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These Instant Pot Rice & Beans require only 5 simple ingredients to make! Perfect for Meal Prep or an Easy Weeknight Dinner. Vegan, Gluten Free, Oil Free.
While they may be simple, there is just something that is so satisfying about a big ol’ bowl of rice and beans. As an added bonus, this recipe has BIG flavor, but only required 5 affordable ingredients.
Heck, you may already have all of them in your pantry! And if you don’t you can definitely get them at your local store for a great price.
While the ingredients for this recipe are humble, I promise that the flavors will still “wow” you. I’m not exactly sure what it is, but something magical happens to that Salsa and Cilantro in the pressure cooker – the flavors intensify and become much more complex.
While this recipe is so dang easy, I also love how customizable it can be. You can easily increase or decrease the spice level based on the Salsa you choose to use, and you can also add in some extra spices if you’re feeling fancy. Plus, let’s not forget about the toppings! I like this Instant Pot Rice & Beans recipe best when topped with fresh Cilantro, Avocado, and a squeeze of Lime.
This dish is hearty and filling on it’s own as a main, but you could also use it as a side! May I suggest making some Sheet Pan Fajitas to go along with it? 🙂
I pretty much only use my Instant Pot to make rice and beans (or both at the same time), but if you’d like me to create more iPot recipes, please leave a comment below and let me know! I think it would be a nice challenge and change of pace 🙂
A Few Final Thoughts:
- You can also use dried Black Beans for this recipe, but they will make the rice look a little, er, grey. It’ll still taste great though!
- This recipe is simple, but feel free to add in some extra ingredients if it suits your fancy – I think Corn, Jalapeños, or some extra tomatoes would be great!
- I have not tested this recipe on the stovetop, so unfortunately I cannot provide modifications for that. You may be interested in my One Pot Mexican Quinoa though !
If you’re looking for more easy recipes, you’ll also love this One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta and this Slow Cooker Bean & Quinoa Chili!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintInstant Pot Rice & Beans (Only 5 Ingredients!)
These Instant Pot Rice & Beans require only 5 simple ingredients to make! Perfect for Meal Prep or an Easy Weeknight Dinner. Vegan, Gluten Free, Oil Free.
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5 Servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup dry Red Kidney Beans
- 1 1/2 cup dry Brown Rice
- 1 cup Salsa
- ½ bunch Cilantro, stems and leaves divided
- 3 cups Vegetable Broth
- 2 cups Water
Instructions
- First, chop your Cilantro, keeping the leaves and stems roughly separated.
- Add the dried Beans and Rice to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
- Gently pour the Vegetable Broth and Water over the Rice and Beans, then give everything a good stir.
- Next, add the Salsa and stems of the Cilantro into the pot. Do not mix!
- Close the Instant Pot, set the valve to Sealing, and use the Manual Mode to cook on High for 25 Minutes.
- One the cook time finishes, let the Instant Pot release pressure for an additional 10 Minutes (leave the “Keep Warm” feature on).
- Finally, move the valve from Sealing to Venting to release all remaining pressure, and serve the Beans and Rice warm. Garnish with the chopped Cilantro leaves, and anything else you desire!
Notes
- A few of my beans rose to the top of the mixture, and I noticed they looked a little “dry” when I opened the pot. If this happens to you, simply mix the Beans and Rice together, then cover the pot again and let sit for 12 – 15 minutes.
- Different beans require different amounts of time to cook in the pressure cooker, so I would be wary of substitutions. If you do decide to use a different bean, make sure to cook the mixture for at least 22 minutes, so the brown rice will cook completely.
- I used this Instant Pot to make this recipe.
Want to save this Instant Pot Rice & Beans recipe for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
This is the EASIEST thing I’ve made in the instant pot! I delayed the start time so that I could run errands and the house smelled amazing when we got home. My toddler ate this right up, and beans are usually a struggle for him. Thank you.
★★★★★
With this recipe you’re going to want to definitely soak your beans overnight beforehand and even then if they’re quite old they may not be cooked all the way with 25 minutes of cook time. When I do my old-ass red beans in my pressure cook, they take about an hour and a half to fully cook under pressure.
I have tried this recipe twice now and all the beans rise to the top and never cook fully. Other than crunchy beans, I like this recipe. I just wish this wouldn’t happen.
Hi Bill! I’m sorry you are having this problem. I would suggest soaking your beans ahead of time – they should cook faster!
Attention! Eating under-cooked beans can be dangerous to your health. If your beans do not seem cooked DO NOT EAT THEM
“eating raw or undercooked beans is dangerous. It could even kill you. It’s estimated that up to 20% of annual food poisoning cases are attributed to consumption of undercooked beans.”
reference link:
http://wildoats.com/blog-posts/undercooked-beans-dangerous/
★★★★★
I had the same issue with the beans being firmer than I would like. Most other recipes online recommend 30 minutes for the beans or even more. Will try to remember to soak next time, or do 30 minutes with a longer release. Was delicious otherwise.
★★★★★
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Love that it uses dry beans AND brown rice. Pinned this.
★★★★★
You’re very welcome, Ruth!
First recipe I made in my instant pot, FANTASTIC!!!! Thank you so much! So overwhelmed with using this new cooking method and this was such a relief when it turned out great! Very encouraging!!
★★★★★
GLad to hear it, Amy!
Which salsa should be used? Any fresh salsa from the store? Bottled stuff? Can some one make a good salsa recommendation ?
Either homemade or storebought will work! I usually just buy whatever is on sale 🙂
Pretty tasty recipe! I soaked the beans for 16 hours before cooking them and they came out perfectly. I feel like they’d be underdone without soaking. I also added some chopped onion, garlic, and bell pepper, chili powder, salt, and cumin. I otherwise followed the recipe. The rice and beans both came out well and it was flavorful, with added spices.
★★★★
I just did this recipe, all correct measurements, high pressure 25 min plus 10 natural release.
Kidney beans are still pretty hard!!! Why?
Hmmm… that is odd! Perhaps your pressure cooker did not have as good of a seal?
Oh no! Don’t use white rice with this 🙁 I didn’t have any brown rice on hand so I subbed, bad idea! lol don’t try y’all
White Rice has a much shorter cooking time than the beans, so yep – I would not recommend, it would probably turn to mush!
When do you start the timer? When it is at pressure, or from when you start the pot?
The pot automatically starts the timer once it is at pressure 🙂
Thank you for all your recipes and videos, you have been a vital part of my family becoming vegan, we just made 1 year. I may have missed it, but is there a way to make this recipe using an whole 1lb bag of beans, I try to make several meals once a week and it seems like only 1 1/4 cup wouldn’t be enough for the whole family. Additionally, we cook with soaked beans to release the toxins they release. Apologies if I’m asking for too much. Thanks
Hi Monet! You could definitely double or triple the recipe if you’d like to make a larger batch, you’ll just need to be careful that nothing burns on the bottom of the iPot. You could soak your beans ahead of time, but this will affect the amount of liquid needed as well as the cooking time. I haven’t tested this so unfortunately I can’t say for certain what to do here – I think you’ll have to do a little experimenting on your own!
I’ve made this a few times (and currently) always with pinto beans and it turns out great! It’s such an easy recipe and it’s nice to have a huge container for quick meals. I’ve put it in tacos, eaten it with chips or just out of a bowl. Thanks!
So glad you like it, Amber!
This was the bomb! We eat beans often since they’re cheap and make lots of leftovers, but I was tired of them not being done fully even after cooking all day in the crock pot so I bought an Instant Pot. This was the first recipe I tried in it — and what an amazing success it was! The beans were done just right, and as a bonus I didn’t have to dirty up my rice cooker. I’ll admit I made a few additions: some fresh jalapeños and a handful of dried arbol peppers, along with some chili powder and cumin. BUT, the basic recipe was an outstanding starting point. Thanks for this!
★★★★★
Wondering if leftovers can be frozen?
Yes, they can!
I’m amazed at just how flavorful and tasty this is for such a simple recipe! SO yummy!!
This was so easy and delicious!! Great for meal prep, and thanks for the awesome recipe!!
★★★★★
This is amazing, how long will it last in the refrigerator i am the only vegan and my meat eaters will not try it.
Should last about a week!
Thanks for the recipe.
Going to make this in the upcoming days.