Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans

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Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans are the most delicious, easy way to make delicious pinto beans in under an hour – no soaking overnight needed! 

bowl of cooked pinto beans
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Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans are easy and so delicious – and are the perfect way to make delicious beans from dried in less than an hour!

These perfect pinto beans require no pre-soaking, and taste just like they are from your favorite Mexican restaurant – in under an hour!

My husband loves beans (and has firmly taken over my instant pot as his own), and tested out a ton of different recipes for Pinto Beans – and came up with this delicious, foolproof Restaurant Style Pinto Bean recipe that has quickly become one of our favorite side dishes of all time.

These beans are truly easy and restaurant quality – and don’t require soaking overnight! It’s a pain to have to think that far ahead and soak beans in water all night, so this delicious no soaking pinto bean recipe is a huge game changer at our house!

up close picture of pinto beans

Tips and Tricks

Don’t make two batches at once. While you might be tempted to add more beans into the pot, don’t overcrowd! You don’t want your pot to be over half full, with beans and water, when you go to cook – or it won’t come to pressure and cook properly.

Don’t Overfill with water. Overfilling your instant pot can be a nightmare, so make sure to not overfill! Since you can make these beans in under an hour, it’s best to make more batches than try to cook it quickly.

Let the pressure cooker naturally release. Don’t rush the time it takes to naturally release pressure – this is a vital part of the cook time for these beans since they aren’t pre-soaked beans. This will help them soften and help the flavors develop – and will drastically change the outcome of your beans. Ideally, this will rest for another hour after the cooktime.

picture of pinto beans from overhead
Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Instant Pot Pinto Bean Recipe Variations

If you love this easy Mexican Restaurant style pinto bean recipe, and want to make some flavorful tweaks, consider the following twists on this delicious recipe:

  • Add in a can of chili seasoning Ro-tel diced tomatoes (don’t drain).
  • Add in canned green chilis or jalapenos for a spicy kick.
  • Sautee 1/4 cup finely diced garlic and a finely diced onion until browned with 2 tbsp butter or lard in the instant pot before adding beans. Make sure there are no browned bits on the bottom of the pan before adding beans and water or the Instant Pot wont come to pressure.
  • Mix with lard and blend for deliciously authentic refried beans.

I love how quick, easy and versatile Instant Pots are to cook with – they make dishes that normally take all day take just a few hours.

While I don’t love Instant Pot cooking for everything (it can sometimes be more of a hassle than it is worth) – my Instant Pot is my favorite go-to kitchen tool for restaurant style dishes that normally take hours and hours to develop flavor and break down tough meats or fibrous legumes.

pinto beans in a bowl

Other Delicious Easy Restaurant Quality Instant Pot Recipes

If you love this delicious easy Instant Pot Pinto Bean Recipe, please check out some of my other favorite recipes I made in my Instant Pot pressure cooker!

These recipes normally take hours to break down and develop flavor, but are done in a flash thanks to an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker.

Try my other favorites: Easy Instant Pot Cheesy Steak Taco Soup Recipe, 10 Minute Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Black Bean Soup, Instant Pot Skinny Mongolian Beef, and Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice

bowl full of pinto beans

Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe

If you love this Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe as much as I do, please write a five star review, and be sure to help me share on facebook and Pinterest!

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bowl full of pinto beans
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Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Restaurant Style Instant Pot Pinto Beans are the most delicious, easy way to make delicious pinto beans in under an hour – no soaking overnight needed!
Course Beans
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword easy pinto beans, how to make pinto beans, instant pot beeans, instant pot pinto beans, no soak pinto beans, restaurant style pinto beans
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 77kcal
Author Courtney O’Dell

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of dried beans
  • 1 tsp of salt
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 3 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 liters water

Instructions

  • Put dried beans in Instant Pot.
  • Add salt, seasonings, and water until pot is half full.
  • Use “Manual” setting for 25 minutes of pressure.
  • Allow pressure to naturally release, approximately 30-40 minutes.
  • Taste and add more salt if needed to taste.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 77kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 556mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g

About Courtney

Courtney loves to share great wine, good food, and loves to explore far flung places- all while masting an everyday elegant and easy style at lifestyle blog Sweet C’s Designs. Sweet C's devoted to finding the best food and drinks you'll want to make or find, around the world!

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67 Comments

  1. Add in a can of chili seasoning Ro-tel diced tomatoes (don’t drain).

    What does that above? A can of chili seasoning? I know what Ro-Tel tomatoes are… Is that a chili seasoning packet is what that refers to?

    Thank you looks really good and want to try it.

    1. Hi Bryan – it’s chili flavored Ro-Tel diced tomatoes. But regular Ro-tel works too, and just don’t drain thee liquid from the can. Hope that helps!

    1. There seems to be a glitch with the software I use to show recipes (the way I can make them printable) – a bunch are suddenly missing. Working on fixing it asap!

      1. Hi…can’t wait to try this! Some people have said there may not be enough taste? Can I substitute chicken or beef broth for the water? Just thinking it may be more flavorful.

        1. You definitely can! I’d watch to make sure you grab a low sodium broth so it doesnt get too salty.

    1. There seems to be a glitch with the software I use to show recipes (the way I can make them printable) – a bunch are suddenly missing. Working on fixing it asap!

    1. There seems to be a glitch with the software I use to show recipes (the way I can make them printable) – a bunch are suddenly missing. Working on fixing it asap!

    1. There seems to be a glitch with the software I use to show recipes (the way I can make them printable) – a bunch are suddenly missing. Working on fixing it asap!

    1. There seems to be a glitch with the software I use to show recipes (the way I can make them printable) – a bunch are suddenly missing. Working on fixing it asap!

    1. There seems to be a glitch with the software I use to show recipes (the way I can make them printable) – a bunch are suddenly missing. Working on fixing it asap!

  2. 5 stars
    These turned out fantastic! Used a tbs of onion powder, tbs orgarlic powder, tsp of salt and a tbs of olive oil. Very creamy pintos! Delicious on fried corn tortillas and cheese! Thank you! This is my go to!

  3. Just wanted to share my appreciation that your recipe gives an estimate for how long things will take! Knowing I need to allow almost an hour for NPR helps keep expectations realistic.