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Forget soaking, forget hovering over the stove. These pinto beans go from rock-hard to rich and brothy in under an hour, thanks to pressure cooking.

Bacon brings the smoky depth, a handful of pantry spices round it out, and you get tender, flavorful beans that actually taste like something. Canned beans? Never heard of her.

Close-up of cooked pinto beans with bacon and parsley garnish in bowl.
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If you like this recipe, check out our Instant Pot 15 bean soup and our Instant Pot Lentil soup.

Here’s Why This Pinto Bean Recipe Works

No soaking, no fuss. Dry beans go straight into the pot. No overnight prep required. The pressure cooker handles it.

Bacon = built-in flavor. Those crispy bits render down and give the beans a savory backbone.

Skip the bland. A mix of broth and water creates actual flavor, not bean soup sadness.

Set it and forget it. The Instant Pot takes over so you can go live your life (or at least finish the dishes).

Cooking ingredients: pinto beans, bacon, onion, broth, spices on marble surface.

Recipe Tips

Rinse those beans. Dry pinto beans can carry dust or tiny pebbles, give them a quick rinse and scan before they hit the pot.

Scrape the pot. After you sauté the bacon and onions, deglaze well. It keeps flavor in the pot and the burn warning off your screen.

Natural release matters. Letting the pressure drop for 15 minutes keeps the beans intact and finishes the cooking gently.

Season smart. Salt goes in before cooking. Beans take time to absorb it, and this recipe is balanced to handle that from the start.

Serve the beans with my Brown Butter Cornbread and a salad.

Cooked beans with bacon, bay leaves, and herbs in Instant Pot.
Bowl of pinto beans with bacon, parsley; tortilla chips beside.

Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon

These Instant Pot pinto beans are smoky, tender, and wildly easy. Ditch the cans. This recipe has depth, texture, and zero babysitting.

If you’re into the bean life, don’t miss my Instant Pot black beans. They’re just as simple. And for a stovetop twist, these chili beans from dry beans bring the heat

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Bowl of pinto beans with bacon, parsley; tortilla chips beside.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
4.62 from 18 votes

Instant Pot Pinto Beans

By Dahn Boquist
The Instant Pot makes it fast and easy to make homemade pinto beans. This side dish is extremely versatile and goes well with just about anything.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 8 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 5 to 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 pound dry pinto beans, about 2 cups
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions 

  • Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft. 
    Sauteeing bacon in an instant pot.
  • Add the chicken broth and water to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to make sure there are no cooked-on bits.
    Adding chicken broth to a pressure cooker.
  • Add the beans, bay leaf, salt, garlic powder, cumin, and pepper. 
    Adding seasonings to the pot with pinto beans.
  • Secure the lid and make sure the valve is in the sealed position. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. 
    Placing a lid on the instant pot.
  • Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. After 15  minutes release the rest of the pressure manually then open the lid. Remove the bay leaf and serve the beans. 
    You can serve the beans with the cooking broth or drain the broth. To drain the broth, strain the beans through a sieve or scoop them with a slotted spoon. 

Video

Notes

No soaking needed. Dry beans go straight into the pot, no overnight prep required.
Rinse before cooking. Give the beans a quick rinse and scan for pebbles before tossing them in.
Scrape the pot. After sautéing the bacon and onions, scrape up any browned bits to avoid the burn warning.
Salt goes in early. Yes, really. This recipe is calibrated for it. Adding salt before cooking gives the beans time to absorb flavor, it doesn’t make them tough.
Let it naturally release. That 15-minute natural pressure release helps keep the beans intact and finishes the cook time gently.
Want it spicier? Toss in some chopped jalapeño or chipotle powder. The base recipe is mild, so you can turn up the heat if desired.
For creamier beans: Gently mash a few spoonfuls at the end to naturally thicken the broth.
Storage tip: Beans freeze beautifully. Cool completely, then portion and freeze for easy meals later.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 202kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 705mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

iconLike this recipe? Rate & comment below!

About Dahn Boquist

Dahn Boquist is a retired nurse turned recipe developer, home cook, and baker with years of hands-on experience creating and testing from-scratch recipes. She specializes in whole-food cooking with creative twists on classic dishes. When she’s not in the kitchen, she enjoys sharing meals with family, exploring the Pacific Northwest, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Read More About Me

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4.62 from 18 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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9 Comments

  1. Pacific Jan says:

    Grabbed this recipe off the internet and my beans cooked perfectly–thank you, Dahn! (I’d soaked them for 7 hours and there were some beans that were a bit firmer than others, but very palatable.) The night before I’d made veggie stock in the Instant Pot (I save all my veggie scraps in a qt. yogurt container in the freezer and make stock when it’s full). Rather than freeze the stock, I decided to just use it with one of the many bags of beans I’d been putting off cooking. The IP made it easy. I made one change–because I knew there’d be more beans than hubby and I would eat, I substituted a handful of oregano for the cumin, making the leftover beans more versatile for their subsequent incarnations.

    Reply
    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      I’m glad it turned out, the homemade veggie broth sounds delicious with the beans

      Reply
    2. Leean says:

      @Pacific Jan, I have made this recipe so many time and it is by far these are the BEST beans! My family loves them every time I make them, thank you for sharing. I do cook them longer about 65 min and they come out perfect.

      Reply
  2. John / Kitchen Riffs says:

    I think the Instant Pot is maybe the best way to make beans — much, much faster than the traditional way. And with your recipe, the beans certainly retain all their traditional flavor! Such a good recipe — thanks.

    Reply
    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      I agree, John this is one of the most frequent things I do with a pressure cooker.

      Reply
  3. Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man! says:

    I like the way you’ve flavored these beans!

    Reply
    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Thanks Jeff 😉

      Reply
  4. angiesrecipes says:

    I love my IP 🙂 This is definitely on my list to try….can’t resist anything involved with BACON 🙂
    angiesrecipes
    http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com

    Reply
    1. Dahn Boquist says:

      Bacon definitely makes it amazing 🙂

      Reply