Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans are super easy to make. And these black beans make a perfect side dish for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or any other Mexican fare.
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Why make homemade black beans?
I love making these Mexican black beans in my pressure cooker because the recipe is quick and easy, and they taste way better than what you can buy in a can.
Secondly, when you make black beans at home, you can control exactly what ingredients go into them. You can make them with much less sodium than the canned version, and leave out any thickeners, stabilizers, preservatives, or hydrogenated oils.
Living in California, we eat a lot of Mexican food and Instant Pot Black Beans rival the beans at the best Mexican restaurants. You can serve them as whole beans as a side dish or turn them into refried black beans. Or add them to burritos, burrito bowls, or enchiladas.
Why make black beans in an Instant Pot?
The ability to cook dried beans quickly without soaking them is one of the main reasons I bought an electric pressure cooker. In the Instant Pot, you can make this recipe starting with dried beans in about 45 to 50 minutes, start to finish.
I love using dried beans because I think they taste better and have better texture. They are also much lower in sodium than the canned versions and you can control how much salt you add.
Plus, let’s be honest, I can’t remember where I put my keys, so I’m sure as heck not going to remember to soak my beans overnight.
Instant Pot Mexican black beans are just really healthy and I love that they can be made quickly.
What ingredients do you need?
You only need a handful of ingredients and some basic spices to make these delicious Instant Pot Mexican black beans.
- Dried black beans
- Cooking oil
- Onion
- Garlic
- Poblano peppers
- Jalapeno peppers
- Cumin, chile powder, cayenne, and salt
How do you make these Instant Pot black beans?
It’s so easy AND quick, even when you start with dried beans.
- Saute the onions, peppers, and garlic in the Instant Pot using the saute function.
- Add the spices, and then the black beans and water.
- Seal the pot and cook set to manual pressure for 35 minutes.
- When the cooking time is done, let the pressure release natrually for 10 minutes or so. Quick release any remaining pressure.
- When the pressure has fully released, remove the lid of the pressure cooker, then gently stir the beans.
- Server garnished with lime wedges, cilantro, and cheese or other toppings as desired.
What do you serve the Mexican beans with?
I serve these black beans as a side dish for just about any Mexican meal. Sometimes I use an immersion blender to turn them into “refried” black beans.
I use them in my Chicken Enchiladas or serve them alongside Korean Tacos, Chilaquiles, Baked Chicken Taquitos, or Tamales.
You can even turn them into a quick Instant Pot Black Bean Soup by adding more broth or water.
More great Mexican recipes you’ll love
Instant Pot Black Beans
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 poblano peppers seeded and diced (see note for substitutions)
- 1 or 2 jalapenos peppers diced
- 1 pound 2 cups dried black beans, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups water or broth
Instructions
- Heat the oil in your Instant Pot using the saute function.
- Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring
occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Stri in the cumin, chili
powder, cayenne, and salt. - Add the beans and water and cook, stirring, to deglaze the
pot. - Turn the pot off, then cover and seal the lid. Cook on high
pressure for 45 minutes. - When the cooking time is done, let the pressure release
naturally for about 10 minutes and then quick-release any remaining pressure. - Serve immediately, with cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges as
desired.
