Pinto Beans Instant Pot Recipe

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Instant Pot Pinto Beans

This pinto beans instant pot recipe is one you really want to have in your back pocket. It is simple, easy, quick to make and tastes delicious. Mexican pinto beans was one of the first recipes I learned how to cook while working my first job at a Mexican hole in the wall restaurant.  When I think about cooking pinto beans, I flash back to the massive stock pot boiling away on the stove – for what felt like all day long. Cooking them that way takes approximately 2-3 hours from start to finish.  Now 18 years have gone by and I am an owner of the glorious instant pot.  Pressure cooker pinto beans save a ton of time, especially for dry or un-soaked beans.  The beans are done in 35 minutes versus the several hour project they once were.  You can soak the beans to lower the cooking time a bit but that takes forethought and some days we just don’t have that.  On a whim, you can make delicious homemade beans in a fraction of the time with an instant pot.

These pintos are really delicious; they are herbaceous due to the oregano(preferably Mexican oregano, but either work), bay leaves and fragrant garlic and onions.  Traditionally they do not have pepper of any sort but you can add that in if that is your taste and preference. They are salted just right with high quality sea salt. 

Pinto beans are known for their versatility and have endless options when it comes to what you can place them with.  They are great inside burritos, as a side to tacos, alongside eggs for a Mexican breakfast or as an accompaniment to a beautiful carne asada dinner.  I made this pinto beans recipe because it is one of the components for my traditional carne asada dinner recipe. 

Mexican Beans Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1lb pinto beans (dry, un-soaked)
• 1/2 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp Mexican oregano (or regular works)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 cups water 

How to Cook Pinto Beans

1. Put your instant pot on the sauté setting on medium or low and heat the olive oil.
2. Chop the garlic and onions and add them to the heated oil in the instant pot when it is hot and ready.  The oil will become fragrant and will start to smoke slightly. 
3. Sauté the garlic and onions until the onions become translucent. Make sure the garlic does not brown more than slightly golden. 
4. Add the rest of the ingredients: Mexican oregano, bay leaves, pinto beans, water and salt.
5. Set on high pressure for 35 minutes for natural pressure release.  For forced pressure release set time for 45 minutes. 
6. When the timer is up and you have taken the top off, remove the bay leaves.
7. Blend a portion of the pinto beans: If you have a hand held immersion blender blend about a third of the whole beans.  If you don’t have a hand held immersion blender, remove about 1/3 of the beans and place them in a high speed blender until smooth-ish.  Don’t over blend. Replace the blended beans back in to the pot of beans and mix them together.  
8. Taste and adjust to taste with salt.

Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot

Notes:

– Pinto beans instant pot cook time : 35 minutes for natural release, 45 minutes for forced release.

Natural release versus forced release:

Pinto beans in the instant pot saves a ton of time.  As I stated in the instructions you may do forced release or natural release of the pressure when the beans are done cooking and the timer has gone off.  Whichever you decide will determine the cooking duration.  For natural release, you are allowing the pressure to lower through time – not pressing the release valve on the top of the machine or opening the lid – as the beans sit with the instant pot “off” the pressure will begin to lower naturally.  This natural release process take 15-20 minutes.  If you want to force release the pressure by pushing the release valve button on top, cook for a slightly longer duration since the beans won’t be sitting in the pressure while it slowly dissipates.  The cook time is approximately 45 minutes for forced release. 

• For cooking pinto beans in instant pot you will need to put the pressure on “high”. The machine will turn to “on” after you set the amount of time and it will start to heat up to temperature and build up the pressure.  Once the pressure is up where it needs to be the machine will switch to the amount of time you set and start counting down.  The machine will automatically turn off after the time has run out. 
• This recipe is perfect as it is as a vegan pinto beans instant pot recipe but if you would like to add some pork for an extra layer of flavor you can turn this into an instant pot borracho beans recipe by adding bacon or ham hocks at the start before adding the garlic and onions.  
• For Instant pot pinto beans and rice use this recipe along with this perfect instant pot rice recipe. 

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Thanks for checking out this instant pot Mexican pinto beans recipe. Cooking pinto beans in a pressure cooker turns the long drawn out cooking process into a simple, quick and easy method. 

This recipe is simple, yet hits all the notes to make these the most delicious and best instant pot pinto beans . All you need is garlic, onions a couple herbs and maldon finishing salt and you have yourself a savory and satisfying side component to a plethora of dishes from breakfast to dinner. 

 If you liked this one you may love some of my other favorite recipes such as instant pot rice, caldo de pollo arroz (with rice!) or birria ramen.

This is a great recipe to try if you’re a fan of traditional Mexican pinto beans. Please rate or comment below and if you made any additions or alterations and want to let me in on your ideas on this recipe, I would love to hear about it!  If you would like to share or pin on Pinterest I am always thankful.  Follow along my food journey on Pinterest at Molé in the Wall.

I hope you do try this pinto beans instant pot recipe and throughly enjoy it as much as we have.  I’m pretty sure Mexican pinto beans just may become one of your new favorite components to any meal!

Related Recipes:

Instant pot dry pinto beans

Dried pinto beans in instant pot

No soak instant pot pinto beans

Pinto beans instant pot mexican

Instant pot pintos