Instant Pot Black Beans { No Soak | Presoaked Options }

Instant Pot Black Beans { No Soak | Presoaked Options } by DK on Sep 2, 2020

Easy Instant pot Black Beans | Cook Presoaked Black Beans Instant pot | How to cook Black Beans in Instant Pot after Soaking

I am pretty much going to say the same thing I already said in my Instant Pot Kidney Beans, Instant pot Pinto Beans and Instant Pot Chickpeas. But to avoid repetitions let me give a gist - I love my Instant Pot especially for cooking dried beans. I use beans extensively for putting together our meals and since we love Mexican food in our home, it makes sense that I have these ready to go. Making a huge batch and freezing them gives me the ability to put together stress free dinners (or lunch/breakfast/ snacks).

I think I use black beans more than any other beans since its so versatile. I have been known to use in Indian cooking. Its so easy to pair with rice (Moros-Y-Cristiano), salads (Quinoa Bean Salad), burgers (Black Bean Burgers) etc that having some comes handy. While cooking them in a regular pressure cooker was no big deal, using Instant Pot is pretty much hands free and reliable. More importantly, making homemade beans is so cost effective and comes without any added baggage (like worrying for extra salt, additives, bpa's and god knows what else... etc). While I believe in soaking beans (or any "whole" food) to enable better digestion, you can make these beans without soaking as well. I have provided instructions below in the steps.

Cook time: 15 to 30 min
Prep time: 4 to 8 hours
Yields: Around 6 cups of cooked beans

Ingredients

1 lbs (2 cups) Black Beans - See Tips
About 3.5 cups of water

Optional

1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1-2 Bay Leaves/ Epazote
1 tsp Salt (or as needed)
1 small Onion, chopped
2-3 cloves Garlic

Tips

1. Black Beans: For this pictorial I have doubled the quantity. I own 6Qt Instant Pot Duo. Since I prefer making a huge batch, I am using 2lbs (about 4 cups) of beans that I will soak overnight and cook the next day. In my 6Qt, I find I can easily cook double the batch of "soaked" beans. Without soaking, it would require a lot of water that would be too much for the PC.

Method

1. Wash and clean the beans. I soak my beans overnight with apple cider vinegar. I am not very strict with the amount ( I eyeball it) but its approximately 1 tsp for 1lb of beans. I find this addition of acidic medium helps a lot with digestion. This step is optional.

2. Next day, drain and rinse the beans. Then add them to the Instant Pot along with 3 to 3.5 cups of water (or a mix of vegetable broth and water).

3. Add the seasonings of your choice. I prefer adding only Epazote and salt since I usually make a huge batch for longer storage and hence use minimal seasoning to vary my recipes.

4. Make sure to set Venting Knob to the Sealing Position before starting.

5. For firm beans: Pressure cook for 8 minutes.

For softer beans: Pressure cook for 10 minutes.

For unsoaked Beans: Pressure cook for 30 minutes (abt 25 minutes for softer beans)

6. It will take about 10 minutes to build pressure and then it will start cooking for the allotted time. Once done, let the pressure release for 15 minutes. Set a timer separately as a reminder.

7. Once the time is up, switch off the Instant pot.

8. Release any remaining pressure. Make sure to keep your finger away from the vent to avoid burning your hands. Or just use a spatula with a long handle instead.

9. Open the pot and remove any seasonings like bay leaves/ epazote. Press to check if the beans are done. You should be able to press the beans very easily. If still hard, cook for another 5 minutes and increase time accordingly next time around. Depending on various brands/age of the beans, you might need to adjust the timing.

There shouldn't be much water left, but you can use it to make your broth or as a base for any stew/soup the next day. I use it to knead my roti (flatbread), to cook rice - even when I making dal. Like all the other beans, I tend to make a big batch and freeze it to use later.