Instant Pot Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lbdried navy beans)
(soaked overnight for at least 8 to 16 hours, 889g after soaked
- 1 ½ tbspfine table salt
- 6 ccold water
- 6strips thick cut bacon
242g
- 1small onion
, roughly diced
- 2garlic cloves
, roughly chopped
- 1 ¾ ccold water
- ¼ cblackstrap molasses
- ¼ cmaple syrup
- 1 tbspregular soy sauce
- ¼ tspfine table salt
- 2bay leaves
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tspdijon mustard
- 1 tspapple cider vinegar
Directions
- 1
Soak Navy Beans:Option 1 - Overnight Soaking Method: Place 1 lb (454g) dried navy beans and 1 ½ tbsp (25g) fine table salt in a large container. Pour 6 cups (1.5L) cold water in the large container and give it a few stir. Soak beans overnight for at least 8 to 16 hours. If your house is very warm, place the large container in the fridge to avoid fermentation.Option 2 - Quick Soaking Method: If you didn't soak the beans overnight, you can use this quick soaking method. But the results won't be as good as the overnight soaking method. Place 1 pound (454g) dried navy beans, 1.5 tbsp (25g) fine table salt, and 6 cups (1.5L) cold water in Instant Pot. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 0 minute, then Natural Release for 30 minutes.
- 2
Drain Beans: Discard the soaking water and drain the navy beans through a mesh strainer. Rinse the beans with cold tap water. Drain well. The soaked beans should almost double in weight.
- 3
Render Bacon: Place chopped bacon in Instant Pot, then press Sauté button. Stir occasionally and allow the bacon bits to crisp (~3 mins). Add in diced onion, freshly ground black pepper, then sauté for a minute. Add in chopped garlic cloves, then sauté until fragrant (~30 seconds).
- 4
Make Molasses Mixture: While the bacon is rendering in Instant Pot, combine ¼ cup (80g) blackstrap molasses, ¼ cup (60g) maple syrup, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, and 1¾ cup (438ml) cold water in a 1L (4 cups) glass measuring cup. Mix well.
- 5
Deglaze: Pour ½ cup (125ml) of the molasses mixture in Instant Pot. Deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pan, then mix them into the mixture.
- 6
Pressure Cook Navy Beans: Add ¼ tsp fine table salt, 2 bay leaves, soaked navy beans and the remaining molasses mixture in Instant Pot. Mix well and make sure all the beans are submerged in the molasses mixture. Close lid and pressure cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes, then Natural Release for 20 minutes Natural Release. Open the lid carefully. *see notes for cooking time tips
- 7
Season, Thicken, Serve Baked Beans: Add 2 tsp (12g) dijon mustard, and 1 tsp (5ml) apple cider vinegar in the cooked baked beans. Mix well. Press Sauté button, then stir to thicken the baked beans to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more blackstrap molasses, salt, or vinegar if necessary. For reference, we added in another tbsp of blackstrap molasses.Serve this delicious sweet ‘n smokey baked beans as a side dish. Enjoy~
Instant Pot Baked Beans
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Based on 80 ratings
Rating Breakdown
About this Recipe
Tired of bland canned beans? Discover how to make the best Instant Pot Baked Beans from scratch, delivering tender, creamy beans with rich, complex flavors perfect for any gathering.
This recipe leverages the power of your Instant Pot to transform dry navy beans into a truly satisfying side dish. By offering both quick soak or overnight soak methods, you get incredible depth of flavor and perfect texture without endless stovetop simmering.
Prepare for tender, creamy beans, deeply imbued with smoky bacon, sweet blackstrap molasses and maple syrup, and savory notes from soy sauce and Dijon mustard. This dish is designed to be a crowd-pleaser, delivering robust, complex flavors that go far beyond your typical cookout staple. In just about 1 hour and 10 minutes total, you'll have 10 generous servings of this delicious side, each around 309 calories.
The rich, complex flavor of these Instant Pot Baked Beans comes from a thoughtful blend of blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, and savory bacon. While this combination is key, you can adjust the balance of sweeteners to suit your palate. For a slightly different savory depth, you could experiment with pancetta instead of thick-cut bacon. If you require a gluten-free option, ensure you use tamari in place of regular soy sauce.
These beans are not just for summer barbeques, cookouts, and parties; their rich flavor makes them a comforting side dish year-round, pairing wonderfully with grilled meats, roasted chicken, or even a simple cornbread.