Instant Pot Baked Beans
Instant Pot Baked Beans are a popular side dish for summer BBQs. Dried navy beans are pressure cooked until tender and coated in a classic sticky sauce made from molasses, ketchup, and seasonings.
Cecilia, a Pressure Cooking Today reader, asked me if I would post a pressure cooker baked beans recipe. Although you can make great baked beans with canned beans, cooking the dry beans from-scratch in the pressure cooker is easier, cheaper, and better tasting.
Update: I’ve updated this post with new photos and helpful tips about how to soak and cook perfect baked beans in the Instant Pot.
What Are Baked Beans?
Baked beans seem as old as barbecues themselves. I can’t remember not having them at family barbecues growing up.
Despite the “baked” in their name, most baked beans recipes are actually slow-simmered navy beans. Many stovetop recipes have you simmer soaked beans for anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours!
But by “baking” them in the pressure cooker, you can have perfect navy beans with just 35 minutes at high pressure and a 10 minute natural release.
Making Pressure Cooker Baked Beans in an Instant Pot
This Baked Bean recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Better Homes and Gardens has a good tutorial on cooking baked beans from scratch. I adapted their recipe for the pressure cooker to make it even easier and faster.
The baked beans have a great, traditional flavor. I like lots of bacon in my baked beans, so I doubled the bacon.
The video shows an overnight soak, but I often use the quick soak method discussed below.
How to Soak Beans Overnight
An overnight soak is the best way to ensure your baked beans cook evenly and look the most uniform.
To perform an overnight soak: Cover your beans in the pressure cooking pot (turned OFF) with 8 cups of water and a tablespoon of salt. Let the beans sit overnight at room temperature.
The next day, drain the beans and rinse them well. Now you’re ready to proceed with the Instant Pot Baked Bean recipe as written.
Quick-Soak Method for Beans
If you don’t have time for an overnight soak, you can get many of the same benefits with a quick soak.
To use the quick soak method for dried beans: Simply cover the beans with water in the pressure cooking pot, as you would for the overnight soak (including the salt). Then pressure cook on high for 1 minute.
Turn the pressure cooker off and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Then remove the lid, drain and rinse the beans, and discard the soaking water.
Proceed with the recipe as directed.
No-Soak Baked Beans
Note that the beans may cook unevenly if you skip a soak, so I don’t really recommend this method.
For no-soak baked beans: Choose your cook time. Cooking at high pressure for 75 minutes you’ll have some perfectly cooked beans and others that are still a little hard. If you cook for 90 minutes, you’ll have some mushy and split beans and some a little hard.
It’s not perfect, but it does work in a pinch.
Random Baked Beans Facts
While I’ve only had the traditional American version cooked in a smoky sweet molasses sauce, apparently across the pond in the UK, baked beans are a breakfast food: meatless, coated in a tomato sauce, and served on toast! And Canadian readers have confirmed making theirs with maple syrup. (Because of course!)
If you’re a trivia lover like me, check out The Guardian’s fabulous baked beans write up. SO many great bean facts! Beans were cooked by indigenous tribes and adopted by the Pilgrims! First canned in the 1860s!)
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Instant Pot Baked Beans
For your next outdoor barbecue, use dried navy beans to make this easy Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe, featuring a classic sticky sauce of molasses, ketchup, and seasonings.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried navy beans*
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 10-ounces (8 slices) thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the beans in a colander and sort through to remove any debris. Soak the beans overnight* in the pressure cooking pot with 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon salt.
- After soaking, drain and rinse the beans; discard the soaking liquid.
- Select Sauté and add the bacon to the pressure cooking pot. Cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook in the bacon fat until tender, about 3 minutes. Scrape up brown bits on the bottom of the pot as the onions cook.
- Add 2 1/2 cups water, molasses, ketchup, brown sugar, dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to the onions and stir to combine. Stir in the soaked beans.
- Select high pressure and 35 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, turn the pressure cooker off and do a 10 minute natural pressure release, followed by a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove the lid.
- Discard any beans that are floating, and check several beans to make sure they're tender. If not, return to high pressure for a few more minutes.
- Stir in the cooked bacon. Select Simmer and simmer beans uncovered, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn, until the sauce is the desired consistency.
Notes
*Note that the total time does not include soaking times.
If you don’t have time for an overnight soak, use this quick soak method: Pressure cook the beans on high for 1 minute. Turn the pressure cooker off and let beans soak for one hour. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 169Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 878mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 4gSugar: 17gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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I love this recipe! It is my go-to!
That’s awesome – thanks Janet!
Made this today to go with ribs!! Soooo good & easy!
Added a bit of maple syrup….because why not🇨🇦🇨🇦 I am definitely adding this one to my favourites folder!, thank you pressure cooking today❤️❤️
Thanks for the rave review Maureen!
Where are most of your recipes? I wanted one for the smoky ham hock and pinto beans but there are no quantities for seasonings. Wasted a lot of time clicking around. Nothing on the baked bbeans, just short descriptions.
WTFO???
Hi Phil – There’s a link at the top of every recipe that says Jump To Recipe. If you’re having a difficult time scrolling down to the recipe, use the Jump To Recipe button. Here’s a link to the Smoky Ham Hock and Pinto Bean Soup recipe https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-smoky-ham-hock-and-pinto-bean-soup/ Enjoy!
I like your recipe as the Instant apot is one of my go to appliances. This recipe is simple and easy to use. The only thing I would like to see is a “Jump to Recipe” button at the beginning of every recipe so I don’t have to scroll past all of the writing and pictures.
I wish Pinterest or any other web recipe sharing site would have pins with only recipes in them.
Thanks Ric – my Jump to Recipe button is at the top below the recipe title and the social share buttons. Enjoy!
Hello, I am new to Instant Pot cooking and I would like to make your baked beans recipe. My Instant Pot do not have a Simmer function, what should I use for the last step? Slow cook or Sauté on low heat? Thank you. Danielle
Hi Danielle – saute adjusted to low is the simmer setting on the Instant Pot. Enjoy!
Could I use small white beans?? Would it change the cooking time?
Also, could I cut the recipe in half?? Would that change time at all?
Thanks
Hi Carol – yes you can sub white beans and half the recipe with no change in cook time.
Do you have any pressure cooker bean recipes that don’t use sugar? We’re avoiding sugar, corn syrup, molasses, etc and would prefer something savory. A little natural sweetness from tomatoes, onions, or other vegetables would be fine. Can I just improvise and use a gravy of my choice as the liquid, and pressure cook the beans as you instruct in this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Sam – if you want baked beans, you could combine my recipe with one like this one https://garlicmatters.com/homemade-baked-beans-no-added-sugar-recipe/ If you want bean recipes try this great 16 bean soup https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/instant-pot-15-bean-soup/ or this cajun version https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/instant-pot-cajun-15-bean-soup/
Wonderful baked bean recipe. I will not be buying canned beans. This will make a great fall supper with buttered brown bread.
Thanks Annette – definitely so much better than canned. Sounds like the perfect fall meal.
I cook 300g cannellini bean in mushroom stock and a couple of bay leaves for 25 min on high with natural release Drain retaining 1/2 cup stock. Add 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp tamarind paste, 1/4 tsp liquid smoke, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cook for another 10 mins on high with natural release. If you’re using low sodium stock, I’d add 1 tsp salt to the first stage.
Sounds tasty – thanks for sharing Dave!
I can’t wait to make these. I’m new-ish to the Instant pot, but noticed on another bean cooking chart that I had, soaked, Great Northern Beans cooked for about 8 minutes. This recipe says 35 minutes. Big difference. I’m old school in that I like to soak beans overnight. Can you please explain the big difference in time? Thank you. My husband is going to love this, I’m sure.
Hi Donna – navy beans have a thicker sking and need a longer cook time. Here’s a good article on the difference between the beans https://www.leaf.tv/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-navy-great-northern-beans/ Enjoy the baked beans!
I’ve made these multiple times, thank you for the recipe. I do highly recommend making these early in the day and allowing them to tighten/thicken up throughout the day by leaving them on warm for several hours.
Thanks for sharing your tip Laura – so nice to know how much you enjoy them.
I don’t soak the beans. I add a Hillshire Farms or similar Kielbasa quartered & sliced (in addition to the bacon). I may or may not add a pinch of red pepper flakes. I cook the meats with the beans and go for 65 or 75 minutes and it’s H-E-A-V-E-N!
Thanks for sharing Tony!
I really love this recipe, perfect every time! Being a Newfoundlander I switched up the bacon for salt pork and used Crosby’s Cooking Molasses, which is darker. Awesome pin!
Thanks Chad – I’ll have to try your changes.
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Just a note Its not just the canadians who use maple syrup to make baked beans. We Vermonters produce more maple syrup per acre than anywhere else in the world. Nobody squeezes trees like we Vermonters! we also are known for our Bean Hole Beans. Its a tradition that goes back to the days when it was unGodly to work on sunday even for women(puritan times) the lady folks would prep a crock and the men would dig a hole on the town green and start a big fire in it. Once it was down to just coals the crock would be lowered into the hole and buried. Only to be dug up after church on sunday.
I did three differences i did in your recipe. Add maple syrup and reduce half or so of the molasses. Second use soldier beans. third Salt pork instead of bacon. I did this and they were great.
Great – thanks for sharing Dennis!
Hi Barbara,
I have to make enough baked beans for 30 people
Can I double this recipe or should I make 2 batches?
I have a 6qt and an 8 qt ip so that wouldn’t be a problem.
Thank you Patty
Hi Patty – you can double it in your 8 quart Instant Pot. For best results, make them the day before and warm them up right before serving.
Hi Barbara
I made the beans last night they turned out perfect!
Awesome! Thanks for the follow up.
Hello!
I’ve somehow managed to get through 30 years of cooking and never once used molasses! My question is, what variety of molasses do I use? My local grocery sells either Fancy Molasses or black strap molasses. Which one should I use? I’ve read that one shouldn’t use black strap unless specifically called for.
Hi Jason – just regular molasses (I’m not sure calling it fancy changes anything) not black strap. Here’s the brand I use https://bit.ly/2EX2KtK
Is this recipe for a 6qt or 8qt IP? I heard that it matters which size due to the liquid requirements. I have a new 6qt IP that I’ve tried once…
All my recipes are created using a 6 quart pressure cooker. However, this recipe makes a large batch of beans and has plenty of liquid, so you won’t need to make any changes when making it in an 8 quart pressure cooker.
I am picky about my beans and these are perfect!
Great! Thanks so much Sally.
Baked beans are my absolute favorite! I love the brown sugar in this!
Thank you, Barbara, for your prompt response. Could yiu give me an idea of how long it will take to reheat the baked beans on the low saute setting or using the slow cook setting.
My guess is 15 minutes on low saute maybe 30 on slow cook.
If made a day or two ahead, what is your recommendation for heating before serving?
Hi Carol – I would just reheat them in the pressure cooker using the Saute setting adjusted to low. Or, if you have more time, you could even use the slow cook settings.
Great recipe. I came across the Fagor baked beans recipe first, which uses low pressure for 90 minutes. While wondering if there is a downside to just switching it to high pressure, I found this recipe and so went ahead with it. The high pressure seems to lead to some burning of the sugars. The black bits are tiny and easily stirred in, it just seems to add a bitter element to the aftertaste.
Hi Tom – I don’t know why your beans burned on the bottom – I don’t think using high pressure had anything to do with it. Did you have a good seal or did you see lots of steam releasing as they cooked? There’s plenty of liquid in this recipe so burning should not be a problem unless they burned when you were sauteing them.
Hi there. I just got a Ninja Foodi and this was the first recipe that I tested – I’ve also never used a pressure cooker :). Normally my homemade baked beans are 8 hours in the crockpot – these were done ‘end to end’ in an hour! The Foodi has a searing function so did the bacon and onions in that, the switched to that function again after the pressure cooking for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce. I cooked them for 45 minutes and they were perfect. Thanks for the inspiration – recipe & instructions were perfect!
Great! I’m super it’s just the start of lots of great meals in your Foodi. Have fun 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I’ve made them a few times and I never remember to look at the recipe, and have screwed up a few times- cooked the bacon and onion together, added too much salt…… the recipe is very forgiving, though, and they’ve turned out just fine. I once made them for a large group and to make it go further, added a pound of cooked hamburger and a can of 2 other types of beans at the end, and that was good. I’ve also froze leftovers in individual serving containers, and it make a a good lunch with a piece of bread and butter!
Sounds like fun ways to change them up. Thanks for sharing Jeanne!
The pics look to soupy they’re better done in oven the old fashion way don’t care for the IP love to sell it
Hi Brenda – I could have waited for the next day to take the picture and the beans absorb most of the liquid overnight as they cool. However, if you prefer to cook them in the oven, that’s a great option as well.
I made these and the beans were hard after 35 minutes in the Instapot. First time using a new pot. Do you think something is wrong with the pot?
Hi Cheryl – beans can vary based on how old the beans are to begin with. It doesn’t mean that your Instant Pot isn’t working. Did you soak them overnight or do the quick soak? I hope you just locked the lid in place and cooked them a little longer? Did you do the water test before you used the pot for the first time? https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/getting-started-with-your-new-electric-pressure-cooker-or-instant-pot/ If that went well, your pot is probably just fine. Have fun!
Old beans won’t soften, but I love em hard. Ditto Baked Sugar Pumpkins if you don’t keep them at room temp for 2 wks.
Has anyone tried a double recipe in an 8 quart IP?
Hi Maureen – it makes a big pot of beans, I’m not sure double would fit in an 8 quart.
My pressure cooker is old school. It’s just a pot with a locking lid. How do I translate this recipe into that type of pressure cooker? Thanks.
It’s easy to convert electric pressure cooker recipes to a stove top recipe. Electric pressure cookers don’t start counting down the time until they’ve come to pressure. So just bring your pressure cooker to pressure the way you normally would over medium high heat. Then when it comes to pressure, reduce the heat and start a timer. Depending on how well you regulate the pressure, you may need to add more liquid to some recipes that call for very little liquid. This recipe should be fine. Enjoy!
Great recipe, especially if you substitute 1/3 cup pure maple syrup for the brown sugar.
Yes, we Canadians love our maple baked beans! 😉
Thanks David – gotta do it 🙂
I made this recipe minus the bacon it was amazing
Thanks Tami!
These were good. Initially was “soupy” but after a day it wasn’t. I would be tempted to make this recipe two days before serving as “soupiness” went away with time & flavor only got better. No other adjustments were needed.
Thanks Sandy – making them two days ahead is a great idea.
First time making this – it was great but think next time I will cut water down to 2 cups and add some diced green peppers to the onion and use my favorite bbq sauce in place of ketchup. Loved that the beans were done and firm but not mushy,
Thank you. . I also left out the salt cause I can not have that.
Sounds like delicious changes Jody – thanks!
I made them too and the only change was to add a dollop of dijon mustard in addition to the mustard powder. Love them. I made a combo of navy beans about 25% kidney beans. I didn’t soak the beans, but did a quick soak in the IP on the kidney beans and they came out just done enough in 30 minutes with the navy beans.
P.S. I let the do a full Natural Release.
Had to tell you I made these for my family in my Instant Pot over the weekend and they are delicious.
That’s great – thanks Joan!
What can I use to substitute tomato sauce/paste
Allergic to tomatoes, but love spaghetti, lasagne,
May I substitute carrots?
I thought this recipe sounded good http://janeshealthykitchen.com/no-tomato-ketchup/
Made these beans today. Just learning how to cook n the instant pot. I have to tell you they are oh my goodness great! Absolutely love the flavor. I did sauté just a tad to thicken when done. I also added just a splash of real maple syrup. I will probably double the recipe for gatherings. Do you think I will also need to double the water? Thank you for sharing, My husband says they taste like the beans we had at a nice restaurant in town. Will be my g to recipe for now on and so quick! Happy camper here.
Thanks Mary! So glad the beans were a hit. Yes, I would double the water as well. Do you have an 8 quart pressure cooker? The general rule is you don’t want to fill the pot more than half full with things that foam like oatmeal and beans.
i have made a LOT of baked beans in the oven and in the slow cooker…Sometimes they would come out hard…if I cooked them longer they would turn to mush and all split. Then I got a Cosori 8 in 1 cooker..similiar to the instant pot. I did your recipe exactly, and the beans came out perfect! They were all intact, with a tender but firm texture. The sauce is very similar to what I have done over the years, and it is excellent. For those that say it was “soupy”…I would put it on saute for a bit to thicken it up. It also thickens up when left to cool. Thanks for the great recipe Barbara!
Thanks Gary! It really is a great way to cook baked beans.
When using the quick bean soak for an hour in the IP, is the lid on or off?
Hi Amy – the lid is on and the pressure slowly releases.
I made these tonight for our ” beans and hotdogs night”.
Fantastic. I’ll definitely have to make them again.
This is a real easy recipe.
Great! Thanks Todd 🙂
Very tasty, but mine came out way too watery: more like soup than baked beans. I left it to cool in the fridge while I went to work. When I came home, I reheated it, scooped out all the beans with a slotted spoon, and then reduced the sauce on high-temp saute for about 25 minutes. This requires pretty-attentive stirring. I was able to reduce it enough to thicken the sauce to my preferred consistency, but if I try this recipe again (and I just might!), I would definitely reduce the water by at least 1/2 a cup. I also don’t think that I would cook the salt pork (instead of bacon) ahead of time… with my oven-baked beans, the pork always disintegrates nicely. The taste is really very good, though, and I’m delighted that the beans are cooked to a perfect consistency.
Yup. Me too. Followed this recipe to the exact T and what I got was soup. Would definitely reduce water by a minimum of 1 cup.
Had to finish the cooking process in secondary pot and manually thicken.
Otherwise it tasted great.
If I double the recipe do I double the cook time?
Hi RossAnne – the cook time will be the same. Just be sure not to fill your pot more than 2/3’s full.
Ok thank you!
Hi, I add the same question and wondering if you made it and how itturn out? Thanks ahead& have a great day
I made these today and they are oh my gosh great! I too was thinking of doubling the recipe. Would you also need to double the water? I did sauté mine just a little when done to thicken. Definitely will be my go to recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing, did this tonight in a multicooker, not quite sure if I understand how it works yet, as the instructions are limited and in French, but I’m muddling on the best I can! I think it may be half way between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker?
Anyway, I used some pork echine instead of bacon, and didn’t remove it to cook the beans, it came out beautiful after 2 hours and a half on stew mode, the last half hour with the lid open to thicken. It probably didn’t need that long but I was making a cake and got sidetracked ! Delish!
Thanks Natacha! Sounds like you’re doing great to me.
I want to pressure can the beans after making a batch, Any suggestions on how long to pressure can after I pack into pint jars?
Hi Judy – I’m sorry I don’t have any experience canning. In the small electric pressure cookers, you can only hot water bath can. Enjoy the beans 🙂
Would I cook these the same amount of time is I halved the recipe?
Hi Joyce – yes, the cook time is the same when you halve the recipe. Enjoy!
Hi, my name is Donna, I got my instant pot last Christmas. I love it I have been making yogurt in it. I want to make baked beans in it now. You make it sound so simple too. Well, I am having a party in July for 40 people. I was wondering if you could help me here. I need to know how much would you make for 40 people? We have asked everyone to bring something to eat or drink.
I thought that I had dried beans at home come to find out alla I have is canned navy beans… will this still work? Less time? I hate not having the right ingredients but time crunch for sons birthday party. Argh!
Hi Tiffanu – if you want to use canned beans, there’s probably no need to pressure cooker the beans. Saute the bacon and then the onion and add the other ingredients except the water and simmer the beans on a a very low heat / saute on less on the Instant Pot or even slow cook as long as they’re simmering. Happy Birthday to your son!
These beans are delicious! I did the quick soak method and they were fine. No extra cook time was needed. I live in upstate New York where we make maple syrup and I wanted some maple flavor in my beans so I cut back on all the sweeteners in the recipe and added maple syrup. We were having a blizzard when I made them and they were just perfect! Thanks, Barbara. We’ll be eating these beans year round but I’ll always think of them as blizzard comfort food.
Thanks Janet! Maple sounds like a perfect addition. Hope you warm up soon 🙂
Tried this with Lima beans like we used to in our Pennsylvania Dutch neighborhood growing up for 40 min. Perfect.
Thanks for sharing Karen! I’ve never seen lima been baked beans. Fun 🙂
Can you use any electric pressure cooker? i just bought the power pressure cooker xl (10 quart) and the recipe that they have online for baked beans uses canned beans – I want to use dry beans. Also another recipe I saw says that you need to add oil to keep valve from clogging – will the oil from bacon be enough or do i have to add more oil when I put all ingredients together?
Hi Beth – yes, you can use any electric pressure cooker. Here’s a link to my post about using the Power Pressure Cooker XL. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/how-to-use-the-power-pressure-cooker-xl/ Yes, the bacon and the 10 minute natural pressure release are enough to avoid clogging the valve. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/quick-pressure-release-or-natural-pressure-release/ Have fun!
I am new to pressure cooking and have the same pot. Love it, but you have answered so many qestions that i have through your XL site! Thank you
That’s nice to hear – thanks Kathie! Have fun 🙂
Hi Barbara
I’m boiling my beans in the salted water , do I drain and start the recipe with the 8 cup?
Hi Valerie – yes, drain the beans after the overnight or the quick soak method. Only use 2 1/2 cups water after soaking.
Thank you for replying so fast !
Ottawa Ontario canada
Thanks for answering my questions so promptly! I do have another one regarding the baked beans. I’m doing it for a party and my friend hates onions, but loves bacon. I was thinking of browning the bacon separately since there will be no onions to soak up the oil..or should I just spoon out the oil, except for maybe a tablespoon? Or if I do it your way, will he even notice the onions (haha he prob will). I’d rather do everything in one pot! Thoughts?
I think I’d leave most of the bacon fat in the pot and deglaze the pot with the water. You’ll still want the flavor of the bacon grease. If you chop the onions finely, he might not notice 🙂 Enjoy!
This was a huge hit! I did cook onions and bacon separately this time but it still was delicious. On another note, have you heard of cottony soft Japanese cheesecake? I bet it would be super in the IP. It’s trending all over right now. Thanks all for the helpful tips!
Thanks Margie – always so nice to hear it was a huge hit. Thanks for the suggestion – it’s a great idea.
First time user. If they are not done, the first time, what do you do to “pressure cook” longer? Should this be my first time recipe?
Hi Margie – this should be fine for a first recipe. To cook longer, you just lock the lid in place, set the cook time – maybe another 10 minutes (be sure you have the valve in the sealing position) and let it pressure cook again. Easy 🙂
Thank you so much!
I have an InstantPot. No Browning button. I’m assuming that the Saute button is the same feature, correct?
Thanks
Hi Margie – the Instant Pot has you adjust the saute button to more for their browning setting, but you can just use saute instead if you prefer. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/instant-pot-duo-and-smartcooker/ Enjoy!
Wow, Amazing, this recipe ROCKS! Thank you for a great recipe, my first bean recipe in my new IP. I did soak all night, but needed to pressure cook for 50 minutes with a 15 minute NPR before the beans were committed to our liking. My wife just had a taste and said” you can tell these are not canned beans.” Party starts in 6 hours with the 9 pound pork shoulder cooking in the oven. Again, thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Richard! Sounds like a great party. I’m sure your guests will be impressed. Have fun!
Made this over the weekend. FABULOUS!!! Now I want to try without bacon (not vegetarian but trying to eat better) any substitution for the bacon? Served them to a friend who says “I hate beans with ketchup in them”, he never knew and I ain’t telling.
So glad you loved them! Here’s an article that might help http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-add-the-smokey-flavor-of-bacon-to-vegetarian-and-vegan-dishes-171151
1 lbs is how much in cups?
Never mind just saw my answer below!
Oh boy–I bought bulk navy beans a while back, and don’t have a kitchen scale. Do you have any idea what volume might be equivalent to 1 pound? Thank You so much!
Hi Meghan – 2 cups of beans equals 1 pound of beans. Enjoy!
This is a great recipe, I’ve made it twice and the beans came out great each time.
Were your beans crunchy??
I am having a big party at the house and think I’ll make this. Has anyone made this for 50 people? If so, all suggestions awe welcomed. Thanks.
Hi Clare – you could double the recipe but you may need to wait for more than 10 minutes to release the pressure because beans foam. I think 2 double batches would be enough for 50 people if there were other sides as well.
Thank you Barbara. I just found out a few people coming are vegetarians, so I think I’ll make a double batch without bacon for them as well.
Sounds like a good plan!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! My son discovered baked beans in the can and loved them. I was on a mission to get the same flavor, homemade version, and I found your recipe! I literally doubled your recipe (ingredients and time) because I have a large Pressure cooker (16 cups) and it was perfect! We had baked beans for lunch and dinner. You just created a fan! Thank you again!
Just the taste I’ve been trying to find! It’s perfect. I pre-cooked the beans in the pressure cooker rather than doing a long soak, and I added your other ingredients after draining. About an hour later, I was thrilled that it was so delicious, great color, thick sauce and so much better than canned from the store. Thank you for posting.
Thanks Frannie – glad you thought they were great too. I’ve been liking the quick soak method lately too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks.I can used pinto bean in this recipe
They’re not traditional, but I don’t know why you couldn’t.
Hi Barbara, a stupid question from a Brit but are navy beans the same as cannelloni beans?
Hi Pat – I did some research and apparently navy beans are called haricot beans in the UK. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/haricot_bean Here’s some info on cannellini beans http://www.cookthink.com/reference/988/Cannellini_beans_vs_Great_Northern_beans_vs_Navy_beans
Brilliant Barbara, thanks so much for that!
Oh my, x3. hahaha I’ve been messing with pressure cookers for a while but now that I’ve had a stroke that limits my actions and day, I need to expand my horizons. I love the detail of history you provide here about the “baked beans”. I’ll tell my wife but that’s because we don’t pull any punches with each other.
I’ve also been learning to play with the molasses. It does good things for my fresh tomato-based pasta sauce; even for my own 7-pepper hot sauce (I eat habanero and ghost pepper like many chile-heads eat jalapeno or serrano peppers.) – It actually helps me control severe pain levels–think endorphin rush. hahaha
I don’t mind learning how to turn my pressure cooker into my version of Grandma Alma’s bean pot.
woohoo
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Mine were just a little undercooked at 35 min so I just pressure cooked them another 10 min and they were perfect. These are the best baked beans I have ever eaten. We had them at a birthday BBQ with 10 people and there wasn’t a bean left in the pot.
Hi Sharyns – thanks so much for the feedback. I’m so glad you and your crowd loved the beans.
I made this according to recipe instructions. Turned out ok, beans were cooked but liquid was thin and soupy as in picture. Put back in my instapot on slow cook, left for 6 hours, valve open, best baked beans ever! Thick sauce and beans had deep rich mahogany color. I also left the bacon in the whole time, I just blotted out about 1/2 of the rendered fat before adding the onions, and I used double smoked bacon. The beans were the stars at a potluck bbq with friends. The recipe has all the right flavours, but if you are patient slow cooking after the initial pressure cooking makes all the difference. I know that defeats the purpose of a quick pressure cook, but you can’t go wrong with this recipe by giving them more cook time.
Sounds like a great way to thicken up the sauce. Thanks for sharing that tip. I’m glad you loved the flavor and the beans were the hit of the party.
I’ve been making everything I can in my Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker including Lasagna. When I open the lid (like on the lasagna) it’s a soupy mess, but when it cools the liquid gets absorbed and everything looks normal. This especially happens in the refrigerator over night. I cut off chunks and freeze the single serving packages of lasagna. I’m thinking as the beans cooled (because it’s super scorching hot sitting in the electric pressure cooker pot insert and needs to cool a long time in the bowl anyway so you don’t take a couple of layers off your tongue – trust me I burnt my tongue – I’ll learn eventually….). i might try this and let them ‘set up’ and cool down and see what happens. (See the Electric Pressure cooker lasagna recipe on You Tube where everyone is complaining in the comments ‘it’s soup! UGH! Just put it in the oven for heaven’s sake!’. They just don’t know how these things work yet. It’s a definite learning process for me – completely new territory.
The beans do absorb a lot of the liquid with an overnight rest in the fridge. I think ideally they’d be prepared a day ahead. The flavor is awesome. I hope you love them.
I am in the midst of cooking. I used Pinto Beans instead of Navy. I was skeptical about the amount of water and added a cup more. After 35 minutes my InstaPot said NoPrssr or something like that. After 10 minutes I opened the lid. The beans were far from done. The liquid was still there, but seemed like it needed even more! I have it set for 20 more minutes.
I am far from being a novice cook, so I will keep you posted…
Hi Jere – odd that your pressure cooker lost pressure, especially when you added extra water. I’ll look forward to hearing the results.
I made these yesterday and also needed more cook time however, I forgot to soak the beans with salt. I put them in a casserole dish and baked covered at 275. Perfect. Next time a may cook the beans in water about 15 min prior to adding the sauce (I was afraid of burning). Great recipe!
Thanks Jennifer! So glad you loved the recipe.
I tried this recipe today and the verdict is: very good! They taste good and look good. I did add an additional 10 minutes after the initial 35 minutes as I like my beans more on the tender side.
What does the salt add in the soaking water? Just curious as I am on a restricted sodium diet but I did a thorough rinsing after soaking the beans overnight.
Thanks so much; I do enjoy using the Insta Pot I received for Christmas (using many of your recipes).
Hi Sharon – glad you enjoyed the beans and are having fun using your new Instant Pot. Thanks for trying many of my recipes. America’s Test Kitchen’s pressure cooker cookbook suggests it’s best to presoak the beans in salted water. Here’s a good explanation https://christopherkimball.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/cooking-beans-101/. Thanks for the question.
This recipe and all of your others look very tasty. But I need to have nutritional values for some health issues I have. Would it be possible to add that data to your recipes?
Thanks Linda! Unfortunately, I’m not able to post nutritional information. However, there is a website http://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php that can help you figure out the nutritional value of most recipes.
Tried these this week to go with a slow cooker brisket. Great flavor (but I admit to adding some additional yellow mustard and some maple syrup). Like Andrew, 35 minutes wasn’t long enough in my Instant Pot. I suspected old beans, since I had bought them off a grocery store shelf. I cooked them for 10 minutes more and debated whether that was enough, probably could have gone a bit longer. They were definitely cooked through at 45 minutes, but still somewhat firm individual beans, and I decided we’re probably used to the mushiness that is a canned baked bean. My only disappointment was not being able to get the liquid thick enough. I simmered for another 10 minutes or so and finally gave up because we were hungry. They are thicker after being in the fridge overnight, but still not where I’d like them to be. Perhaps that real thickness is only achievable from a really long oven bake?
Thanks for the feedback Betsy. Glad you enjoyed the flavor. I agree, most people are use to the super soft texture of canned beans. I think that’s why some kids don’t like beans because of the mushy texture. The sauce isn’t as thick and sticky as beans baked in the oven, if you wanted it that thick, you could easily put the beans in a casserole dish and finish them up in the oven instead of reducing the sauce on the stove.
I made these today and I thought I would share my observations. First of all, they turned out amazing! Such a rich deep flavour profile from not a lot of ingredients and very cost effective too. What I had to change was the cooking time to get the beans cooked to my liking. I soaked the navy beans for 24 hours, then used my Instant Pot pressure cooker to cook them for 35 minutes. The beans were still quite chewy and white, where I was expecting and hoping for a softer bean that was dark golden in color. I put the beans back on for various lengths of time and checked for tenderness. I ended up cooking them close to 90 minutes in total, as I prefer a softer bean texture. Cooking time aside, this recipe was made as instructed and the results are superb. Highly recommend this recipe.
Hi Andrew – Thanks for the rave review of the flavor of the beans. The beans do develop a dark color as they cool in the fridge overnight. 90 minutes is a super long cook time. Perhaps your beans were a bit old? But I love that you just cooked them longer until they were the consistency you wanted them.
I have made this recipe and both times were a fail. For some reason the beans do not cook soft, I cooked mine the last time over a hour. I am assuming it has to do with the type of sauce? Any recommendations?
Hi April – did you soak the beans overnight or do the quick soak method?
I found our water caused the beans to stay hard. I repeated the recipe with bottled water and they turn out great!
Thanks for sharing that tip Roxana!
What a coincidence! I have a bean pot and made baked beans from scratch. It was fun to do, but I got to thinking… a pressure cooker would make this so much easier. Then, I see this. Oh yeah, I’m trying your version for sure. We loved baked beans all summer long (and winter, too).
I haven’t made baked beans for years-and that was at our church for a ham and bean supper…I think making up and looking at 10 pots of beans baking in the oven did me in! These look delicious, Barbara…and you’re right-making them with dried beans is SO much better.
Thanks Carol – sometimes you do need a break from a recipe 🙂 Your church is lucky to have you cooking for them.
Perfect baked beans! The hubby would be thrilled with these, too!