Learn how to cook basic white beans in the Instant Pot with or without soaking. For this specific recipe, we cooked Great Northern Beans in Instant Pot, which are medium-sized white beans and we cooked from dry beans.
Course Appetizer or Side
Cuisine healthy, Italian
Keyword dry beans, Great Northern beans White beans in Instant Pot, Instant Pot White Beans, Beans, Instant Pot Bean Recipes, Instant Pot Beans, White Beans
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Pressurizing/Release 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Calories 168kcal
Ingredients
1cupdry white beanssuch as Great Northern or Cannellini, see Note 1
3.5cupswater see Note 2
1teaspoonsalt
Optional for flavor
1garlic clove
1bay leaf
Instructions
Rinse the beans, and add them to the Instant Pot with enough water or broth to cover them, plus a little more, in our case about 3.5 cups.
Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH and adjust the timer to 30 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
Once done, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes, then you can let out the remaining pressure manually using the quick release.
Notes
Note 1. We used Great Northern which are medium size white beans. Cannellini are slightly larger, so you will need to add 5 more minutes. For smaller white beans, you may be able to cook in 25 minutes.
Note 2. The water to dry bean ratio is about 1 cup of beans to 3.5 cups of water (or broth). For soaked beans, you can use a 1:2.5 ratio as they will be partially rehydrated.
In both methods, adding stock and seasonings like herbs, garlic, or onions can infuse the beans with more flavor as they cook.
Cooking times for dry beans: 25-30 minutes for small to medium beans; 35-40 minutes to medium to large beans. Natural release for 15 minutes or longer.
Soaked beans: once soaked for 8 hours or longer, drain and rinse. Cook with water or broth (1:2.5 cup ratio) for 8-10 minutes for small to medium beans and 10-12 minutes for larger white beans. Natural release for 15 minutes or longer.
Natural release prevents the beans from splitting too much and gives them a little more time to cook evenly.