One Pot Wonders: How to Make Your Favorite Bean Recipes in an Instant Pot

There's something about a one pot recipe that makes every meal a little more joyful. From the delicious smell of a slow-cooked soup on a chilly afternoon to the drastically reduced kitchen cleanup, the benefits of keeping all your ingredients in one pot are numerous. Using a slow cooker or Instant Pot is easy and convenient and can make mealtime a breeze. If you want something you can “set and forget” for hours while you go about your day, you’re looking for a slow cooker dish, and if you need to get a hot meal on the table fast, easy Instant Pot recipes could be your new best friends.

The #1 Tip for Cooking Beans in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

Beans are a must-have for healthy Instant Pot or slow cooker recipes because they’re a tasty source of plant-based protein and other important nutrients, and, chances are, you already have some in your pantry ready to go! Just remember one pro tip – ADD THE BEANS LAST.

Canned beans are especially convenient because they’re already cooked, and in many cases (like with Bush's^® Chili Beans) they’re already slow simmered, giving you the delicious flavor you’re looking for without the extra time in the kitchen. Plus, since they’re already cooked, you can just throw them in at the end, let heat for 5-10 minutes and you’re in (bean) business! Adding the beans last helps uphold the unique shape, texture, and flavor of beans – all key when it comes to cooking. We like to think this is where the phrase ‘save the best for last’ was born.

How to Convert Your Favorite Recipes into Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pots are great when you need a tasty meal fast, but what if your favorite one pot bean recipes, like slow cooker red beans and rice or your mom’s famous chili, are made for the slow cooker or stovetop? Can you make them in an Instant Pot? In most cases the answer is yes, you absolutely can! In fact, your tried-and-true favorite might just make the best Instant Pot recipe around.

Here are four easy tips for converting the bean recipes you love into Instant Pot recipes ready in a flash:

TIP 1

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS

Make sure you know how to use your Instant Pot. Not all are created equal, and different models or types of pressure cookers have unique instructions for how you should cook with them. Also, don't skip over the safety guidelines! It's incredibly easy once you've read through the instructions. So don't be intimidated and give it a go!

TIP 2

CHECK THE LIQUID

Since an Instant Pot needs steam to cook and works so quickly that foods don’t have time to release their natural moisture, your recipe will need to have at least one cup of liquid in its ingredient list (water, vegetable broth, etc.). Without enough liquid, your recipe could easily burn! On the flip side, liquid won’t evaporate in an Instant Pot so remember it will still be there when your recipe is done. That‘s fine for recipes like soup and chili, but if you’re worried about a watered-down dish, you can use the sauté function at the end (lid off) to boil away some of the excess liquid or add thickeners like corn starch to achieve the desired texture.

TIP 3

DON’T OVERFILL

Instant Pots shouldn’t be filled more than three-fourths of the way full (note the max fill line on your pressure cooker), and if you’re cooking ingredients that expand, like pasta, rice or dry beans, they shouldn’t be filled more than half. A benefit to using canned beans is that since they’re already cooked, they’ve already expanded, so you can fill your Instant Pot more than halfway (whereas with dry beans, you’d want to leave the extra space)! Depending on the size of your original recipe, you may still need to cut it down to fit.

TIP 4

CONSIDER COOKING ORDER

Just like cooking on the stove top, some ingredients require different cooking times and methods. If your recipe calls for meat or veggies that get a nice flavor when they’re seared or sauteed, cook those in your Instant Pot first using its ‘Sauté’ function. Then, simply cancel that cook cycle and go about adding the rest of your ingredients to pressure cook. Another general rule of thumb: meat that takes 6-8 hours in a slow cooker will take around 30 minutes in the Instant Pot, while most vegetables take 5 minutes or less (so add them in stages). And remember – always add the beans last!

Soups and Chilis to Get You Started

To show you just how easy these conversions can be, we took three of our favorite soup and chili recipes and turned them into Instant Pot recipes with just a few small changes!