Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans are a fast, easy, inexpensive and delicious recipe for beans that you can serve up on their own with some brown rice or as the perfect side dish. 

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Pressure cookers are one of those appliances you either have and use all the time or really have no clue about. I, for one, was a long time, card-carrying member the latter category. I had actually been gifted one a long time ago, and although I had always heard previously just how indispensable a pressure cooker can be — especially when it came to cooking foods like meats and beans quickly with tender, succulent results — I always managed to come up with a seemingly endless amount of excuses to avoid figuring out how to use mine. For some inexplicable reason, I found my pressure cooker so totally intimidating , that it sat untouched in my closet for years before I finally decided to take the plunge. Once I did, I couldn’t stop using it.

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Chloe is an obsessive bean eater, but with the requisite eight-plus hours of soaking and simmering to make most beans fresh, cooking them always presented a real challenge for me. The pressure cooker did away with all that. My friend Nilva grew up using a pressure cooker daily, and so she gave me a crash course in how to use one to make beans fresh in a fraction of the time. Much to my surprise, it couldn’t have been easier. All it required was dumping in all of my ingredients and locking the lid. 40 minutes later, alerted by a whistle as loud as a freight train and a beautiful geyser of steam bursting from the spout, my beans were done and indeed they tasted as superior as the best ones I had ever had.

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Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans

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Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound dry pinto beans
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 bunch cilantro stems, tied together with butcher\'s twine
  • 7 cups water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions 

  • Combine all the ingredients in a pressure cooker and, following the manufacturer’s directions, cover and lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
  • Allow the steam to release completely (again, following manufacturer’s directions) before opening the pressure cooker lid.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Sodium: 310mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

  1. I just bought a Electric Pressure Cooker. I see all these recipes for Instant Pot. W hat is the difference between the 2. Can you use a recipe for a Instant Pot in a Electric Pressure Cooker

  2. Could be old beans. Sometimes, if they are not fresh they simply won’t cook. Other idea is that you put something into the liquid that caused them to toughen up during cooking. To avoid this cook them well in just water and only add other ingredients when you’re done cooking the beans to your desired texture

  3. We have an old school pressure cooker given to me by a friend. We tried to cook pinto beans in it for the first time last night. Left the beans on for 45 min and they weren’t soft enough. Added more water and put on for 30 min more. Still not soft enough. Any idea what we might have done wrong. Burner was set to med high then to high later on.

  4. I hope you like it when you make it! The recipe is just for the beans, in the photo I served it on top of a mixture of corn and sauteed bell peppers!

  5. I can’t wait to go to my moms and try this on her pressure cooker but does that picture have corn in it? I didn’t see corn in the recipe? I am curious now

  6. Making this yummy recipe today in my InstantPot electric pressure cooker. I love this device – it makes pressure cooking so very, very easy. (I don’t get anything for talking about this appliance — I just love it, is all.)

  7. Thank you!
    Just eyeballed a lb +/- of pinto and filled halfway with water. High heat to pressure seal, reduced to low heat keeping light steam for 60 min, turned off heat and left it alone for 20-30 min. Added bacon grease and seasoning stirred against side of pot mashing most and behold; quick no
    soak tender delicious refrained beans.

  8. just finished this receipt on my electric pressure cooker. Put it on my highest setting which is chicken /meat setting for 40 minutes are you are right perfect pinto beans

  9. I have a 6 quart pressure cooker. I think it would be fine to put a ham bone in there! Would add so much flavor!

  10. How do I cook soup beans in a electric pressure cooker? Do I use plain ole oil or lard?

  11. When I first bought my pressure cooker I didn’t know which one to buy. I didn’t even know where to begin. I had to use http://www.cookwithpressure.com/ reviews. But now I’m glad I bought one and have been experimenting with recipes. I will be giving this a try!

  12. I have an electric pressure cooker should I allow the steam to release naturally or open the release valve manually?

  13. When pressure cooking I seek out recipes but follow the cooking instructions that came with my pressure cooker. My cooker suggests soaking certain beans (pintos being one). Cook them for 7 minutes after allowing the pressure to build up. Perfect every time.

  14. Mine is a stove top one. I don’t know the specifics of your pressure cooker. Maybe try a small batch according to their directions and see how it works?

  15. I have an electric pressure cooker and the manual said 2-3 minutes for pinto beans. Now I’m wondering which time is right.

  16. Do you know if this recipe would, with quantities appropriately scaled down to fit, work in a microwave pressure cooker?

  17. To quote another recipe:

    “Cooking time begins when the pressure regulator begins to rock. Reduce the heat to medium low or low, maintaining a slow, steady rocking motion and cook 50 minutes. If the pressure regulator is allowed to rock vigorously, excess steam will escape. Therefore, too much liquid will evaporate and food may scorch. Never leave a pressure cooker unattended at high heat settings. It could boil dry, overheat, and cause damage to the pressure cooker and stove top.”

  18. Ended up with a burnt mess on bottom, some perfect beans, and some that were still under-cooked. Trying to salvage what wasn’t burned to my pressure cooker. I think I just may not be meant to use a pressure cooker. I’ve had no luck with the one I own.

  19. I made these (though I forgot to add the onions!) and they were delicious. Pressure cooker beans are so creamy and yummy. I doubled the recipe and froze leftovers in 2-cup portions so that I can pull them out to use as I would a can of beans. Just last night I made them into refried beans for quesadillas!

  20. I used my great grandmother’s Presto pressure cooker to make these beans. They were fantastic. Thank you for the recipe. Maybe I’ll find more ways to use this old pot.

  21. I have always been terrified of the pressure cooker, but I just might give this a try. 40 minute beans can’t really be topped.

  22. Oh please do Breakfast and Brunch! I can’t fry one more egg lol!I would also like to vote for Slow Cooker busaece there is probably low carb recipes in there that will be good for the hubby and last vote is for Desserts busaece that’s fun!

  23. I love my pressure cooker! I use it all the time. Don’t know why everyone doesn’t use one, with everyone short on time, but wanting to eat health. Thanks for the bean recipe!

    Love your book & site!

  24. I use an electric pressure cooker..LOVE IT
    I have a Wolfgang Puck from shopping network…
    ALWAYS looking for more ways to use it..IT IS A LIFESAVER when you forgot to defrost your meat and need dinner on the table quick!

  25. This is great! I just got a pressure cooker and I am so excited to try this recipe. Keep bringing on the pressure cooker recipes please!!!

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