No Soak Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans

Love homemade pinto beans but hate the time it takes to start from dry beans? Well making pressure cooker pinto beans there’s NO soaking required and they’re done start to finish in about an hour and a half! One of our favorite Instant Pot recipes.

We’ve added it into our list of Ninja Foodi recipes too because that’s our new favorite appliance! If you want to know how to cook dried pinto beans in Instant Pot or other brand of high pressure machine we have instructions for you!

With the Foodi you are going to use the lid that is not attached to make these super tender to your liking. Then add them to your taco Tuesday buffet or just make some quick burritos for dinner. They can be doctored up with chiles and/or red pepper flakes to make them spicy for a Mexican feast or left as is just simple with your meal.

The possibilities are endless once you understand how to pressure cook dry beans. Bagged they are super cheap, you can make a ton at a time, and they feed a crowd for next to nothing. Keep them whole or mash to change their texture and consistency.

Ingredient Notes

We are going to cook 2 cups of pinto beans measured before cooking. You can find a bag at the store for next to nothing and they are way better cooked from dried vs. canned.

You are going to want twice as much liquid as your beans, we use a few cups of water or vegetable or beef broth could be used to add a lot more flavor.

How to Season

I like to add a small can of diced chiles that are either mild or of medium heat levels but spicy is available too. Diced onions and minced garlic is an easy way to amp up the flavor too. You can add some chili powder or red pepper flakes for heat if you like.

You can call them charro beans too if you choose to go the step further with the chiles and seasonings listed in the recipe card below.

Starting with dry beans allows you to control the sodium levels and to know exactly what is in the dish which is nice. Especially if you have high blood pressure you might be interested in learning how to do that. Canned foods can be quite high in salt for sure which doesn’t always add the best flavor.

Can you add ham hock?

For sure. This is a great way of how to cook ham hocks since the meat will fall right off when done and will add a lot of smoky flavor to the dish. Just set 1 or 2 in the very center before setting to high pressure and starting the timing.

Tips for Success

Always wash your dry beans to remove any dirt or debris (small rocks may be hidden). Timing depends on how soft you want your beans to be and how many you want to cook (I tend to stick with 2 c. dry beans at a time). You need twice as much water is needed for the amt. of dry beans you’re cooking

Use this Instant Pot cooking times for beans printable charts to determine cook time (they’re very similar). Use high pressure. Allow pot to naturally release steam. Check beans, if you’d like them softer you can easily add a bit more water and set it for another 10 min. or so to soften even more

Drain and eat or doctor up (like we did here) or you can use them as the base of our Instant Pot pinto bean soup which can be served as an entire meal.

How Long to Cook Pinto Beans in Instant Pot (No Soak)

You will need 1 hour 20 minutes for the perfect texture without soaking beforehand. Much faster than our Pinto Beans in Crockpot Recipe that takes a whopping 8 to 10 hours to get tender after soaking overnight.

What happens if you don’t soak pinto beans before cooking?

Soaking helps to reduce some of the complex sugars that can cause gas and bloating. Without soaking, some people might experience more digestive discomfort after eating so they prefer to start with this step no matter what.

How Long to Cook Pinto Beans in Instant Pot (Soaked Overnight)

You only need about 8 minutes if this is the case followed by a 10 minute natural release. The timing is so much shorter because they have already softened quite a bit in the water. A great option if you want to speed things up, reduce bloating, and remember to soak the night before.

Other pressure cooker bean recipes you’ll love

You can even make a great Crockpot express pinto bean soup with them once they’re as tender as you’d like them to be.

These pressure cooker refried beans do not need to be soaked either as well as our great No soak Instant Pot baked beans have raving reviews. Instant Pot black beans is a great bean recipe used as a side dish to many Mexican recipes.