Instant Pot Baked Beans Recipe

Name: Instant Pot Baked Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1 pound dried Great Northern beans; 1/3 cup molasses; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard; 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves; 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 medium onion, diced

Pressure Cooker Baked Beans — Coco Morante

Elise’s recipe for Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans is fantastic. If you're in a rush and don't have time for the full version, it turns out that you can speed it up considerably by using an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot!

How to Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timer's Guide

Save 6 Hours by Cooking Beans in the Pressure Cooker

Instead of taking eight hours to cook, I can make these pressure cooker baked beans in just over two hours!

Looking for the slow cooker version? Slow Cooker Boston Baked Beans

Another bonus with this pressure cooker recipe is that you don’t have to soak the beans overnight. Instead, I par-cook (partially cook) them with just water before adding the rest of the ingredients. The par cooking step ensures that the beans will get soft and tender.

The rest of the recipe is so simple! Just be sure to let the pressure cooker go through a natural release instead of doing a quick release. Beans have a tendency to foam and sputter when the pressure is released too quickly, which can clog the release valve.

Tender beans, sweet molasses sauce, and lots of smoky bacon—this easy pressure cooker recipe make a perfect side dish with BBQ, meatloaf, or any other meaty main dishes.

Instant Pot Baked Beans

Prep Time 10 mins

Cooking (including pressure release) 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Servings 8 to 10 servings

This recipe uses an electric pressure cooker. Pressure cooking times will be slightly less if you're using a stovetop pressure cooker.

1 pound dried Great Northern beans
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced

Par-cook the beans:

Combine the dried beans and 8 cups of the water in an electric pressure cooker. Secure the lid on the pressure cooker. Make sure that the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position.

If you are using an Instant Pot, select the “Bean/Chili” program, then adjust the time to 15 minutes. If your pressure does not have a “Bean/Chili” program, set it manually to “High Pressure” for 15 minutes.

It will take about 20 minutes for your pressure cooker to come up to pressure, and then the 15 minutes of actual cooking will begin.

Coco Morante

Coco Morante
Naturally release the pressure and drain the beans:

When the timer goes off, wait for the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure by moving the pressure release knob from “Sealing” to “Venting.” It will take a minute or two for the pressure to release completely.

At this point, the beans should be mostly cooked through, but still firm. It's fine if there's still a little bit of white at the center. If you'd like to use some of the bean cooking liquid to make your baked beans, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of liquid and set it aside.

Wearing a pair of heat-proof mitts, lift the inner pot out of the pressure cooker and drain the beans into a colander in the sink. Wash out the pot and return it to the pressure cooker.

Coco Morante

Coco Morante
Prepare the cooking liquid:

In a small bowl, whisk together the molasses, sugar, mustard, ground cloves, and 1 1/2 cups water or reserved bean cooking liquid. Set aside.

Coco Morante
Sauté the bacon and onions:

Reset the electric pressure cooker, then select its “Sauté” program and set the heat to medium. Add the bacon to the pot and sauté it until it begins to render some fat, about 2-5 minutes.

Add the onions and sauté until they are translucent, about 5 more minutes. If the bacon starts to brown too much, reduce the heat to low. When done, hit "Cancel" to stop sautéing.

Coco Morante

Coco Morante
Finish cooking the beans:

Gently stir the beans and the cooking liquid into the pot with the bacon and onions. Secure the lid on the pressure cooker, again making sure that the pressure regulator is set to the “Sealing” position.

If you are using an Instant Pot, select the “Bean/Chili” program, then adjust the time to 15 minutes. If your pressure does not have a “Bean/Chili” program, set it manually to “High Pressure” for 15 minutes.

It will take about 15 minutes for your pressure cooker to come up to pressure, and then the 15 minutes of actual cooking will begin.

Coco Morante

Coco Morante
Let the pressure release naturally:

When the cooking program finishes, let the pressure cooker completely release its pressure naturally. This will take about 30 minutes.

Don’t perform a quick release, as the thick cooking liquid will sputter out of the pressure release valve.
Serve the beans warm:

They are very good straight out of the pot, and taste even better the next day. Reheat beans over low temperature on the stovetop, in a low oven, or in the microwave.

Coco Morante

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
222	Calories
8g	Fat
25g	Carbs
12g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories	222
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g	11%
Saturated Fat 3g	14%
Cholesterol 22mg	7%
Sodium 511mg	22%
Total Carbohydrate 25g	9%
Dietary Fiber 4g	13%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 1mg	5%
Calcium 66mg	5%
Iron 2mg	10%
Potassium 484mg	10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.