Instant Pot Sausage and White Beans is total comfort food! Cook the beans from dry, no need to soak them. This is a smoky, flavorful, thick, rich pot of beans. You can even add some spinach or kale to bump up the nutrition. These pressure cooker sausage and beans recipe is a one-pot wonder!
Originally published 1/22/2018
Instant Pot Sausage and White Beans
I never get tired of eating beans, and cooking beans in the Instant Pot is truly a pleasure! They cook so much faster than any other method. If all I used this pressure cooker for was beans, it would still be worth it!
In this recipe for Instant Pot Sausage and White Beans I like to use kielbasa, for the smoky flavor. This sausage flavors the beans perfectly.
Adding fresh herbs, onion, garlic, and veggies takes this to a higher level! It just works to make this one-pot meal delicious as well as hearty.
You can use canned beans for this recipe, but they cook so fast you will want to reduce the cook time to about 4 minutes. Canned white beans tend to fall apart easier than other varieties.
If you decide you want to add in some fresh kale or baby spinach, add it in after the pressure cooking is finished. Just put several handfuls of the greens into the pot and stir into the beans.
The residual heat will wilt them to perfection!
Serve Instant Pot Sausage and White Beans with some crusty bread, and a side salad to make an even more complete meal.
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If you make this delicious Instant Pot beans and sausage, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I'd love to know how you liked it!
Instant Pot Sausage and White beans with smoky kielbasa or your favorite smoked sausage, onion, garlic, carrots, and white beans. A tasty pressure cooker sausage and beans favorite.
- 2 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 ½ lbs Smoked Kielbasa Sausage (or Smoked Turkey Sausage), sliced in 1" thick rounds
- 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
- 1 large Bay Leaf
- 4 Carrots, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 Celery Stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 4 sprigs Fresh Thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
- 1 4" long Sprig of Fresh Rosemary
- ¼ tsp Oregano, dried
- 4 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 6 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium (use 7 cups if you like it a little soupier)
- 1 lb Navy Beans,*** dry (rinsed & sorted). Or 2 cans of white beans*
- 3 cups Fresh Baby Spinach or Chopped Kale
- Salt to Taste (Add after cooking as it may not need it)
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Turn the pot on to the Sauté setting. Let it heat up and add the olive oil. Then add the sausage. Let it sit and brown a few minutes, then stir. Lightly brown all sides.
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Add the onion, bay leaf, carrots and celery. Stir and cook until the onion starts to turn translucent. Make sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pot (deglaze).
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Add the thyme, rosemary, oregano, and garlic. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
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Add the pepper, and broth. Stir, and then put a glass lid on the pot and let the contents come to a simmer.
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Once the broth is simmering, add the beans and stir. Put the pressure cooker lid on, lock in place, and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
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Cancel the sauté function and press Pressure Cook (or Manual) button or dial, and then the + or - button to choose 40 minutes.** High pressure.
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The pot may take 10 minutes or so to come to pressure, but since the contents are already hot, it will pressurize quicker. Once the cooking cycle has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 minute Natural Release).
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Next, turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining steam/pressure. Please use caution and do this in bursts at first.
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When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid, facing away from your face, and set aside. Use a long handled spoon to gently stir the beans. Taste a few to test for tenderness and for salt, and add salt if needed.
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If beans aren't tender enough (sometimes old beans take longer), just put the lid back on and cook them for 5 more minutes under pressure, and a 10 to 15 minute natural release.
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If you are adding spinach or kale, stir it into the beans after pressure cooking and let the pot sit for a few minutes until the greens are wilted and soft.
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Serve. These beans are very good with some buttered crusty bread!
*If you want to use canned white beans, rinse and drain them, add at the same time you would add the dry beans, and adjust broth to 4 cups, and cook time to 5 minutes, with a 10 minute natural release. Canned white beans are already soft, so they may break apart easily.
**If you soaked your beans for at least 8 hours, adjust cook time to 25 minutes.
***Old beans will take longer to cook, so if you think yours may be old, soak them or prepare for a longer cook time.
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Rose
If I soak the beans overnight, do I need to decrease the amount of broth used in this recipe?
Sandy
Yes. Decrease by at least 1 cup.
Jenn G
5-stars!!!
I made this last night for dinner using a turkey sausage cut in thick chunks as you mentioned and added a bag of fresh spinach at the end. Turned out perfect!! I will definitely make this soup again!
Jenny
Hi looking for to make this tonight! What size instant pot is the recipe measured for? I have the 3 qt pot.
Thanks!
Sandy
I made it for the 3 qt. You can cut the recipe down by 1/3, but keep the cook time the same.
Maria
Great flavors but cook time is OFF. It takes at least 50 mins cook time or else your beans are undercooked and you need to keep re-cooking. I tried it again with thick chunks of ham and it turned out much better than sausage (which is like rubber after sautee plus 40+ mins at high pressure) and ham was great but you could even make it vegetarian and it would still be good. You’ll likely also want to add broth at the end & definitely chopped kale
Sandy
Your beans may have been old, which do take a little longer to cook (see recipe notes). I have never had the sausage become rubbery, but that could depend on the brand, and how large the pieces are cut.
Christina
This was delicious and even better the next day! It reminds me of the Campbell's bean with bacon soup but like 100 times better!
Christina
This was delicious and even better the next day! It reminds me of the Campbell's bean with bacon soup but like 100 times better!
Cheryl
40 minutes at high pressure, won't the sausage turn to mush after that long? Making this tonight
Sandy
Not if you cut the rounds 3/4" thick. I have made this many times and the sausage is perfect every time, thank goodness! Nobody has told me otherwise. I hop you like it!