This post contains affiliate links.
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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
As it was cooking, the aroma was fantastic and the taste was even better, thank you for the recipe 👏👏👏😋😋
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!
Excellent recipe. I folluwed the recipe exact except I didn’t have a pepper but it was very good and so easy with the hot pot. I hadn’t known you could get away without overnight sosking.
Awesome. Just what the doctor ordered. Smokey and sweet and oh so good. You really can’t improve on this recipe and it was easy to make. Thanks!!
I’ve never liked canned baked beans – too sweet and syrupy – but for some reason I was craving them last week. I didn’t have any, so I thought I’d make my own. I’m a convert! These were delicious! I made a full pound of pinto beans, thinking they wouldn’t all get eaten, but they were gone in a day. Alas. So now here I am printing off the recipe to make some more.
My only recipe changes were that I used my own canned tomato sauce, since I was running low on ketchup, and a whole bell pepper, because you can’t go wrong with extra bell pepper. Oh, and I had to sub in Canadian bacon. This time I do have bacon, and I have bell peppers I pressure canned, so I’ll use those, and I’m going to try it with navy beans instead of pinto. And I’m sticking with my own tomato sauce as well. I might double the recipe, too… We ran out way too fast last time!
Perfect cooking times, beans were soft, and not mushy. Sauce ended up too vinegary for my taste, next time will omit the vinegar and replace the ketchup with tomato paste. March 27, 2020.
We are currently maintaining social distancing in our condo in Mexico and I decided to try this recipe because I didn’t want to go to a store to look for canned baked beans (if I could even find any). I had everything I needed except the liquid smoke and I only had regular mustard. I followed the directions exactly except for those two things and the beans were amazing! So good! We liked them better than any baked beans we have ever had. Thanks so much. This is the first year I brought my Instant Pot to Mexico and it has come in very handy.
Adding to above comment, I added the additional 1 cup water and stirred it before trying again but I still got a burn message and when I did a QR and put the beans into a pot for the oven, there was a tiny burned spot on the bottom of the pot. They smell wonderful though and I’m hoping that an hour in the oven will finish them up.
Any suggestions?
so much better than the canned version
Finally! I can make baked beans. Thank you! Have made this twice now & it will be my go-to next pot luck. Can’t wait to share & “ show off” that I can make beans from scratch!
I’ve made beans 5 times using this recipe and love them. They are especially good the day after. My absolute favorite leftover.
Making these beans as I write this review I was so excited that this recipe took no time to make I was eager to start took the dry beans add them in did the first pressure. Did the natural release and wow they turned out perfect Cut up a onion and took some game left over from last nights dinner cut it up sautés it with a little oil. Mixed molasses ketchup mustard liquid smoke and bbq sauce add the beans and water back in the instant pot for the final cook stay tuned just waiting to open and finally taste O good Garvey these where the bomb so delious taking them to the family get together I am sure they will be a huge hit thank you for the recipe 😊