How Long To Cook Beans In Instant Pot (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 30 Minutes For Un-Soaked Beans And 15 Minutes For Soaked Beans

Instant pot is a revolutionary new kitchen appliance that speeds up cooking times while still preserving the nutrients and flavor of food. One of the most popular instant pot recipes on social media is cooking beans. 

The next time someone wants to make some baked bean soup or other types of the dish with dried beans, they don’t need to spend hours simmering all day. 

Using an instant pot to cook beans can help get it done in 30 minutes. This handy little kitchen gadget will cut down on cooking time by at least half and save energy too.

How Long To Cook Beans In Instant Pot?

Although beans are a great source of protein, many people find cooking dried beans time-consuming. The instant pot is an electric pressure cooker that cooks food much faster than traditional stovetop methods. Cooking times for different kinds of beans change per the quantity one is preparing.

For one cup of dried beans, try browsing from 11-18 minutes. Although most people think it takes 45 minutes to cook a cup of dry beans in an instant pot, it takes an average of 30 minutes. 

Experts recommend cooking at least a cup of dry beans or the equivalent amount of canned beans. The maximum capacity for an instant pot is 2 liters.

One should set the temperature to high pressure with broth/water as liquid. One can also use organic vegetable broth instead, which will save on some added sodium from the water. If one has less than a cup of dried beans in their pot, adjust accordingly. Any bean that has been soaked overnight and drained beforehand (so they’re hydrated), they’ll need about half the cook time.

Raw beans are highly toxic because they contain high levels of hemagglutinin, phytohemagglutinin. Cooking the beans lowers these substances, which means that the body can now break down the proteins in the beans much better. 

Cooking the beans also reduces the number of goitrogens – a substance that may cause one to develop a goiter or experience problems with the thyroid. 

Why Would Cooking Beans In Instant Pot Take So Long?

Pressure cooking ensures that water doesn’t evaporate while the beans are cooking. If one is cooking beans on the stovetop, it’s easy for the pot to dry and burn up the beans.

Experts recommend pressure-cooking beans for 30 minutes to release their flavor and maximally cook them “to a creamy paste consistency”. The Pot in the IQ comes with an automatic setting that automatically adjusts the pressure lock to balance between high-temperature range and time needed to bring food up to temperature. 

The instant pot uses an electronic sensor that monitors the food as it cooks, which works alongside the patented microprocessor algorithm technology to continually adjust time and temperature as necessary throughout the entire process of cooking. 

Instant pots achieve higher pressures at similar cooking times. However, users should remember that the instant pot is faster than traditional stovetop cooking methods. In addition, heating the interior of a metal pressure boiler for high pressure requires more energy than other cooking methods, so there will be a delay between pressing start and when the cooker comes up to the desired temperature.

Once at the desired set point, other cooking times can be shorter because of increased nutrient retention. Beans are loaded with nutrients, and cooking them enhances some of those beneficial properties. 

Cooking can help reduce the amount of phytic acid in the bean. Phytic acid has been found to inhibit digestion and absorption of certain minerals like iron and zinc, so cooking beans helps mitigate this issue.

Conclusion

Research shows that soaking dried beans for an hour before cooking results in a 40-60% lower level than when one doesn’t soak the beans at all. Try this technique by adding 1 pound of dried beans with 8 cups of water and cooking for 30 minutes. 

Once the cooking time is over, make sure to release the pressure for 20 minutes naturally softly. Moreover, one can add other ingredients instead of just water to increase the flavor of the beans, like apple cider vinegar or seasonings. Also, one can store the leftover beans in the refrigerator for upto five days and eat fresh.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1024146710611 
2. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07315724.1994.10718446