Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Beans-easy, quick and require no soaking. A gluten free household staple which is used for making burritos, loaded nachos, chili and soups. Made in an electric pressure cooker to remove lectins which can cause gut distress. This recipe needs only 5 minutes prep time and 55 minutes cook time. Absolutely effortless!
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After reading through Dr. Gundry’s Book, The Plant Paradox, I found out that lectins, also known as anti-nutrients are extremely harmful to the gut! These are the root cause of inflammation and many diseases! Dr. Gundry has helped thousands of patients reverse joint pain, gut inflammation, auto-immune disease and more through a lectin free diet called The Plant Paradox Program.
Lectins have the ability to tear open little holes between our cells that line our intestines, therefore causing leaky gut. Once leaky gut starts, then all hell can break loose in our system! So if you are wondering why it is taking so long to heal your gut, you may be consuming a diet high in lectins!
Beans have lots of lectins, but there is good news! They can be destroyed!
Lectins in beans are best removed through pressure cooking! Yay! You can eat these beans without worry! Trust me, this is the best way to cook your beans, if you are eating them.
I will show you how easy it is to pressure cook beans in an Instant-Pot Pressure Cooker. It really is effortless!
If you have never used the Instant Pot before, you can get my “Instant Pot Getting Started Cheat Sheet” in my Free Resource Library. (Subscribe HERE)
How To Make the Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Beans in the Instant Pot:
First, set your Instant pot pressure cooker to saute mode. I use a 6 quart one, but you can get the 8 quart if you have a big family. Add your bacon, onions, garlic cloves and bay leaves. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until bacon looks mostly cooked.
Next, sort through and rinse your pinto beans and add to pressure cooker.
Add half of your salt, seal with your lid and set Instant Pot to high pressure for 55 minutes for mushy beans and 45 minutes for firmer beans. My family loves them mushy since we make burritos so I use 55 minutes. These Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Beans are very light and flavorful!
After your timer goes off, DO NOT release pressure, allow pressure to release naturally.
I opened mine after 15 minutes (with a 55 minute cook time), you can allow it to go for 25 minutes for a 45 minute cook time for firmer beans.
Finally, using an oven mitt, just in case, release the valve and remove the lid. I add the remaining salt here. I like to scoop out the bacon, garlic and onions before storing or serving.
Serve beans in a bowl and top with cubed avocado, minced onion and chopped cilantro.
Pinto beans are my kids favorite lunch box meal when served mashed in burritos made with my Paleo Tortillas 2.0 .
If you want tortillas that are similar to flour tortillas, then you will want to make my Homemade Gluten Free Tortillas. These can be made while the beans are cooking.
How to Store Pinto Beans:
- Pinto Beans can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Store in the coldest part of the fridge.
- Freeze in a sealed container or freezer zip-lock bag for up to 3 months.
I sure hope you enjoyed this Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Bean Recipe as much as my family has. Let us know how your body handled these beans. If you are still having a hard time tolerating beans, you may want to look into The Plant Paradox Program which is a program designed to heal the gut.
In the Plant Paradox program, one eliminates beans and all lectin containing foods for a period of time, and re-introduces them (pressure-cooked beans) later once the gut has healed. Speak to your health practitioner to see if this is a good fit for you. I myself have been reducing lectins in my diet so you will be finding more pressure cooked recipes on my blog.
For my Instant Pot Getting Started Cheat Sheet & Instant Pot Soups, Stews & More ebook, be sure to subscribe to my free Resource Library Below.
You will get all of my gluten free ebooks, meal plans, cheat sheets & more!
Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Beans No Soaking Method
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Ultimate Instant Pot Pinto Beans-easy, quick and require no soaking. A gluten free household staple which is used for making burritos, loaded nachos, chili and soups. Made in an electric pressure cooker to remove lectins which can cause gut distress. This recipe needs only 5 minutes prep time and 55 minutes cook time. Absolutely effortless!
Ingredients
- 1 strip of bacon
- 3–4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1 onion, cut in half
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb of organic pinto beans
- 6 cups of filtered water
- 2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Set Instant pot pressure cooker to saute mode. I am using the 6 quart one. Add your bacon, onions, garlic cloves and bay leaves. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until bacon looks mostly cooked.
- Sort through and rinse your pinto beans and add to pressure cooker. Add water, 1 teaspoon of salt and seal with lid.
- Set to high pressure for 55 minutes for mushy beans and 45 minutes for firmer beans. My family loves them mushy since we make burritos so I use 55 minutes. They are very light and flavorful!
- Once beans are done, allow pressure to release naturally. I opened mine after 15 minutes (with a 55 minute cook time), you can allow it to go for 25 minutes for a 45 minute cook time for firmer beans.
- Next, remove the lid and add the last teaspoon of salt. I like to scoop out the bacon, garlic and onions before storing or serving. Serve beans in a bowl and top with cubed avocado, minced onion and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Place in a sealed container and store in the fridge up to 5 days.
- Pinto beans can also be frozen in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
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Hi! I’m happy to have discovered your blog, and am curious about this bean-lectin removal process. I’m new to Dr. Gundry and his ideas, so please forgive the dumb question here, lol- so what exactly *happens* to the lectins when they are pressure cooked, and shouldn’t it be necessary to rinse them after they have been pressure cooked? Or are they denatured during the process of high heat cooking?
I would be so grateful if you could help me clear this up. Thanks!
★★★★★
From what I have read, they are inactive.
Turns out great every time!!! I usually end up putting ham hocks in it instead of bacon. Great either way! I’ve made this recipe several times now and always go back to it as I’m doing now…getting my ingredients together!!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. The ham hocks must be delicious in this recipe! Thanks for sharing your tip!
Warmly,
Ester
I made your instant pot bean! They were so easy and so good, I’ve never had success with dried beans, I didn’t remove the bacon onions or garlic, I smashed the beans a bit and added shredded chicken and Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, yum!
Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re welcome! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed these! Your recipe additions sound delicious! Yum! Warmly, Ester
I love this recipe and make it a lot but we have discovered that it’s too much for my little family. If I half the amount of beans, should I half the water too? And would that affect the time at all?
If you cook 1/2 pound of pinto beans the cooking time remains the same. I would reduce the water by 1-2 cups.
This time very watery last time really thick. I’m thinking of making some rice to make it thicker
★★★★★
There are a few things you can do to resolve this. Option one, remove some of the liquid and let the beans sit in the Instant Pot on the warm setting for a few hours. Option two, remove a cup of beans with some liquid, puree it in the blender and add back to the beans. I hope this helps and so glad you are enjoying this recipe 🙂 ! Warmly, Ester
I would definitely cook them for the full 55 minutes. I did 45 and not done had to add 20 minutes more. Great flavor
★★★★
Thanks!
Do you use the bean/chili setting or just set it manually to high pressure?
I use the manual setting to high pressure.
Looks delish! Do you think Kalamata olives would work as this is what is traditionally used?
~Anna
HI Anna,
I do think you can make it work. Here are my suggestions: if you normally cook the olives for hours along with the beans on the stove, then I think the olives can withstand the 55 minutes of high pressure in the Instant Pot. But if you throw in the olives the last hour of cooking in your original recipe, then I think you should add them the last 15 minutes. I researched several recipes with olives in the Instant Pot and most recipes were for 20 minutes maximum so I do not know if they can withstand the long cooking time without falling apart to mush. So that is why I ask if you cook them on the stove for hours…Let me know how the recipe turns out. Warmly, Ester
Ester,
I am sorry – I thought I posted it on the Greek Mason jar salad not the pinto beans. (chuckles – Beans with olives may be interesting)
Hi Anna,
LOL! In that case, yes, other olives will work 🙂
Warmly,
Ester