My Seasoned Pressure Cooker Black Beans recipe makes a simple, tasty, healthy & budget friendly dinner. It’s also perfect for batch cooking as the beans are great used as a base for other meals!
Ever wondered how to make really tasty black beans in an electric pressure cooker?
Well, I’m here to show you how with this really easy and flavourful Seasoned Pressure Cooker Black Beans recipe.
This recipe is basically my Slow Cooker Black Beans which have been around on A Virtual Vegan since the beginning, but I have adapted the recipe to work well in an Instant Pot <<<affiliate link 🙂.
So, if you don’t have an Instant Pot or other other electric pressure cooker, hop on over there and you will find both slow cooker and stove-top instructions. There are also instructions there for using canned beans if you just can’t be bothered to cook your own.
Before I had my Instant Pot, I bought all of my beans in cans because I was never organized enough to cook them from scratch. I had good intentions and kept dried beans in the pantry, but then always decided what we were eating too late in the day to soak and cook them.
With my Instant Pot I don’t soak the beans at all, and they are ready from scratch in less than an hour. That means I can cook and use them in recipes at short notice. I love that!
WHAT IS AN INSTANT POT?
Instant Pots are smart, programmable electric pressure cookers which were invented and designed in Canada and they are amazing. Mine is by far my favourite appliance and this is not sponsored by Instant Pot at all. I recommend them because I truly love mine.
They speed up cooking 2 to 6 times while using up to 70% less energy than other cooking methods. They are also able to function as slow cookers, rice cookers, yogurt makers and you can sauté in them. They are incredibly versatile and useful.
I use mine literally every single day for everything from cooking my Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats, making soup, stew and curry, cooking dried beans and grains and for steaming veggies or puddings like my Vegan Christmas Pudding. I wouldn’t be without it.
This is the Instant Pot Duo 6 Quart 9-in-1 model:
It’s the newer version of mine and I think just perfect for a medium sized family. There are 3 of us and it easily makes enough for 2 dinners plus leftovers.
I have lots and lots of Instant Pot vegan recipes in my head that I want to test, so if you do decide to splash out on one you will have a plentiful supply of yummy things to cook in the coming months!
HOW DO I COOK BLACK BEANS IN AN INSTANT POT?
It really is so simple to make perfect Seasoned Pressure Cooker Black Beans in your Instant Pot.
Here’s how!
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
STEP 1
Chop the onion and mince the garlic and add them to the stainless steel pot
STEP 2
Add the dried beans and seasoning
STEP 3
Pour over the veggie broth
STEP 4
Set the Instant Pot to 25 minutes on Manual/Pressure Cook and leave it to do it’s stuff
STEP 5
Squeeze a little lime juice into the beans just before serving (an optional but recommended step!)
They really are so quick, easy and super tasty!
WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH BLACK BEANS?
Try serving these Seasoned Pressure Cooker Black Beans quite simply with some rice. I like to top it all with some diced bell pepper, tomato or green onions for added texture and colour like in my picture. They are also awesome in a bowl with guacamole and tortilla chips for scooping/dipping 😋.
Leftover cooked beans can be used in:
- tacos
- nachos
- burritos
- buddha bowls
- salads
- wraps
- you can even add more broth and blend them up into a soup
They are so versatile and absolutely perfect for batch cooking. They also reheat and freeze perfectly. I often make double or triple and freeze them for another day.
I just love simple recipes like this that can be recycled into loads of other things!
THIS IS WHY I AM LOVING THESE SEASONED PRESSURE COOKER BLACK BEANS:
- The recipe is quick & easy
- Just set the Instant Pot and forget – It’s completely hands-off
- It’s incredibly budget friendly
- Black beans are super healthy
- It’s oil-free and really low in calories
- It’s perfect for batch cooking
- The beans reheat really well
- It’s freezer friendly
- The beans can be repurposed into lots of other meals/recipes
- You can switch up the seasonings with whatever you have in your pantry
MORE INSTANT POT VEGAN RECIPES
And if you want more Vegan Instant Pot recipes stay tuned because there will be many more to come.
In the meantime how about trying:
Vegan Instant Pot Potato Curry
Or
Healthy Chocolate Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats
or
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
I have a new category in my recipe index dedicated to Instant Pot Vegan Recipes. I will be adding to it regularly. You can find it here.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you did, be a ☆ and let me know what you think by rating it and commenting below. Tag me on Instagram too. I am @avirtualvegan and my hashtag is #avirtualvegan
Instant Pot Vegan Seasoned Black Beans
Ingredients
- 450g / 2½ cups dried black beans , no need to soak before using
- 1 medium onion , chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic , chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes , or 1 fresh chili, (you can omit the chili if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried mint , optional but recommended if you have it
- 720 mls / 3 cups flavourful broth/stock
- 1 lime , juice only
- up to 1 teaspoon salt , plus more to taste if required
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except the lime to the Instant Pot and stir.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the vent.
- Cook on high pressure MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK in newer models, for 25 minutes for tender, soft beans, (or 30 minutes of you prefer really soft slightly mushy beans) and leave the pressure to release naturally before opening the lid. Please note that the beans continue to cook during the natural pressure release so if you skip this step and vent manually your beans will turn out much firmer.
- Add salt to taste then squeeze the juice of the lime into the beans and give them a quick stir before serving.
Nutrition
stuart says
This was our first instant pot recipe. Was very well received by all.
Leslie says
Made this for dinner tonight. It was fabulous as a black bean burrito with romaine, tomato, avocado and a bit of mozzarella cheese. Thanks for a great recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed the beans Leslie. I love them in burritos too!
Sandy Archard says
Can this recipe be doubled in a 6 quart IP or should I do two batches?
A Virtual Vegan says
I think it should just about fit. It doesn’t come up over half way when I make one batch in my 6 quart. Usually with doubling in the IP you can keep the cooking time the same too. It just takes a little longer to come to pressure/release pressure.
Becky says
I’ve made this recipe several times, delicious every time!!
Angela says
Hi, can I substitute 3 cans of canned black beans?? Don’t have the dried in my pantry. Thanks for the recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
You can but you won’t need as much liquid, unless you want it soupy. I think 2 cups should be plenty. Maybe 1¾. And cooking time will be hardly anything as the beans are already cooked. 5 minutes high pressure should do it, then let it release pressure naturally to give the flavours time to develop. Hope that helps!
Megan says
Can I use fresh mint in lieu of dried mint?
A Virtual Vegan says
I wouldn’t add fresh mint at the beginning but you could stir some through just before serving.
Megan says
That makes sense, thanks so much for the quick reply! Can’t WAIT to make these in my new instant pot 🙂
Shauna from Portland says
I have made a lot of black beans but these were by far the BEST. I didn’t use the mint because I didn’t have any. I had also soaked my beans overnight so set Instant Pot for 20 minutes instead of 30. There seemed to be a lot of liquid left but it thickened up and was incredibly flavorful. This will be my go-to black bean recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so pleased you enjoyed them Shauna!
John Marting says
Thanks for the great recipe. I am new to the Instant Pot so I needed help cooking dried beans.
Nadine says
These are the BEST!!!!! SOOOO FLIPPIN GOOD!! My brother in law just returned from Mexico, and he says “these are the BEST beans I have EVER HAD, even when I was in Mexico”! THATS AMAZING!!!!! I am making them again, and accidentally put the lime in before cooking 🙁 how bad is it gonna be😬
A Virtual Vegan says
Oh wow…that’s a compliment! Thank you Nadine. I’m so glad you are enjoying them. Adding the lime before won’t hurt at all. It’s added at the end because otherwise the flavour and freshness cooks out and you don’t end up tasting it. If it’s not too late add another squirt just before you serve up.
Nadine says
Perfect!!! You were right!! It was AMAZING. THANKS SO MUCH! Xo
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so pleased it worked out!
Carol C says
This was delicious, thank you. I was curious though, would it still be as delicious if I was to add a cup of uncooked rice in it at the same time?
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you enjoyed it! I would imagine if you added rice too, it would get a little overcooked. The rice setting of the instant pot is low pressure and it only takes I think 12 minutes, and you would be cooking it with the beans on high pressure for over 25 mins. You might get away with it if you use brown rice but I can’t guarantee. it might still end up overcooked. If you try it you would need to add extra liquid too. 1.25 cup for every cup of rice. Hope that helps and good luck!
J Singleton says
I made these tonight. They will be fantastic in burritos and salads. I had to cook them slightly longer – 15 minutes with another NPR to get them soft enough. I also didn’t use coriander, bay or mint, but did add a teaspoon of smoked paprika – I love it!
A Virtual Vegan says
Sorry the timing was a bit off though. I guess our pots are all slightly different, as are the age of our dried beans which can have a dramatic effect on cooking time. I’m so glad you enjoyed them despite this though and thank you so much for stopping by to leave feedback!
Brittney F says
I don’t understand how you were getting away with using about 1/3 of the normal amount of liquid that beans need? I didn’t dare try it. I added 7 1/2 cups. We will see how turns out
A Virtual Vegan says
3 cups of water is plenty to cook the beans in an Instant Pot. There is no evaporation like in other cooking methods and the water absorbs into them perfectly leaving just the right amount of moistness. You can by all means use 7 cups and they will cook well but the flavours will be really diluted so they won’t taste nearly as nice. They will also be pretty liquidy which isn’t how they are intended to be. I can assure you that every recipe that gets put on my website is tested thoroughly many, many times and would not be published if it didn’t work.
Charlie says
Really good beans. We loved them. Thanks for the recipe!
Elizabeth Edelen says
Can I double or triple the recipe if I have an 8 qt pot? I’m feeding 10 and we eat a lot of beans. Would I need to change anything ?
A Virtual Vegan says
I make this recipe in a 6 quart and I think from memory (because I haven’t made it for a while), they come up about half way. You might get away with doubling it but might not be able to triple it without going over the maximum fill line. Overfilling the IP can affect it coming to pressure and I wouldn’t want that to happen to you. Doubling it will easily feed 10 if you are serving with rice or something similar. I believe that if you double/triple a pressure cooker recipe you don’t need to increase cooking time. It will just take longer to come to pressure, and although I haven’t personally tried it, you should be able to leave everything the same because of this. Hope that helps and that you all enjoy them!
Jennifer says
These were the best beans I’ve ever had… Super flavorful and delicious. It was a tad salty, probably due to my chicken broth, but totally delicious. (I might use low-sodium stock next time.) This was my first time making beans in my IP and I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Oh, and I used the mint. (Never cooked with dried mint before and I was glad I used it.)
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Jennifer. They are a staple around here. I make a batch nearly every week.
From memory I think chicken broth does tend to be pretty salty. Hopefully they will be perfect next time if you use a different kind, or just omit the added salt to compensate.
Texas Diva Chris says
I used this recipe to cook chickpeas instead of black beans. I followed the manufacturer’s instructions and used 3 cups of liquid for every cup of dry beans. Also I added 3 TBSPs of olive oil per the manufacturer, to prevent foam. Those chickpeas were delish!! I even kept the leftover liquid to use when making soups, vegan chili rice or pasta. The chickpeas (aka Garbanzo beans) will be made into hummus. This is a brilliant recipe for any type of beans.
A Virtual Vegan says
Oh wow, I would never have thought to do that. I’m so glad it worked well with the chickpeas. I’m sure they will make really tasty hummus. I will be trying this next time I cook a batch of chickpeas! Thanks so much for coming back to leave feedback!
kimberly ingram says
I made this the third time I used my Instant Pot (yes, I got it for Christmas) and they turned out amazing. The husband even asked me what smelled so good while it was cooking. Great recipe and super easy. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
They smell so good when they are cooking don’t they? I’m so glad you enjoyed them! And yay to getting an Instant Pot for Christmas. Thanks so much for stopping by to leave feedback. It’s much appreciated!
Mark says
Second time making this. I love simple dishes: beans and rice etc…. First time I didn’t cook them long enough and also wanted a little more liquid, could easily turn into a black bean chili, or other simple dish. Very nice to make and save leftovers for easy prep later on.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says
These beans look delicious! The Instant Pot is my favorite way to cook beans. I can’t imagine making them on the stove!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Amy. I will never cook them on the stove again. It does such a brilliant job!