How To Make Fast, No-Soak Beans in the Pressure Cooker

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Don't skip the olive oil. This helps reduce foam during cooking, which could clog the pressure valve on the pressure cooker.

• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Yield: about 5 cups cooked beans

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried beans (see below for cooking times for specific beans)
• 8 cups water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 o 3 cloves peeled garlic, optional
• 1 bay leaf, optional

Special equipment:

• 6- to 8-quart pressure cooker (I use a 6-quart Instant Pot)

Method

1 Combine all ingredients in the pressure cooker. Do not fill the pressure cooker more than half full.

2 Secure the lid. Make sure the pressure regulator valve is closed. (On an Instant Pot, this means it will be set to the the "sealing" position.)

3 Cook the beans: Here are the cooking times for unsoaked beans in the Instant Pot. Cooking times will be similar for other electric pressure cookers; cooking time will be slightly less for stovetop pressure cookers. Double-check the manual that came with your pressure cooker for more exact cooking times:

Black beans: 20 to 25 minutes
Black-eyed peas : 20 to 25 minutes
Great Northern beans: 25 to 30 minutes
Navy beans: 25 to 30 minutes
Pinto beans: 25 to 30 minutes
Cannellini beans: 35 to 40 minutes
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans): 35 to 40 minutes

Cook beans at high pressure for the time recommended above. The pressure cooker will take 15 to 20 minutes to come to full pressure before cooking begins.

4 Let the pressure release: Once cooking is complete, you can let the pressure release naturally on its own, which takes about 20 to 30 minutes, or you can do a "rapid release" by opening the pressure valve on the top of the pressure cooker. If doing a rapid release, protect your hands from the steam with oven mitts or use a long-handled spoon to manipulate the pressure valve.

I recommend letting the pressure release naturally for as long as you're able before the beans are needed. This helps the beans retain their shape.

5 Using and storing your beans: The beans are ready to use right away. Let leftover beans cool in their cooking liquid, then refrigerate in a covered container for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.