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Pinto beans from scratch are life changing. A bold but true statement.
Real pinto beans, sautéed onions, garlic, jalapeños, an assortment of spices and diced tomatoes – true story!
When finished, whole beans melt in your mouth. Melt! And the flavor, astounding. Secret: I hover the pot, spoon after spoon, pretending to get the flavor right. Dinner rolls around and I’m not hungry because sampling ran amuck. These beans, that good.
Super fresh!
Flavorful!
Instant Pot Pinto Beans.
I call these the midway bean.
A can = fast.
Soaked/overnight and cooktop = long.
These beans fall in the middle. Thanks to the Instant Pot, the taste and texture’s the same as overnight soaked and all day cooked beans.
Gather Flavor Filled Ingredients and Let’s Make!
- Give the dried pinto beans a good rinse and remove any discolored, debris, or rocks.
- Combine cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl. If you don’t have Mexican oregano, regular works great too.
- We forgot to include the chipotle adobo peppers in the picture, but they’re star of the pinto bean show. My mom’s sensitive to heat and still ate two tacos, which included a healthy dose of beans! We use canned chipotle adobo peppers, which have a combination of peppers and sauce. The equivalent of one teaspoon chopped peppers and two teaspoons sauce was included.
- My favorite feature of the Instant Pot? The sauté before cook setting. A dream come true! The onion, garlic, and jalapeño’s are added and sautéed first, the spices are then tossed to coat until fragrant. In go the adobo peppers, their sauce and chopped tomatoes to absorb the seasoning as well. Last are the beans and broth. Cover the pot and set for fifty minutes. Pretty easy for out of this world beans.
- If able, let the pressure release naturally? If not, I get it.
- We save salt for last and add to taste.
What Makes Pinto Beans Life Changing?
Tacos! Burritos! Tostadas! Spoon to mouth!
Scooped beans and their sauce make flavor filled juicy bites. How much sauce to include, it’s your meal, so your choice =)
If you prefer mashed, these beans are just as amazing!
– Drain and reserve the liquid gold.
– For Heartier Mashed Beans – use a potato masher or large fork and smash (while adding reserved liquid, as needed) until the beans look and taste um good!
– For Smooth Beans – use an immersion or high powered blender, also adding reserved liquid until perfect consistency is reached.
A Word on Soaking Beans
I hear soaking beans isn’t necessary if using the Instant Pot. Out of habit, I soaked overnight and for five hours. I recently ran out of time, so the “don’t need” thought crossed my mind and soaked for thirty minutes only. All three times, I cooked for fifty minutes and let the steam release naturally. When soaked for thirty minutes, the beans were still a bit hard. When soaked for five hours and overnight, the beans– tender perfection! Consensus: if unable to soak, I suggest an increase cook time of ten to fifteen minutes.
With each bite, I vow never to eat beans from a can again. A handful of home cooked times later, the opener appears. And that’s okay because around the bend’s another “from scratch” tear.
Extra time isn’t always ours, so absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?
Right!
Today or soon, steal extra minutes for:
Good as is.
With cilantro.
Fresh lime.
Diced tomatoes.
Hot sauce.
Avocado.
Onion, of any kind.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 large onion - chopped
- 1 large jalapeno, destemmed, and minced - remove seeds as needed
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoons canned chipotle adobo peppers and sauce - 1 minced peppers, 2 sauce
- 2 roma tomatoes - diced
- 2 cups dried pinto beans beans, or 1 pound - rinsed
- 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse dry pinto beans in a strainer, removing any discolored beans or debris. Soak the beans for a small amount of time, overnight, or not at all.
- Set Instant Pot to "sauté." After about 2 minutes, add olive oil and swirl to coat. After another minute, add onions, jalapeños and minced garlic. Cook until softened, then add cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper, and oregano. Stir until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds, then add adobo peppers, their sauce, and the roma tomatoes; stir for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the pinto beans and broth. Give the mixture a good stir, then secure the lid and set the valve to "seal."
- Press the "cancel" button, then select "bean/chili." The time will show 35 minutes on normal and high temperature. Increase the time to 50 minutes.
- Once the timer sounds, allow pressure to release naturally. Open the lid and stir in salt. Enjoy beans accompanied in their flavorful sauce.
- For mashed beans:Drain but reserve the liquid. Using a potato masher or large fork, smash for a heartier consistency or smooth with an immersion or Vitamix blender. Use reserved liquid, as needed. Taste and season to your liking. Garnish with cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeños. Enjoy homemade!
Notes
- I use a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- I hear soaking beans isn't necessary if using the Instant Pot. Out of habit, I tested three times and ways, consensus: if unable to soak, I suggest an increased cook time of ten to fifteen minutes.
- If spice sensitive, scale down the chipotle adobo peppers, jalapeño, and chili powder.
- If beans are mashed, leftovers will thicken, but thin when heated. A small amount of vegetable broth can be added before or after re-heating too.
- Beans keep in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
