Instant Pot Spicy Black Beans
How to make Instant Pot Black Beans without soaking. A fool-proof method for perfect, soupy black beans in the instant pot in under 1 hour!
I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical of the Instant Pot at first. I mean I have a slow cooker already and don't really use it all that much, so was this just another appliance I was going to buy and leave it to gather dust in my cabinet? After using it for a few months, I can say the Instant Pot is a game changer.
I have been absolutely loving it and now totally get the hype. It allows you to cook things that traditionally take a long time – like soups, stews and beans – in a fraction of the time. And since it cooks under pressure, it also locks in all the incredible flavor!
Especially for someone who loves beans (me!) because you can make perfectly cooked beans in under an hour with the Instant Pot.
How to Cook Beans in the Instant Pot
One of the reasons I bought an Instant Pot was because I wanted to start cooking beans from scratch. I know that beans aren't that hard to make in general, but it does take quite a long time and frankly, I just never make it a priority.
The soaking overnight and then the 1+ hour cooking time? It feels a little daunting.
That's where the Instant Pot comes in. You can cook beans from scratch, without soaking, in under an hour. If you do soak them, the beans are ready in 30 minutes or less. It's amazing!
Black Bean Water Ratio for Instant Pot
When it comes to actually cooking your Instant Pot black beans and how much water you want to use, it's all about the style of beans you like.
Do you like soupy beans? Or do want beans that are a bit on the drier side? At a minimum, you want a 1:1.5 ratio. One cup of beans to one and a half cups of water.
For me, I love when beans have a bit of moisture and “sauce” to them, so the perfect ratio of black beans to water was 1:2. 1 cup of black beans to 2 cups of liquid.
Cooking Times for Instant Pot Black Beans
The next part of the process is the cooking time. If you're new to cooking in the Instant Pot, there are a few times that we need to take into account:
- the time it takes to build pressure
- the cooking time
- the pressure release time
For beans, the cooking time will vary based on the type of bean but also based on if you soak them or if you're cooking from dry. For this recipe, to keep it as easy as possible, we're cooking them from dry. No soaking required!
I found the cooking time for perfectly saucy black beans in the Instant Pot to be 30 minutes with a natural release of 20 minutes. In total the whole process takes just about an hour and I swear these are some of the best black beans I've ever tasted!
Instant Pot Black Beans That Taste Amazing
The final thing to consider is your flavoring! While beans on their own are certainly tasty, why not get a little snazzy and add flavor.
I wanted to give you a recipe for spicy black beans because first I'm a fan of spice (as I know many of you are too!) and second, these black beans can go with pretty much any recipe!
To make your black beans taste good, I like cooking them with some chopped jalapeño, classic spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic and cayenne for a kick, and then doing half water, half vegetable broth.
And just like a slow cooker recipe, this is a dump and cook recipe! You just dump your beans, peppers, spices, and liquid into your Instant Pot, put on the lid, set your cooking times and in under 60 minutes your beans are done and ready to enjoy!
Easy Ways to Use Your Instant Pot Black Beans
- Chili Roasted Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
- Cilantro Lime Black Bean Quinoa Tacos
- Black Bean Quinoa Fajita Bowls
- Black Bean Quinoa Bites
- Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Instant Pot Spicy Black Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black beans
- 1 - 2 jalapeños , chopped
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper (each)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- Juice of 1 lime to garnish (optional)
- Cilantro to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add the beans to a fine mesh strainer and give them a quick rinse. Transfer the beans to the Instant Pot.
- Add the remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot and cover with the lid. Set the pressure to High and cook for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and give the beans a stir. There should still be some liquid in there so they're somewhat "soupy". Drain liquid if desired (but I love that juice!). Add lime juice and cilantro if desired.
- Enjoy with your favorite meal! Beans can be refrigerated for 4 days and frozen for up to 6 months.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tools You Need to Make Instant Pot Black Beans:
- Instant Pot – I have this one an absolutely LOVE it!
- Dried Black Beans – I like buying these ones because they're organic
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The only thing I’m disappointed with is I didn’t make these earlier. I’ve been holding off making them and they are awesome. Really easy and great flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I made this recipe last night it was quick and easy and so delish. This recipe will be a staple in our house. Thanks
I made these today for a dinner tomorrow, but only made 1/2 the recipe, for the small group. I will have to make more…I ate most of them! Delicious. I added a tablespoon of adobo from chipotle chilis because I wanted more spice, but his is a solid delicious recipe!! so versitile!!
so glad you liked it!! 🙂
I’ve made this a few times and the beans are delicious! I feel like it goes well with everything. Thanks so much!
Of course!! They’re my favorite in tacos 🙂
I made these beans yesterday. I didn’t have jalapeños so I left them out. I thought I might add a spoonful of pickled jalapeños after they were done. I tasted them after cooking and they were on the spicy side and absolutely perfect. Today my daughter and I added them to quinoa and it was the perfect blend. I have tried many bean recipes and this is my favorite and will be a constant in our meal prep going forward. Thank you so much.
YAY! So happy you enjoyed them!!
Delicious! Love the sauce it creates. Not sure if my jalapeños were milder than usual; used 2 small ones and next time would use more.
Glad it worked out well! I agree that the sauce is one of my favorite parts of this recipe 🙂
Is the pressure relief time important? If I were to manually relieve the pressure early would the beans be undercooked? New to instant pots and not sure of this is a safety measure or part of the cooking time.
I would follow as written 🙂
Hi Alyssa! I love this recipe but I’m only cooking for me and my husband and 2 cups of beans makes a lot! If I want to halve the recipe do I need to adjust the amount of liquid used? Or would it work with only 2 total cups of liquid to the 1 cup of beans? Thank you!
I think you should be fine halving the recipe!
I love the recipe, the beans are delicious
I’m so glad!
I stated this recipe at 12:30 AM Saturday, I didn’t have jalapenos peppers but I had red peppers. This recipe is wonderful and will be a weekly staple ~ Thank you
So glad you enjoyed! I’d love for you to leave a star rating if you haven’t already 😉 xox
Hi! I love black beans, and I struggle so hard with cooking them on the stovetop. I just can’t get them to that buttery smooth texture that’s so dreamy. I can’t wait to try this! How was your digestion? Were you gassy since you didn’t soak them? Did you notice any difference? Thanks!
I don’t think I really noticed a difference if I’m being honest!
[…] – Instant Pot Spicy Black Beans – Simply […]
How would you recommend adjusting the cooking time if you soak your beans overnight?
I did an IP quick soak on my beans, drained out the water, and continued with the recipe, cooking for ten minutes on high pressure. They came out perfect!
I haven’t tested, but it cooks them much quicker 🙂 I think you can google the cooking times for soaked beans if you’d like!
Thank you for posting this delicious recipe! I’ve only had an IP for about 2 months and this one has been on the rotation A LOT!!! We like it ???? spicy, so I add 3-4 jalapeños. I also sometimes use small red beans instead of black. It’s fabulous!!!
Sounds sooo good! Love it 🙂
If I double the recipe, do I need to add more time?
I don’t think so!
Can this be done on the stove top or slow cooker as well?
I haven’t tested it, but yes I think so!
How do you recommend to thaw the beans after freezing?
I would say just let them come to room temp!
How do you recommend reheating from frozen?
I would say bring to room temp, then heat in a pan 🙂
This was beyond delicious! So flavorful, and the beans were cooked to the perfect consistency. I topped mine with cashew cream and chives. So good! I’m definitely making this again – it’s going in my weekly rotation! Thank you for the recipe!
YAYY! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂 that combo with the cashew cream and chives sounds INCREDIBLE!