Make a pot of Mexican Black Beans in the Electric Pressure Cooker (i.e. Instant Pot) in just over an hour. This simple (no soaking required) recipe uses dry beans and is a perfect side dish or accompaniment to a meatless main dish.
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So I got an Instant Pot (aff. link) about a month ago.
Guys I love it.
I’ve been pressure cooking for over 10 years using this cuisinart electric pressure cooker. And it’s been great.
And while I haven’t turned my back on the Cuisinart, I’ve been very pleased with the Instant Pot thus far. It’s easy to use and makes pressure cooking not hard at all. I really do love my Instant Pot.
I’ve already noticed slight differences in the electric pressure cookers. It’s still too soon to state really definite opinions, but I’d like to explore those differences further along with those of other electric pressure cookers as well.
I would LOVE it if you’d leave me a comment if you tried a recipe with a different brand of electric pressure cooker, if it worked or didn’t work, and how you adapted it. It always makes my day to hear how these recipes are working for YOU.
But before I stray too far from the topic at hand, let’s get back to these beans.
Tried and true recipe
I have been making variations of these Mexican Black beans pretty much as long as I’ve been pressure cooking. Cooking dry beans is one of the main reasons I bought an electric pressure cooker in the first place. Because it is SOOOO easy to make them in the electric pressure cooker.
And in this recipe there is no soaking required.
Now I know some people still dutifully soak their beans and that’s fine. It will cut down the cooking time anywhere from a third to a half (I would start with around 13 to 15 minutes). And there are probably other reasons to soak beans. Digestive reasons maybe. Please inform if you know.
But as for me, a busy mom, who is always looking for a shortcut (the lazy girl approach), I’m never thinking the night before about soaking beans. So guess what? I don’t soak my beans.
I always give them a quick rinse and sort through them to make sure there are no impurities (often they have little tiny stones or bad beans that need to go). Then I just pop them in the pressure cooker and away they cook.
Cooking a delicious pot of beans in about an hour without soaking is superstar status in my book. And I’m here to tell you, it’s totally doable with the Instant Pot.
Recipes like this one really make the Instant Pot (or other pressure cookers) stand out. Cooking unsoaked beans on the stovetop takes a LONG time. I’m not even sure how long because it’s been so long since I’ve cooked them that way, but it’s a lot longer than an hour.
You will notice that the recipe calls for 2 cups of dried beans. Some sources on the internet will lie and say that 2 cups of dried black beans are equal to 1 pound. It’s close (I admit), but not quite. It’s more like 2 1/3 cups. And that extra third cup makes a difference. You can add it if you want, but make sure you also add a bit more water otherwise the beans will be a bit dried out.
One thing that I have found is that if the beans are not quite tender enough after cooking, you can always add a little more water, bring them back up to pressure and cook them for another 5 or 10 minutes. No problem there. Just add a bit more salt if you need to. Beans are very forgiving like that.
Serving ideas for these Mexican black beans
Next time I post (probably in two days), I’m going to share with you one of our favorite ways to serve these beans. Here’s a hint: think delicious taco salad with this Mexican Rice and an amazing dressing that is sooo good. We love it. We often eat them that way as a Meatless dish and don’t miss the meat because all of the awesome flavors going on.
These beans are also delicious served with tortilla chips as nachos, in a burrito or taco, or as a side dish for your favorite Mexican dish.
Any way you look at it, these beans are super tasty and really not hard to make. Who can say no to 10 minutes of meal prep max, push a button and walk away. Oh yeah, my friends. This is my kind of meal.
Mexican Black Beans {Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe}
Make a pot of Mexican Black Beans in the Electric Pressure Cooker (i.e. Instant Pot) in just over an hour. This simple (no soaking required) recipe uses dry beans and is a perfect side dish or accompaniment to a meatless main dish.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups (about 14.5 ounces) dry black beans rinsed and sorted
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 3 ½ cups water
- ½ tablespoon chicken bouillon see note
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¾ teaspoon thyme
Instructions
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Heat oil in Instant Pot using sauté function. Add diced onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and cook until aromatic.
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Add rinsed and sorted black beans, tomato sauce, water, chicken bouillon, salt, cumin, dried bay leaves, oregano, and thyme and give everything a good stir.
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Secure the lid and cook at high pressure for 35 minutes (see note). Let the pressure naturally release. Remove bay leaves, give the beans a quick stir, and serve. See note for serving ideas.
Recipe Notes
1. For this recipe (and many others) I use this chicken bouillon substitute.
2. We like to serve these Mexican Black Beans as a side dish for many Mexican-Inspired dishes. They are great with Nachos, in Burritos, Tacos or Taco Salad, or alongside this Mexican Rice.
3. Cooking time for this recipe is based on a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo, and may vary slightly depending on pressure cooker brand and size.
4. The best way to vary this recipe is to change up the spices. We’ve done all kinds of variations (e.g. Adding taco seasoning is really good). Feel free to experiment.
5. These beans freeze great. Just cool and pack into freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon
