Instant Pot “Baked” Beans
Bacon and molasses take this sweet-and-salty side dish to the next level!
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I love baked beans. I usually have seconds (and thirds!) any time they’re part of a meal.
I don’t make them from scratch too often, but once I got my Instant Pot, I wanted to try pressure cooking them.
The results rocked my world!
I really liked the addition of bacon to the beans. It added a nice smoky flavor and it was nice to run into the occasional bit-o-pork while eating this.
Beans can be a little finicky, so cooking times may vary. I ended up needing to cook them for an additional 10 minutes at high pressure for them to be tender enough, so I changed the directions to reflect the additional time. Just know that your results may vary, depending on your beans.
I loved that I could thicken the sauce right in the Instant Pot. I got the beans nice and thick and sticky – just how I like ’em!
Looking for more Instant Pot comfort food? My Instant Pot Herbed Pot Roast is fan-freakin-tastic! This Instant Pot Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup will warm you right up! And if you’re looking for a tasty appetizer, my Chicken Quesadillas with Chipotle Ranch Dip are a great choice.
Want more comfort food recipes? Check out some of our favorites:
- Sausage and Peppers
- Latin-Spiced Pork + Squash Skillet with Chili Lime Cherries
- Ravioli Lasagna
- Instant Pot Herbed Pot Roast
- Grilled PB&J Sticks
- Garlicky Littleneck Clams with Bacon + Wine Over Sautéed Spring Veggies
- Instant Pot Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup
- Waffle Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
- Skillet Lasagna with Lamb, Ricotta + Mint
- Roast Chicken with Dijon Root Vegetables
- Our Favorite Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
- Roasted Garlic Gruyère Pull-Apart Bread
- Rosemary Beef & Peas Over Grits
- Bar-B-Q Pulled Pork Fries with Cole Slaw
- Spicy Turkey Three-Bean Chili
- Zoodle Frittata
- Buttered Pasta with Peas, Egg and Garlic
What’s your favorite BBQ side dish? I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below!
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Bacon and molasses take this sweet-and-salty side dish to the next level!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried navy beans, sorted to remove any foreign objects
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 4 slices (about 4 ounces) thick-sliced bacon (I used Applegate Uncured Sunday Bacon), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Instructions
- Cover dried beans with water by 2-3 inches. Add salt. Cover and soak 6 hours. Drain.
- Set Instant Pot to “Sauté” and adjust to “Normal”. Add oil and bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until it starts to get crispy. Add garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften.
- Add soaked beans and remaining ingredients (water through white pepper). Close Instant Pot and set to “Bean/Chili” on high pressure, and adjust to 50 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before carefully opening the lid. Test the beans to make sure they’re tender enough, and if not, close the lid and let the cook for another 10 minutes on high pressure.
- To thicken the sauce, set the Instant Pot to “Sauté”, adjust to “More” and let the liquid reduce and thicken to desired consistency, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom, about 5-10 minutes.
Note: This post includes affiliate links for items that I genuinely enjoy. Big Flavors will receive a tiny commission from purchases made through affiliate links on this site at no added cost to you. This allows us to cover site-related expenses and helps to keep us cooking up a storm!
20 Comments
Lori H
Baked beans are my favorite too. I always love the smell of onions and bacon browning together in a cast iron skillet. Scoop some up with a potato chip, and now you’re really talking!
Allie R Taylor
Hi Ashley – love these homemade baked beans! I keep thinking I need to try an Instant Pot – I keep seeing great recipes like yours using one.
ErinBrighton
I love homemade baked beans!!! And I think I need to get an Instant Pot!
Heather @FrenchPress
my kids LOVE homemade baked beans! now I need to get myself an instant pot
Kristen (amindfullmom)
I just got an instant pot and have yet to try it–this may be my break out recipe~
Beth Lee
OMG! I grew up eating canned baked beans. Brings back memories. Have to try this. My mom would love it!
Liz Thomson
I need to get in on this Instant Pot thing! It sounds awesome!!! Especially for someone like me who eats so many beans, haha
Carol Borchardt
Love, love, love good baked beans! These look amazing! I don’t have an Instant Pot yet, but do have an electric pressure cooker. I think I need to trade it in for an Instant Pot!
Jody Sullivan Geary
could anyone tell me if this can be doubled and if so is the timing different? Thank you
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
I haven’t tried that personally, but I’d think as long as your pot isn’t too full, it should work in the same amount of time. Let me know how it turns out if you do double it!
Jody Sullivan Geary
Thank you. I also had a hard time because my instant pot does not have a chili/bean function. Disaster
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. I’m not sure what it would be on a manual mode. I did find this description/chart of the smart cooking programs on the Instant Pot – it may help give you a better guideline of the cooking times: http://instantpot.com/technology/smart-cooking-programs/
Dave
I doubled the recipe. Cooked just the beans in the IP on manual 30 minutes instead of soaking. Followed the rest of the recipe, added the beans, and cooked on manual for another 20 minutes. They came out awesome, though a bit too sweet for me, so I threw in a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. This recipe is a keeper!
Alice
Do you add the soaked beans with the water or only the beans that have been drained?
Alice
BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen
Hi Alice – you drain the soaking water off of the beans and then after you sauté the bacon, onions and garlic you add the beans that have been drained back into the pot plus an additional 1 1/2 cups water and the remaining ingredients (molasses through white pepper). Hope that’s helpful!
Jill
Hi, followed the recipe to a T, soaked the beans over night for 14hrs.
Cooked them on beans/chilli for 60 minutes, still hard! Back in for 20 minutes, still hard. Another 20 minutes, softer but still too hard. So much liquid, it’s like soup! Tried sauté on high to reduce liquids, still very very soupy.
What am I doing wrong?!
Ashley
I’m so sorry you had such trouble with this recipe, Jill! I’m by no means a dried bean expert – have you worked with dried beans in your Instant Pot before? Does the beans/chili setting cook at high pressure?
Rachael Word
I made the beans as written and they burned. Whole pot of beans ruined!!! Disaster!
★
Ashley
I’m so sorry these didn’t work out for you, Rachael! There should be plenty of liquid to keep them from burning. Has your Instant Pot had issues with other recipes burning? I have some friends who have that happen with things like rice fairly often but I’ve never experienced it personally.
Janice
These came out awesome! Love the flavor from the bacon and molasses!
★★★★★