One pot Instant Pot pinto beans cooked from scratch! So simple, perfectly seasoned, and healthy.

Ditch canned pinto beans, and make them at home from scartch. They’re will taste better, turn out much healthier, and cost you less!

A close up of cooked pinto beans in a bowl with a spoon, garnished with fresh chopped parsley

Making Instant Pot pinto beans or refried beans is one of the simplest things ever. So if you have the time, why not make them at home from scratch?

Cooking beans in the Instant Pot

Ever since I got my Instant Pot, I started cooking all of my beans from scratch. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind canned products, but when possible, I prefer to cook beans from dried. Here’s why:

Canned products are usually quite heavy on salt, they contain additives and preservatives to keep them for so long.
Many canned products contain lots of PBA, which is not very safe if consumed often.
It’s much cheaper to cook your own beans, than buying canned beans.
And to be honest, it’s quite fun!

And if you’ve been following my blog for a while, you might have seen other recipes where I showed you how I cook other beans in my Instant Pot. Such as chickpeas for hummus, broad beans, and lupini beans. And these pinto beans are incredible! I cook them along with spices, onion, garlic, and jalapeno and the result is seriously good.

Pantry - jars filled with nuts, seeds, and legumes

To soak or not to soak the beans?

There are claims that soaking beans before cooking makes them easier for our bodies to digest. Whilst I don’t know if that is proven, I kind of believe it so I almost always soak my beans overnight.

If you soak the beans, it means that you won’t need to cook them for long. However, if you forgot to soak the beans or you just decided to make this, just double the cooking time and you’re good to go.

Speaking of soaking beans, this colander that I use for soaking rice and legumes is AMAZING! I cannot recommend it enough, I mean I use it every day for soaking and rinsing rice, legumes, washing berries, and small fruits.

So before you ask, here’s the Amazon link to this colander. It comes in 2 sizes, mine is small because I cook for just 2 but the big one is great if you cook for a family.

Many Mexican pinto bean recipes call for ham hocks or bacon. But I prefer to keep these beans vegetarian, so I decided to leave it out.

The rich flavors come from other ingredients in this recipe, such as the vegetable stock that I always make in my Instant Pot, I also added onion, lots of garlic, and fragrant spices.

The cumin is great for not just flavor, but it also helps increase bloating. I know many people avoid eating legumes because they cause discomfort and digestion problems. I find that cumin greatly helps with this issue so don’t skip this ingredient.

The paprika and chili add smokiness, sweetness, and spiciness to the recipe. And the coriander is great for flavor. If there are any other spices that you like, and think would go well in this recipe then go for it. This recipe is very versatile and would taste great with other spices, or even with diced tomatoes if you wish to add them.

Pinto Beans Nutrition

Pinto beans are packed with vitamins, protein, fiber, iron, phosphorus, and folate. They’re fat-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free.

These little beans are really good for you. They can lower the risk of heart attack, and stabilize blood sugar.

How to Cook Instant Pot Pinto Beans

Either soak the pinto beans overnight or use dry beans.
To the Instant Pot, add the beans, followed by onion, garlic, spices, and water. Give everything a quick stir.

Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 15 minutes at high pressure if using soaked beans, or 30 minutes if using dry beans. The Instant Pot will take around 10 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking.
When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and carefully open the pot. Season with salt and stir. Serve warm.

Cooked pinto beans in the instant pot with a wooden spoon

How to make refried beans from Instant Pot pinto beans

These beans are already full of flavor as they have been cooked with spices, onion, and japaleno. So all you have to do to make refried beans is to simply mash them! Easy peasy!

A close up shot of cooked pinto beans in the instant pot with a wooden spoon

Storing and reheating tips

Fridge: Let the pinto beans cool completely (mashed or not), and place in airtight containers. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze pinto beans in freezer Ziploc bags and lay them flat to save space, or freeze for up to 3 months in small portions.
Reheat: If your pinto beans are frozen, then you will need to thaw them in the fridge overnight. Reheat over the stovetop or in the microwave, and you’ll probably need to add a splash of water as the beans will be thickened when they’re cold.

A white bowl with cooked pinto beans, and a spoon on the side.

What to serve with

You can either leave the beans as a whole or mash them to make refried beans.
As a filling in Air Fryer baked potatoes.
In tacos, or next to Instant Pot chicken fajitas or steak fajitas.

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I hope that you love every recipe that you make! – Diana x