My grandfather used to bury his bean-hole beans in the ground to cook for his New England Saturday night beans, but these days you can have delicious baked beans in less than 2 hours! No overnight soak or lengthy cooking time is necessary. An Instant Pot pressure cooker can transform dry pinto beans into a delicious meal in less than 1 hour, plus about 30 to 40 minutes for pressure build-up and release. You’ll enjoy flavorful baked pinto beans from scratch in record time!
The barbecue-flavored baked pinto bean recipe uses dried pinto beans, bacon, assorted vegetables, and flavorings. Instant Pot pinto beans are remarkably easy and can even be made on a weeknight.
Recipe Ingredients
- Beans: This particular version contains pinto beans, as they pair nicely with barbecue, Southern, and Tex-Mex flavors.
- Vegetables: A combination of chopped aromatic vegetables, including onions, bell peppers, and garlic.
- Sauce: Barbecue sauce is combined with some of the bean cooking liquid, molasses, and brown sugar to make a richly flavored sauce. Then, tomato paste is added just before serving to thicken and add a more robust flavor.
- Seasonings: Simple seasonings enhance the sauce. Ground mustard powder adds complexity, along with salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper contributes a bit of heat.
Recipe Variations
Add Meat: Add sliced smoked sausage, pulled pork, or ham for a heartier meal. They all pair well with barbecue sauce; you can keep the bacon in the dish or omit it.
Give it Southwest Flavor: For a Southwest twist, add a diced jalapeno pepper, a teaspoon of chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and oregano.
Smoky Variation: Add a bit of liquid smoke or smoked paprika to give your barbecue sauce an extra smoky kick.
Tangy: When you add the barbecue sauce, add a touch of brown sugar and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the beans.
Vegetables: Sneak more veggies into the beans. Sauté some diced carrots and celery along with the peppers and onions.
Instant Pot Tips
To avoid a “burn” error, scrape up any stuck-on browned bits after sautéing ingredients and before pressure cooking.
Related
You can also use your Instant Pot to make quick and easy refried beans, or try this fabulous Instant Pot cassoulet made with great northern beans.
PrintInstant Pot Pinto Beans
Fix baked beans in record time with your Instant Pot pressure cooker. Discover the secret to perfect Instant Pot pinto beans! No overnight soak needed. Try this recipe for tender, flavorful beans in under 2 hours.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Pressure Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 37 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Beans, Barbecue
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 8 cups water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- 8 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Measure and have the ingredients ready.
- Rinse the pinto beans and pick them over, discarding any malformed or damaged beans. Small stones or pebbles are sometimes found in dry beans, so be on the lookout.
- Add the beans to the Instant Pot with 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
- Place the lid on the pot and ensure the valve is in the sealing position. Set it to pressure cook for 25 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to the venting position to release the remaining pressure.
- Drain the beans in a colander over a bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the liquids and discard the remaining liquid.
- Wipe out the Instant Pot and set it to sauté. Add the diced bacon and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the chopped onions and bell peppers to the pot and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer.
- Add the brown sugar, molasses, mustard powder, black and crushed red pepper, and the reserved liquid. Stir to blend and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Cancel the sauté function.
- Add the beans to the pot and pour the barbecue sauce over them; do not stir. Place the lid on the pot and pressure cook for 5 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to the venting position and release the remaining pressure quickly. Add the tomato paste to the beans and stir; taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the beans with a garnish of green onions and a side of cornbread, steamed brown bread, or biscuits.
