instant pot black beans

It is finally starting to feel like fall in Northern California and I am HERE FOR IT! How am I supposed to enjoy a frothy pumpkin spice latte in my warmest winter socks when it is 100° outside? Cruel, California, cruel. Thankfully, it feels like those hot days are finally behind us and many days of crisper, cooler weather are on the horizon! And crisper, cooler weather means big bowls of comfort food. These instant pot black beans are an absolute must to have on hand at all times for chilis, stews, tacos, giant, delicious burritos, enchiladas and more! Have you seen my easy 5 Ingredient enchilada sauce?

This recipe requires very little prep, makes a large batch, freezes well, and is dirt cheap!

When I first started eating plant-based, I started incorporating many more legumes in my diet. At the time, I was in college and had minimal kitchen essentials so I had not yet discovered the joy of cooking your own beans.

While canned beans are still fairly cheap and far cheaper than buying organic meat, I soon realized that dry beans were SO MUCH CHEAPER! Like seriously so cheap it is ridiculous! For the cost of one can of beans, I found I could get about 5x that amount if I bought dry beans and cooked them myself. And with the amount of beans my husband and I eat, it was a no brainer!

dry beans for the win.

Now, I will say, the real key here is cooking the beans in an instant pot. You can cook dry beans on the stove top, but it will take several hours (literally) and the beans will need to be soaked ahead of time.

I have personally only attempted to cook dry beans on the stove once and it was not pretty. Picture me standing next to the stove after an eternity of bean cooking only to still have very undercooked beans. Then picture me eating said undercooked beans and me feeding them to my husband and us going to bed with a horrible, horrible stomach ache. Long story short: cook your beans in the instant pot! Trust me on this one.

to soak or not to soak…

Some people are ADAMANT that you need to soak your beans ahead of time, even when cooking them in the instant pot. I have tried both soaked beans and dry beans and honestly didn’t notice a difference so I almost never soak them ahead of time! Don’t tell anyone!

Now for the recipe.

You’ll need just a few ingredients that you likely already have on hand! Black beans (duh), olive oil, onions, garlic, veggie broth, bay leaves, and spices. So easy and so customizable.

Use the sauté function on the Instant pot to soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil. Add in the spices, and bay leaves and cook a few minutes longer. Then add in the rinsed beans and the broth, twist on the lid and let it do it’s thing! Boom! instant pot black beans!

Once it’s done cooking, you can store the beans for about a week. I like to freeze a portion of mine in mason jars for future black bean emergencies too!

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