This AMAZING Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe uses dry beans, and there’s no soaking required. Tender cooked beans with bacon, onion and bell pepper in a delicious sweet and smokey sauce. I’m confident this easy baked beans recipe will become a staple at your summer BBQ’s!

Instant Pot Baked Beans served in a white bowl with a handle, and another filled bowl in the background.

If you could only pick one, what is your favorite side dish at a bbq? It’s a hard choice, I know, but I’d probably say baked beans. They pairly perfectly with any type of meat from the grill. My favorite sweet cornbread, and one of these fresh salads make the meal complete.

I’ve been really excited to share this instant pot baked beans recipe with you all because it’s proof that making baked beans from scratch can happen in about an hour! The instant pot is just amazing, and I’m proud to add this recipe to the ranks of my instant pot recipe archives! Let me teach you all of my instant pot tips!

How to make baked beans in the Instant Pot:

To make baked beans in the instant pot, start by adding the dry beans and water to the pot. Cook in high pressure for about 25 minutes, with a natural pressure release. When the pressure has released, remove the lid and pour the beans into a strainer to remove the water. Rinse them well with cold water.

DISCLAIMER: This recipe was created using the DUO 60 6-quart instant pot.  Not all instant pot recipes work perfectly for all types of instant pots.  See this article for more information on adapting recipes for your instant pot.

Process photos for making baked beans in the instant pot including an overhead photo of an instant pot with dry beans and water in it, next to another photo of bacon, onion and green bell pepper added to the pot.

I’ve chosen navy beans or pinto beans for this recipe, but you could also use great northern beans, with the same cooking time.

After straining the beans, wipe out the instant pot and add spray it with non-stick cooking spray. I do this because even though bacon is greasy, it can still initially stick to the bottom of the pot when the saute setting is on.

Cook the bacon until it starts to get golden brown and slightly crisp on the edges. Drain some of the grease (I usually just stick a few paper towels in the pot and use them to blot out the grease). You still want a little grease at the bottom so that the other vegetables don’t stick when you add them to saute.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot and saute them, stirring often, until they’re tender.

Bacon, onion, green bell peppers, ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, cider vinegar and liquid smoke in the instant pot, next to another photo of the mixture stirred together and brown sugar added on top.

Turn the instant pot off and stir in the bbq sauce, ketchup, mustard, vinegar and liquid smoke. Stir until smooth and then add the cooked beans and brown sugar. Secure the instant pot lid and cook the mixture on high pressure for 15 minutes, with a natural pressure release.

Baked beans cooked in an instant pot pressure cooker with a wooden spoon stirring the mixture.

Do I need to soak the dry beans?

Normally when making baked beans from scratch you need to soak the dry beans in water overnight, but with the instant pot pressure cooker you can cook the dry beans and water together, without soaking them first, and you’ll end up with tender, perfect beans for making baked beans.

Can I substitute canned beans instead of dry beans?

Yes. If you’d rather use canned beans start with step 4 of the recipe, and when it’s time to add the beans, substitute 56 oz canned pork and beans (whatever brand you prefer).

A close-up photo of a white bowl filled with baked beans with bacon, that were made in the instant pot.

 
Make it a meal and serve these Baked Beans with:

Instant Pot Ribs or Slow Cooker Ribs

The BEST Cornbread

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Recipe

Instant Pot Baked Beans served in a white bowl with a handle, and another filled bowl in the background.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 20 minutes
Total 1 hour 30 minutes
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Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces dry navy or pinto beans
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 8 slices bacon
  • 1 yellow onion , finely chopped
  • 1/2 red or green bell pepper , cored, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup barbecue sauce store-bought or homemade
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions
 

  • **DISCLAIMER: I created this recipe using a 6 quart instant pot DUO 60.  Some users have had problems with a burn notice for this recipe using different versions of the instant pot.  I have tested it many times with this version and had no issue.
  • Add beans, water and salt to instant pot. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes. Allow the pressure to naturally release.
  • Remove lid and pour beans into a colander/strainer. Rinse with cold water. Set aside.
  • Set Instant Pot to saute setting. Add bacon and saute for a few minutes until it starts to get golden brown, tossing and scraping down the bottom of the pot often. Drain some of the grease. 
  • Add bell pepper and onion and cook until tender.
  • Turn IP off. Add bbq sauce, ketchup, mustard, vinegar and liquid smoke to the pot and stir well to combine.
  • Add brown sugar, water and beans and stir to combine.
  • Secure IP lid, close steam valve and cook on Manual (high pressure) for 15 minutes. Natural release the pressure.
  • Carefully open lid, and gently stir mixture to combine. Enjoy! 

Notes

To use canned beans:
Start with step 4 of the recipe, and when it's time to add the beans, substitute 56 oz canned pork and beans.
Don't miss my other favorite INSTANT POT RECIPES

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 585mgPotassium: 287mgFiber: 4gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 250IUVitamin C: 7.8mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1.2mg

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 1 star
    Horrible recipe. The flavor was nice but 25 minutes absolutely murdered my (dry) navy beans. Also got the burn notice like everyone else.

  2. I got around the ‘burn’ message by adding 3/4 cup more water to thin it out. I believe it is a bit too thick.

  3. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe! Very easy to make and super tasty. I like that it uses real beans from scratch and not canned ones. Thank you for that. Hope this is helpful – for those who got the burn notification, make sure there is no residue stuck to bottom of pressure cooker pan after cooking the bacon. I made sure to scrape all that up while sautéing using the moisture released from the peppers and onions.

  4. 4 stars
    If you have issue with the burn notice, then you might want to try this; I have modified the recipe a little bit to work with my pressure cooker. I don’t soak the beans but cook them from the dry 25 minutes, I add some dried herbs in the cooking water. When the beans are done I drain them and set aside. I cook the bacon, onions and bell pepper so that they are done and then add the beans and rest of the ingredients. Throughout the week we eat these as a side, so I heat them on the stovetop again when I use them. The flavor is on point even straight away, but gets even better in a day or two. Thank you for the recipe 😊

  5. 1 star
    could not complete this recipe with an instant pot pro. The second pressure cook caused a burn message and was not able to complete the recipe. So ended up throwing it away as it did burn the bottom ingredients.

  6. 5 stars
    What I like about this recipe is its flexibility along with the great taste. This recipe is so versatile, double it for a crowd or half it for just a weeknight dinner. If you want more bacon, use it. No pepper? No problem. Substitute Worcestershire for the liquid smoke or leave it out altogether.

  7. 3 stars
    Got the ‘burn’ message as soon as I added sauce.
    What I did was cooked the beans and then transferred to the oven to cook for thirty minutes

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