the older those dry beans are, the longer they’ll take to cook. And you really have no idea how long that bag of beans has been sitting in a warehouse or on the store shelf.
Or heck, sometimes they get pushed to the back of the pantry and linger there on your own shelves for a while.
I will say that I’ve cooked dry beans before that seemed to never get soft enough for my liking even after adding plenty of extra cooking time. Those beans must have been really old!
Different Ways To Eat Pinto Beans
I always cook a whole bag of beans at one time – even a whopping 2-lb bag! The reason is because for the next few days I can Serve Pinto Beans In Different Ways. They’re already cooked so serving them is super quick.
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BBQ Beans
So for instance the next day I might take some of the cooked beans, whip up some quick BBQ Sauce & turn them into BBQ beans to go with our grilled-chicken supper plans.
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Ranch-Style Beans
The following day I might take more of the cooked beans and add different seasonings to flavor them into Ranch Style Beans & serve them as a side to go with Homemade Meatloaf.
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Mexican Beans
Or I can use some of my Taco Seasoning to stir into some cooked beans and serve them with a Tex-Mex meal of Pulled-Pork Enchiladas or Carnitas Tacos.
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Bowl Of Pinto Beans
And of course it’s a quick meal to enjoy a bowl of the pintos just as they are with some homemade Jalapeno Cornbread too. So many serving options with that cheap bag of lowly pintos!
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Leftover Bean Hummus
When we’ve enjoyed those Instant Pot pinto beans in all those different ways I often make up several batches of Leftover-Bean Hummus. We’ll spread that homemade hummus on Mix-n-Pour Tortillas for a quick meal or snack.
This to me is the ultimate convenience food meal! And folks, there’s never leftover hummus. RancherMan loves it that much.
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Beans In The Freezer
Finally, if there are any cooked beans leftover after this time I’ll just package them up & freeze them for another time. They’ll be as close as my freezer when we need a healthy bean side dish.
Now you’ve got to admit that’s a whole lot of mileage for a lowly 2-lb bag of beans, y’all! And since I can serve them in so many different ways, our palates never get bored. They’re cheap, delicious & healthy.
How is your favorite way to enjoy pinto beans?
~TxH~
This post categorized in 
Tagged in COOKING 
Other Instant Pot Recipes:
- Instant Pot Bone Broth Is Push-Button Easy!
- IP Pot Roast And Gravy – Comfort Food FAST
- Pepperoncini Pot Roast – Only 3 Ingredients
- Homemade Yogurt: Instant Pot Method
- Cheesecake Can Be Made In An Instant Pot
- Homemade Tamales – Faster In An Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Boiled Eggs WITHOUT The Shell!
- Cooking Dry Pinto Beans in An Instant Pot
- How To Make Boxed Mac & Cheese In An IP
- Black-eyed Peas w/Spicy Rotel in An Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Goulash – Comfort Food FAST!
- One-Pot Meal – Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
- Foolproof Instant Pot White Rice
Air Fryer Recipes
- Fried Chicken In An Air Fryer
- Crispy Southwest Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Salmon Patties
- Crunchy Air-Fried Roasted Chickpeas
See ALL Our Instant Pot Posts!
Other Side Dishes We Love
Rice
- Rosemary Rice
- Buttered Rice w/Fresh Sage & Garlic
- Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Texas-Style Spanish Rice
- Favorite Ways To Flavor Plain Rice
Beans
- Ranch-Style Beans
- RancherMan’s Green-Bean Casserole
- Cooking Dry Pinto Beans in An Instant Pot
- Fun Flavor Variations For Plain Pinto Beans
- Black-Eyed Peas With Rotel Tomatoes
Vegetables
- Roasted Vegetables
- Fried Okra Fritters
- Simple Homemade Creamy Coleslaw
- Mashed Potatoes Into Potato Cakes
Other
…and MANY MORE!
See All Our Recipes
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