Name: Instant Pot Pinto Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 70 min
Ingredients: one pound dried pinto beans (sorted and rinsed); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 medium onion (chopped); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1/4 cup red bell pepper (chopped); 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon ground paprika; 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper; 2 vegetable bouillons; 4 cups water; 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke ((optional)); 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

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Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Instant pot pinto beans are a perfect dish for every meal. Eat it as it is or pair it with rice, flatbread or vegetables. It is versatile, tasteful, and super easy to make.

Being vegan, we all love beans. It is an integral part of your diet and is versatile. You can add beans to almost anything. You can make chili out of it, bake it into a casserole, add cooked beans to your salad and even use it as a dip and sauce.

Thanks to the many different types of beans, the options are unlimited. So, one such bean that we are going to talk about today is the pinto beans. These are among the most widely used beans, and this instant pot pinto bean recipe is super easy to make; it is straightforward, delicious, fulfilling, and vegan.

What Are Pinto Beans?

Beans are an essential part of a vegan diet. These are super healthy and fulfilling. There are several different types of beans available in the market. You can get white beans, black beans, red beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. Although all these are super flavorful, I really like pinto beans. These are often linked to Mexican food because of their extensive use in the cuisine.

Onto beans are the most common type of beans that are readily available at any grocery store. You can find them in the dried version as well as the canned version. However, for this recipe, my focus is on the dried pinto beans. Because they are a very common type of beans, they are quite cheap as well.

Pinto beans have been in use since 3000 B.C. these beans were widely cultivated in Brazilian cuisine. However, they have always been a staple to Mexican land as well.

Pinto beans are smaller in size as compared to red beans. These have a light pink shade as well. Furthermore, when cooked, these have an earthy flavor. Moreover, they have a rich and creamy texture.

Health Benefits Of Pinto Beans

Although all types of beans contain high nutritional value, pinto beans specifically are known as a superfood. Here are a few health benefits of pinto beans:

Pinto beans are rich in fiber. As a result, they help keep the good bacteria happy in the digestive system. As a result, it strengthens the digestive system, promotes regular bowel movements and general gut health.
It also helps in regulating blood sugar levels in the blood.
These are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help in protecting the cell against free radicals in the body. As a result, it protects the cells and also reduces the growth of cancerous cells.
These beans help in lowering the bad cholesterol levels in the blood. As a result, they protect the heart from several diseases and strokes.
Because these are rich in protein and fiber, these beans help you feel fuller for longer. As a result, they aid in weight loss as well.
These are super rich in minerals like magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium, and potassium. Also, they are low in sodium.
Furthermore, pinto beans are also a good source of vitamin B1.

Do You Need To Soak Pinto Beans?

When you are cooking pinto beans in an instant pot, you don’t really need to soak it. Because the instant pot uses a pressure cooking technique, it cooks the beans a lot faster and excellently well. However, soaking the beans have its benefits as well.

When you soak the pinto beans for about 6 to 8 hours before cooking, the cooking time will reduce to half. However, soaked beans tend to split more than unsoaked beans.

Furthermore, when you soak pinto beans before cooking them, they are easier to digest as compared to unsoaked beans. That’s because when you soak the beans, the water removes sugars that cause gas from the beans. As a result, beans not only cook faster but also are easy for the stomach to digest.

So, if you have time, you can soak the beans for at least 6 hours before cooking them. And if you are in a hurry, you can simply rinse them and cook them in an instant pot. Either way, you will get delicious beans.

Ingredient Breakdown

Making pressure cooker beans is super easy. You don’t need to invest in unique ingredients. All the ingredients are easily available in your pantry. So, it is one of the easiest dishes you can make.

Pinto beans: For this Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe, I have used dried pinto beans. You can readily find it at any grocery store. The thing about dried pinto beans is that it is very economical. Literally, $4 pinto beans can feed about eight people. How awesome is that!

Vegetables: For this recipe, I have used vegetables like onion, garlic, and bell pepper. How every, you can also add carrots to it.

Seasonings: You can add any seasoning you like, but I love adding paprika, cayenne, Italian seasoning, and salt to the beans.

Liquid smoke: a unique ingredient that I love to use in this recipe is liquid smoke. It is a fantastic flavoring ingredient that adds a smoky flavor to the beans.

Vegetable bouillon: Vegetable bouillon is a powder that is made from vegetable extracts. It enhances the flavor of the beans and adds an umami flavor to it as well.

How To Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans?

Making pinto beans in an instant pot is the easiest thing you will ever do! With simple ingredients, you have to follow the steps mentioned below to enjoy delicious pinto beans:

Step 1: Rinse the beans to get rid of the debris and dirt.

Step 2: set the instant pot to sauté mode and heat il. Add chopped onion and cook for a minute until they get translucent.

Step 3: Next, add chilled garlic and cook for a few seconds. Add bell peppers and cook.

Step 4: Add paprika, Italian seasoning, vegetable bouillon, pinto beans, liquid smoke, cayenne pepper, water. Mix well.

Step 5: Turn off the instant pot and add liquid to it.

Step 6: Seal the lid tightly and cook on high pressure for 50 minutes.

Step 7: once the timer is up, release the pressure and serve the pinto beans hot.

Tips And Tricks For Perfect Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Although making pinto beans in an instant pot is super easy, here are a few tips that can result in perfectly cooked beans:

If you want the cooked beans to be a bit mushy, soak them for about six hours prior to cooking. When the beans are ready, use a masher to mash them. This way, you will get a thicker and mushy consistency.
You can substitute vegetable broth for water as well. This way, you will get more flavor into the beans.
Never store hot beans. Let them come to room temperature first, and then store them.
It is important that you rinse dried beans about two to three times before cooking. This way, you will get rid of the dust and debris.
Make sure you don’t add salt to the beans before they are cooked. This way, they won’t get tender. Once the beans are thoroughly cooked, then season with salt.
If you don’t want to use onion or garlic, you can also use onion powder and garlic powder.
You can also add vegetables like carrots and celery to the beans.
If you don’t want to use liquid smoke, you can totally skip it.

How To Store Instant Pot Pinto Beans?

The thing about instant pot pinto beans is that they are super easy to store. You can keep the leftover pinto beans in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator for up to three days. However, make sure they are completely cool before storing them; otherwise, they will go bad.

Furthermore, you can also freeze these beans. You can portion these and add them into a plastic zipper bag. Place the bags into the freezer, and they are good to go for up to three months.

What To Serve With Instant Pot Pinto Beans?

Pinto beans are versatile. You can eat it without any other ingredient, or you can serve them as a main course or aside. It pairs well with several dishes. Here are a few ideas:

You can serve pressure-cooked pinto beans with cooked Rice, Jollof Rice, Turmeric Coconut Rice, or Quinoa.
You can serve them alongside quinoa and enjoy the many benefits of this combination.
It goes perfectly well with flatbread.
You can also serve it with gluten-free cornbread or any other toasted bread slice.
You can use pinto beans as a dip as well. Simple mash it a little using a maser and serve it with tortilla chips and Vegan Cheese Sauce. It turns into a delicious dipping sauce.

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