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!

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!
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.

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.

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.

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).

Make it a meal and serve these Baked Beans with:
Instant Pot Ribs or Slow Cooker Ribs
Recipe

Instant Pot Baked Beans
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
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
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So easy and So So Good!!! I took them to a cookout and they got rave reviews. Making them again tomorrow for another cookout! 🙂 Thank you for this recipe!!
Thanks so much for the great review! I’m thrilled you liked the recipe!
I made this recipe, with these slight changes: I reserved the cooking liquid from the initial bean cook and added a cup of it (instant of a half cup of water) to the second cook. I was afraid of the “burn messages”that others had had, and this alleviated that. Also, I sauteed the bacon, onions, and red pepper in a separate skillet during the initial 25 minute bean cook to save time. I also heated 4 of the 8 cups of water in the microwave and heated the other 4 in the instant pot with the beans on “sautee” before the pressure, also in the interest of saving time. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly and the ingredients are exactly the same, except for the extra water (bean cooking liquid). Delicious. We enjoyed it very much – the best BBQ bean recipe ever! To gild the lily: I had smoked a brisket the day before, so after tasting the recipe and eating a small portion, I added some burnt ends and reserved juices from the brisket. Insanely good!
I initially used the 1/2 cup bean juice for the 2nd round and got the error message, even with using the same IP as the author. I reopened the pot and added another cup of bean juice and it’s currently cooking with no errors. Thanks for that tip, Doug!
I take it back. I got the burn message. 🙁
Loved. Super tasty.
Ugh! Burn notice on the second cook. I caught it soon and rescued most of the beans to my crock pot. Hoping these stuck beans come off my instapot insert. 😕
Flavor is OK. I added some molasses and black pepper. I like the method for cooking dried beans, but otherwise I won’t be trying this recipe again.
The best baked beans ever! I have shared them with my brother-in-law and he raved about them too. The first time I made them I got the “burn” notice and had to finish them in the oven but from then on I have made them multiple times successfully. I just add an extra 1/2 cup of liquid, mix together everything except the beans and then layer the beans gently on top of the other ingredients and have not had any more issues. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
I have an 8 quart instant pot and did get the burn notice. I changed the recipe to add 1 cup of water instead of 1/2 the next time I made them. No burn notice that time. If you have a bigger instant pot, I would try 1 cup of water.
My Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus instructions say the inner pot can be used on the stove. I have used mine that way when the “burn” warning has come up.
Check your Instant Pot’s instructions and see if they indicate that the pot is safe for stove-top cooking.
Hello: I would like to be able to can these beans in a pressure canner. Should I shorten the cooking time for the beans first?
Thank you,
I have never canned these (and can’t say wether they would be safe for shelf-stable canning). I’d suggest consulting a canning website.
I don’t have any liquid smoke. Can I just omit it and the beans still be tasty?
Yes, you can omit the liquid smoke. Enjoy!
Hi Lauren. Just thought I would share my experience. First, I tried to cook these per your instructions 3 times and got the burn notice everytime. I just gave up and cooked them in the oven for a longer amount of time. I would also like to say this is a fantastic base recipe. Really tasty! After making them as directed and enjoying them, I made a few tweaks to my family’s preferences. I feel like your recipe allows for a lot of creativity and it seems other commenters agree. I personally skipped adding the store bought BBQ. I added sugar free maple syrup in place of the other sweeteners and spiced it up with black pepper, smoky chipotle pepper, cumin, and garlic. Superb! Next time I’ll try the other commenters’ suggestion to add more water to fix the burn notice issue. Fingers crossed.
I have the Insta Pot Viva. Got the burn message several times during the final step of cooking! Gave up and served after 15 minutes of being in there. It was tasty though!