These Mexican Pinto Beans are made in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker in under an hour! They are flavorful and the perfect side to tacos, enchiladas, carne asada and more!
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We are tiny bit obsessed with Mexican food at my house! If you are a reader then you know that we always acknowledge Taco Tuesday when at all possible. Some of our favorite tacos are these Veggie Tacos Loaded with Guacamole and Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Chicken for Tacos is always a great, quick taco filling.
But we don’t only like tacos! I love making my own Enchilada Sauce, too. They are great for my Vegetable Enchiladas, but we also love using that recipe for Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Chicken in them!
No matter what Mexican food recipe you decide to go with as your main dish, you are going to need a side that shines just as brightly.
Classic favorites for us are Healthy Refried Beans for the pressure cooker and Fire Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad. I make a double batch of the refried beans every time, then I use them to make quick and easy breakfast tacos, late night dips and healthy, homemade burritos for lunch!
Lately, though, we’ve been loving these Mexican Pinto Beans that I make in the pressure cooker. Less than an hour to a classic Mexican side dish that everyone will love!
The Best Mexican Pinto Beans in the Pressure Cooker
Step 1 – Cut up your onion, tomato and garlic
This part is what makes these Mexican pinto beans so good. All these aromatics infuse the beans with great flavor.
If you like things spicy, add a jalapeno!
Step 2 – Saute the aromatics
This is part of why I love my Instant Pot! The saute setting makes it really easy to create layered flavors. I can saute the onion and garlic, then pressure cook in the exact same device.
Step 3 – Rinse and sort the beans
Before making these Mexican pinto beans, you will want to give them a really good rinse under cold, clean water to get rid of any dirt particles. Also, pick through quickly and remove any odd colored or broken beans. I don’t spend too much time on this part. It’s not as important as washing them is.
Step 4 – Add all of the ingredients
Once the onion and garlic have been softened and are fragrant (about 5 minutes), you can add the rest of the ingredients.
Step 5 – Cook
Set the pressure cooker on high pressure for 45 minutes. Make sure the pressure release valve is closed! Then forget it until it’s done.
Step 6 – Mash
When the beans are fully cooked it will seem pretty watery. Don’t drain it! What you are going to do is use a potato masher to mush things up, which will thicken the beans. Also, as these Mexican Pinto Beans cool down from the boiling point, they will become less watery and thicken naturally.
I’ve laid all the steps out for you in a really detailed way, but trust me when I say that this recipe is very simple and straightforward.
You can even freeze them for an easy Mexican side dish any night of the week! I love these 32oz Reusable Containers for freezing soups, sides, and homemade stocks.
Just make sure you leave about an inch of room at the top because food expands when it freezes!
Want more healthy, whole food Mexican recipes? I have a round of up 15 Real Food Recipes for Cinco de Mayo that has everything from breakfast to dinner to dips.
***UPDATE 2020
I’ve received comments saying this recipe left the pinto beans hard, and since making it using differently sourced pinto beans, I’ve adjusted the timing to 45 minutes instead of 29.
Vanessa at The Cheerful Kitchen
Yields 6 cups
These Mexican Pinto Beans are made in the Instant Pot or other pressure cooker in under an hour! They are flavorful and the perfect side to tacos, enchiladas, carne asada and more!
15 minPrep Time
45 minCook Time
1 hrTotal Time
Save Recipe4 based on 1 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 plum tomatoes
- 1 minced jalapeno (optional)
- 2 cups dry pinto beans
- 5 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 Tablespoon of oil
Instructions
- Dice the onion and tomato. Set them aside separately since you will be sauteing the onion first.
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Set your Instant Pot to the "saute" function and heat 1 Tablespoon of oil. If you are using a classic pressure cooker, you can do this part on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the onion and a pinch of salt and stir. Saute for about 3 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and stir around. Saute for another 2-3 minutes, but be careful not to let it burn, so stir frequently and adjust heat as needed.
- While the onions and garlic are cooking, rinse the beans under cool water and sort out any discolored or broken pieces.
- When the onions and garlic are done, cancel the saute function and add the rest of the ingredients to the pressure cooker bowl. Stir to combine.
- Secure the pressure cooker lid (make sure the pressure release valve is closed!) and turn on the "Pressure Cook" setting to "high pressure" if using an Instant Pot. (See photos in post step-by-step for visual)
- Set the timer for 45 minutes, and then walk away.
- After the beans are done cooking and the timer has beeped to signal that it is finished, manually release the pressure by switching the valve to open. Watch out for the sudden burst of steam that will escape!
- When the pressure is released, remove the lid and use a potato masher to mash up some of the beans. This part can be done to your preference, but I do just enough to thicken the beans a bit, while still leaving the majority of the beans whole. The beans will look very watery before you do this, and they will thicken even more as they cool from boiling hot.
- Serve immediately, or cool completely and freeze for up to 3 months.
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