Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Onions and Green Bell Peppers (No Soak Method)
Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Onions and Green Bell Peppers is my childhood favorite meal. Cooked until tender in the instant pot these pinto beans are tender and flavorful served topped with black pepper and cheese! This recipe is vegetarian and ready in 1 hour with no soaking required! Serve with a warm slice of Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Growing up we always made pinto beans on the stove with onions and green bell peppers. Once it was done, you mash them a bit then serve topped with lots of cheese. It’s kinda like a pinto bean soup. So flavorful but so cheap to make. Cooking pinto beans in the instant pot has been a game changer, only 1 hour and no soaking required!
- You can switch up the flavor any way you like. This instant pot pinto beans recipe is vegan and vegetarian, no ham hock or salt pork. But in true southern fashion, feel free to add sausage, beef bacon, cheddar cheese, or your favorite seasonings to dress your bowl of pinto beans up even more!
- Quick and easy recipe to make for the holidays! Serve with Smothered Turkey Necks, Rosemary Polenta Cornbread, collard greens, or Southern Turnip Greens.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pinto beans – I used dry organic pinto beans. Make sure to pick through and remove any bad-looking ones before cooking.
- Green bell peppers and onions – Chopped and added to the Instant Pot. They add so much flavor to this pinto bean soup. Since we aren’t adding any other seasonings except salt they are important to this recipe.
- Optional – shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, or chopped green onion for serving.
How To Cook Pinto Beans In an Instant Pot
Prep pinto beans then add to pot with vegetables
Pick out any bad-looking beans then rinse them really well. Add beans to the Instant Pot along with water, chopped onions, green bell peppers, and salt. Stir everything together, then make sure the beans are evenly spread on the bottom of the pot then secure the lid.
Pressure cook beans
Set the Instant Pot to sealing then press the BEAN/STEW button, set the pressure to HIGH, and the timer to 55 minutes. Make sure the “Keep warm” setting is off.
Allow the beans to steam release then serve
Allow the beans to release the steam naturally for 10 – 15 minutes then remove the lid. (This is very important for safety and to avoid spreading hot bean water all over yourself and your kitchen) Check for the doneness. You can optionally smash some of the beans with a potato masher.
Serve hot topped with shredded cheddar cheese and black pepper, a slice of warm cornbread or steamed rice. Enjoy!
Variations
- Add your favorite sausage
- Turkey or beef bacon
- Extra seasonings like garlic powder, chili seasoning, bay leaves, cayenne pepper
- Minced garlic or jalapeno peppers.
- Use half chicken or vegetable broth and half water. Use low sodium broth so your beans aren’t overly salty.
Storing / Reheating Instructions
- Store beans in an air-tight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat with a splash of water or chicken/vegetable broth on the stove over medium heat until heated through.
- Place beans inside a freezer-safe bag to store in the freezer for several months. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat with a splash of water covered until heated through.
Frequently asked questions
You want to use 3 parts water and 1 part beans to ensure the beans cook evenly without burning or cooking unevenly.
Yes, you want to make sure the Instant Pot is sealed when cooking the beans so that it reaches the proper pressure.
I usually press the “BEAN/STEW” button then make sure it’s set to HIGH pressure.
There might not have been enough water in the Instant Pot or they weren’t cooked for long enough. It usually takes 55 minutes for the beans to cook inside the Instant Pot if you are using a no soak method.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
- Polenta Cornbread
- Blue Corn Cornbread Muffins
- Jalapeno Honey Cornbread
- Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Instant Pot Sushi Rice
- Turkey Enchiladas with black beans
- Ground Beef Enchiladas with black beans
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Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soak)
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pinto beans
- 3 cups water
- 1 small onion diced, about 1 cup
- 1 small green bell pepper diced, about 1 cup
- 1 – 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Optional
- Ground black pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Pick out any bad-looking beans then give them a really good rinse. 1 cup dry pinto beans
- Place the beans inside the Instant Pot then add the water, vegetables, and salt. Mix to dissolve the salt and make sure the beans are evenly spread out on the bottom of the pot. 3 cups water 1 small onion 1 small green bell pepper 1 – 1 1/4 teaspoons salt Ground black pepper
- Secure the lid making sure it’s set to sealing. Press the “BEAN/STEW” button, and the pressure is set to HIGH, and the timer to 55 minutes. Make sure the “keep warm” function is off.
- Once the beans are finished cooking, allow the steam to release naturally for 10 – 15 minutes. This step is very important for safety and to avoid spreading hot bean water all over yourself and your kitchen
- Taste and adjust for seasoning. You can optionally mash a few beans with a potato masher. Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese and black pepper. Enjoy!
