Instant Pot Baked Beans are smoky, sweet, sticky and delicious. Easy to make recipe ensures you will never buy canned beans again.
Instant Pot Baked BeansWe’ve all had the Better Homes and Gardens Baked Beans at one time or another, right?
If you’ve been following my blog, you will know that I can never leave good enough alone. I always like to take recipes up a notch. This Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe makes a big pot of beans and easily feeds at least 10 people.
This Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe will have you jumping for joy! You can make these delicious Instant Pot Baked Beans right in your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker, without an overnight soak and without hours in the oven!
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Baked Beans
Canned baked beans, in my opinion, are usually too sweet. While the BHG Baked Beans are pretty good, I felt like there was something missing and I felt they were a bit cloying. A few changes and additions and I came up with the most delicious Instant Pot Baked Beans recipe ever!
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Ingredients for Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Navy Beans
- BACON!!!!! – because, heck yeah!
- Pure Maple Syrup – make sure to use Combs Maple Syrup and not the fake stuff like Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth’s.
- Molasses – adds a wonderful depth of flavor give these Instant Pot Baked Beans, the delicious “sticky” texture, that everyone loves.
- Onions
- Ketchup
- Dry/Ground Mustard
- Brown Sugar
- Worcestershire Sauce – this is my secret ingredient and really takes this recipe up another notch
- Apple Cider Vinegar – totally “pop” the flavor.
Soak Navy Beans in Water
Vegetarian Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Leave out the bacon and make the following adjustment(s).
- Add two tablespoons of finely crushed smoked almonds.
- Pour 2 teaspoons of hickory liquid smoke into the pot, along with the rest of the ingredients.
Do I Need to Soak Beans Before Pressure Cooking?
- No.
- You don’t need to soak your Navy Beans overnight, if you don’t want to do so.
- The Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker will easily soften the Navy Beans.
- You can always just set the cook time longer, if you do not want to soak your beans.
I only do it to remove any dirt and check for debris.
Drain and Rinse Navy Beans
Why Are My Beans Hard?
- If beans are old, they won’t soften up during a regular cook cycle.
- In fact, they many not soften up at all.
- Make sure to check the date on your package of beans.
- A concern however, is that if the package of beans shows a good date, it is possible they were not package right away and could still be old.
- If making my Instant Pot Baked Beans and your beans are hard and there is excessive liquid, it is most likely due to old beans. Hard beans won’t absorb the liquid properly.
Pull the basket of Navy Beans from the pot of water and rinse Navy Beans again, getting rid of any debris.
Rough Chop the Bacon and Onions
Use a Sharp Knife and rough chop the bacon and onions. The Onions will mostly disintegrate during cooking.
The Bacon will shrink up a lot, so rough chopping will ensure some decent size bits.
Render the Bacon and Sauté the Onions
It is always important to allow your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker cooking pot to fully heat.
This helps make a stainless steel cooking pot, non-stick!
A little Sauté of the Onions in the Bacon Grease will add lots of flavor. Make sure to use a Spatula, so that thing don’t start to stick.
If necessary, add a little water to the cooking pot while rendering the Bacon. The onions should only start to soften.
All ingredients in Pressure Cooker
Add the rest of the ingredients into the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
The secret ingredient takes these babies up a notch!
Excess Liquid in Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Don’t concern yourself with the amount of liquid in the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker cooking pot. A certain amount is needed for the pot to come to pressure and then cook.
- Also, assuming the beans are fresh, they will continue to absorb more liquid after they are cooked. If the beans are old, they won’t soften and won’t absorb the liquid.
- You can always simmer, if you feel the beans are too watery.
Personally, I like my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Baked Beans a bit liquidy (not thin or watery, but with more juice/liquid), as I dip my Homemade Hot Dog Bun into the sauce, before taking a bite!
These Instant Pot Baked Beans will taste like they have been cooking and baking all day in a clay oven.
Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Holiday Baked Beans
Don’t they look delicious!!!???!! Big ole pot of beans.
Salting After Pressure Cooking
- Salting before cooking can sometimes makes the skin of the beans rather tough.
- This can be a reason beans sometimes take longer to cook.
Perfect to Freeze for Hot Dog Night!
How To Store Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Beans freeze really well, so I always use at least 16 ounces of dry beans.
- They freeze well in Reditainer Extreme Freezer Containers. These labels are great, so that I know what’s in the container.
- When you are in the mood for Instant Pot Baked Beans, like on Hot Dog Night, pull a container from the freezer.
They easily reheat in the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker.
Try my Pressure Cooker New York Dirty Water Hot Dogs recipe, the next time you make Hot Dogs. It’s a super easy 3 ingredient dump and forget method.
Crock of Pressure Cooker Holiday Baked Beans
Instant Pot Baked Beans are not only for holidays such as Fourth of July, Labor Day and Memorial Day. They can be enjoyed every day of the ear.
More Instant Pot Bean Recipes to Make:
- Pressure Cooker Vegetarian Frijoles Refried Beans
- Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans (Frijoles Negros)
- Instant Pot Pork Chops and Baked Beans (Pressure Cooker)
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Southern Style Green Beans
Enjoy!
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker
- J.A. Henckels Classic 8-inch Chef’s Knife
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Simply Gourmet (Dry) Stainless Steel Measuring Cups
- Anchor Hocking Glass (Liquid) Measuring Cups
- Cilio Olivewood Spatula
- Rachael Ray Stoneware EVOO Oil Dispensing Bottle
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Electric Pepper Mill
- My FANTASTIC Teak Cutting & Charcuterie Board & Compartments
- Salbree Steamer Basket
- Lock N Lock Storage Container
- Reditainer Extreme Freezer Containers
- Freezer Labels
- Real Maple Syrup
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 pound Dried Navy Beans
- 6-8 slices Thick Bacon roughly chopped
- 1 medium Yellow/Brown Onion roughly chopped
- 3 1/4 cups Fresh Water
- 1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup (the real stuff)
- 1/3 cup Molasses
- 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
- 1/3 cup Ketchup
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce (secret ingredient, shhh)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Dry/Ground Mustard Seed
- 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Rinse and sort beans, removing any debris.
- Select the Sauté or Browning function on Pressure Cooker and allow to heat.
- Add bacon and onions to the Pressure Cooker cooking pot and cook until bacon begins to render, scraping brown bits from bottom of cooking pot.
- Add 1/4 cup of water and continue cooking until water has evaporated, bacon fat is rendered and onions are semi-soft.
- Add beans, water, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Ketchup, Brown Sugar, Worcestershire Sauce, Mustard, apple cider vinegar and Pepper to the cooking pot. Stir to combine.
- Lock on lid and close pressure valve. Cook at high pressure (most machines default to high pressure) for 60-70 minutes. If you are sure your beans are super fresh, 60 minutes will suffice.
- When beep sounds, wait 10 minutes and then carefully release the rest of the pressure.
- Add the salt. Taste a couple of beans for tenderness and sweetness and add more Molasses, if a sweeter taste is desired. If you prefer a more tender bean, lock the lid back into place and cook for another 10- 15 minutes.
- To thicken up the sauce, select the Sauté or Browning function and simmer until desired consistency. Beans will continue to absorb liquid as they cool.
Notes
Vegetarian Option
- Leave out the bacon and make one of the following adjustment(s):
- Add two tablespoons of finely crushed smoked almonds. Grind them up to a paste and add into the pot of beans. This will give a nice and smoky flavor!
- Pour 2 teaspoons of hickory liquid smoke into the pot, along with the rest of the ingredients.
Excess Liquid in Instant Pot Baked Beans
- Don't concern yourself with the amount of liquid in the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker cooking pot. A certain amount is needed for the pot to come to pressure and then cook.
- Also, assuming the beans are fresh, they will continue to absorb more liquid after they are cooked. If the beans are old, they won't soften and won't absorb the liquid.
- You can always simmer, if you feel the beans are too watery.
Pair the Baked Beans
- They pair well with my Pressure Cooker Carolina BBQ Spare Ribs.
- Santa Maria Style Barbecue Tri-Tip
- Pressure Cooker Bunny Hot Dogs
- Pressure Cooker Sloppy Joes
- Don't forget the Pressure Cooker Picnic Potato Salad.
Nutrition
PIN this Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Holiday Baked Beans!
Pressure Cooker Holiday Baked Beans
I’m confused on the salt….I see 1T Kosher and then 1/2 Tsp of sea salt??? Which is it when you add salt after cooking?? I am not doing a soak…..is the Kosher salt for that?
I really liked this recipe, and it was my first bean dish in my instant pot. I didnt have quite 2cups of navy beans, so I tossed in about 1/4 cup black beans, & 1/4 cup dried chickpeas. I also substituted coconut sugar (love the stuff) for the brown sugar. Thank you for a keeper!
Just finished making this recipe, and at this moment, I don’t know who or what I love more….you or my new Instant Pot. Being a Boston girl, I’ve been longing for my Great Aunt Mary’s baked beans. She’d cook them overnight in the oven in her bean pot. (How blessed are we?) She’d be highly impressed with this modern technology in the kitchen. Thank you. Every bite contains a memory.
Hi Dolores~ What kind and beautiful comments and memories. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It truly is people like you, that give me the inspiration to continue with this Blog. Thank you. Jill
I just ordered the containers you site to freeze my beans which I will be making this weekend. I am so glad you mentioned them. I need something to freeze all my IP food that I am having so much fun making.
I made Double batch using 3 different kinds of beans for dinner with ribs last night, these were DELICIOUS!! ( P.S. I didn’t double the brown sugar), didn’t miss it at all since had the terrific maple syrup! Thank you so much!!
Thank you for commenting, Sharon. Jill
What is the longest amount of time I can soak the beans? If I soak overnight, 9pm, make dinner for 5:30 pm, it has the beans soaking for at least 16 hrs… is that O.K.? I REALLYwant to make this tomorrow…
I don’t soak the beans. Jill
I doubled the recipe and soaked my beans overnight. I followed the recipe to a T and cooked them for 60minutes, as well I let the IP release it’s steam naturally for 15 minutes. They were a bit more watery than I like so I selected the sauté button and added a can of tomato paste and a slurry of cornstarch and water (approx 2 -3 tbsp of cornstarch to equal parts water – Remenber I doubled the recipe). Within a couple of minutes the sauce was perfect. They tasted delicious and were just how my family likes them. So much easier than the oven method.
I have been searching for a receipt for Boston baked beans that I can make in my IP when I found yours! it matches my receipt for the Dutch oven! except my receipt doesn’t call for maple syrup , which is not a problem because I’m really not that keen on maple syrup , oh and now I have a good place to check out more choices for dinner
Thank you!
These are good, but only after you get rid of a lot of the sweetness. I made as the recipe called for the first time and the beans were more of a dessert. The second time I didn’t use any brown sugar and replaced the ketchup with tomato paste. My family loved them the second time!
Double batch for supper tonigh
Turned out amazing,
Thanks
Made these beans in my pressure cooker.
Overnight soak. Delicious!
I did thicken the sauce with 3 Tbsp. Cornstarch and water at the end as we like thick sauce.
Definitely will make again!
Thank you for the recipe.
Never was successful at making baked beans, so looking forward to trying these!
How can you tell if you have old beans? or fresh ones?
Thanks for sharing this recipe
These are the best baked beans ever! I used pinto beans instead of white beans and added some smoked ham chunks to the recipe, but did everything else as written in the recipe. They were delicious! I had to cook them longer but I think that’s because I used the pinto beans.
I just bought a huge bag of pinto beans. Do you think this will be a huge problem substituting for the navy beans?
It will work. The taste will be different. Jill
This recipe is awesome. I have been using my instant pot for a year now, but never in my life made homemade baked beans before. I only ever bought a can of them here and there. I am bringing to my parents tomorrow to have our Christmas dinner and am anticipating their reaction. To top it off I made the New York style cheesecake for dessert, which I’ve done at least six times now. Your recipes never let me down and I can’t wait to try another of your recipes!!! Thank you and happy new year!
I made your Holiday Baked Beans tonight and they’re great! My husband and I both think so. Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I’ll be making these again for sure!
These are spectacular! I have only liked Bush’s baked beans but I haven’t eaten them for ages because of the ingredients I don’t care for (corn syrup, etc). I am definitely a “foodie” and this recipe for baked beans REALLY is the BOMB! Thanks for such a simple but great recipe! I am sharing these with my daughter and her family for Christmas dinner tomorrow!
These beans are amazing!! So delicious and freeze and reheat well. This is my second time making them and they are as great as the first time.
I have an 8 litre IP so I use a 900g bag of beans and just double the rest of the ingredients. Fabulous!!
So glad, you liked the beans, Sheila. Thank you for letting me know. Jill
Would I be able to double this recipe to save me from cooking a few batches?
I doubled it in my 8 qt. instant pot and would have had room to triple it.
Made these for a bbq and they’re soooo good! My beans are a little old so cooked for 75 min after soaking all day.