No soak, no problem! These Instant Pot Cuban Style Black Beans are the easy way to get delicious authentic style black beans in your pressure cooker. It doesn’t get much better than a bowl of flavorful beans and rice. If you’ve never cooked beans from dry at home, then the Instant Pot is your friend, and this recipe makes it super simple. These are oil free, gluten free, high in protein, and you’ll never have to worry about remembering to soak your beans the night before.
Way back when, I lived in Miami for an opera training program. There were an abundance of amazing options nearby for authentic Cuban food. One of my very favorite dishes to eat out, and one of the first things I ate after I moved there, was a big plate of Black Beans and Rice with a side of plantains. I’ve been hooked ever since and trying my best to recreate it at home. If you’ve got a pressure cooker, you’re going to love this recipe!
Why you’ll love these Instant Pot Cuban Style Black Beans…
-High in fiber and protein
-Free of oil and saturated fat
-Makes plenty for leftovers and meal prep!
-Gluten Free
-No soak beans
-Inexpensive
Cooking with dried beans
The thought of cooking with dried beans at home sounds too complicated to many people. I get it, I was there once. There’s so many questions- “Do I soak the beans? How long do I have to soak the beans? How long does it take to cook them? Do I add salt before or after?” But trust me, it’s so worth it. Especially when having an Instant Pot or pressure cooker makes it so easy!
Beans that are cooked from dry are just better, period. They are creamier and the flavor is better. I used canned beans at home for many applications, but when I want just a good old comforting and delicious bowl of rice and beans, I always opt for dry. An added benefit is that they are much more cost effective than canned, and require less packaging, which is also great for the environment.
Additional tips for delicious black beans:
-Make sure to add the salt after the beans are done cooking. Adding salt before cooking can actually affect the cooking time and texture of the beans and cause them to cook unevenly. Also, for those of us watching sodium intake, I find that I end up using less salt overall if I add it after cooking.
-I’ve included an amount of 4 1/2 cups of water for this recipe. I feel this makes a thick texture for the beans, but not too thick. If you know you like your beans a bit thinner, use 5 cups of water instead of 4.
-Blending or mashing some of the beans after cooking, gives the beans a thicker, creamier texture. If you cook a lot of stews, soups, and beans, and immersion blender is a great tool to have on hand. If you do not have one, you can easily use either a potato masher or fork to mash the beans by hand.
How should I eat these beans?
I usually cook one batch of either black beans or pinto beans once a week. The first night, we like to have them with a side of rice and veggies. The beans will thicken over night in the fridge, and at that point they will be great to use throughout the week in tacos, burritos or wraps.
You can also use them on top of my Burrito Bowls with Chipotle Lime Sauce. Make the Chipotle Lime sauce by itself as well to drizzle over top any dish using these black beans.
Happy Cooking!
Instant Pot Cuban Style Black Beans
Equipment
- Instant Pot or other Pressure Cooker
- Immersion blender (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 6-8 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 1/2 - 1 diced jalapeño depending on it's spice level (deseed if you don't like spicy)
- 2 cups dried black beans (about 1 pound)
- 3 tsp Better than Bouillon paste can sub other bouillon, or use 2 cups of veggie broth and 2 1/2 cups of water instead
- 4 1/2 cups water 5 cups if you like thinner consistency
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika use regular paprika if you don't have smoked, adds a nice smoky flavor
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot or pressuer cooker to Sauté mode on medium heat and add diced onions and bay leaves. Sauté until softened and starting to brown, about 3-5 minutes
- Add garlic and jalapeño to the pot. Stir and continue to sauté for about 1 minute, or until fragrant
- Add all remaining ingredients except the salt to the Instant Pot and stir together to combine. Make sure all the beans are submerged under the water.
- Hit Cancel on your IP and secure lid on top. Reset to High Pressure mode for 55 minutes and hit start.
- When Instant Pot has finished, do a quick release to release all pressure and open lid carefully. With an immersion blender, potato masher, or fork, blend or mash until about 1/3 of the beans are blended and the beans have a smoother, thicker texture.
- Add salt and taste. If more salt desired, add more. Serve with a side of rice, topped with chopped cilanto, jalapeño, chopped onion, or hot sauce!
