Instant Pot Dried Beans are one of the greatest pressure cooking time savers! This post is loaded with all you need to know about eating, cooking, and storing your very own cooked beans and so much more!
Reason 524 why you need an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker in your life: Dried Beans.
Rock hard beans perfectly tender in about an hour with zero babysitting. BOOM! Now you can justify that second (or maybe third) pressure cooker!
Slow cooker beans take 10-12 hours to soften and make your house smell like a Mexican restaurant.
Stovetop beans take up to 4 hours and involve dedicated pot watching to make sure the water doesn't overflow or evaporate.
Who has time for that?!
Today is a Dried Beans 101 course on how to cook beans in the electric pressure cooker, AKA Instant Pot.
In this Instant Pot Beans post, I'll be covering the following:
- Cooking liquid to bean ratios
- Pressure cooker cook times for our most commonly used dried beans
- Health benefits of beans
- Why homemade beans are better
- How many cups is in a 1 pound bag of dried beans (plus more helpful conversions)
- How to sort and clean beans
- Do you need to soak dried beans
- How to quick soak dried beans
- How to reduce gas caused by eating beans
- Best time to add salt when cooking dried beans
- Quick or Natural release for beans
- How full to fill the pressure cooker pot
- How to tell when beans are done
- How to store homemade beans
- Recipes for using your homemade beans
Let's get started!
AMOUNT OF WATER NEEDED FOR COOKING DRIED BEANS IN THE INSTANT POT
Water or broth can be used as the cooking liquid for dried beans. I use a range of liquid amounts depending on my purpose for the beans:
- 4 cups liquid to 1 pound of beans: Best for beans that you don't plan on straining, like the pinto bean side dishes you get at Mexican restaurants. Less water means a flavorful, thicker, and more starchy sauce
- 5 cups liquid to 1 pound of beans: Best for beans that you want to be less starchy and infused with flavor even after straining some of the extra liquid. This is perfect for Mexican food fillings, salads, salsas, and refried beans
- 6 cups liquid to 1 pound of beans: Best for beans that are hardly starchy and only mildly seasoned. These are perfect for bagging and freezing
INSTANT POT DRIED BEANS – COOKING TIMES
I will cover the most common beans seen in recipes:
(the links below go to where you can buy them)
- Pinto Beans
- Black Beans
- Garbanzo Beans AKA Chickpeas
- Great Northern Beans
- Kidney Beans
- Cannellini AKA White Kidney Beans
If you have a favorite that isn't included here, let me know and I will figure out the cook times.
Cooking times will vary depending on the texture you want for your bean. I will provide a range of cook times for the following:
- very soft – great for soups, mashed beans, baby food, refried beans, etc
- soft – great for a salad, salsa, filling for Mexican food (burrito, enchilada, quesadilla etc), side dish, or main dish topped with sour cream, salsa, and avocados
- firm – great for adding to foods that need to cook longer and you worry about the beans becoming too soft like enchiladas, chili, soup, etc.
For those who prefer to soak their beans (more on that below), I will also list a cook time for soft beans that have been soaked for 12 hours.
Note: I always use a full natural pressure release when cooking beans
Pinto Beans
- Very Soft: 50 minutes
- Soft: 45 minutes
- Firm: 40 minutes
- 12 Hour Soaked Beans: 20 minutes
Black Beans
- Very Soft: 40 minutes
- Soft: 35 minutes
- Firm: 30 minutes
- 12 Hour Soaked Beans: 15 minutes
Garbanzo Beans AKA Chickpeas
- Very Soft: 50 minutes
- Soft: 45 minutes
- Firm: 40 minutes
- 12 Hour Soaked Beans: 20 minutes
Great Northern Beans
- Very Soft: 45 minutes
- Soft: 40 minutes
- Firm: 35 minutes
- 12 Hour Soaked Beans: 20 minutes
Kidney Beans
- Very Soft: 50 minutes
- Soft: 45 minutes
- Firm: 40 minutes
- 12 Hour Soaked Beans: 25 minutes
Cannellini Beans AKA White Kidney Beans
- Very Soft: 40 minutes
- Soft: 35 minutes
- Firm: 30 minutes
- 12 Hour Soaked Beans: 15 minutes
ULTIMATE TIME CHART FOR INSTANT POT DRIED BEANS
What could make cooking dried beans in the Instant Pot even easier? How about this handy Instant Pot Dried Beans Time Chart!
A printable version of this time chart is available to my TIDBITS newsletter subscribers. If you are not yet subscribed to my newsletter, you can do so here and the printable will be immediately emailed to you. Thank you!
HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEANS
For an in-depth article on the health benefits of beans, visit 13 Impressive Health Benefits of Beans. I will provide you with the condensed version here.
HIGH IN FIBER
- Beans contain high amounts of fiber which means they will keep you full longer and promote a well functioning digestive tract. High fiber foods may also lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels
NUTRIENT RICH
- Beans are high in essential electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals such as folate, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin K, and more! These little beans are a powerhouse of nutrition!
MEGA PROTEIN
- A half cup of beans contains 8 grams of protein. This compares to one ounce of chicken and fish which makes it an excellent source of protein for vegans and vegetarians as well
LOW IN FAT
- Not only are beans filling and nutritious, they are also low in fat! This makes them ideal for a huge range of people, including those requiring specialty diets
WHY HOMEMADE BEANS ARE BETTER
LESS SODIUM
- Canned beans contain a lot of salt. When you make your own, you control the salt and you can add flavor with spices, herbs, and vegetables like onions, garlic, peppers, etc
PRESERVATIVE FREE
- Uncooked dried beans are naturally preservative free. Canned beans often times contain preservatives to keep them fresher longer
DRIED BEANS ARE CHEAPER
- Whether you buy them in a package or from bulk bins, dried beans are a HUGE savings compared to canned. At my Walmart a two-pound bag of pinto beans costs $2.57. Two pounds of dried pinto beans equals about 8 cans of canned beans which would cost over $6.00. That's more than double the price!
BETTER TASTE AND TEXTURE
- No “canned” taste here! As mentioned above, you can flavor them while they cook as well. The texture of homemade beans is noticeably superior!
EASY
- Using an electric pressure cooker makes cooking dried beans very easy. Also, once I rinse, bag, and freeze the cooked beans in 1 cup portions, I have rinsed beans ready to go right out of the freezer. Freeze them flat and they will thaw in no time or throw them in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds to thaw
SHELF STABLE
- Dried beans are shelf stable for more than 10 years when stored properly, making them a perfect emergency food item to keep on hand
HOW MANY CUPS IN A 1 POUND BAG OF DRIED BEANS – PLUS MORE HELPFUL CONVERSIONS
- 1 pound of dried beans = 2 cups of dried beans = 6 cups of cooked beans
- 1/2 cup dried beans = 1 1/2 cups cooked beans = one 15 ounce can of beans
Translation, if a recipe calls for 1 can of rinsed beans, use 1 1/2 cups of your homemade beans
HOW TO SORT AND CLEAN BEANS
A bag of dried beans may contain rocks, debris, or old, shriveled beans that won't soften well when cooked. To properly sort through them, pour onto a sheet pan in one layer. This will keep them contained and make sorting easy. Place the sorted beans into a colander and rinse with cold, running water before cooking.
DO DRIED BEANS NEED TO BE SOAKED?
This is quite a hot debate. There are arguments for both sides.
The theory for soaking beans is that it decreases oligosaccharide, a poorly digested sugar that ferments and causes abdominal bloating and gas. Soaking also decreases the overall cook time.
Others state that soaking the beans results in little to no change in the “gas and bloating” category and that it might even reduce the overall nutrition and flavor of beans as well.
MARCI TIDBITS OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE MATTER:
If you have an especially sensitive gut, don't eat beans often, or if you feel like soaked beans cause you less abdominal distress, then by all means, soak your beans.
If you don't notice much difference either way and you don't plan ahead, throw the beans into the Instant Pot and let it work its magic. There is yet another theory that pressure cooking beans breaks down oligosaccharides so this may be the ideal solution.
HOW TO QUICK SOAK BEANS IN THE INSTANT POT
If you would like to soak the beans, but didn't plan ahead, there's good news! You can do a quick soak in the Instant Pot by placing 1 pound of beans and 6 cups of water in the pot. Cook them at high pressure for 2 minutes, Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Rinse and drain the beans, then return them to the pot and cook them per “soaked beans” directions above.
HOW TO REDUCE GAS CAUSED BY EATING BEANS
Yep, I've got even more to say about gas, I am, after all, still a Nurse Practitioner at heart and belly problems are a regular topic of conversation for me.
- Soak the beans for at least 12 hours before cooking them
- Slowly increase your intake of beans over time. Your belly will learn to deal with the extra fiber better as you eat more of them
- Try different beans. Some people do better with certain beans than others so if one variety is causing you or your loved ones problems, try a different one
- Take a supplement like Beano with your meal. Beano contains enzymes that are better at breaking down the hard to digest sugars in beans which means less fermenting and gas production in your digestive track
WHEN TO ADD SALT TO DRIED BEANS
Adding salt too early in the cooking process can affect hydration and texture of the beans and prevent them from softening. There are arguments for this as well, but from my experience, the beans cook much more predictably when I add the salt after they are cooked.
QUICK VS NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE FOR PRESSURE COOKED BEANS
I always use a natural pressure release when cooking with beans. Beans create a lot of foam when they cook and that can come through the pressure release knob with a quick release. A natural release is also more gentle on the beans where a quick release may result in many broken, less “pretty” beans.
PRESSURE COOKER FILL LINE FOR BEANS
Similar to other starchy foods like fruit and oats, only fill the pressure cooker pot half way when cooking beans to account for the foam that will be created. This includes the water and beans.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN BEANS ARE FULLY COOKED
After a natural pressure release, remove the lid and use a slotted spoon to stir the beans and remove a few to test. If you can squash them between your fingertips and they are tender to bite, they are done. If they are crunchy or impossible to flatten between your fingertips, pressure cook for another 5 – 10 minutes.
HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE BEANS
Cooked beans can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To freeze, portion 1 cup of beans into freezer safe ziplock bags (or use a FoodSaver). Press them flat to freeze – this will allow them to thaw more quickly.
You can store your beans in some of the cooking liquid or rinse and dry them prior to storage. Storing them in the cooking liquid will keep them a bit more moist. Storing them rinsed makes them very convenient to take from the freezer and add to a recipe without needing to thaw or rinse beforehand.
RECIPES FOR BEANS
There are endless recipes that use beans! Here are some of my favorites.
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken with Mango Black Bean Salsa
- Chickpea Cookie Dough Dip
- Instant Pot Chili
- Instant Pot Healthy Crack Chicken
- Instant Pot Taco Filling
- Instant Pot Tamales or Tamale Pie
- Instant Pot Green Chile Beef Burrito
BASIC DRIED BEAN RECIPES
I think that covers the most commonly asked questions about beans! If I missed any important details or you have your own tips and tricks when it comes to beans, let me know and I will update the post.
Now go plan a dream getaway with all the money you're saving by cooking your own beans! Enjoy!

I just cooked a package of 15 bean soup mix that hadn’t been soaked with a ham hock that was still partially frozen following your directions and they came out great! I don’t use it was soup but over rice. I will never soak beans overnight then cook all day in the crockpot again! Thank you for the information!
Llawayne, I love that mix! It makes great refried beans too. How many minutes did you do?
How do you cook packaged dried peas for pea soup? Thank you!
Maggie, I’ve never tried it, but did a quick search and it looks like most people do about 15 minutes of pressure cook time for dried peas. Let me know if you have a favorite recipe! I have had Split Pea Soup for much too long.
I have always used Bob’s Red Mill 13-bean soup mix in my Dutch oven but would love to make the stew in the IP – have you any hints for this bean mix?
Would adding a ham bone change the amount of water or time to pinto beans?
Cecilia, Nope, I would keep it the same!
I would like to know the cooking times for Borlotti beans, they hardly receive a mention on any websites and yet they are a very popular bean in Europe more especially in Italy where they are generally used to make zuppa di fagioli, a soup that can be consumed either hot or cold. I would welcome your comments on the length of cooking time for dry Borlotti beans, incidentally I buy my dried Borlotti beans in Italy when visiting family there as they are not easily found in UK supermarkets.
Michael, I’ve never had Borlotti bean, but now you have me very curious. I will hunt some down and give it a try!
No Lima beans on your dried bean chart??
Lin, no sorry, that’s not one I’ve experimented with yet.
I wish we could can lentils my husband bought some during the 2020 depression (just kidding) so I am canning my other beans we bought but I’m not really sure if lentils beans are cannable? And for Ms/Mrs. MayK ~~~~Lima beans are very easy made a few quarts last year they didn’t last long around here. Thanks so much for this page it has been a big help with my instant pot canning. Later on we will canning deer meat which is so good if you like that sort of dish.
Marie, one day when I learning canning, I will definitely be canning all of my own beans!
Do I need to decrease pressure time if I am only cooking one cup of beans? There is only me and don’t want to over cook. I like my soft.
Thank you kindly
Janice, from my experience, the cook time stays the same whether I use more or less. Maybe start on the lower end of the cooking time and test from there!
Can I cook 4cups of pinto beans at one time in the instant pot and if so, what is the recipe or proportions?
Alicia, 1 pound of beans is about 2 cups, so you would just double the recipe information for 4 cups. Use this recipe as your guide https://tidbits-marci.com/instant-pot-pinto-beans/
I’ve never tried doubling it, but as long as the pot is only half way full, you should be fine.
Can you tell me how to cook Butter Beans in the Instant Pot?
Trisha, I would need to experiment, but I would try the same cook time as pinto beans.
Hi Marci,
I wondered if you have a limit on how long you NPR?
I did a 12 hour soak on 1 pound of black beans and then cooked them on high pressure for 14 minutes in 5 cups of water. I did the npr which took 51 minutes. My beans were quite soft and great for hummus. Is 51 minutes too long? Especially if I want firmer beans to use in a salad.
Also, I used to add a bay leaf or kombu to aid in digiestion when I cooked beans on the stove top even after soaking. Would you recommend doing that in the instant pot?
Thanks
Deborah, a lot of times I end up releasing the pressure after 30 minutes because I get impatient. That would probably work great for how you’re wanting them. I would do that or cut the cook time down to maybe 10 minutes. I oftentimes will use a bay leaf, but I’ve never heard of kombu. Have you found that really helps with digestion? That would be a fantastic trick!
Marci,
Yes, the kombu did seem to help especially when I first started adding beans to my diet. .
By the way, thanks for your quick response.
That’s so great, I will do some experimenting!
Hi,
I love all the great info you have included. It is awesome !!!! Thanks,.. I have a few questions.
Could you please include cooking times for small white beans or small navy beans?
Also, I loved the 3 levels of cooking time(very soft, soft, and firm) for non-soaked beans. How would you recommend changing the instant pot times for the 3 levels of soaked beans? Would the amount of water also change for soaked beans?
For using beans in a veggie bean burger , would you recommend the soft times?
Lastly, you recommend soaking for 12 hours. Any special reason? (I have soaked 1 cup of garbanzo beans for 6 hours, cook 23 minutes in 3 cups of water, and natural release) Perhaps I need to increase my soaking time which will affect my cooking time… I finally learned soaking time does affect cooking time. 🙂
Thank you so much,
Deborah
Deborah, I’m glad it could help!
I would cook the small white beans similar to Great Northern Beans, I think that will work well. Maybe start with the “firm” time.
For soaked beans, I use the same amount of water. The times written for soaked beans will give you a “soft” bean, so I would go up or down from there.
Whenever I’m blending or mashing the beans, I always cook it to the soft time, so that’s what I would do for your veggie bean burger (which I would love the recipe to if you don’t mind! I’m on the hunt for my favorite!)
The 12 hour soak I settled on because it was convenient for me. I’m thinking the cooking time would be similar if the soak was withing a couple of hours of that 12 hours. Great questions! Let me know if I can help with anything else!
Hi Marci,
Thanks for the great info.
Here is one of my fav burger recipes.
https://www.myhdiet.com/healthnews/fall-in-love-with-food-again/quinoa-white-bean-veggie-burgers
Here are a couple of changes I made: I use 8 oz of mushrooms. I reduced the spices(1/2 tsp each of salt and cumin) Also, I use sweet paprika. I use 1 and 3/4 cup of cooked cannellini beans. I also use finely ground almond meal not the flour. They freeze well.
I hope you will like them.. My family does not like alot of spice, so I always reduce the spice when making anything.
Can’t wait to cook more beans in my instant pot. Thanks again for such a great website!!
Deborah, thank you so much, I Love playing around with veggie burger recipes and that looks like a really good one.
I want to make 15 bean soup. It comes already mixed in a bag. I want them soft. About how much liquid and cooking time do i use of I’m not presoaking them?
Lilli, I would have to experiment, but I would start with a pound of beans to 5 cups of water and cook for 40 minutes. I believe this will result in beans that are just right or quite soft. Let me know if you try it!
Hello –
I’ve been searching for cooking time in the instant pot for firm Butter Beans (or Lima Beans) ?
Wonder if you have tried cooking these?
Thanks for a great informative and useful writing about cooking beans in the IP.
Best wishes from mayK
MayK, If I were to experiment, I’d start with the time for soft Pinto beans and then go from there. Let me know if you try it!
I’m wondering if you have times for Anasazi beans. I got some from my grandfather & don’t really know how to cook them. I have one more question, is there an expiration date or shelf life of a dried bean? Thanks in advance.
Emily, I would cook them similar to pinto beans. I haven’t tried it, but I think that would be a good starting point.
A lot of sources that I’ve read say that dried beans, when stored properly, can last forever, but they start to lose their moisture and nutritional value after 2-3 years. Old beans usually need a longer cook time as well. I hope that helps!
hi there!
are these times for HIGH or LOW pressure?
thanks!
Rita, High pressure, I rarely (if ever!) use low pressure. I hope you love it!
Thank you for all your great information.. I purchased cranberry beans and can’t seem to find cooking times for soaked using the instant pot. Also, I have read that soaking activates enzymes to neutralize protease inhibitors. Would the quick soak also do this? Thank you for your time.
Kathleen, from what I read, the quick soak method gives the same benefits, but there were also reads that said it wasn’t as good . . . so goes the internet 🙂
Thank you, do you have times for the soaked cranberry beans in an instant pot? Have a safe healthy day
🙂
Kathleen, I would treat them similar to cooking pinto beans. They are quite similar in size, shape, and stovetop cooking time so I believe the pressure cooking time will also be the same.