Easy Gluten Free Meals/ Recipes

Easy Instant Pot Black Beans

Instant Pot Black Beans are a delicious, easy and economical way to get dinner on the table- fast!

Instant Pot Black Beans

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Instant Pot Black Beans

OH, NO! I forgot the soak the black beans! How many time has this happened to you? I am constantly buying dried black beans (they are so cheap!) and never cooking them because I always forget to soak them. I am going to show you how to cook perfect black beans, without soaking, and have supper on the table in an hour and change, with very little hands-on time. Plus, they are perfect for freezing, so they will be ready whenever you need them!

Not having black beans on hand is a crime in my house. Unfortunately, my husband is not a fan of pressure cookers. (They are noisy, and dangerous, and scary!). I used to have to make black beans the old-fashioned way- long soaking and long cooking on the stove. I was dying for an Instant Pot, in order to convince him to let me buy one, I told him it was a rice cooker. He reluctantly agreed to let me try it. I will admit I still mostly use it for rice, but these Instant Pot black beans have become a staple.

Instant Pot Black Beans

So, clock is ticking, dinner needs to be ready. These black beans are so easy to make!

Get out your Instant Pot (if you don’t have one head over to Amazon and buy one 🙂 ), rinse the black beans and take out any small rocks (it doesn’t matter if you pressure cook rocks for days…they never get tender.), sautĂ© chopped bacon, toss in onions, garlic, and spices. Dump in the rinsed black beans. Add 8 cups of gluten free chicken broth and culantro*, secure the lid, set the program to pressure cook on high for 40 minutes.  Let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes then vent and CAREFULLY remove the lid (tilt it away from you because the steam is HOT!)

This makes a lot, but it can be frozen. I like to put them in small mason jars to pull out whenever I need a quick side dish. Use the cooking liquid to cover the beans so they don’t dry out in the freezer or save it for soup.

You can make the rice while you are waiting on the beans. Plate it and call the family to the table. They will be amazed.

Instant Pot Black Beans

A Few Notes:

Culantro

It is a herb similar to cilantro and used in Latin cooking. My mother in law swears by culantro. If you can’t find it, you can use cilantro in a pinch. Just don’t tell my mother in law I said that.

To Soak or Not to Soak

You really do not have to soak the black beans. They cook up just fine, unlike any small stones which do not cook at all.

Chicken Broth

Make sure your chicken broth is gluten free. It’s one of those ingredients you don’t always think about but can contain hidden gluten. Make sure you stir it well as it tends to settle (as you can see in my video…oops!). There are several bouillon brands that are gluten free, I like to use homemade, but I don’t always have it on hand so I’ll use the bouillon when I need to. 

To make this vegetarian or vegan, use a bit of smoked paprika instead of bacon, and use vegetable broth.

Chicken always goes great with black beans and Gluten Free Pressure Cooker tells you everything you need to know about How to Cook a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot. You can also always try this Instant Pot Southwestern Chicken and Rice from Meaningful Eats. A side of black beans would go great with it!

If you are just looking for another Instant Pot recipe to add to your repertoire, try these Instant Pot Beef Short Ribs from Gluten Free Palate or these yummy Instant Pot Cube Steaks from Tessa the Domestic Diva. 

Try topping your easy instant pot black beans with the Easy Homemade Pico de Gallo from Wicked Spatula! Or serve with these delicious Chicken Leg Quarters from Food Doodles! Black beans are awesome for tacos, salads, beans, and rice, enchiladas….the possibilities are endless! What are some of your favorite dishes with black beans?

Instant Pot Black Beans
Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes

Easy Instant Pot Black Beans

Liquid can be used for soups or when storing beans add liquid to help prevent from drying out. It can also be used to cook rice in, making a congri style dish.

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of gluten free bacon chopped
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 3-4 cloves crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 pound rinsed black beans
  • 8 cups gluten free chicken broth
  • 3 culantro leaves or several sprigs cilantro

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to sautee.
  • Sautee bacon for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add onion and garlic sautee 1-2 minutes.
  • Add salt, pepper, cumin, and lime zest.
  • Stir.
  • Turn off Instant Pot.
  • Add rinsed black beans.
  • Add gluten free chicken broth and culantro.
  • Close Instant Pot and close vent.
  • Set at high pressure for 40 minutes.
  • Allow to naturally release pressure for 15 minutes.
  • Carefully release vent and open.
  • Stir beans. Remove culantro and crushed garlic.
  • Drain beans, reserving liquid.
  • Enjoy!

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20 Comments

  • Reply
    Maqhi
    January 14, 2023 at 10:34 am

    5 stars
    We love these black beans. They are part of our regular meal rotation!

  • Reply
    Holly Hooper
    October 28, 2021 at 8:01 pm

    5 stars
    Very tasty looking! I do love cilantro, but I have heard that some people have an aversion to it. Love your photo!

  • Reply
    Judee @ gluten free A-Z Blog
    June 16, 2018 at 7:07 am

    Hi – I am gluten free and live six months of the year in Miami- ( snow bird) , I love my Instant Pots ( I have one at each residence) and black beans is one of my favorite things to make in it- although I make lentil soups, vegetables, and even hard boiled eggs that the peels slips right off in it too- just found your blog and looking forward to browsing through your posts. Just starting following you on twitter – hope you’ll follow back..

    • Reply
      Amanda
      June 25, 2018 at 2:03 pm

      Welcome to Miami! I did follow you on twitter! Enjoy the posts, if their is ever anything you need help with, just let me know! You can send me an email with the contact button!

  • Reply
    Stacey
    June 26, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    This happens to me all the time! I’ve been looking into instant pots but you just sold me with this recipe!

    • Reply
      Amanda
      June 29, 2017 at 7:57 am

      It is one of those things that I debated too, but I got rid of my rice cooker and got this instead!

  • Reply
    Adriana Lopez Martn
    June 25, 2017 at 2:37 pm

    I love black beans a nd cook them pretty often on the pressure cooker now I am intrigued on making them on the instant pressure cooker =)

  • Reply
    Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry
    June 25, 2017 at 6:52 am

    What a perfect and quick way of cooking these beans. Need to get an instant pot!

  • Reply
    Dahn
    June 24, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    great recipe, the spices and broth added to the beans sound fabulous and give the beans great flavor

  • Reply
    Sandi G
    June 24, 2017 at 9:44 pm

    I just used my pressure cooker for the first time. I can’t wait to try this out.

  • Reply
    Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
    June 23, 2017 at 8:28 pm

    One of my favorite parts of reading your blog beside the great recipes, are you amazing notes! They are always so helpful!

  • Reply
    Sam | Ahead of Thyme
    June 23, 2017 at 2:53 am

    Wow this is soo easy and amazing! I need to get an instant pot asap!

  • Reply
    Amy White
    June 23, 2017 at 12:02 am

    These look so good and more importantly they look easy to make. I can’t wait to try this one out.

    • Reply
      Amanda
      June 29, 2017 at 8:01 am

      Easy is always important! They are absolutely delicious!

  • Reply
    Cayla Daniels
    June 22, 2017 at 10:31 pm

    I LOVE my IP. I actually just made baked beans the other day because my son loves them!

  • Reply
    Marie, Mamma's Cooking
    June 22, 2017 at 2:26 pm

    I need an Instant Pot! This would be great, especially your tip for freezing them! My son LOVES black beans.

  • Reply
    Lisa
    June 22, 2017 at 11:55 am

    I love that this works without soaking the beans. I will have to check out that pot on Amazon!

  • Reply
    Claire
    June 21, 2017 at 11:25 pm

    This sounds absolutely amazing!

  • Reply
    Jereann
    June 21, 2017 at 9:40 pm

    The idea of not having to soak the beans over night sounds amazing! I’ve got to get an Instant Pot!

  • Reply
    Rebecca
    June 21, 2017 at 5:43 pm

    Can’t wait to try these for my picky toddler! She loves black beans and I love the Instant Pot!

  • Leave a Reply

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