Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup

This easy Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup is made with dried pinto beans that you don’t have to soak overnight. An hour of pressure cooking transforms dried beans into a delicious soup that’s ready to serve the same day! 

If you have an Instant Pot you’ll never have to soak dried pinto beans overnight again! I love cooking with dried beans and this revelation has me floored because I don’t always have the foresight to presoak. 

One Soup, Lots of Leftover Possibilities

I’m calling this recipe Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup, but the leftover possibilities make this so much more. This is an EXCELLENT meal prep recipe. If I’m busting out my Instant Pot, I’m making a whole pound of dried beans which means leftovers for days.

this recipe

Served immediately after it’s ready, this Instant Pot Pinto Bean recipe makes a lovely soup. One that you can easily doctor up with a few choice garnishes. If you refrigerate the leftovers you’ll find that the beans finish soaking up the rest of the liquid, just a few mashes shy of refried beans. The leftovers can also be transformed into one epic bean dip. 

This is THE multi-purpose, meal prepping recipe you need in your life if you like to get creative with leftovers. Here’s how you make this Instant Pot Bean Soup (Refried Beans/Bean Dip). 

How do you make Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup?

This recipe calls for the use of a smoked pork hock and chicken stock, but leave out the pork hock and use vegetable stock instead to make this vegan/vegetarian-friendly. I like to shred the meat from the pork hock and add it back into the soup, but that’s up to you. Usually, the leftovers are destined to become bean dip, so I’ll portion out some of the beans before adding the meat back in.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound dried pinto beans
• 8 cups chicken stock (or two 32 ounce boxes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 smoked pork hock (2-3 pounds)

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Rinse beans under cool running water and sort out any undesirable pieces. Add rinsed beans to Instant Pot. 
2. Add chicken stock, seasonings, and olive oil. Stir. Add smoked pork hock.
3. Set the Instant Pot to cook on High Pressure for 1 hour and opt to keep the warming function on. The Instant Pot will take 15-20 minutes to get up to pressure. 
4. Once the hour is up, let sit another 45 minutes to an hour so you can do a natural release. You don’t have to do this, but it helps prevent the beans from splitting (if you're hoping to have them intact).
5. Open the Instant Pot once the pressure has subsided and remove the pork hock. If you plan to add it back into the soup, let cool, then remove the skin/fat/bones and shred the meat. Or save it for another use.
6. For a creamier soup, use a stick blender to blend some of the beans. I do this for around 30 seconds or so, as I like the combination of blended and intact beans in my soup. Taste and feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes. 
7. Add the shredded pork back into the soup (optional, but recommended).
8. Serve immediately with garnishes of your choice.

NOTES

As a general rule, you will want to use 8 cups of liquid per 1 pound of dried beans.

Because I used chicken stock with sodium in it, I found that additional salt was not necessary - wait until after cooking to add more salt (trust me on this!).

The inclusion of olive oil is to prevent the beans from frothing up while they cook, which gunks up the pressure release valve.

I call for a full tablespoon of white pepper in this recipe; I LOVE pepper and spice, so if you are the same way this amount of pepper should be just fine. However, if you are more sensitive to pepper, please reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon. You can also leave it out if you'd prefer.

Equipment - INSTANT POT & IMMERSION BLENDER

There are a few different versions of the Instant Pot on the market, with differences ranging from capacity to functionality. This is the Instant Pot I own and used in this Instant Pot Pinto Bean recipe; it’s an 8-quart Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker with 14 One-Touch Programs. There's also a handy 6-quart Instant Pot version, which is perfect for families of 4 or fewer.

You'll also want a good immersion blender (like the one provided in the link).

Garnishes

This Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup is the perfect canvas for a variety of garnishes. 

• Cheese! Any kind really, but I love feta or cotija or a smoky gouda. 
• Fresh herbs. Like parsley or cilantro. 
• Tortilla chips, crushed. 
• Pico de gallo, hot sauce, or salsa.
• Sour cream.

Storage

Store leftovers in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months. 

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