Instant Pot Pinto Beans

This Instant Pot pinto beans recipe is a great way to get started with meal prep and cooking dried beans in a pressure cooker. There’s no soaking, the beans cook in about an hour, and you won’t need to spend hours in the kitchen to have a big bowl of pinto beans ready for homemade refried beans, burritos, and bowls.

Remember the days when you had to cook beans on the stove for hours? I don’t know about you, but any recipe that translates to having to watch something on the stove for hours and having to check every 15 minutes is something I completely avoid. 

Life is busy and there’s hardly any time to spare, so the quicker we can prepare a healthy and nutritious meal for our family the better. 

If you’re ready to explore more vegan instant pot recipes, check out this vegan bean chili! It’s so hearty and delicious.

Why This Recipe Works

• A total game changer when it comes to batch cooking for the days ahead.
• So many ways to use pinto beans to create different meals throughout the week. Burritos, veggie bowls, or my favorite bean salad, you’ll be one step ahead of the game.
• Only takes about ONE hour to cook and almost no effort is involved.
• No advanced cooking skills are required. 

What Goes Into This Recipe

The basics for this recipe requires only three simple ingredients, two of which you likely already have available! You will also find some additional suggestions for ingredients you can add if desired to give your beans a bit more flavor.

• Pinto beans: Choose beans that look fresh and intact (not like they’ve been on the shelf for years) with a well-sealed bag.
• Water and salt: Just the basics for cooking.
• Optional additions: Consider adding some yellow onion or garlic cloves to add some aromatic flavors to your beans. If you like a little heat, some fresh jalapeno or red pepper flakes are terrific options. Cumin is my favorite spice to add when cooking pinto beans in the Instant Pot!

How To Cook Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot

• 1) Add the beans, water, salt, and any optional additions that you’re using to your Instant Pot. Set it to cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.

• 2) After the cooking time is finished, release the pressure, remove the lid, and use the “sauté” function to cook for another 25 to 35 minutes, or until the beans reach your desired softness. Stir occasionally.

How Long to Cook Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot

Here’s the timing I use for dried, unsoaked pinto beans in a 6-quart Instant Pot:

• High pressure: 25 minutes.
• Release: I use a quick release, then remove the lid.
• Sauté: 25 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans reach your desired softness.
• Total: About 1 hour of cooking, plus the time your pot takes to come up to pressure.

I don’t recommend doubling this recipe in a 6-quart Instant Pot because it won’t fit.

Expert Tips

• Every bag of beans cooks a bit differently. So be prepared to be a bit flexible. The variable time at the end of the recipe using the saute function allows for this fluctuation.
• Be sure to allow beans to fully cool before storing. When warm, the beans take longer to cool down and may spoil more quickly.
• Don’t forget to label with the date cooked (and the name) when storing for meal prep.
• Add your seasonings of choice for a more flavorful Instant Pot pinto beans recipe.

How to Store

Refrigerator: Cool down your beans and then transfer them to an airtight container to store for up to five days.

Reheat: If frozen, allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Return the beans to a pot and heat over medium until heated through. If using the beans in other recipes, thawed beans can be added as instructed in the recipe.

Can I Freeze Cooked Pinto Beans?

Yes, you can! Once you’ve mastered how to cook pinto beans on your Instant Pot (or stovetop if you’re old school!) you might want to spread your efforts into the future by freezing your newly cooked beans to eat later (or whenever the cooking inspiration is running low). 

First, let them cool down, measure them into the desired portions, and then place them in freezer-friendly bags (like these silicone ones!). 

I recommend writing the date they were cooked and the portion on the outside to make it easier to use them later.

How to Serve Pinto Beans

The possibilities are endless for different ways to enjoy pinto beans!

Serve them up in a bowl with some Mexican rice! Or mash them up for refried beans.

You can throw them into just about any salad, like my vegan taco salad, or a soup like this quinoa vegetable soup as a way to add plant protein and fiber, or use them in one of these recipes with pinto beans!

• Perfect Pinto Bean Dip
• Vegan Bean Quesadillas
• Barley and Bean Soup
• Bean Salad

Need more ideas? Explore this list of 59 ways to use a can of beans! Swap any bean with pintos!

Instant Pot Pinto Beans FAQs

If you tried this Instant Pot pinto beans recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!