Alternative Dish

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Vegan Side Dish Recipes

    Instant Pot Black Beans (No-Soak, Vegan)

    By Maggie Updated Jan 28, 2021 · Published May 12, 2020

    • Share

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe

    Instant pot black beans are quick and easy to make and have a texture that rivals canned beans. These instant pot black beans require no soaking so you can have perfectly cooked black beans in about an hour!

    Instant Pot Black Beans in a small bowl with parsley on top.

    I am highly aware that I am late to the Instant Pot craze. But, since my initiation, I've decided that I am never going back. 

    I have been Instant Potting (that's the correct terminology, right?) everything in sight. Soup, beans, rice...all the food!

    Jump to:
    • Dried Beans Versus Canned - A Cost Analysis
    • To Soak or Not to Soak Beans...That is the Question!
    • How to Make No-Soak Instant Pot Black Beans
    • How to Flavor Instant Pot Black Beans
    • How Do I Convert Dried Beans to Cooked Beans for a Recipe?
    • How to Store Cooked Black Beans
    • What Recipes Can I Make Using Black Beans?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Dried Beans Versus Canned - A Cost Analysis

    Economically speaking, dried beans are a better alternative to canned beans. Let's take a look:

    • A 1-pound bag of black beans costs, on average, about $1.50 and yields approximately 6 cups of cooked beans.
    • The cost of a can of beans is all over the place, but as an average, they're about $1 per can. A 15.5-ounce can of beans contains about 2 cups, so it would cost about $3 for 6 cups of beans. Double the price of dried beans.

    Of course, these prices are just averages and the savings could be a lot more or less depending on which brands of beans you're comparing. But you get the point. There is a definite price advantage to dried beans versus canned beans. If you eat a lot of beans as we do, this cost savings can add up!

    To Soak or Not to Soak Beans...That is the Question!

    I used to avoid dried beans because I could never get my act together and remember to soak my beans the night before. With the instant pot this is not a problem anymore! I can do crazy things like decide mid-morning to have rice and beans for lunch, and actually make it happen! I can go from dried beans, to perfectly cooked beans in about an hour.

    There is a lot of debate out there about whether or not to soak beans before cooking. Soaking beans can make them less flavorful and reduce some of their water-soluble nutrients. But, people who are new to eating beans or experience a lot of flatulence say that soaking them helps their bodies digest them better. I believe this is true, but there are ways around this. Here are some ways you can have your un-soaked beans and eat them too!

    • Many claim that the process of pressure cooking their beans has eliminated their, uh, gassiness.
    • Cooking beans with a strip of kombu (a form of dried sea kelp) provides the enzyme needed to break down the starches in beans and make them more digestible. It will not make your beans taste fishy but adds a subtle earthy undertone.
    • People have reported that adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar after cooking will make beans more digestible.
    • Adding beans to your diet on a regular basis is the easiest way to make them digestible over time. If you're new to eating beans, start slow. The more beans you eat, the easier it is for your body to digest them and the less flatulence you will have. Our family eats beans every single day, and I am happy to report that there is no excessive flatulence in our house!

    How to Make No-Soak Instant Pot Black Beans

    Making no soak black beans in the Instant Pot is as easy as rinsing, sorting, and pushing a button.

    1. Rinse - Always rinse dried beans before sorting. Depending on how they were stored prior to purchasing them, beans may have field dust or other contaminants on them that need to be removed. I prefer to submerge them in a bowl of water, then pour them into a strainer and rinse them again.
    2. Sort - It's important to do a quick sort through your beans. Occasionally you will find a small pebble or other debris in your dried beans, and you definitely don't want to bite into that! Remove any debris, pebbles, or shriveled beans, and throw them away.
    3. Add one pound of beans, four cups of water, and optional salt, onion, garlic, or other aromatics to the instant pot. Secure the lid and set the pressure cooker to high for 30 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to pressurize, and then it will begin to cook.
    4. Allow the steam to release for 20 minutes, and then manually release the rest.
    5. This recipe makes beans that are a little saucy, so there will be a little excess liquid in the pot. You can drain the beans, or store them in their liquid in the refrigerator.
    Instant Pot with Black Beans with Instant Pot in the background.

    How to Flavor Instant Pot Black Beans

    This recipe is for very basic black beans, but you can easily add flavor to them. I'll often throw ½ an onion or a few cloves of garlic in the instant pot before cooking to impart a savory flavor. You could also add chili powder, cumin, chopped bell peppers, bay leaves, jalapenos, or other chile peppers to spice it up. Replacing some or all of the water with vegetable broth is another way to amp up the flavor.

    How Do I Convert Dried Beans to Cooked Beans for a Recipe?

    • One cup of dried beans is equivalent to 3 cups of cooked beans.
    • One 15.5-ounce can of beans is about 2 cups.
    • This recipe is for 2 cups of dried beans and will make about 6 cups of cooked beans, or about 3 cans.
    • If you want to cook only the amount you need for a recipe that calls for one 15.5-ounce can, cook a heaping ½ cup of dried beans.

    How to Store Cooked Black Beans

    Refrigerator - Store beans in their cooking liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the cooking liquid doesn't cover the beans, add a little more water so the beans are fully submerged.

    Freezer - Store beans in their cooking liquid in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. If the liquid doesn't cover the beans, add a little more to fully submerge them. I like to store beans in mason jars in the freezer. You can also use freezer bags or other freezer-safe containers. When you're ready to use them, pull them out of the freezer the day before and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator. If you don't think that far ahead, you can run them under hot water until the liquid starts to melt inside and then dump them into a saucepan to heat.

    Black beans in a small white bowl.

    What Recipes Can I Make Using Black Beans?

    Black beans are very versatile and can be used in many different recipes...even brownies! (Just make sure you don't add garlic or other savory ingredients to the pot when you're cooking them!)  Try these great recipes if beans are new to your diet:

    • Black bean tortilla soup
    • Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
    • Use Homemade Chickpea Flour Tortillas for an easy taco night
    • Add to Mango Salsa for a heartier appetizer or side dish
    • Use in place of pinto beans in Mexican Quinoa Bowl
    • Eat them for breakfast! Add them to a Tofu Scramble with sauteed peppers and onions to make Breakfast Burritos.

    Did you make this recipe?
    Please leave a rating and tell us how you liked it!

    📖 Recipe

    Bowl of black beans in front of an instant pot.

    Instant Pot Black Beans (No Soak & Vegan)

    Instant pot black beans are quick and easy to make and have a texture that rivals canned beans.  These instant pot black beans require no soaking so you can have perfectly cooked black beans in about an hour!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Pressure Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 12 ½ cup servings
    Author: Maggie
    Want to save this recipe?
    Enter your email & get this recipe sent to your inbox to save for later! Plus you’ll get even more tasty vegan recipes from us every week!
    Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
    Loading

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound dried black beans
    • 4 cups water or vegetable broth

    Optional Flavor Ideas:*

    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 bay leaf
    • ½ onion
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • Chili powder, cumin or other spices
    • Jalapeno halved

    Instructions

    • Rinse your beans and sort. Run beans under cold water to remove any field dust or other contaminants. Do a quick sort through the beans and remove any debris, pebbles, or shriveled beans.
    • Add beans, water or broth and any optional ingredients to the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to high for 30 minutes.  It will take about 10 minutes to pressurize and then it will begin to cook.
    • Once the beans have cooked, allow the steam to release naturally for 20 minutes and then manually release the rest. This recipe makes beans that are a little saucy, so there will be some excess liquid in the pot.  You can drain the beans to use in your recipe, or store them in their liquid in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    Notes

    *These optional ingredients are for flavoring the beans.  I like to use the garlic powder and salt for an all-purpose bean I can add to any dish.  Adding onion, peppers and other vegetables will add additional flavor to the beans.  Nutrition facts are calculated without optional ingredients.
    Did you make this recipe? Share your experience! Mention @AlternativeDish on Instagram or Facebook, or drop a comment below—I'd love to hear from you!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 561mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

    More Side Dishes

    • Cracker being dipped into a ceramic bowl filled with vegan spinach artichoke dip, surrounded by crackers.
      Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
    • Vegan egg salad on a piece of toast with a bowl of eggless egg salad in the background.
      Vegan Egg Salad
    • Maple dijon tofu cubes on a fork with more on a baking tray.
      Maple Dijon Tofu
    • Hand picking up a cheesy mini bell pepper popper with more on a baking sheet.
      Mini Bell Pepper Poppers
    • Share

    Comments

    No Comments

    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Headshot of Sarah Pilley.

    Hi, I'm Sarah!

    I’m so excited you stopped by! I'm thrilled to share my passion for tasty vegan food with you on the Alternative Dish. I focus on creating recipes that everyone can enjoy with allergy-friendly tips! 

    More About Me

    Vegan Summer Recipes

    • Brownie batter hummus in a bowl surrounded by strawberries.
      The BEST Brownie Batter Hummus (Easy Vegan Recipe)
    • Nutritional yeast tofu nugget on a fork with more in the background in a bowl.
      Nutritional Yeast Tofu
    • Two vegan gluten-free banana muffins with chocolate chips stacked on top of one another with more muffins and bananas in the background.
      Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
    • Chickpea chicken salad on a piece of bread with lettuce. Top piece of bread is slightly to the side. A bowl of vegan chicken salad is in the background.
      Best Chickpea Chicken Salad (Easy Vegan Recipe)
    More Summer Recipes

    What's Trending

    • Spoonful of golden colored popped quinoa with bowl of toasted quinoa in background, sitting on top of red, orange, and blue cloth napkin.
      How to Make Popped Quinoa (Easy, Crunchy Recipe)
    • Chocolate quinoa crunch bar on sheet of parchment paper. In background are 2 more bars. Quinoa crunch bar is sliced through and the popped quinoa looks like tiny polka dots against dark chocolate.
      Chocolate Quinoa Crunch Bars
    • Hand holding up a chickpea brownie with more in the background.
      Flourless Chickpea Brownies (Vegan & Gluten Free)
    • Vegan Bisquick pancakes stacked on a pink plate with chopped strawberries piled on top and maple syrup being poured. More pancakes and strawberries are in the background.
      Fluffy Bisquick Pancake Recipe (Without Eggs)

    New Dish Alert!

    • Two layer lemon cake with chopped strawbrries and lemon buttercream on a cake stand, surrounded by fresh strawberries.
      Vegan Strawberry Lemon Cake
    • Coconut date balls on a sheet of parchment paper with a few pieces of shredded coconut.
      Coconut Date Balls
    • Carrot cake overnight oats in a glass jar with a spoon taking out some of the oatmeal, bowls of shredded carrot, walnuts, oats, and coconut are in the background.
      Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
    • Jar of pumpkin spice overnight oats with a spoon and walnuts and chocolate chips.
      Pumpkin Spice Overnight Oats
    • Pumpkin chia pudding in a glass bowl layered with pumpkin and topping with extra pumpkin and chopped nuts.
      Pumpkin Chia Pudding
    • Crispy, golden BBQ tofu nugget on a fork with more on a baking sheet.
      BBQ Tofu Bites

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Get new recipes to your email!

    Unsubscribe at any time. Thanks for joining the Alternative Dish family.

    Privacy Policy | Accessibility Policy

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Alternative Dish

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.