Instant Pot Mexican Beans made from scratch are easy and so tasty. You’ll wonder why you haven’t made these sooner. A simple Pantry Recipe for The Best Mexican Pinto Beans.
Mexican Pinto Beans are a favorite in our house. They are super tasty, versatile, made with wholesome ingredients and are so easy to make. You may never go back to canned beans again!
The photo on the left includes fresh onions, garlic, red peppers and jalapenos. The photo on the right produces the same delicious mexican style beans with only ingredients from the pantry. I’ve included directions for either. You can decide, based on what you have.
Make it a Pantry Recipe
Sometimes, having fresh ingredients on hand isn’t possible. If you don’t have bell peppers or jalapenos, no worries. You can replace them with some salsa. Trust me, these beans will be delicious, either way. If you’re going with jarred salsa, look for an organic brand that is in glass and doesn’t have added oil or sweeteners.
PRO TIP: Stock your pantry so that it’s easy to pull together a nutritious dinner at all times. I’ve been filling my pantry with staples from Thrive Market.(25% off your first order with this link) * They have a great selection of healthy foods and household items from top selling organic brands at wholesale prices.
Do you have to soak dried beans in advance of cooking?
Good question. Although soaking beans for at least 6 hours, or overnight will shorten the cooking time, you can definitely make these without the lengthy soak. One way is to do a “quick” soak. Cover the beans with boiling water and soak for however long you can. For me, this usually means for as long as it takes me to pull the rest of the recipe together. If you don’t soak the beans at all, add to the cooking time, as directed in the recipe card. NO PROBLEM.
Easy Instant Pot Beans
Get your ingredients ready in advance. It will make every other step so much easier! Start by softening the onion. The instant pot has a saute function that heats up quickly.
Once onions are soft, stir in the diced red peppers and jalapenos. Using the instant pot to saute the veggies means no extra pans to clean! If you’ve opted to skip the fresh veggies and use jarred salsa, you can skip this step.
Fresh garlic gives these beans an authentic flavor. I use a garlic press or a microplane grater to mince the garlic with no fuss.
If you’ve opted to go the “salsa” route, you’ll start here. Otherwise, stir in the tomato sauce and then hit the “cancel” button on your instant pot to turn off the saute function.
Drain the dried bean, rinse and then add them to the pot along with water and the spices. Stir well and add the bay leaves. Lock the lid in place. Make sure the valve is set to seal. Set instant pot to manual and adjust the time to 25 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally. This will take about 25 minutes. If you’re not ready to serve the beans, just leave them in the pot, still sealed. I have left them as long as two hours with the lid sealed. They were warm and delicious when I opened the lid.
Can you make these on the stove top?
YES. I included directions with times for a stove top version. It’s essentially the same recipe with additional time added. Don’t let lack of an instant pot to stop you from making these delicious beans.
What to serve with Homemade Mexican Style Beans:
- Serve as a healthy side dish. They have a good amount of fiber and plant based protein.
- Add a dollop of vegan sour cream on top…YUM!
- Serve with brown rice or a simple cauliflower rice for a complete meal.
- Add a scoop to your taco salad for a delicious lunch or dinner.
- The perfect base for Huevos Rancheros or Shakshuka.
- These are a wonderful addition to veggie fajitas.
Instant Pot Mexican Beans
I don’t know why it took me so long to embrace my instant pot. I’ve had it for well over a year and only in the past few months has it gained a permanent spot on the counter. I have finally realized that it saves more than time. It has been saving me money, space in my pantry and honestly, my sanity. These beans have become a weekly staple in my healthy meal prep.
Instant Pot Mexican Beans
Seriously Simple Mexican Pinto Bean Recipe. An inexpensive and tasty way to make beans from scratch.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked 6 hours or overnight*
- 1 medium onion (or 2 small), diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 1 red pepper, diced (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 jalapenos, seeds and membranes removed, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 Tablespoon chili powder*
- OPTIONAL: for a bit of heat add in 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Turn instant Pot on to "Saute" function. Add onions plus 1-2 Tablespoons water and saute until beginning to soften (approximately 3 minutes), then add in red pepper and jalapenos, continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Hit "cancel" on the instant pot. Stir iIn the garlic and tomato sauce, mix well. Stir in the spices.
- Drain beans, rinse well and add the drained beans to the pot along with water and bay leaves. Mix well and then lock the lid in place. Make sure the valve is set to seal. Set instant pot to manual and adjust the time to 25 minutes.
- When the time is up, allow the instant pot to naturally release the pressure. This will take 15-20 minutes. Make sure to manually release any additional pressure before unlocking the lid.
- Discard the bay leaves, and serve warm.
- OPTIONAL GARNISH: sliced jalapenos, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, avocado slices.
Notes
NO SOAK BEANS: Your didn't soak the beans? NO PROBLEM. Pour boiling water over dried beans and let them soak for as long as you have (ie: as long as it takes to pull the rest of the ingredients together). Up the cooking time in the instant pot by 10 minutes. They'll be great. How do I know? Yeah, it's happened to me, more than once!
CHILI POWDER: If you like spice, add in 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder as well.
MAKE IT A SIMPLE PANTRY RECIPE: Replace the onions, peppers, jalapenos, garlic, tomato sauce and water with 2 cups prepared salsa (look for a jar that is organic and without added sugar or oil) and 1 1/2 cups water. If you opt for this method, skip to step 2. Mix the salsa, spices, water and drained beans in the instant pot (or regular pot on the stove), proceed as directed.
MAKE IT ON THE STOVETOP: Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat. Follow step one, saute the onions, red peppers and jalapenos. Turn the heat down, stir in the garlic, tomato sauce and spices. Continue to Step 2. Turn the heat back to medium, add rinsed and drained beans plus water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, turn down so beans are barely simmering, cover and let them cook until tender: about 1 1/2 hours.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 124Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 492mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
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Chef Dennis
It’s been ages since I’ve made Pinto Beans. I can’t wait to try out your recipe!
Debra Klein
It’s about time to try them again. You’ll love this version.
Jen Ta
Wow! These look so flavorful! Thanks for the recipe!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome. Super tasty!
Natalie
Oh wow… pinto beans. I haven’t use them for ages. Thanks for recipe and reminder. I will definitely make this soon. Looks delicious!
Debra Klein
The perfect pantry recipe!
Sanna bhavsar
Such an awesome recipe!
Debra Klein
Thank you. Totally agree.
michele
Loved how these turned out in my Instant Pot. Perfect texture!
Debra Klein
Totally agree…one of the reasons I started making beans in the instant pot.
Andréa Janssen
What a great recipe! I love my slow cooker and certainly will go and try this recipe!
Marlynn
Such an easy wonderful recipe that makes flavorful pinto beans. Thank you!
Debra Klein
You’re welcome!
Angela
Great instant pot recipe!
Lilly
These beans are so flavorful and delicious!
Maur
Instant pot is the gift that keeps on giving. Love how this turned out.
Debra Klein
Totally! I love mine more and more each time I use it.
Swathi
looks delicious
Jessica Formicola
We are having tacos tomorrow night, and these pinto beans are on the menu as well! Can’t wait to try them!
Debra Klein
The perfect side dish for tacos!!!
Amy Liu Dong
This recipe is so easy and delicious. I am so excited to make this for everyone.
Nora
They turned out perfectly! Thanks for this lovely instant pot recipe!
Debra Klein
Terrific…glad you enjoyed them.
Meghan Gillies-Edwards
What did you mean when you said hit “canel?” Cancel? I have an old crockpot so it only has low and high setting. Thank you
Debra Klein
Typo…yes, it’s meant to say “cancel” and I appreciate you pointing that out. I fixed it so nobody else would have that same question.
Amy
Only 2 cups of water? Did I miss broth? Or maybe I was supposed to cook the beans first? 2 cups of liquid didn’t make a dent in covering them up.
Debra Klein
Thanks Amy for the comment. It was a typo in the recipe card. I just updated it. 4 cups is the correct amount of water to use.