Looking for a good Instant Pot recipe for beans for this weekend

November 23, 2022 8:47 AM

I've had a couple of good batches from a few random online recipes, and I can hardly imagine that this is the first time this or similar has been posted, but I'd like to hear from (you) (today). What's your go-to Instant Pot beans meal? I will likely use dry black-eyed beans or black beans, or a mix of the two. Thanks in advance.
posted by elkevelvet to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

I use pintos for this but I imagine you could use black-eyed just as easily.

2 carrots
2 ribs celery
2 yellow onions
garlic

^ chop/mince the above, add to about a quarter cup of oil and saute in the instant pot. add a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and saute some more. add a bunch of various spices that go with beans (cumin, paprika, chili powder, Mexican oregano, etc).

add:
1 can chipotles in adobo (reduce the amount if you don't like your beans spicy)
1 large can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 quart box vegetable broth
1 lb dried beans
salt to taste

set to manual, high pressure, 50 minutes.
after it cooks do a 20 minute natural release (there will still be some gas to vent).

add:
a bunch of chopped kale, however much looks good to you
juice of one lemon

you're done! serve over rice (rice can be gussied up with garlic, broth, whatever).
posted by derrinyet at 8:59 AM on November 23, 2022 [7 favorites]

2 cups dry black beans
6 cups water
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 Bay leaves

Put everything in a slow cooker for 4 to 6 hours (or Instant Pot equivalent)

Once the beans are very soft, remove the bay leaves and blend everything with an immersion blender. Add 1 to 2 tbsp of salt and 1/2 cup of coconut oil. Stir well. This makes a great side dish or dip.

You can also add broth and thin it out to make soup, I like topping it with diced tomatoes, cilantro, and sour cream.
posted by ananci at 9:28 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

I make a pot of rice and beans using this recipe each weekend to use for breakfast during the week with an over easy egg and pickled red onion. I use dried black beans instead of red kidney beans, and up the cook time to 30 minutes. The cilantro stems add a lot!
posted by rube goldberg at 10:05 AM on November 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

I was about to type in a recipe but it turns out derrinyet's recipe is pretty much exactly what I do with a couple of exceptions:

1) I like using the Hurst 15 Bean mix because it has a variety of dried beans. Also, don't bother with the flavor packet, just toss it.

2) I'll sometimes also throw in some meat into the mix (between 3/4 lb and 1lb, usually). I've used kielbasa, regular (American, not British) bacon, and shoulder bacon. Recently, I've been leaning more towards Hempler's shoulder bacon which is leaner than regular bacon but also has a good amount of smoky flavor. Just brown the meat when you're starting the veggies.
posted by mhum at 10:10 AM on November 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

The high heat is going to mute out any real nuanced flavor, so I generally go with a generous dose of whatever seasoning blend I'm in the mood for (this is usually Tony Chachere's, Cavender's Greek, or TJ's or Costco's 21 Seasoning Salute/No-Salt Seasoning blend (both of them have dried lemon and tomato in them, which is part of what I'm looking for)), 2 bay leaves, salt if I didn't use a salt-free seasoning blend, and a spooned blop of Better Than Bouillon chicken or no-chicken stock. If I'm really motivated I throw in half an onion and some garlic cloves.

If I'm really really motivated I make tarka/chhonk to stir in AFTER cooking, and if I'm making beans for Mexican food I might additionally add minced cilantro at that point.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:18 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

I do this one from Smitten Kitchen in a standard crock pot/slow cooker, and it's delicious enough to be a go-to. It has a set of instant pot directions as well:

black bean soup + toasted cumin seed crema
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:35 AM on November 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

I really love this recipe if you're not averse to bacon.
posted by synecdoche at 11:14 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

I like the Rancho Gordo basic bean recipe as a base for starting from; they include instructions for stovetop, pressure cooker, etc. They also have lots of more specific recipes, too.
posted by Dip Flash at 11:37 AM on November 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Just a note that black eyed peas cook much faster than many other beans, so if you are adapting a recipe for another kind of bean, the cooking time is likely to be too long, whether you're using the instant pot or another method.

(Also this Marcus Samuelson black eyed peas recipe is amazing but it's for the stove top.)
posted by bluedaisy at 1:03 PM on November 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you for the recipes, I will be trying out each and every one. I marked bluedaisy's as "best answer" because it's the final comment in the thread but I don't doubt these are all excellent suggestions and I'm excited to try them all. Thank you!!
posted by elkevelvet at 8:44 AM on November 25, 2022