Today, I’m going to show you How To Make Beans In A Pressure Cooker. It is a great way to make beans from scratch in only 30 minutes. This recipe will save your time while cooking.

bowl of beans made in a pressure cookerIf you ask me what is the traditional meal in Brazil, I will say, without hesitation, beans and rice with some kind of salad and meat. At least, that is what people from northeast of Brazil eat almost every single day for lunch. Believe me guys, we eat beans and rice a lot, which is not bad if you eat brown rice and homemade beans made with good quality ingredients.

instruction photo of ingredients for beans going into a pressure cooker

As you all know, Brazil is a huge country. For this reason, every region down there must have a different way to make beans, but all the recipes end up very flavorful and delicious. The way I am sharing with you today is the way I learned from my mom. The only thing I do differently from my mom’s recipe is the vegetable broth. She normally makes it with water, but I think vegetable broth adds more flavor.

In Brazil, we cook beans in a pressure cooker because it helps food cooks faster. I am pretty sure every Brazilian owns one. I love my pressure cooker so much. It is so useful. You can cook beans and much more like chickpeas, lots of a different kind of meat, and you can even boil an egg in minutes. I LOVE my pressure cooker. One of my favourite recipes is this Pressure Cooker Sausage and Beans Recipe. But, if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can still make these beans in a regular pot, but it will take about 2 hours to cook.

bowl of pressure cooker beans

How to store

The best part of this recipe is that you can make a large batch and store it. I let them cool and refrigerate in a container for up to 5 days or I freeze them for about 3 months. It is a great way to have beans from scratch when you want to eat them or make some recipe that calls for them like soups, dips, tacos, burritos, and so on.

Want some more delicious recipes to go with this bean recipe? Try my Green Bean Casserole Recipe, Quick Easy Bean Salad, and Sweet Potato Green Beans Shrimp Skillet!

Thanks a lot for reading. Want to browse all of my easy and delicious recipe posts? Follow my Primavera Kitchen Board on Pinterest!!! I also have an awesome How-To Pinterest Board.

How to Make Beans in a Pressure Cooker

2.87 from 51 votes
Author: Olivia Ribas
Servings4 people
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Today, I'm going to show you How To Make Beans In A Pressure Cooker. It is a great way to make beans from scratch in only 30 minutes. This recipe will save your time while cooking.
Save this recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you. Plus, you’ll get recipes & tips every week!

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 cups dried Romano beans
  • 3 cups of water for washing and soaking the beans
  • 8 cups of vegetable broth or water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 whole red pepper or any other kind you prefer, chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • A pinch of cumin
  • A pinch of chili pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • First, you need to pick through the beans. Discard any stones or any damaged beans.
  • Wash the beans in a colander and soak the beans overnight or for at least for 4 hours.
  • Next, rinse and drain the beans.
  • In a pressure cooker, add olive oil, onions, and garlic. Sauté until the onions are golden.
  • Add red pepper, tomato paste, dried parsley, cumin, and chili pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes more.
  • Add the beans, the bay leaves, and 8 cups of broth or water.
  • Close the pressure cooker and cook over high heat until the pressure builds up.
  • Lower the heat to medium and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the beans are tender and soft.
  • When the beans are ready, taste and add any extra seasonings (salt and pepper), if necessary.
  • Discard the bay leaves and top with fresh green onions. Serve with rice.

Notes

  • Always wash your beans beforehand. Especially if you are purchasing beans from a bulk store, there's uses dust and some debris with the beans and rinsing it before using will make sure your beans are clean!
  • Broth adds a ton of flavour to the beans compared to water. I recommend using a low sodium broth so the beans don't get too salty.
  • To store: You can store cooked beans in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
  • To reheat: You can reheat the beans in the microwave or on the stovetop. 
  • To freeze: Freeze cooked beans in an airtight freezer-safe bag or container once it has cooled. Make sure to keep the liquid as well! Freeze for 3 to 4 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4, Calories: 108kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Sodium: 109mg, Potassium: 136mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did You Make This?

Follow @primaverakitchen on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #primaverakitchen. We'd love to see your recreation.

More “How to Make” Recipes

Learn How to Make Crispy Roasted Green Beans and make this delicious vegetable side dish!

how to make crispy roasted green beans primavera kitchen recipe

This is an easy photo tutorial on How to Make Fluffy Rice.

How to make Fluffy Rice Primavera Kitchen Recipe

Learn How to Make Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! It is made with 100% whole wheat flour and some spices.

How to make whole wheat pizza dough primavera kitchen recipe

This Homemade Tomato Sauce is made with onions, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, bay leaves and seasonings.

Basic Tomato Sauce primavera kitchen recipe

Learn How to Make Basic Vinaigrette and make a preservative-free salad dressing. 

how to make basic vinaigrette primavera kitchen recipe

How to make pressure cooker beans

Olivia Ribas

Welcome

Hi, I'm Olivia


I’m so happy you’re here!! For the last 12 years, I’ve been sharing easy, quick, and family-friendly recipes like chicken, salmon, ground meat and pork chops (total reader favorites!), perfect for stress-free weeknight dinners made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Explore More

2.87 from 51 votes (50 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate This Recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

26 Comments

  1. Scott says:

    How does a recipe that asks you to soak beans for four hours take a total of an hour?

    1. Olivia Ribas says:

      This time refers to the cooking duration rather than the preparation time.