Instant Pot Mexican Beans

Instant Pot Mexican Beans are an easy meatless dish, and don’t skip the Avocado, Tomato, and Poblano Salsa to go with these tasty beans! The Mexican Beans probably have fewer carbs than you think, and they’re a perfect side dish for Mexican food.

PIN Instant Pot Mexican Beans to try them later!

Instant Pot Mexican Beans are an easy meatless dish with pinto beans that’s really a wow for me. And even though I don’t eat beans that often, if I was going to splurge on carbs and make some beans, I’d often choose creamy and delicious pinto beans. When I made these Mexican Beans again recently in the Instant Pot 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 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 people who love the Instant Pot don’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 Mexican 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 hope you’ll try this recipe!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• pinto beans
• Olive Oil (affiliate link), 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 Instant Pot Recipes! You can find more Instant Pot Recipes on my other site, Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker.

What if you don’t have all the spices for these Mexican Beans?

We loved the very flavorful blend of dried herbs and spices that gives these beans the Mexican flavors, but if you don’t have every ingredient we used just make beans in the Instant Pot with the ingredients you do have and I’m sure it will still be delicious.

How high in carbs are the Instant Pot Mexican Beans?

Dried Beans are not low in carbs but they do have quite a bit of fiber, so this Mexican Beans recipe has about 16 net carbs per serving and 7 grams of protein.

Can you make Mexican Beans without an Instant Pot?

I know someone is going to ask me how to make Mexican Beans without an Instant Pot, 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 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 and has success with it, please come back and share details in the comments!

How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Beans:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. 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.
2. 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.)
3. 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.)
4. While beans are cooking chop up the onion, Poblano pepper, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper.
5. 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.
6. Add onions and peppers to the beans with the additional seasonings and one more tablespoon olive oil.
7. Lock lid, and set pressure cooker to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes. Use the quick-release method to release the pressure.
8. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
9. While beans cook with the seasonings, dice avocados and toss with lime juice.
10. Chop tomatoes, red onion, and small poblano pepper.
11. Stir those ingredients together with the avocado and olive oil to make the salsa. Season salsa with a little salt.
12. Serve the Mexican 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. 

Make it a Carb-Conscious Meal:

If you want to serve the Mexican Beans as a side dish for a meal that’s not too much of a splurge on carbs, here are some low-carb main dishes with Mexican flavors:

• Turkey Enchilada Casserole
• Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
• Chicken with Green Chiles and Cheese
• Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole
• Stuffed Poblanos with Ground Turkey

More Mexican Beans to make in the Instant Pot:

• Copycat Rubio’s Pinto Beans
• Refried Beans
• Pinto Beans with Ground Beef

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Mexican Beans has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Instant Pot Mexican Beans

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 36 minutes

Additional Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 26 minutes

Instant Pot 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

1. 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.
2. Put the beans, 4 cups water, and 1 tablespoon olive oil into the Instant Pot and lock the lid. (Don't skip the oil, it keeps the beans from foaming up and clogging the valve on the Instant Pot.)
3. Set Instant Pot for MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 30 minutes.
4. 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.)
5. While the beans are cooking chop up the onion, Poblano pepper (also called Pasilla peppers), red bell pepper, and green bell pepper.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Lock lid, and set to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, 6 minutes.
9. Use the quick-release method to release the pressure. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
10. While beans cook with the seasonings dice avocados and toss with lime juice.
11. Chop tomatoes, red onion, and small poblano pepper.
12. Stir those ingredients together with the avocado and olive oil to make the salsa. (Season salsa with some salt if you like.)
13. 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

8

Serving Size

1
Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The Instant Pot Mexican Beans may be too high in carbs for people following a strict low-carb eating plan, although pinto beans have quite a bit of fiber for only 16 net carbs per serving. These Beans 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 Instant Pot to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Mexican Beans were first posted in 2014. The recipe was updated with better photos and an easier method in 2020 and it was last updated with more information in 2025.

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