Mexican-Spiced Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot (soaked or un-soaked!)

These Mexican-Spiced Pinto Beans are packed with flavor, cook up quick and easy in the Instant Pot, with the option of using soaked or un-soaked beans! These savory beans are perfect for tacos, burritos, topped on a salad, or even just as a protein-packed side with your meal.

You don’t have to soak?!

I used to be very adamant about soaking beans before cooking because I had terrible experiences in the past with beans being inconsistent; overcooked on the outside, crunchy on the inside. I gave it another shot, though, and sure enough—my un-soaked beans came out just fine! My failed attempts in the past may have been old beans, the hard water, or a combination of both. If I plan ahead then I’ll soak my beans overnight but if I want to cook beans spur of the moment then I just use the longer cooking time in the Instant Pot and the beans come out perfect!

Tips for success

• Use fresh beans!! If your beans come out crunchy on the inside and overcooked on the outside, the problem is very likely old beans. 2-3 years is the absolute maximum shelf life for dried beans, and the newer the better! Toss expired beans and start anew.
  
• Hard water can also make a difference with cooking beans and will usually require longer cooking times. If your beans aren’t old but they don’t come out perfect, it could be because of the water. Seal the Instant Pot and cook another 5-10 minutes using your best judgement on how much more time you think they need and make a note of it for next time so you know (because it’s easy to forget!)
  
• You can absolutely omit all of the spices and just follow the recipe for cooking time, especially if you’re using these beans in another dish that calls for plain beans.
  
• Did you know that ground spices lose their potency after 3-6 months? Spices won’t mold or make you sick, but they won’t be as flavorful as fresh spices! The best way to always use fresh spices is to buy whole and ground them yourself, but if you don’t have time for that then just make sure you buy small amounts at a time and go through it quickly so it doesn’t sit on the spice rack too long!
  

What dishes can you use these beans in?

These beans are perfect for a variety of dishes! Some of my favorites are:

• Tacos or burritos
• Topped on a colorful salad along with another grain like rice or quinoa
• Used in a soup or chili (without adding the spices listed)
• Blended with an immersion blender with a little water to make non-fried refried beans

How healthy are beans?

Beans of any variety are incredibly nutritious and loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals! 1 cup (171 grams) of cooked pinto beans contain:

• Calories: 245
• Carbs: 45 grams
• Protein: 15 grams
• Fiber: 15 grams
• Fat: 1 gram
• Phosphorus: 20%
• Thiamine (vitamin B1): 28%
• Iron: 20% of the daily value
• Magnesium: 21% of the DV
• Potassium: 16% of the DV¹

Beans are not only delicious and nutritious but come with a whole bunch of health benefits including weight loss, and reduced risk for diabetes, obesity, heart disease, as well as cancer! There’s one nutrient in particular behind all the major protective properties and it never gets the attention it deserves: fiber.

Everyone is obsessed with protein even though no one is protein deficient in developed countries if they are eating enough calories, but the spotlight should be on fiber! The fiber in beans help reduce risk for heart disease (the #1 killer in the U.S.) by lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising your HDL (good) cholesterol, which results in lower blood pressure and inflammation. ² Cholesterol attaches onto fiber where it then is flushed out of the body.

The fiber in beans also provides protection from cancer, too! (The #2 killer in the U.S.) The American Institute for Cancer Research published a detailed analysis of diet and cancer, which was reviewed by 21 of the top cancer researchers. One of the recommendations for cancer prevention is to eat whole grains and/or legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc) with every meal, with fiber being a major reason for the protective benefits³ in all cancers, but especially in breast and colorectal cancer.⁴

Print Recipe

Mexican-Spiced Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot (soaked or un-soaked)

These Mexican-Spiced Pinto Beans are packed with flavor, cook up quick and easy in the Instant Pot, with the option of using soaked or un-soaked beans!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: sides

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: Beans, Instant Pot, sides

Servings: 6 servings

Author: The Wandering Veggie

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry pinto beans
• 4-5 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 small red or yellow onion chopped
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 small jalapeño ½ or all seeds removed, minced
• Spices
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp paprika
• ¾-1 tsp salt to-taste

After cooking

• handful of fresh cilantro finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

• *If soaking beans, soak 2 cups pinto beans overnight or for at least 8 hours.
• When ready to cook, drain water if soaking. Rinse beans in a colander. 
• In the Instant Pot, sauté onions in a splash of water or a drizzle of oil until softened. Stir in garlic and jalapeño and then press "cancel" to turn off heat.
• Add pinto beans, 4 cups water for soaked beans or 5 cups water for un-soaked beans, and all the spices. Seal lid. For soaked beans cook on High Pressure for 12 minutes or for un-soaked beans cook on High Pressure for 55 minutes. Either way, allow a full natural release.
• Once pressure has released, open lid and test to make sure beans are at the desired softness. Add any more seasoning or salt it may need and stir in chopped cilantro. 

Notes

• Never leave beans sitting out at room temperature for too long! Beans (and rice) are prone bacteria that cause  food-borne illnesses if left out at room temperature for 2 or more hours.
• Store beans in a well-sealing container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.

1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pinto-beans-nutrition#1.-Loaded-with-nutrients-
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/healthiest-beans-legumes#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
3. https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/recommendations/wholegrains-veg-fruit-beans
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10255454/#:~:text=While%20some%20studies%20have%20shown,9%2C10%2C11%5D.