Cooking dried or soaked black beans in the Instant Pot is one of the easiest ways to get soft, flavorful beans without much effort. I love cooking both dried and soaked black beans at home. They taste fresher than canned beans and are perfect for curries, soups, or salads.
I've been cooking beans from scratch for years, and using the Instant Pot has made it incredibly convenient to get the texture just right. It's a hands-off method that saves time and delivers better flavor than canned beans. And if you're new to using an Instant Pot, my Instant Pot basics guide will cover all the essentials, from cooking techniques to safety tips.
If you enjoy cooking beans from scratch, don't miss my guides on Instant Pot Red Kidney Beans, Instant Pot Chickpeas, and Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas. Each post includes cooking times for soaked and unsoaked beans, tips for storing, and ideas for using them in everyday meals.
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Ingredients
These ingredients and substitutions come straight from my kitchen after I tested the recipe many times. For exact ingredient quantities, see the recipe card below.
Dry Black Beans: I used 1 cup of dry black beans, soaked for 8 hours or overnight before cooking.
Water: I used plain water. Substitutions: Vegetable broth or chicken broth for more flavor.
Salt (optional): I usually add salt to flavor the beans, but you can skip it. Substitutions: Sea salt, rock salt, or Himalayan pink salt.
Bay Leaf (optional): A bay leaf enhances the flavor and aroma of the beans. You can skip this. Substitutions: ½ teaspoon of onion or garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of any dried herbs like oregano, thyme, kombu, Mexican spice mix, cajun spice mix.
Do we need to soak black beans?
I like to buy beans in bulk from the local supermarket and store them. And if you know that your black beans are old and have been sitting in the cupboard for a long time, soak them.
Soaking any beans is optional. But soaking beans will
- Decrease the cooking time drastically
- Help in uniform cooking of the beans
Detailed Steps
Step 1: Rinse and drain the beans, then optionally soak them in water overnight. After soaking, drain and rinse again. Add these rinsed black beans to the Instant pot inner pot.
Step 2: Add water, salt, and any flavoring agent(if using) to the inner pot.
Step 3: Seal the Instant Pot and set it to manual or pressure cook. Cook soaked black beans for 9 minutes and dried black beans for 30 minutes on high pressure.
Step 4: After cooking in the Instant Pot, let the pressure release naturally or manually after 10-15 minutes. Strain the beans and store them separately from the water. The black beans are ready to serve or store!
Storage
Cooked black beans keep well for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you intend to use it for more days, freeze them.
I usually freeze them in individual portions to thaw only the required quantity. And do not freeze the thawed beans again. You have to use them immediately.
If the refrigerated beans smell or taste bad, discard them.
You can store the remaining water from the cooked beans for one to 2 days in the refrigerator. Or freeze them for three months. I add this water while making black bean curry or soup.
How to Use Cooked Black Beans
These Instant Pot black beans are a great alternative to canned ones. They taste fresher and more flavorful. Here are some easy and delicious ways I like to use them:
- Add them to salads. Try my black beans and chickpeas salad for ideas and variations.
- Make black bean curry with seasonal veggies for quick lunch or dinner.
- Toss them with olive oil, salt, and black pepper for a protein-packed snack.
- Mash them, season well, and use as a sandwich spread or filling.
- Make black beans and basmati rice for a quick and satisfying meal.
FAQ
Usually, aged beans take a longer time to cook. If you know your beans are old, increase the pressure cooking time by 4 to 5 minutes. And if your beans are not cooked properly, close the Instant pot and pressure cook them again for five more minutes.
One cup of dried black beans requires 3 cups of water. And soaked beans need 2 cups of water, though you can use 3 cups.
No, soak the beans only for 12 hours or so. Stay under 18 hours, as beans will start fermenting.
One cup of dried black beans will yield nearly 2.5 cups of soaked beans and almost 3 cups of cooked beans.
Have you tried cooking black beans in the Instant Pot? Provide your feedback by giving a star rating and/or leaving comments. And don't forget to share the recipe with others on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.
Recipe
Instant Pot Black Beans (Soaked and dried)
Rate this recipe by clicking the stars!
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup black beans dried
- 3 cups water Use 2 cups water for soaked black beans
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Soak the black beans for 8 hours or overnight. Though soaking is optional, I usually soak my black beans.
- Wash the soaked or dried black beans a couple of times and add them to the Instant pot inner pot.
- Then add water, salt, and flavoring agent. Close the Instant pot with its lid and seal the vent.
- Select manual or pressure cook mode and cook it for 9 minutes on high pressure for soaked black beans. Cook it for 30 minutes on high pressure for dried black beans.
- Once the Instant pot finishes cooking, wait 15 minutes and manually release the pressure. You can wait for natural pressure release also. Strain the cooked beans, and the Instant pot black beans are ready to use in any recipe.
Notes
- Use 3 cups of water to soak 1 cup of dried black beans. If soaking for over 12 hours, change the water once and keep it under 18 hours to avoid fermentation.
- Can’t cook them right away? Drain and refrigerate—soaked beans stay fresh for 1–2 days.
- For stovetop pressure cooking, cook for four whistles (about 15 minutes).
- This recipe is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
- Soaked beans may lose color, but I prefer soaking for better texture and digestion.
Soumia says
Hello Sravanthi
Thank you very much for this recipe. Black beans came out perfectly in the instant pot. I added 1 onion chopped and 1 green chili along with the beans before cooking. Once the beans was done, there was some liquid left so I sauteed the mix and added some taco seasoning at the end. We all enjoyed it!
Sravanthi Chanda says
Thank you so much Soumya, for sharing the feedback. I’m so glad that you all enjoyed it.