Instant Pot Baked Beans Recipe

I am really excited to share this recipe with you today for Instant Pot Baked Beans! Delicious baked beans from scratch that you can be enjoying in not much more than a minimum effort and a few hours of time! I kid you not! From start to finish.

When I was growing up back in Canada, Saturday night supper meant one thing, Baked Beans! They were delicious but they were an all-day affair. My mother would actually begin by soaking the dry beans overnight. Early the next morning she would get up and parboil them on top of the stove, mix everything together in her bean crock and then pop them into a slow oven where they would bake all day. The scent of them baking was really quite tantalizing.

Instant Pot Baked Beans takes away much of the time and effort needed to enjoy a pot of home baked beans! I have to say that they are every bit as delicious as the ones which take all day in the oven, and the bonus is that in the warmer months, your kitchen is not heated up!

I was admittedly a bit dubious when I first read about baking beans in an instant pot, but after trying them for myself, I am an Instant Pot Baked Bean convert!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE INSTANT POT BAKED BEANS

Basically you need the same ingredients that you would use were you to bake beans from scratch in the traditional way.

Dried Navy Beans

Water

Onion

Molasses

Tomato Ketchup

Soft Light Brown Sugar

Worcestershire Sauce

Cider Vinegar

Dry Mustard Powder

Salt and pepper

Sliced Bacon

Optional Additions:

Chili Powder

Garlic Powder

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING INSTANT POT BAKED BEANS

These baked beans rely on a number of flavour makers that make all the difference in the world. These flavour makers really do give you delicious beans that taste like they have been baking all day but really only took a few hours.

1. Read through the recipe several times before beginning to help familiarise yourself with the ingredients needed to make the recipe.
2. Assemble everything you need prior to beginning. This can help to prevent you from making a costly error or leaving out an ingredient or step integral to the success of the recipe.
3. Follow the instructions for baking beans which are included in the instruction manual for your particular instant pot. Each model can be a bit different. These instructions I am sharing today are a guideline only and may need to be adapted according to the machine you own.
4. Make sure you rinse and then pick through your dried beans very carefully to make sure that there are no stones or sticks or other debris that you wouldn’t want to eat presently. Quite often there can be small stones in them that are about the same size as a bean. You don’t want anyone breaking a tooth.
5. If you think your beans are too watery after the initial cooking, drain some of the water off.
6. I cook my bacon in the oven and then crumble it into the baked beans at the end. Some people like to add bacon when they add flavour ingredients. It’s your choice when you add it.
7. Cooking the bacon first helps to render out and discard any excess fat. Adding it at the end also helps to keep it nice and crisp. If you are not fond of bacon, you can use cubed boiled ham.
8. You can make these baked beans vegetarian by leaving out the bacon altogether.
9. Never add salt during the basic boiling of the beans. Salt can toughen beans at this stage.
10. Take extreme care when releasing the steam valve once the beans are done, through both stages. I always wear a potholder to protect my hand from being scalded by the steam.

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT BAKED BEANS

SUGGESTIONS FOR SERVING INSTANT POT BAKED BEANS

Baked bean suppers when I was growing up were always pretty much the same. You had your delicious baked beans, as well as some fried or baked ham, creamy scalloped potatoes, and warm buttered brown bread. That is how I still enjoy them to this day!

If you were wanting a salad on the side, a creamy coleslaw goes very well! Back home a lot of the local firehalls and community centres will hold Baked Beans Suppers as Fund raisers a couple of times a year. They always include the same things as I have suggested with pies and cakes for dessert. They are always well attended with standing room only. Everyone just loves a baked bean supper! Perhaps it is an Eastern Canadian Maritime thing!

CAN YOU USE A SWEETENER OTHER THAN MOLASSES FOR THESE BEANS?

You most certainly can! Maple Syrup is particularly good as is honey! I cannot say that agave syrup or any other syrups will work as well, as I have not used them.

CAN YOU MAKE THESE BAKED BEANS AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes! You can make Instant Pot Baked Beans ahead of time. You can prepare them according to the recipe for as many as three days in advance. Store them, covered tightly, in the refrigerator. They will thicken up so you may need to add a bit more liquid (up to 1 cup) when reheating them. Apple juice, water, or tomato juice works well. You can reheat them in a casserole in a slow oven (300*F) for 1 ½ hour, or in a slow cooker on low for 1 to 2 hours, or you can reheat them in the instant pot on high pressure for 5 minutes.

CAN YOU FREEZE INSTANT POT BAKED BEANS?

You can definitely freeze these baked beans. Simply allow them to cool completely and then pack into freezer safe containers, leaving plenty of headspace and allowing for expansion. You can keep them safely in the freezer for up to 3 months.

So there you have it. Instant Pot Baked Beans. Old fashioned and delicious in flavour, new fashioned and quickly made in the Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker. A Saturday night staple in many homes and a most welcome dish when presented at BBQ’s, Buffets, or Potluck Suppers! Quick and easy to make, as well as being Oh-So-Delicious! You will find yourself wondering why you ever made them any other way once you realise how very tasty and easy these really are! Enjoy!