Pressure Cooker Beans = Fast and Easy

Pressure cooker beans cook up in a fraction of the time of regular stovetop beans. On this page you will learn to pre-soak, cook, and flavor your beans.

Pre-Soak Your Pressure Cooker Beans

Be sure to soak your beans first. While making beans in a pressure cooker cuts the time down drastically versus cooking in a good old regular pot on the stovetop, you should still soak your beans. Not only does soaking your beans first cut the time down EVEN MORE, it also aids in the digestion of beans, which can be a bit hard for some people.

First, measure out your beans (let's use 1 cup as an example) then lay them out on a plate or in a rectangular container of some sort so you can clearly see the beans. Pick over your beans to be sure there are no small stones or tiny chunks of dirt.

Pour the dry beans into a jar or other container, then cover with about 3-4 times the water, so in this example that would be approximately 3-4 cups water. You don't really HAVE to measure this water, but you just want to be sure you use ENOUGH water that your beans will remain covered in water as they soak up the water. Experience will teach you how much water you need to use for soaking your beans. Then let sit for 6-8 hours or overnight, then drain and rinse.

Refer to the Beans main page for more thorough directions and photos.

Now, ready with those soaked beans? Let's use your pressure cooker to make some yummy beans. :O)

Pressure Cooking Beans

3 cups water
(or triple amount of dry beans)

Step 1: Add 3 cups of water to the Pressure Cooker for every 1 cup of dry beans which have been soaked.

Pour pre-soaked beans into pressure cooker with water

Step 2: Add beans to water. If you'd like, add a clove of garlic (peeled and smashed or sliced), 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp. dried herbs such as thyme or oregano, or a three-inch strip of kombu (sea vegetable, which many feel makes the beans more digestible).

NOTES: Adding salt or any acid (like tomatoes or vinegar) to beans hardens their skins and prevents them from cooking properly. In most instances, it's best to add salt AFTER the beans are almost entirely cooked.

With one exception: When pressure cooking soups, adding a small amount of tomatoes or using a lightly salted stock may lengthen cooking time slightly, but does not prevent the beans from softening.

Bring beans to high pressure

Step 3: Lock the lid in place and bring up to high pressure. Cook for required amount of time.

(Click here for a handy Bean Cooking Times chart.)

Turn off heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally (about 10 minutes). Beans are done to perfection when you can easily smoosh one between your tongue and the roof of your mouth.

Cool your beans thoroughly before refrigerating

Step 4: Let the beans cool in the cooking liquid -- which is likely to thicken -- and serve them in their own "sauce" (my preferred method). Or drain -- and if you like the taste of the cooking liquid, set it aside for soup-making or for cooking grains.

Your beans are ready to flavor! Yay!

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How To Flavor Your Pressure Cooker Beans

Now, whip up a quick and delicious pressure cooker beans recipe using some of your favorite ingredients from the Bean "Vegan Flavor Matches" list. How do you use Flavor Matches? It's very simple. Look over the list of ingredients which match your bean of choice, and add those ingredients to your beans after they are done cooking. Also, be sure to balance your flavors using sweet, spicy, salty, and bitter ingredients.

Instructional Pressure Cooker Beans Video

Here's a helpful video created by my husband Jeff, for those of you who learn best by example. Jeff teaches you everything you want to know about buying, storing, soaking and pressure cooking your beans. Enjoy!

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