These versatile Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans are made from dried beans but with no soaking required. Only 5 minutes of prep time, one pot and ready in 30 minutes, they're seasoned with simple pantry spices. Perfect as a side dish or added to tacos, burritos and rice bowls.
While having canned beans on hand is convenient for last minute recipes, pressure cooked dried beans in big batches is something I do weekly so I can use them throughout the week in all sorts of recipes. It's so simple and hands off- no soaking and no standing over the stove, stirring and babysitting the beans for hours as they cook.
Table Of Contents
- Do Black Beans Need To Be Soaked Before Pressure Cooking?
- Ingredients
- Ingredient Notes
- How To Pressure Cook Mexican Black Beans
- Do I Need To Change Cook Time If Increasing The Amount Of Beans?
- How Much Cooked Beans Does This Recipe Make?
- How To Use Mexican Black Beans
- How To Store And Reheat
- Recipe
- Recipe Reviews
Once you make these Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans, you'll add them to your monthly batch cooking rotation. Just toss the beans, seasonings and water into your pressure cooker, press start, and let the cooker do the work. They turn out perfectly tender and flavorful without any effort.
This is a great beginner recipe and is perfect for busy days and making large batches of beans for meal prepping. As a flavorful side dish, Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans go great with chicken enchiladas, street corn tacos and air fried taquitos. From using them to make black bean burgers, as a topping for loaded nachos or throwing into a slow cooker chili, this recipe never disappoints.
Do Black Beans Need To Be Soaked Before Pressure Cooking?
You do not need to soak dried black beans when pressure cooking them (although for stovetop cooking and other methods you usually do). Just add them to the Instant Pot with your seasonings, water and cook!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
- 4 cups of chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
- Seasonings: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cinnamon
Ingredient Notes
- Seasonings: you can use 2 packets of taco seasoning to make it easy or if you don't have the seasonings I use.
- Broth: you can use any clear liquid, such as water, chicken broth, beef broth or vegetable broth. Liquid should always be cold when added to the pressure cooker. Using hot liquids will affect the cook time.
- For every 1 pound of beans, use 4 cups of liquid.
How To Pressure Cook Mexican Black Beans
- Put the dried black beans in the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of chicken broth or water and bouillon for every 1 cup of beans. Add the seasonings and bay leaf. Stir well.
- Close and lock the pressure cooker lid. Set to pressure cook on high for 28 minutes.
- When pressure cooking has finished, quickly release the pressure. Remove the lid and stir. Drain about half of the liquid (if desired), reserving the rest of the cooking liquid for serving. Discard the bay leaf if used. There is a lot of flavor in the broth so I don't recommend discarding it, unless of course you prefer very dry cooked beans.
- Serve topped with torn cilantro and other desired toppings, such as avocado, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, feta cheese, etc.
Do I Need To Change Cook Time If Increasing The Amount Of Beans?
No, you do not need to change the cook time if using more beans. Just make sure to always increase the ingredient quantities proportionately.
How Much Cooked Beans Does This Recipe Make?
You'll get about 3 cups of black beans for every 1 pound of dried beans used.
How To Use Mexican Black Beans
- In burrito or rice bowls
- In quesadillas or enchiladas
- In tacos, like chicken tacos or beef tacos
- Use to make black bean soup
How To Store And Reheat
Fridge: Store in an airtight covered container for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Freezer in freezer-safe storage bags for up to 6 months.
How to Reheat: Warm in the microwave or on the stove over low heat.
Recipe
Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans (No Soak, 30 minutes)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black beans see notes for canned beans
- 4 cups chicken broth or water and bouillon
- 1 ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf optional
- cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Add the 1 cup dried black beans to the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Add 4 cups chicken broth for every 1 cup of beans. Add the 1 ½ tbsp cumin,1 tbsp chili powder,1 tbsp garlic powder,1 tbsp dried oregano,2 tsp onion powder,¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and 1 bay leaf. Stir well.
- Close and lock the pressure cooker lid. Set to pressure cook on high (or manual) for 28 minutes.
- When pressure cooking has finished, quickly release the pressure. Remove the lid and stir. Drain about half of the liquid (if desired), reserving the rest of the cooking liquid for serving. Discard the bay leaf. There is a lot of flavor in the broth so I don't recommend discarding it.
- Serve topped with torn cilantro and other desired toppings, such as avocado, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, feta cheese, etc.
Notes
Nutrition
Anonymous says
Flavor is good but definitely needs more than 28 mins cook time. beans are still hard. More like 35 plus 10 min natural release
Ramona says
These beans look super delicious and they are definitely perfect for enchiladas, which I will be making now using this bean recipe! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to make it!
Laura Arteaga says
Really loved the combination of spices for this recipe. It gave the beans such a delicate flavor. Thanks for this recipe!