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

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Diana Rattray
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
Calories 450
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 37 minutes
Other Time40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound pinto beans, dry
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 8 strips thick bacon, diced
  • 1 ½ cups chopped onion
  • ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper
  • ¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp ground mustard powder
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • 1 cup Reserved cooking liquid
  • 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Recommended Equipment

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.
    1 pound pinto beans
    Rinsing the pinto beans for Instant Pot baked beans.
  • Add the beans to the Instant Pot with 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
    8 cups water | 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
    Pinto beans in the Instant Pot Pressure cooker.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Wipe out the Instant Pot and set it to sauté. Add the diced bacon and cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.
    8 strips thick bacon
    Sauté the bacon in the Instant Pot.
  • Add the chopped onions and bell peppers to the pot and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer.
    1 1/2 cups chopped onion | 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper | 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper | 2 tsp minced garlic
    Add the chopped vegetables to the bacon.
  • Add seasonings. Add the brown sugar, molasses, mustard powder, ground black pepper, 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.
    1/4 cup packed light brown sugar | 3 tbsp molasses | 1 tsp ground mustard powder | 1/2 tsp ground black pepper | 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes | 1 cup Reserved cooking liquid
    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.
    1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce | 3 tbsp tomato paste
    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.
    2 green onions
    Instant Pot baked pinto beans served in a bowl with cornbread and sliced tomato.

Nutrition

Calories: 450kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 12gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 1604mgPotassium: 594mgFiber: 7gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 1029IUVitamin C: 46mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2mg

Disclaimer:

Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.

Keyword barbecued baked beans, instant pot pinto beans, pinto beans
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