Name: Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans (Vegan, GF)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons water (or vegetable broth); 1/2 medium Spanish yellow onion (diced); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 3 cups water (or unsalted vegetable broth); 1 cup dried black beans (not soaked beforehand*); 2 teaspoons cumin powder; 1 teaspoon Spanish paprika; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (adjust amount for desired spiciness); 1 tablespoon lime juice (optional)

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Canned beans, schmanned beans. Nothing is better than cooking your own DRIED beans from scratch! These Chipotle Black Beans are SO easy (and cheap!) to prepare in your Instant Pot and the flavors outperform any can of beans. It’s a win-win.

Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans in a white bowl with dried beans and a lime on the side.

Why dried beans are better than canned beans:

If you’ve never cooked dried beans before, you are in for a real treat.

First, dried beans are about a third of the cost of canned beans, and also contain much less sodium. It’s true that draining and rinsing a can of beans can get rid of some of the sodium, but you are also rinsing some of the nutrition down the drain as well.

Second, you may have read about the controversial use of BPA in food containers such as canned beans. Dried beans however, are BPA-free.

The only downside I’ve found to using dried beans is that they can take HOURS to cook on the stove. So often people will splurge for the extra cost of canned beans for the convenience.

But that’s where we enter… the Instant Pot. I’ve used this wonderful piece of kitchen equipment for all sorts of things like Oatmeal, Lentils, Soups, and more, but one of my all-time favorite things to make is dried beans.

Instead of taking hours using the traditional on-the-stove method, the Instant Pot cooks the beans in just 35 minutes (plus the time for the electric pressure cooker to build and release pressure). So fast!

And another plus- you don’t need to watch the pot. After sautéing the onion and garlic and adding the spices, just secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Then set it and forget it.

And most importantly, did I mention that cooking dried beans tastes WAY better than canned beans? With this recipe, you’ll end up with super flavorful home-cooked black beans in (almost) an instant. And you’ll save money too. This is why this recipe is a true game changer for making beans in your kitchen.

Instant Pot Chipotle Black beans in a white bowl.

How to make these Instant Pot Black Beans:

First set your Instant Pot to the Sauté function. Note: it will heat up quite quickly so make sure you have your onion and garlic prepared in advance.

Add 2 tablespoons of water (or vegetable broth), the onion and garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the water/vegetable broth, dried black beans and all spices. Stir and then press Stop on the Instant Pot so you can reset it.

Immediately set it to the Bean/Chili button (or Manual/Pressure Cook works too) and set the time to 35 minutes. It will start to build pressure at this time and after pressurized, it will cook for 35 minutes. After cooking, it will need to sit for awhile to release pressure (mine takes about 15 minutes).

An overhead shot of an Instant Pot with cooked black beans.

The beans will be sitting in some liquid; taste to make sure they are cooked through. If desired, add a little more chipotle powder, and/or lime juice and stir. When ready, use a handheld strainer to remove the beans from the pot.

Note: you can save the liquid from the beans to use in certain recipes as the liquid itself contains a lot of flavor. I use a few spoonfuls of the liquid in burrito bowls, tofu scrambles, etc.

Store these beans (with or without the liquid) in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

A handheld strainer holding cooked black beans from the instant pot.

Enjoy these beans in any Mexican dish, or add them to salads, rice or any type of grain, tofu scrambles, burrito bowls, you name it.

Try using these Chipotle Black Beans as a delicious substitute for canned beans in the following recipes:

Helpful Tools:

Instant Pot– An electric pressure cooker is obviously a must for this recipe. I’ve used both the 6 quart and 8 quart (newer) version, and both have worked great for me.
Handheld Strainer– It’s best to use one that has a long handle so you don’t accidentally burn your hand when removing the beans from the pot.

If you try this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your photo with #veggie__chick on Instagram. I just love to see my recipes being made in YOUR kitchen!