Instant Pot Mexican Beans
Instant Pot Mexican Beans are easy and delicious for a meatless dish, and don’t skip the Avocado, Tomato, and Poblano Salsa to go with these tasty beans!
PIN Instant Pot Mexican Beans to try them later!
I don’t eat beans that often, but if I was going to eat some beans for a carb splurge I’d choose creamy and delicious pinto beans. In the past I’ve loved them in Pressure Cooker Refried Beans and my brother Rand’s favorite Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado and Tomatoes, and this recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Beans is another one of those pinto bean recipes that’s really a wow.
I made these originally in my Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker (affiliate link) and for quite a while now I’ve wanted to upgrade the photos for my readers who do enjoy beans. And when I made them again recently in the Instant Pot (affiliate link) with my great cooking assistant (and niece) Kara, we not only updated the photos but also created an easier version of this recipe that’s just as good.
This recipe cooks dried (unsoaked) beans in the Instant Pot first until they’re nearly soft and then finishes the beans with a mixture that includes chopped onion, Poblano chile, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and plenty of tasty spices. The original recipe cooked those ingredients together in a pan on the stove before adding them to the Instant Pot, but Kara convinced me that everyone who loves the Instant Pot doesn’t want to have to partly cook things in a pan. So we changed the cooking times slightly so all those flavorings are just added to the Instant Pot and cooked with the beans.
Of course, I think it’s the addition of Avocado, Tomato, and Poblano Salsa that really puts these beans over the top. But if that’s just not happening at your house, the beans would also be amazing topped with a purchased guacamole or even just some cheese and sour cream. I know beans aren’t a winner for some of my readers, but if you do enjoy them I think you’ll like this recipe!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- pinto beans
- olive oil, divided
- onion
- Poblano pepper
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- minced garlic (affiliate link)
- ground cumin (affiliate link)
- dried Mexican Oregano (affiliate link)
- Goya Sazon Seasoning (affiliate link), optional, but good
- canned vegetable broth
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- avocados
- cherry tomatoes
- fresh squeezed lime juice (I use my fresh-frozen lime juice)
- red onion, finely chopped
- olive oil
What size Instant Pot did I use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Recipes! You can find more Instant Pot Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker.
Can you make this without an Instant Pot?
I know as soon as I post the recipe someone is going to ask me how to make it without a pressure cooker, and I haven’t done it that way so I can’t give you an exact recipe. But you can definitely cook the pinto beans in slow cooker or on the stove, saute the onions and peppers in another pan, and finish the beans with the peppers and seasonings added simmering on the stove for 15-20 minutes. (I’d use a tiny bit more broth if you’re doing it on the stove.) You can probably also finish the dish in the slow cooker after the beans are drained, in which case I’d use a little less broth and cook about an hour on high. If anyone tries a variation that doesn’t use a pressure cooker and has success with it, please come back and share details in the comments!
How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Beans:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- Rinse one pound of dried pinto beans and pick through to remove any discolored or broken beans, or any thing that shouldn’t be there.
- Put the beans, 4 cups water, and 1 tablespoon olive oil into the pressure cooker and lock the lid. (You can’t see the oil that well in my photo, but don’t skip it; oil keeps the beans from foaming up and clogging the valve.)
- Set Instant Pot for MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 30 minutes. Let pressure reduce naturally 20 minutes, and release any remaining pressure. (See more information about variations in cooking time in recipe below.)
- While beans are cooking chop up the onion, Poblano pepper, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper.
- After pressure is fully released, drain the beans but don’t rinse. Put beans back into the pressure cooker with 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth.
- Add onions and peppers to the beans with the additional seasonings and one more tablespoon olive oil.
- Lock lid, and set pressure cooker to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes. Use the quick-release method to release the pressure.
- Season beans to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
- While beans cook with the seasonings, dice avocados and toss with lime juice.
- Chop tomatoes, red onion, and small poblano pepper.
- Stir those ingredients together with the avocado and olive oil to make the salsa. Season salsa with a little salt.
- Serve beans hot, with a generous scoop of Avocado, Tomato, and Poblano Salsa or top with guacamole or cheese if you choose not to make the salsa.
More Meatless Recipes for the Instant Pot:
Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice in the Pressure Cooker ~ Pressure Cooking Today
Kalyn’s Version of Rubio’s Pinto Beans (Pressure Cooker or Soup Pot) ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Quick and Delicious Collards in the Pressure Cooker ~ Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Pressure Cooker Refried Beans with Onions, Garlic, and Green Chiles ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Instant Pot Mexican Beans
Pressure Cooker Mexican Beans are easy and delicious and these beans are especially good with the Avocado, Tomato, and Poblano Salsa.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. dried pinto beans
- 2 T olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, chopped in pieces about 1/2 inch
- 1 large Poblano pepper, chopped in pieces about 1/4 inch
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped in pieces about 1/4 inch
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped in pieces about 1/4 inch
- 1 T minced garlic (more or less, depending on whether or not you're fond of garlic)
- 1 T ground cumin
- 2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 2 packets Goya Sazon (optional, but they add a nice flavor)
- 3 cups vegetable broth (see notes)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Salsa Ingredients:
- 2 large avocados, diced
- 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (see notes)
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 small Poblano (Pasilla) pepper, finely chopped
- 2 T olive oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Dump the dried pinto beans into a colander and pick over to remove any discolored or broken beans or foreign matter, then rinse with cold water.
- Put the beans, 4 cups water, and 1 tablespoon olive oil into the pressure cooker and lock the lid. (Don't skip the oil, it keeps the beans from foaming up and clogging the valve on the Instant Pot.)
- Set Instant Pot for MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 30 minutes.
- Then let the pressure reduce naturally for at least 20 minutes, and release any remaining pressure. (This time will produce relatively soft beans if your beans are fresh. For beans with more bite to them, reduce time a few minutes. If you have old beans that have been on the shelf a long time you may need another 5 minutes cooking time. Remember beans are going to cook again with the seasonings.)
- While the beans are cooking chop up the onion, Poblano pepper (also called Pasilla peppers), red bell pepper, and green bell pepper.
- After pressure is fully released, drain the beans but don't rinse. Put beans back into the pressure cooker with 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth.
- Add onions and peppers to the beans with the minced garlic, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, Goya Sazon (affiliate link) packets (if using) and one more tablespoon olive oil.
- Lock lid, and set pressure cooker to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
- Use the quick-release method to release the pressure. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
- While beans cook with the seasonings dice avocados and toss with lime juice.
- Chop tomatoes, red onion, and small poblano pepper.
- Stir those ingredients together with the avocado and olive oil to make the salsa. (Season salsa with some salt if you like.)
- Serve beans hot, with a generous scoop of Avocado, Tomato, and Poblano Salsa or top with guacamole or cheese if you choose not to make the salsa.
Notes
I used my 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for this recipe. You can also use chicken broth for this if you don’t care if the recipe is vegan. Two 14 oz. can of broth will be 3 1/2 cups if you're lucky enough to have homemade stock. I'm a fan of Goya Sazon (affiliate link) but another type of all-purpose Mexican blend seasoning could be used. I use my fresh-frozen lime juice.
This recipe inspired by Mexican-Style Pot Beans in The Pressure Cooker Cookbook, but my version ended up being quite different than that one.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 252Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 639mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 10gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Beans are too high in carbs for traditional low-carb eating plans. Instant Pot Mexican Beans are loaded with low-glycemic ingredients, and would be approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. However, dried beans are a limited food for Phase One of South Beach so this should probably be a side dish for that phase.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Pressure Cooker to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. Click here to see more Pressure Cooker / Slow Cooker Recipes on my other site!
13 Comments on “Instant Pot Mexican Beans”
Excellent recipe but I soaked the beans for about 18 hours (and then rinsed them) to remove the phytic acid. Of course, this reduces the cooking time as well. I sauteed the veggies in the oil (2 Tbsp.) on the instant pot saute mode and then added the seasonings, beans, and broth (4-cups) and pressure cooked for 30 minutes and then used the quick release at the end. I used 1 Tbsp chili powder instead of the goya seasoning, though I have no idea if they are at all similar. Bottom line, very tasty and super easy dinner. Great served over cauliflower rice.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Interesting hearing how you adapted it.
Oh my, I hate it when I mess up like that! Glad you figured it out. One cup of diced tomatoes is what I used, but you don’t need an exact measurement. Thanks for letting me know!
this looks yummy….how could it be made in a slow cooker ??? thanks
There is a link in the post for how to cook the pinto beans in the slow cooker. Then I would drain the beans and put them back into the slow cooker with the same onions chiles, and spices and some vegetable broth. I would use about 2 cups broth for the slow cooker, but that’s only a guess since I haven’t made them this way. I think you’d need to slow cook the combined ingredients a few hours on high, but again that is only a guess so watch to see when they’re done. Then serve with the salsa as described.
If you try it, please come back and share what you did and how it worked!
This was definitely a mistake on my part. The grid where the recipe information has to be inputted has so many sections, I can only assume I skipped some (don’t really know what happened) but I have fixed it now.
And trust me, I do TRY to be accurate and realistic. But I’m not perfect and sometimes I make mistakes. Recipes like this one are especially hard to calculate because most of the prep is done while the beans are coming to pressure, cooking, or releasing pressure, but I do try to give a realistic idea of the time.
Valerie, loved it; hope you will try it. (I just ate some leftovers yesterday!)
This recipe looks so good and it's so simple. It reminds me much of a dish my grandmother would make for me when I was younger.
Cheri, sorry but I can't think of anything that tastes similar.
love this recipe, except the bell peppers. For some reason they bother my stomach, is there something that I could use in place of for a similar flavor.
Joanne, I love the creaminess of pinto beans, especially when you cook your own!
Lydia, it really was not that time consuming, and it's a good way to check and see if they beans were done!
Definitely going on my list of recipes to try with my new electric pressure cooker. I haven't yet done a two-step recipe (bringing part of the ingredients to pressure, then adding ingredients and bringing to pressure again). That's the next stop on my learning curve.
Pintos are probably the one bean I don't really cook that often! This sounds like such a tasty way to prepare them. That tex-mex flair is great!