Instant Pot Charro Beans are a thick, smoky and spicy side dish. These beans are always a hit at potlucks, cookouts, fiestas, backyard BBQs and even Thanksgiving!
Okay, so…
Have you seen my slow cooker charro beans post? Did you scoff at the cook time?
Yeah, I know. It’s excessive. Trust me, I love love love these beans, and I just kinda deal with the cook time. It isn’t my favorite. And having these delicious smells lingering for 36+ hours is absolute torture.
Don’t ask me why this never occurred to me before now, but I decided that I need, need, need to adapt this for the Instant Pot.
PS – if you’re one of the few people left on Earth that does not currently own an Instant Pot, buy it here. You’ll see the best prices on Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as well as regular “lightning deals.”
So this recipe tastes exactly like my slow cooker charro beans without the excruciatingly long cook time.
You might also notice that despite being Instant Pot Charro Beans, these still aren’t quite instant. In fact, my recipe is still longer than others you might find on Pinterest.
There’s a reason for this. These beans have less of a soupy consistency and have a thickness more akin to baked beans, which requires more time to allow the beans to break down and release their starch.
And while a lot of charro beans recipes I see online have a very thin broth, like plain white or navy beans in soup, that’s just not what this is.
This is one step away from being refried beans and they’re so thick and flavorful they can be a meal on their own. In Texas, you can find these beans accompanying both Tex Mex dishes and BBQ, and they even make it onto my plate every year at Thanksgiving. They’re smoky, savory, spicy and absolutely amazing.
This dish shines at potlucks, fiestas and backyard BBQs. Why don’t you give it a shot?!
Until next time. X
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Instant Pot Charro Beans
Instant Pot Charro Beans
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Instant Pot Charro Beans are a thick, smoky and spicy side dish. These beans are always a hit at potlucks, cookouts, fiestas, backyard BBQs and even Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
16 oz. dry pinto beans
4 slices of bacon, chopped roughly
1 jalapeno, whole
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
2 1/2 TB taco seasoning
4 c. water
salt, to taste
8 sprigs cilantro, chopped roughly
Instructions
Sift through the beans and remove any stones or broken beans. Rinse and drain, then place in the pressure cooker. Add to the pot the bacon, jalapeno, onion, garlic, taco seasoning and water. Stir.
Close the lid and turn the knob to sealing, then cook on high pressure for 70 minutes. Quick release after 20 minutes, then remove the jalapeno and stir in the chopped cilantro. Let cool with the lid open for about 15 minutes. The beans should thicken as they cool. Season with salt to taste.
Serve warm, with optional garnishes such as additional cilantro, cotija cheese, or pico de gallo.
Notes
Stuck with leftovers and tired of whole beans? Heat 1 TB vegetable oil in a skillet with 2 c. beans and mash with a fork or potato masher to make easy refried beans!
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Keywords: charro beans, borracho beans, mexican beans, tex mex beans, instant pot beans, pressure cooker beans, pinto beans, instant pot, fast, cinco de mayo, fiesta
Carrie says
Have you ever doubled/tripled this in the instant pot? I have the biggest one.
Sarah | AwayFromTheBox says
I haven’t made this recipe in a while, but if memory serves I think you can get away with doubling. Not positive on tripling, though.