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Home » All Recipes » Side Dish » Instant Pot Mexican Beans

Instant Pot Mexican Beans

Gluten-freeGrain FreeNo OilVegan

Published on: June 7, 2020 Last modified: June 7, 2020

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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.

Close up of a white bowl filled with mexican style pinto beans in tomato sauce with chopped cilantro sprinkled on top.

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!

Two photos, side by side, one with fresh ingredients like onions, peppers, jalapenos along with spices and dried beans, the other with just salsa, spices and beans

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

Instant Pot Mexican Beans step one saute the onions. PHoto shows remaining ingredients standing by.

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.

Saute onions, jalapenos and red peppers in the instant pot, remaining ingredients dried beans, tomato sauce and spice wait on the side.

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.

Instant Pot with sauteed veggies and garlic, dried beans plus tomato sauce and spices wiating on the stide.

Fresh garlic gives these beans an authentic flavor. I use a garlic press or a microplane grater to mince the garlic with no fuss.

Instant pot with sauteed veggies plus garlic and tomato sauce, dried beans and spices on the side.

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.

Mexian Style pinto beans in tomato sauce, garnished with sliced jalapenos and sprinkled with fresh chopped herbs

What to do with Homemade Mexican Style Beans:

  • Serve as a healthy side dish. They have a good amount of fiber and plant based protein.
  • 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.

Continue to Content
Yield: 6 Cups

Instant Pot Mexican Beans

Close up of a white bowl of pinto beans in a tomato based sauce, topped with jalapeno slices and sprinkled with cilantro

Seriously Simple Mexican Pinto Bean Recipe. An inexpensive and tasty way to make beans from scratch.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Additional Time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

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
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  1. 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 "canel" on the instant pot. Stir iIn the garlic and tomato sauce, mix well. Stir in the spices.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Discard the bay leaves, and serve warm.
  5. 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

6

Serving Size

1

Amount 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag me @dkhealthcoach and use #debraklein on Instagram so I can see it!

© Craig Hobson
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Side Dish

*This post contains affiliate links. I only link to products and services that I personally use, highly recommend, and trust. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I will recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting the blog!

Filed Under: Gluten-free, Grain Free, Main Course, No Oil, Side Dish, Vegan

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chef Dennis

    June 8, 2020 at 12:22 pm

    It's been ages since I've made Pinto Beans. I can't wait to try out your recipe!
    Reply
    • Debra Klein

      June 9, 2020 at 9:48 am

      It's about time to try them again. You'll love this version.
      Reply
  2. Jen Ta

    June 9, 2020 at 9:34 am

    Wow! These look so flavorful! Thanks for the recipe!
    Reply
    • Debra Klein

      June 9, 2020 at 9:48 am

      You're welcome. Super tasty!
      Reply
  3. Natalie

    June 9, 2020 at 2:05 pm

    Oh wow... pinto beans. I haven't use them for ages. Thanks for recipe and reminder. I will definitely make this soon. Looks delicious!
    Reply
    • Debra Klein

      June 11, 2020 at 11:31 am

      The perfect pantry recipe!
      Reply
  4. Sanna bhavsar

    July 8, 2020 at 1:55 am

    Such an awesome recipe!
    Reply
    • Debra Klein

      July 8, 2020 at 10:26 pm

      Thank you. Totally agree.
      Reply

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