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Creamy cornbread served with buttery baked beans and fresh tomato slices.

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Diana
Fix baked beans in record time with your Instant Pot. These saucy, smoky pinto beans are hearty and flavorful!
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Servings 6 servings
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Course Barbecue, Beans
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 37 minutes

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

  • Gather ingredients. Measure and have the ingredients ready.
  • Prep the beans. 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.
    Rinsing the pinto beans for Instant Pot baked beans.
  • Add the beans to the pot. Add the beans to the Instant Pot with 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
    Pinto beans in the Instant Pot Pressure cooker.
  • Pressure cook. 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.
    Instant Pot prep.
  • Drain the beans. Transfer the beans to a colander placed over a bowl and drain the liquids. Reserve 1 cup of the liquids and discard the remaining liquid.
    Drain the beans, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
  • Cook the bacon. Wipe out the Instant Pot and set it to sauté. Add the diced bacon and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
    Sauté the bacon in the Instant Pot.
  • Sauté the aromatics. 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 chopped vegetables to the bacon.
  • Add seasonings. 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 brown sugar, molasses, mustard, peppers, and the reserved liquid and beans.
  • Return the beans to the pot. 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.
    Stir the tomato paste into the beans.
  • Serve and enjoy. Serve the beans with a garnish of green onions and a side of cornbread, steamed brown bread, or biscuits.
    Instant Pot baked pinto beans served in a bowl with cornbread and sliced tomato.
Keyword barbecued baked beans, instant pot pinto beans, pinto beans
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