Best Instant Pot Baked Beans – Dry or Canned
Gone are those days when I had to sit for hours by the stove to make a batch of baked beans. My Instant Pot Baked Beans are made from scratch with dried or canned beans, eliminating the need to soak them! Flavored with rich, smoky bacon and cooked in a delicious, sweet and savory BBQ sauce. This classic recipe can be made in a fraction of the time in the pressure cooker. Ready in under one hour!
Nothing screams summer barbecues like a nostalgic bowl of baked beans, just like my momma and grandma used to cook them. Not skipping the bacon or the seasonings. This is one of those cozy meals that goes with everything, and they are always there when I make fall of the bone ribs, juicy burgers, or loaded hot dogs.
Table of contents
This Instant Pot version is my favorite one since it eliminates so much effort and babysitting—no more stirring or waiting for the beans to cook. Cook the dry beans in the pressure cooker for 25 minutes, then discard the water and add the remaining ingredients. Pressure cook again. Suppose you are making these with canned beans; it’s even easier and more time-efficient! The beans always turn out tender, not mushy, full of rich and decadent barbecue flavors, and a sauce that is like a glossy glaze, coating each bean in a blanket of goodness.
Why you will love it
- Time efficient: Even if you forgot to soak your dry beans, you don’t have to worry about it. With this recipe, you only pressure cook the dry beans for 25 minutes, and they are ready to be used!
- No babysitting: Forget about the days when you had to plan a day to make beans, to soak them, to plan on sitting by the stove and stirring them. With my recipe, all that babysitting and stress is gone; add everything to the Instant Pot and let it do its magic.
- Crowd-pleaser: Make these barbecue baked beans for your next picnic or grill party, and make sure to double it; everyone loves the irresistible sweet, tangy, and smoky flavors in this dish.
- Meal-prep: This recipe is also great to cook a day or two in advance, so you don’t have to prep everything on the day of your party. Also, it freezes well, so make sure to make enough to have leftovers.
What you will need
- Bacon: This recipe is all about the sweet and savory flavors. I cook the bacon with brown sugar and maple syrup for a robust flavor that complements the richness of the bacon.
- Beans: I pressure cook the dry pinto beans with a bit of extra virgin olive oil for the mildest flavor, water, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
The sauce:
- Aromatics: Sweet yellow Vidalia onions are the best, and fresh minced garlic is the best for the most intense flavor.
- Sweeteners: Brown sugar and molasses for a rich, sweet, smoky flavor with a hint of toffee and caramel.
- Other enhancers: Worcestershire sauce adds a complex mix of flavors from garlic, tamarind, onion, molasses, and anchovies. Liquid smoke gives your beans a smoky flavor. The tangy tomato paste adds another dimension of flavor. Plus the traditional barbecue sauce.
- Spices and seasonings: Smoked paprika adds to the smokiness and the sweetness with an earthy background. Cinnamon, with its woodsy sweet taste, complements the other flavors well. Ground mustard adds a tangy kick, and the diced green chiles and red pepper flakes bring a little fire to your beans.
How to make
Cook the bacon: First, I start by roasting the bacon with a bit of brown sugar and maple syrup. Cook it at 400°F using a rimmed baking sheet. After that, cool it and chop it.
Pressure cook the dry beans: Next, I add the dry beans, salt, pepper, and liquid to the pressure cooker. After closing the lid and sealing the valve, I cook it on high pressure for 25 minutes.
Natural Pressure Release: After cooking, I perform a 20-minute natural release. Then, manually release the remaining pressure by opening the valve.
Rinse: Afterward, I remove the beans from the pot, rinse and drain them, discard the liquid from the pot, and add the beans back to the bottom of the pot.
Combine: At this point, I add the remaining ingredients, except bacon, and stir to combine.
Pressure cook again: I lock the lid, close the pressure valve, and pressure cook the mixture on high pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release. I quick-release the remaining pressure and carefully open the lid.
Add bacon: Finally, I stir in the chopped bacon and serve the pressure cooker baked beans warm with extra bacon on top.
Expert tip
Know how long it takes to cook beans in an Instant Pot
For this recipe, I cook dry pinto beans in water for 25 minutes with a 20-minute natural pressure release. Then, I cook them again with the sauce for another 10 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural pressure release. So, these beans are nice and soft when they are done. If you want them firmer, cook them for 20 minutes in phase one.
Different kinds of beans take different amounts of time to cook, and the time depends on whether they are dry or soaked. Dry black beans can be cooked on high pressure for 30 minutes, while soaked beans get done in five to seven minutes. Pinto beans and navy beans take 25 minutes if they are dry and five minutes if they have been soaked. Dry northern beans take 35 minutes to cook, while soaked beans take about 9 to 11 minutes. For each of these beans, perform a natural pressure release for 20 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure.
How to avoid the Burn notice:
I’ve had some questions and comments about the burn notice on the Instant Pot. Although we have never had any issues with this or experienced the burn notice with this recipe, it is wise to pinpoint a few critical things that might help to avoid it.
- First, if cooking the bacon in the pressure cooker, make sure not to use extra-thin or low-fat bacon. Both of these can cause the bacon to stick to the bottom of the pot, potentially leading to a burn notice later. The browned bits stuck to the pot due to the lack of fat. This can make the Instant Pot think that you’ve walked away and left the meat to burn. So try using good quality bacon, which is thicker and has a decent fat content.
- Alternatively, follow my recipe and cook the bacon in the oven, or use pre-cooked bacon. However, if you fry it in the IP using the sauté setting, make sure to deglaze the inner pot with a bit of liquid and, with a wooden spoon, scrape any bits that are stuck to it.
- Also, after combining all the ingredients, you get the burn notice. You probably didn’t thoroughly stir everything together, or something is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Hence, ensure to stir well before pressure cooking.
More tips to consider
- I like to cook the bacon separately; this way, it’s crispier and tastes much better. If you don’t want to turn on your oven, you can brown the bacon in the electric pressure cooker.
- Also, when I cook the bacon in the oven, I like to either drizzle a little maple syrup over it or sprinkle some brown sugar; this way, it caramelizes a bit, and it goes well with the smoky flavor of the dish. Watch it closely to avoid burning it!
- Shorten prep time by using bacon bits or precooked bacon instead of cooking your own. Alternatively, you can cook it ahead of time and refrigerate it until you are ready.
- Another way to significantly shorten prep time is to use canned beans instead of dry. You will need about three cans of pinto beans. Make sure you drain them.
- You will not taste the mustard and cinnamon in this recipe, but you will notice their absence, as they enhance the other flavors.
- To avoid the burn notice on your Instant Pot, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot after sautéing the bacon.
- For the best results, freeze the instant pot baked beans the same day you cook them to avoid changes in texture and flavor.
- The molasses and brown sugar are, in my opinion, essential in this recipe, so make sure you don’t skip those.
Recipe Variations:
- Using canned beans: Skip the recipe steps about cooking the dried beans, and replace them with three cans (15.5 ounces each) of canned beans, drained and rinsed. Add them to the pressure cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook per the recipe’s instructions.
- Slow cooker: Start with either cooked or canned beans, then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook beans on low for 4 to 6 hours until thick.
- Stovetop: Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven and cover. Then, simmer for about an hour, or until thoroughly cooked.
- Add meat: Instead of just bacon, add some other protein like chopped chicken, turkey, or beef for a hearty meal.
- No smoke: For those who do not like smoky flavor, leave out the instant smoke and use sweet paprika instead of smoky.
- Add veggies: Feel free to play around with this recipe and make it your own. Add chopped mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, or whatever other veggies you like.
- No heat: Make your instant pot baked beans less spicy by leaving out the red pepper flakes and chiles.
- Too sweet: If you feel like this is too sweet, try leaving out the brown sugar or the molasses.
- Vegetarian: Alternatively, make these without the bacon and using vegetable broth.
- Garlicky: For garlic lovers, add more minced garlic and garlic powder for a more pronounced flavor.
Serving suggestions:
This easy instant pot baked beans recipe is excellent served at a summer BBQ with some creamy cucumber salad, crispy coleslaw, and instant pot pulled pork. I recommend having some homemade cornbread or corn muffins on the side. At your next picnic or backyard barbecue, serve it with hot dogs, burgers, and potato salad.
They would pair well with almost any main dish. I like to serve them with air-fried pork chops, oven-roasted pork loin, or chili-glazed meatloaf. My kids love it when I add chopped hot dogs for beanie weenies, or when I serve these with their favorite Big Mac Sloppy Joes. For dessert, I usually go with something nostalgic and traditional like blueberry hand pies or banana pudding.
How to store:
- Refrigerate: First, let the instant pot baked beans fully cool, and then transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: Use freezer bags or containers and don’t fill them to the brim, as the mixture will slightly expand when frozen. If frozen properly, they can last in the freezer for up to 6 months. However, I prefer to keep them for about 3 months only.
- Thaw: When ready to consume the beans, take them out of the freezer and put them in the refrigerator in a large container for up to eight hours so they gradually defrost.
- Reheat: After they have thawed, put them in a pan and reheat them over low to medium heat.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is a huge time saver to use canned beans instead of dry beans. But first, drain and rinse them. Combine them with the rest of the ingredients and pressure cook for 10 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural pressure release.
No, the beauty of this recipe is that if you choose to make it with dry beans, you don’t have to soak them. You can cook them in the Pressure Cooker, rinse and discard the water from the pot, and cook with the rest of the ingredients to make this dish. You can soak them overnight to ease digestion and reduce the pressure cooking time.
To make these baked beans vegetarian, omit the bacon. For a smoky flavor, use liquid smoke instead.
You can prepare these beans a few days in advance of serving them. They will stay good in the fridge in an air-tight container for 4-5 days. They also freeze well, making them a great addition to your meal-prep list.
More Instant Pot recipes:
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Best Instant Pot Baked Beans – No Soaking
Ingredients
Bacon:
- 10 slices bacon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup optional
Cook Dry Beans:
- 1 lb. pinto beans dry*
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 cups water or broth of choice
Baked Beans:
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup brown sugar use less, if you want to reduce sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Molasses
- 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles, optional
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Cook the bacon:
- You can use pre-cooked bacon, or you can brown it in the Instant Pot before adding the cooked beans. I prefer the oven method. Here are the steps.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Line 1 baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lay the bacon onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Sprinkle a little brown sugar over the bacon or drizzle a little maple syrup.
- Bake until the bacon is deep golden-brown and crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Begin checking around 12 minutes to monitor how quickly the bacon is cooking.
- Remove from oven and set aside. When cooled, chop into 1-inch pieces.
Cook dry beans:
- Add dry beans, salt, pepper, and 8 cups of liquid to the pressure cooker. Cover and ensure the valve points to Sealed. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release of 20-25 minutes.
- Release manually the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid.
- Rinse the beans under cold water and drain.
- Clean the pot and return it to the Instant Pot.
Make baked beans:
- Add the cooked beans to the Instant Pot, along with the other ingredients. Gently stir to combine. Cover with the lid, ensuring the valve is set to Sealed.
- Cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes, followed by a 10-minute Natural Pressure Release.
- Release manually the remaining pressure and carefully remove the lid.
- Stir in the chopped cooked bacon.
- To further reduce the liquid, you can select the Sauté mode and cook the beans with the lid off for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has thickened to your liking. Additionally, you can mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add this mixture to the beans to help thicken the sauce.
- Serve with extra bacon on top and fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
- You can use canned beans, 3 cans (15.5 ounces each) of either northern, pinto or kidney beans. Also, you can use a combo of these. If using canned beans, skip the instructions for Cooking Dry Beans and jump to Make Baked Beans.