Instant Pot Baked Beans
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Get ready to elevate your summer BBQs and quick meals with this Instant Pot baked beans recipe. The Instant Pot’s magic once again comes to the rescue, turning simple ingredients into a delicious dish in a fraction of the usual time.
Thanks to the Instant Pot’s no-soak beans method, you can bid farewell to the days of overnight soaking. This convenient feature allows you to prepare perfectly tender navy beans, pinto beans, or Great Northern beans without the usual time-consuming process.
Can you make baked beans in the Instant Pot?
Indeed, you can make baked beans in the Instant Pot. Crafting homemade baked beans with this revolutionary kitchen gadget saves hours of cooking time. Pressure cooking also infuses the beans with a depth of flavor that traditional methods can’t match.
This precise and efficient cooking method preserves the tender texture of the beans in a bubbly, thick, and flavorful sauce. This time-saving aspect allows you to prepare a delicious dish in a fraction of the usual time, making you feel efficient and productive.
Southern baked bean ingredients
Understanding the unique blend of sweet and savory flavorful ingredients like beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and molasses is crucial. Each component plays a vital role in achieving that perfect balance between savory and sweet, making each bite a delightful and exciting experience.
Measurements for the recipe can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Dry navy beans: – Serve as the foundation, absorbing flavors while providing a creamy texture.
- Beef broth – Infuses the beans with a rich, umami depth, enhancing the savory profile.
- Water – Necessary for cooking beans and making them tender.
- Yellow onion – Lends a subtle sweetness, becoming the backbone of the dish’s aromatic profile.
- Bell pepper – Also lays the flavorful groundwork and adds textural depth to the dish.
- Garlic – Introduces a flavorful kick, vital for the savory element.
- Tomato paste – Provides a thick, concentrated source of tomato flavor, enriching the sauce.
- Barbecue sauce – Introduces smokiness and a tangy-sweet layer of flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce – Adds a tangy complexity and depth in liquid form.
- Molasses – Imparts a dark, rich sweetness, enhancing the baked beans’ color and taste.
- Brown sugar – Offers sweetness, contrasting the savory notes.
- Cinnamon – A surprising addition that offers a warm, spicy sweetness, balancing the dish.
- Smoked paprika – Gives a smoky undertone and heat, echoing the deep, barbecued essence.
- Ground mustard – Provides tanginess, rounding out the flavor palette perfectly.
- Salt – Essential for seasoning, it brings out the natural flavors of other ingredients.
- Black pepper- Adds a mild heat, balancing the sweetness.
Watch the recipe video with key moments for how to make Instant Pot baked beans.
How to make Instant Pot baked beans
This recipe is as simple as a drop in the pot to yield tender, delicious saucy beans. In one step, you pressure cook the beans to tenderize them. In the second step, the sauces, seasonings, and spices are added to create a soulful, sweet, savory, and smokey flavor.
Step-by-step guided instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Start by pouring the beans, broth, salt, and pepper into the pot to pressure cook the baked beans.
- Stir the ingredients to combine and make sure the broth covers the beans.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook the beans.
- Use a colander to drain and rinse the beans under cold water.
- Clean the stainless-steel inner pot and return it to the Instant Pot.
- Return the rinsed, cooked beans to the Instant Pot to flavor the baked beans.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and gently stir the bean mixture ingredients to combine.
- Pressure cook the beans a second time.
- Stir the finished homemade baked beans.
- Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!
How long does it take to make baked beans in the Instant Pot?
It takes 35 minutes to pressure cook Southern baked beans in the Instant Pot, much faster than the approximately 8 hours needed when using the oven to make the same Southern baked beans recipe.
Do you have to soak the beans first?
Another great thing about using the Instant Pot to make baked beans is saving yourself the agony of soaking the beans for 8 hours or overnight. This step is eliminated altogether when you pressure-cook baked beans!
More Southern sides to serve with baked beans
Check out my cookout menu ideas and best cookout sides for what to serve with Southern baked beans.
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
- Colander
Ingredients
- 1 pound navy beans dry
- 8 cups beef broth use vegetable broth for vegetarian and vegan friendly beans
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon mustard ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Instructions to pressure cook the baked beans
- Open the Instant Pot lid and pour the beans, broth, salt, and pepper into the stainless-steel inner pot.
- Stir the ingredients to combine and make sure the broth covers the beans.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (ensure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
- When cooking is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 15 minutes. To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Use a colander to drain and rinse the beans under cold water.
- Clean the stainless-steel inner pot and return it to the Instant Pot.
- Instructions to sauce the baked beans
- Return the rinsed, cooked beans to the Instant Pot and add the rest of the ingredients (water, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and ground mustard).
- Gently stir the ingredients in the bean mixture.
- Close the Instant Pot lid (ensure the valve is up – in the position for sealing) and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
- When cooking is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 5 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Stir the finished homemade baked beans.
- Serve Southern Instant Pot baked beans right away, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you for this easy one pot recipe.