Cooking Instant Pot Lentils & Beans - The ONLY Recipe You’ll Need!
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If you are still hanging around by the stove, anxiously waiting for the beans to finish boiling, let me tell you something. It does not have to be this hard. Instead of the stove, I would use my Indian pressure cooker and it was always a hit or miss for me. Not sure if I could never perfect it or if I was too impatient.
I would always find myself waiting for the pressure to release and after finding out the beans are still raw, starting the process all over again. Only to find later that the beans are now overcooked.
Many years ago I had received my Instant Pot as a gift and one I decided to try it out. I looked up how long it takes in general for kidney beans to cook, and to my surprise I found that I can cook them even if I forgot the soaking process. So I set the timer to 7 minutes for soaked kidney beans and left it all up to the Instant Pot.
And you know what, the beans turned out amazing! Eventually I literally threw my pressure cooker in the garbage, and I’ll never make dried beans any other way. I ended up using these beans for recipes such as my Rajma Masala, Lobia Masala, Delhi-Style Chole and Classic Punjabi Chole, along with Black Bean Salsa just to name a few, but as I said I use the Instant Pot for any occasion where I require dried beans or lentils. Do you want me to try making baked beans? Let me know in the comments!
Having a variety of dried beans on hand can definitely help you out in terms of meal planning and coming up with exciting new recipes. As I discuss in more detail in my 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun! free guide, using what you have on hand can spark creativity! You always hear how dried beans are budget-friendly, and trust me they are! A huge package of nearly 1 kg of beans can cost just about a dollar more than a small 400 mL can! Also bear in mind that dried beans can double or triple in size, so the cost per the same amount of cooked dried beans is significantly less than a can of beans! Additionally, when you cook the beans yourself, you can add your own flavours to them and control the amount of salt in there - some cans can be quite high in sodium.
If cooking your own beans has presented itself as a Pesky Protein, then try whipping out your Instant Pot and making some amazing beans to use as part of your Live to Cook one month challenge! Get the challenge by signing up to my newsletter, and be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see how you’ve used the beans cooked in the Instant Pot!
To watch the complete method and comparison of soaked versus unsoaked beans for some of the beans listed here, be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! If you’re not already, please subscribe to my YouTube channel! I love to share these experiment videos giving a full breakdown in real time to compare and contrast differences in cooking techniques while providing tips and tricks to give you the best results. Let’s get cooking!
How to Prepare the Best Beans in the Instant Pot
Let’s review the two methods of cooking The Best Beans in the Instant Pot - you can either soak them or add them directly in your Instant Pot.
Method 1: Pre-soaked beans
To prepare the beans, soak the beans for 4-6 hours in a bowl with enough water to cover the beans.
Rinse the beans and add to the instant pot with salt, clove and water.
Close the lid of the Instant Pot and select Pressure Cook mode, on High. Cook for the designated time as described in the table in the next section.
Let the pressure release naturally and your beans are ready to use in your favourite recipes!
The best part of this method is the active cooking time is much lesser, close to 15-20 minutes after taking into account the time for the pressure to naturally release. In the case of beans that have not been soaked, the cooking time significantly increases and it can take up to 3 times more time to finish cooking the beans.
Method 2: Un-soaked beans
To prepare the beans, rinse the beans and add to the instant pot with salt, clove and water.
Close the lid of the Instant Pot and select Pressure Cook mode. Cook for the designated time as in the table above or click here.
Let the pressure release naturally and use the beans as needed.
If you forgot to soak your beans the night before or the morning of, this will be a life saver. One thing to note is that I have noticed that the quality of the beans once cooked from dried is not exactly the same as when they are pre-soaked. Flavour wise, I cannot complain.
Cooking Guide for Preparing Beans and Lentils in your Instant Pot
Here is a list of my most frequently used beans and lentils, which you will find in many recipes on this website.
For other beans and lentils not listed here, refer to the official Instant Pot page. The table above is a modification based on my own experiences with the Instant Pot Duo Plus.
Cooking Instant Pot Beans
Let’s get into some example for cooking our favourite beans in the Instant Pot! Here are brief step by step photos showing you how to cook the beans and what you should look for.
Black Turtle Beans
Here I’ve soaked my black beans for about 4 hours. Drain the beans, and add them to the Instant Pot. I’m going to select Pressure Cook mode for 7 minutes. For this bean and the remaining beans and lentils, set the pressure to High.
Additionally, for all beans and lentils, ensure that your Instant Pot is on Sealing mode and not Venting!
When the timer has run out, allow the pressure to release naturally.
Here is how the beans look cooked. They are still firm and are holding their shape.
Red Kidney Beans/Rajma
Here I soaked my red kidney beans for 6 hours. Then, I drained the water and added the kidney beans to the Instant Pot, and added a clove and salt. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High, and cook for 6 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally. Here is how the red kidney beans should look cooked.
For unsoaked, add the red kidney beans directly to the Instant Pot with water, salt and a clove.
Pressure cook on High for 20 minutes.
After the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally. There is not much difference in terms of texture and taste between soaking and not soaking.
Black Eyed Peas/Lobia
Let’s begin with the soaked method. The black eyed peas have been soaked for 6 hours. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High mode for 9 minutes. When the timer runs out, allow the pressure to release. Here is how the black eyed peas should look when they are cooked. The beans are still holding their shape, but they are soft.
For unsoaked, add them directly to the Instant Pot. Add salt and a clove.
Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High mode for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally.
Chickpeas/Chole
Here I did not soak my chickpeas, and added them directly to the Instant Pot. I added water, a clove and salt to cook with the beans. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High mode for 40 minutes.
When the timer runs out, allow the pressure to release. Here is how the chickpeas should look when they are cooked.
For soaking the chickpeas, allow them to soak for 6 hours. Drain the water and add them to the Instant Pot with salt and a clove.
Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High, and cook for 15 minutes.
When the timer runs out, allow the pressure to release. These look significantly better than adding them dry to the Instant Pot.
Pinto Beans
Here I did not soak my pinto beans. Then, I drained the water and added the pinto beans to the Instant Pot.
Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High mode for 30 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally.
For soaking the pinto beans, allow them to soak for 6 hours. Drain the water and add them to the Instant Pot with salt and a clove.
Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook on High mode for 9 minutes.
Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Cooking Instant Pot Lentils
Now on to making some lentils! The idea is the exact same as the beans!
Brown Lentils/Sabut Masoor Dal
Here, I have soaked my lentils for 15 minutes.
I was making these lentils for a traditional Masoor Dal recipe. Because this dish is entirely cooked in the Instant Pot, I first made the base gravy, then added in the drained lentils to the Instant Pot.
I seasoned everything with salt and mixed well.
Close the Instant Pot lid and select Pressure Cook on High. Set the time for 12 minutes.
After the pressure released naturally, here’s how the lentils turned out, this is in fact the whole dish for Masoor dal! You can see that the lentils are soft without being mushy and they still hold their shape.
Black lentils/Sabut Urad dal
Here I have the black lentils and red kidney beans soaked together to be used for my Instant Pot Dal Makhani recipe. Add the lentils and the kidney beans to the Instant Pot. Select Pressure Cook on High and set the time for 45 minutes.
Let the pressure to release naturally. Here is how the lentils and the beans will look after cooking. A great dal makhani has lentils and kidney beans that literally melt in your mouth. I like to overcook the beans just to get the delicious creamy texture.
Green lentils
Here I did not soak the lentils, and I added the dry lentils directly to the Instant Pot. I’ve seasoned the lentils with some salt to add flavour. Select Pressure Cook on High for 9 minutes.
Here is how the lentils look cooked. You can see that they held their shape, but they are still soft enough that you can press on them and they will break down.
Storing Tips & Tricks
If you are preparing the beans in advance, I like to separate the beans from the cooking water. The water is full of flavour and can be used to prepare curries, soups.
Store the beans in a container for up to 5 days with a bit of the cooking water. The cooking water can be stored in a bowl or bottle of water. I tend to do this when I am planning to use the water for rajma masala or chickpea curry.
Watch How to Make The Best Instant Pot Beans & Lentils Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!