Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans are mostly authentic and delicious! These flavorful pressure cooker Cuban black beans are great as a side dish, or serve with rice for a main dish. Cuban black beans made from dry beans are so easy in the pressure cooker!
Originally published on 6/06/2019
Black Beans in the Instant Pot
Black beans are more popular than ever. It's no wonder as they are delicious in so many recipes. Black beans are widely available, too.
Today I'm sharing a mostly authentic Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans recipe made in the electric pressure cooker.
I use my Instant Pot® for beans often. I pretty much never soak the beans, and they always come out perfect!
It's fine if you do soak them, that just cuts down on the cook time and amount of water you have to add.
Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans are an easy dump and start recipe. You don't even have to chop up the veggies!
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian: For a vegetarian version, be sure to use water or veggie broth. Consider adding additional vegetables like sweet potatoes or carrots for extra flavor and nutrition.
- Meaty: Add a meat such as smoky bacon, chorizo, or ham hocks into the recipe. These additions will infuse the beans with a yummy smoky flavor.
- Spicy: If you'd like some more heat, consider adding a sprinkle of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the recipe. This will give your Cuban black beans a nice spicy twist.
- Toppings: Top with sour cream or yogurt, cilantro, tomatoes, avocado, pickled jalapeños, hot sauce, or whatever you like!
Beans for Meal Prep
Consider making a larger batch of Cuban black beans and storing them in single-serve containers. This way, you'll have a quick and tasty meal option ready whenever you need it.
Storing Cooked Black Beans
• Refrigeration: Once your Cuban Black Beans have cooled, transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
• Freezing: Portion the cooled black beans into individual servings and put into freezer-safe containers. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you want to enjoy them, simply thaw and reheat.
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For a delicious and convenient recipe that captures the essence of Cuban cuisine, InstaPot Cuban Black Beans is the perfect choice. The warm flavors, easy prep, and fun recipe variations make this dish a winner!
If you make these delicious Instant Pot black beans, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I'd like to know how you liked this recipe!
Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans are mostly authentic and so delicious! These super flavorful pressure cooker Cuban black beans are great as a side dish, or serve with rice for a main dish.
- 1 lb Black Beans, unsoaked, rinsed
- 1 lg Yellow Onion, whole
- 2 Jalapeños, deseeded
- 8 cloves Garlic, leave whole
- 2 Bell Peppers, 1 green and 1 red, whole
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3-4 cups Vegetable Broth*, low sodium (or Chicken Broth)
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt (or more to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- ⅓ cup Olive Oil
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Prepare the vegetables:
Peel the onion, but leave it whole. Cut the jalapeños in half and scrape out the seeds. Peel the garlic and leave the cloves whole. Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and shake out the seeds. Leave them uncut.
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Add the beans, onion, jalapeños, garlic, bell peppers, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and chicken broth to the inner liner pot of the pressure cooker. Make sure the beans are submerged.
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Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 25 minutes. High Pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
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When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure.
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When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
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Remove the cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Discard.
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Spoon out the onion, jalapeños, garlic and bell peppers. Put them into a blender, along with about ¼ cup of the beans and ¼ cup of the liquid from the pot.
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Carefully blend until smooth. Pour mixture into the pot and stir.
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Add the salt, sugar, and olive oil. Stir.
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Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position. Set cook time for 10 minutes, high pressure. After cooking, let naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release the remaining pressure.
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Serve hot, over rice or alone.
*3-4 cups, depending on how "soupy" you like your beans.
Gene Diaz
These is not an Authentic Cuban Black bean recipe . You dont put cinamon or Sea weeb in the beans
IF anything you use Brown Sugar
Sandy
I know, and I say so in the first sentence of the post. I will say though, there are two Cuban women I know who use the kelp. That's how I learned it.
Anna Byrd
Delicious! Easy and straightforward. I’m eating it right now and am thrilled. Thanks!
Jack
The beans tasted great. I was worried that the sugar would possibly make them too sweet for me, but the flavors were spot on.
Sarah Mraz
Mine ended up like soup. Any ideas? I know I used the exact amounts per the recipe.
Sandy
They are pretty soupy. The liquid is great for rice. You can cut the broth by 1 cup when you make them if you want less. I made a note.
Catherine S
Star rating isn't working for me, but I would give these 5 stars! I did not have kombu so I just left it out. These black beans are super flavorful! Putting some in the blender to puree makes them more "restaurant" quality. They were super simple to make. I did have turn my pressure cooker back on and cook for about 5 or 6 minutes more because my beans were still pretty firm the first time. Since my pot was hot, it didn't take any time to come to pressure. I will definitely be making these black beans again!
Karen
Delicious! Super creamy and lots of flavor.
Diana Valdemar
I don't have kombu but I have sea kelp (flakes) so how much of that should I use in place of the strip of komgu?
Sandy
I don't think I would use the flakes as they would be difficult to discard after pressure cooking. Unless you could wrap them in cheesecloth. You can just omit the kelp. It will still be delicious!