Pinto Beans and Rice (Instant Pot)
Pinto beans and rice comes together really quickly and cooks in the instant pot. This simple recipe is a great base to add lots of flavorful ingredients to. Use dried beans and brown rice and they'll be done at the same time.
Servings 1 person
Equipment
- Instant Pot or pressure cooker
- wire rack for Instant Pot
- medium glass bowl pressure cooker safe
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
For Beans
- ¼ cup dry pinto beans
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder or small garlic clove
For Rice
- ⅓ cup brown rice
- ⅓ cup water
- optional ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, 1-2 teaspoons lime juice, 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro or to taste
Instructions
- Quickly rinse beans and remove any little rocks or debris.
- Add ¼ cup rinsed dry pinto beans, ⅛ teaspoon baking soda to Instant Pot bowl.
- Add 1 cup water. Stir together. Place wire rack in bowl, this will separate the beans and rice.
- Add ⅓ cup brown rice and ⅓ cup water to medium glass bowl (or a bowl that's safe to use in an Instant Pot). Ensure all rice is covered by the water. Place bowl on top of wire rack.
- Close lid and lock. Set to sealing.
- Set Instant Pot to BEAN/CHILI setting. Set timer for 30 minutes. Remember that it usually takes about 10 minutes to get up to pressure, so it will probably take 40 minutes for your rice and beans to cook.
- When done, quick release pressure. Test rice and beans for doneness. Cook another 3-5 minutes, if necessary. After, add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder. Stir together.
- Add seasonings to rice, if desired. ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1-2 teaspoons lime juice, and 1 Tablespoon cilantro are great.
- Add toppings such as: salsa, pickled onions, sauteed vegetables, avocado, cilantro, etc.
Video
Notes
- You can definitely use canned beans (don't cook them in the Instant Pot) and any kind or rice if you're short on time. But this is a very easy, very inexpensive recipe when using dry rice and beans.
- Adding baking soda helps the beans cook faster, and reduce the amount of gas produced by the beans (aka: leaving you less gassy). Note: Adding baking soda will likely turn your beans a dark red color. They aren't burned.
- If cooking the beans in baking soda, don't use/eat the cooking liquid. It's, well not good. If you like a thick beany sauce, omit the baking soda and bring it to a boil to reduce the liquid, after it's been cooked and rice has been removed.
- You can cook the beans in vegetable broth or chicken broth instead of water, if desired.
- Easily multiply this recipe to make a few servings of rice, beans. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers for later. Keeping the rice and bean seasonings simple makes these ingredients more versatile. You can add seasonings later.
- Keeping the seasonings for your beans and rice simple gives you lots of options for flavorful toppings.