Instant Pot Black Beans - Real Life Dinner

Black beans have so many health benefits and make the perfect side for your favorite Mexican dishes. Keeping canned black beans on hand is super convenient, but making them from scratch is super simple and really ups the flavor game. For years, I’ve made them on the stovetop, but recently I’ve started using my Instant Pot. And let me tell you, Instant Pot Black Beans are where it’s at! So easy!

There are lots of different recipes out there for Instant Pot black beans. Mine is super basic. All you need is black beans, water, onions, garlic, and salt. I prefer to make them without adding extra flavors so that whatever I serve them with can still really shine, and I can also freeze them to use in recipes that call for black beans.

If you’ve never cooked beans from scratch, it might sound like it’s a little intimidating, but I promise you it’s not. It couldn’t be simpler. Just follow these step-by-step pictures and instructions, and you’ll get perfect black beans every time!

Recipes That Use Black Beans

Step-by-step pictures for how to make instant pot black beans

Tips for Making Instant Pot Black Beans

Rinse your black beans in a strainer before pouring them into the Instant Pot.
For best flavor, use fresh onion and fresh garlic.
Dried onion or onion powder and garlic powder are great options if you do not have fresh onion and garlic. If you use dried onion, use 1/4 dried onion. If you use onion powder, use 1 tbsp + 1 tsp onion powder. If you use garlic powder, use 1 tbsp + 1 tsp garlic powder.
If using fresh onion, chop the onions very small so they won’t be as noticeable in your beans.
If you’d like to freeze some of the beans for another time, wait for them to cool, and then place the amount you want to freeze in freezer bags. Beans can stay good in the freezer for 3-6 months.

Instant Pot Black Beans

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

A quick and foolproof way to cook perfect black beans! Perfect for serving as a side, adding to a recipe, or freezing for later use.

Author: Maria

Recipe type: Instant Pot

Serves: 12-16

Ingredients

1 lb dry black beans
1 large onion, chopped small
1 whole head of garlic, crushed
8 cups water
1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Rinse black beans in a strainer.
Place rinsed black beans in the Instant Pot. Add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, water, and salt. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to high pressure for 30 minutes.
Once the beans are done, let them naturally release for 20 minutes. Let out the rest of the steam and they are ready to serve!
You can choose to leave them in some of the liquid or drain them. You can even drain and rinse them if you prefer. If you'd like to freeze them, drain them and let them cool completely before adding them to the freezer bags.
Enjoy!