Easy NO SOAK Instant Pot Kidney Beans in less than an hour! Save time and money by making your own pressure cooker kidney beans at home, with better flavour and less salt than canned.
Welcome to my nerd cave
Today we’re taking a deep dive into cooking Instant Pot Kidney Beans where I’ll let you in on everything I’ve learned about cooking kidney beans in an electric pressure cooker.
If you’re someone who likes cooking dried beans from scratch but often forgets to soak them in advance (hi, it's me!), I've got good news for you: the Instant Pot is a total game-changer in the bean cooking department. Pressure cooked beans are fast, easy, and delicious, and there's no need to soak the beans! You'll have perfectly tender beans every time.
This Instant Pot Kidney Beans Recipe is similar to our Instant Pot Chickpeas - it produces plain, unseasoned (other than a bit of salt) kidney beans that can be used anywhere you'd normally use canned beans - but be prepared for much more delicious beans!
If you're looking for saucy, seasoned beans like our Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans, or Instant Pot Pinto Beans, which come out ready to serve, we'll talk through how to modify the recipe by adding some aromatics and simmering the broth.
Do I have to soak kidney beans?
Nope! No soaking required! To be honest, soaking dried beans only speeds up stovetop cooking by about 10 minutes, and Instant Pot Kidney Beans are so fast it hardly matters.
Some folks find beans that have been soaked overnight easier to digest, so if you have tummy troubles you may want to take that into consideration. If you do soak your kidney beans, you will need to reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Let's make Instant Pot Kidney Beans together!
You'll find specific instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but for now, let's talk through it step-by-step.
Step 1: rinse your beans
Start by giving your dried kidney beans a good rinse. Check for any stones other debris, and discard broken beans.
Step 2: prepare the beans
Place the UNSOAKED dried kidney beans into the insert of your instant pot, along with any aromatics and salt.
Pour cold water over top. The formula I use is one cup of water per every 100 grams of dried kidney beans. I used one pound (454 grams) of dried kidney beans here, together with 4.5 cups of water.
Step 3: pressure cook
Seal the lid on your Instant Pot and ensure the vent is flipped to "Sealing".
Set to Manual / High pressure for 42 minutes. If you prefer slightly firmer beans, you can opt for 40 minutes, or 45 minutes for softer beans. Usually, I aim for the middle and do 42 minutes.
After the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. At that point, flip the vent to "Venting" to quick-release the remaining pressure.
Note! Letting the pressure release naturally results in a better bean. Quick-releasing the pressure causes the beans to bash around inside. This often results in mushy beans, which a natural release will avoid.
Looking for more beans?
Be sure to check out our other guides to cooking dried beans!
Instant Pot Kidney Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried kidney beans not soaked!
- 4 ½ cups cold water
- 1 teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Place your dried kidney beans into a mesh strainer and rinse well. Check for any stones or broken beans, and discard those.1 pound dried kidney beans
- Place the rinsed beans into the insert of your Instant Pot, together with 4.5 cups of water and any aromatics.4 ½ cups cold water, 1 teaspoon salt
- Seal the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is set to "sealing". Set to Manual / High Pressure for 42 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes to come up to pressure.
- Once the pressure cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Then, flip the vent to "venting" to release the remaining pressure.
- Open the lid carefully. Strain the cooked kidney beans, and use as you wish.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only and are based on 10 servings of cooked kidney beans.
- If the kidney beans are too firm when the cooking cycle is complete, you can pressure cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Cooked kidney beans can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
- You can easily make more or less beans as needed. Use 1 cup water per every 100 grams of dried beans.
Ana says
If I reduce the quantity of beans (100g of dry beans), do I need to lower the cooking time? If yes, what should the new pressure cooking time be?
Thank you
Katie Trant says
No, the cooking time is the same.
Angie says
42 minutes was much too long. I added half an onion, 4 clove garlic, and bay leaves so mine should have required additional cooking time, not less. My beans are so mushy I’m using them to make refried beans.
Katie Trant says
Bummed this didn't work for you, Angie.
Ana says
Followed recipe beans were perfect.Thank you so much
Katie Trant says
Yay! That makes me so happy, Ana!
Britty says
Followed this recipe and my kidney beans were still not soft. My guess is probably not enough water. These are freshly bought beans today! I have never had this problem before with instant pot bean recipes. Oof!
Katie Trant says
Hey Britty, bummed this didn't work for you! How much water did you use? Was it all gone at the end of the pressure cooking cycle?
Melody says
This recipe has always turned out well for me. I set it for 45 minutes.
Katie Trant says
Hey Melody! So happy this recipe works for you 🙂
Cheryl says
If I double the recipe how much longer cooking time do I add?
Thank you, Cheryl
Katie Trant says
You don't have to increase the cooking time, but your Instant Pot will take longer to come to temperature. Just make sure doubling the recipe doesn't put your ingredients over the fill line!
Bennett says
I love how versatile this recipe can be! Mine came out perfectly cooked and I froze extras for quick meals. You're my go-to resource for all things beans.
Katie Trant says
Thanks Bennett! So glad you found this recipe helpful.