How to cook beans in a pressure cooker (within 30 minutes)

So you want to know how to cook beans in a pressure cooker in the simplest way. There are two ways to cook beans, One of which is to either pre-soak them or in dry form. That’s the convenience of using a pressure cooker that you can cook dried beans as it is without pre-soaking them. Cooking pre-soaked beans that have been soaked overnight seems right when you have plenty of time to do that, but when instant cooking is concerned, you need to do so in a pressure cooker.

Electric pressure cookers, as well as stovetops, can be used for cooking beans.
Isn’t it amazing that you don’t have to pre-soak beans? For instance, you want beans for your dinner and boom. You’re preparing your beans in less than an hour.
Preparing beans in a pressure cooker is a dream as you have to rapid soak them instead of overnight soaking and is not tiring at all.
Leaving that conventional method of pre-soaking beans for a night seems so amazing.

If you’re using dried beans, add that much of water in the cooker that it covers an inch or two of the beans. That is the rapid soaking. Don’t add too much water in the cooker as it may disturb pressure.

How to cook beans?

Things you need for cooking beans.

• 1 pound dried beans
• Electric Pressure Cooker
• 8 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 o 3 cloves peeled garlic (optional)
• 1 bay leaf (optional)

Instructions for how to cook beans in a pressure cooker

1. Rinsing beans: Wash the beans properly.
2. Adding beans: Put beans in the pressure cooker pot.
3. Adding water: Add enough water to soak the beans. Beans absorb lots of water while cooking. No extra filling up of water is required. Do not fill the pressure cooker more than half full.
4. Adding oil: Then add oil in the beans so that there is the shiny appearance of the beans when cooked. I prefer using olive oil. Oil also helps in reducing foam production, which can clog up the valve.
5. Adding flavoring agents and salt: After that, add some salt as per your taste for enhancing the flavor and seasoning. Add flavoring agents that include onion, garlic, and bay leaves to enhance the taste of beans.
6. Covering the lid: After that, cover the lid. Make sure the lid is perfectly closed.
7. Adjusting cooking time: Adjust the cooking time to 20-25 minutes for a perfect bean meal. You can lower the time if you have to add beans in salad or tacos.
8. Reading the manual: Always read the manual before using the pressure cooker.
9. Let the beans cook in the pressure cooker.
10. Pressure release: Either wait for the natural pressure release or release the pressure on your own.
11. Take out the ready beans.

Cook time: 25 minutes || Servings: 8-9

No-soak beans VS soak beans

The difference that no-soak beans show is the appearance sometimes. Either the skin will be peeling off around the corners, or you’ll get “blow-out” beans, which means beans will be bursting out like popcorns.
But that’s not the most time case. The beans you get without pre-soaking are the same in texture, creamy, and tender as the soaked ones. It also depends on the age, variety, and type of bean. The beans also vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Also, the beans that have been residing in your pantry for as long as a year discard them and don’t use them for cooking purposes.

Tips and Tricks for cooking perfect beans in a pressure cooker

• Adding apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt breaks down indigestible sugars and ease the digestion process in addition to fantastic flavor.
• If you are using hard water of beans that are damaged by age or storage, add about 1/4th spoon of baking soda per pound of dried beans to the soaking water.
• If you want to enhance the flavor of your beans to be extra yummy, add a few ounces of bacon in it. You can add cream in it to enhance the flavor.
• Beans with warm tortillas are tasty magic to your mouth.

How long do beans take to cook in a pressure cooker?

Cooking time of fresh beans is always quick, but if the beans have sat in your pantry for some days, then they will surely take some extra timings for cooking.

Different beans take different timing for cooking in an electric pressure cooker.
For instance,

• Black beans take 20-25 minutes at high pressure to cook.
• Black-eyed beans also take 20-25 minutes at high pressure.
• Chickpeas take 35-40 minutes at high pressure to cook.
• Kidney beans take 25-30 minutes at high pressure to cook perfectly.

All you have to do is to adjust proper timing and maintaining pressure, and there you have a delicious bowl of beans on your dinner table.

Pressure Release

The pressure release, it’s better for the pot to release pressure on its own so that there are no apparent problems in the beans. It is known as Natural Release. But if you think the beans might get overcooked, you can release the pressure yourself by carefully opening the lid. It is known as Rapid Release. Anyhow, the preference would still be auto-release of the cooker. Again you have to check the manual for the proper functioning of the pressure cooker.

How much water do you put in a pressure cooker for beans?

For 1 cup of beans add 4 cups of water (or one-litre) and for 2 cups of beans add 8 cups of water (or two-litre) in the pressure cooker. It’s just like covering the beans with water, don’t overfill the pressure cooker.

Do I need to soak beans before pressure cooking?

In the old traditional method, you always soak the beans for at least 12 hours or cook them for 3 to 4 hours to get the perfect beans. But now in electric pressure cookers, you don’t need to soak the beans overnight. Just add the beans and pressure cook it for 25 minutes in high mode. And you have your perfect beans!!

What if the beans are still undercooked?

If, for instance, the beans remain undercooked after opening up the lid, you can increase the time of its cooking by placing back the lid. Start with 2-5 additional minutes. Ten minutes would be enough; otherwise, the texture of beans would become undesirable.

Save and Store Beans

If you have to store extra beans for the future, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. And you can enjoy these beans later.

You can also cook a whole chicken in a smart electric pressure cooker and it is also as easy as pie.