How to make perfect navy beans in the Instant pot every time! Budget friendly, made in about 2 hours, no soaking required!
Cooking dried navy beans has never been easier and more convenient. When you pressure cook navy beans they cook evenly and it doesn't matter if you forget to soak them overnight the day before (hello, it's me).
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Taste: Mild, savory flavored beans with a medium soft texture.
- Ease: Beginner level, just mix the water, seasoning, and rinsed beans together and set the pot to cook. No soaking required!
- Time: About 15 minutes for the pot to come to temperature, 40 minutes to cook, and 30ish minutes to natural release.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Dried navy beans - I do one pound at a time so that they cook evenly, use some of the beans, and freeze the rest in some of the liquid.
- Water - I use a little more than called for in package directions so that the beans cook evenly.
- Seasoning - I use chicken bouillon so I don't need to use salt, but the beans still have enough flavor to eat by themselves, but are mild enough to use in other recipes. A little bit of fresh cracked black pepper is also delicious!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Delicious flavor enhancers like garlic, onion, and bay leaf work well with navy beans. I like to keep it simple since I usually use them in other recipes.
- Use Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth instead of water for more flavor! Just half the amount of chicken bouillon.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. Rinse the dried beans in water and pick out any shriveled beans or rocks. Sometimes there's little ones in there! Drain the water out. No need to dry the beans.
- Step 2. Fill the instant pot with the rinsed beans, clean water, and chicken bouillon.
- Step 3. Set the Instant pot to high pressure for 40 minutes, and make sure the valve is set to "seal". I cook the beans for 30 minutes if I plan to use them in a slow cooker recipe like white chicken chili so that they don't turn to mush.
- Step 4. When it finishes cooking, let it natural release, 20-30 minutes until the float valve drops. This helps prevent the beans from bursting. It takes almost 2 hours from start to finish, so plan accordingly!
TIP: Allow the beans a full natural pressure release for the softest beans. Allowing them time to release slowly will help prevent them from bursting. You can natural release anywhere from 15-30 minutes, the longer you wait the more likely you won't have burst beans.
| Beans | Liquid | Soaking | Cook Time (High Pressure) | Release Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 lb navy beans | 8 cups water or broth | No soak | 30–40 minutes | Natural Release (15–20 min) |
| 1 lb navy beans | 8 cups water or broth | Pre-soaked (8 hrs) | 10–15 minutes | Natural Release (10–15 min) |
📌 Troubleshooting
- Undercooked beans? Cook them for another 5-10 minutes. Keep in mind that for some slow cooker recipes you use them in you'll want a firmer bean anyway, so it's okay if they're a little undercooked.
- Mushy Beans? Make sure you don't pre-soak or use more than 8 cups of water.
Storage, Freezing, & Make-Ahead
Refrigerate: 5-7 days, longer when stored in cooking liquid.
Freeze: up to 3 months. I portion them into 2 cup freezer bags to use for recipes later!
Meal Prep - Making 1 pound of beans allows me to use them for 2-3 recipes, I have a few of my favorites in this post below! You can use them in soup, chili, added into salads, or as a quick high protein, high fiber, nutrient dense snack.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just make sure there is about 1 cup of liquid in the bottom of the instant pot before thawing them. 5-10 minutes on high pressure should do it!
Before cooking so that the salt can soak into the beans as they cook for flavor.
Yes you can, but it's best to add things like onion, garlic, or ½ teaspoon baking soda to help balance the acidity so it doesn't affect the cooking time. I would add the tomatoes after cooking just to be safe.
Depends! Pre-soaking beans requires rinsing them and 8-10 hours of soaking overnight, which can result in nice soft beans once cooked. This recipe is no soak and is much quicker and can be cooked to a firm or soft texture depending on what you need them for.
Ways to use Navy Beans
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Instant Pot Navy Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried navy beans
- 8 cups water or chicken broth 1.9 L
- 2 Tablespoons chicken bouillon
Instructions
- Wash beans in water and remove any shriveled beans or rocks, then drain.
- Put beans, clean water (8 cups), and chicken bouillon into the Instant Pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 40 minutes, making sure the valve is set to "seal".
- After the beans cook, let the pot natural release for 20-30 minutes. This will help prevent the beans from bursting. Drain as much liquid off of the beans as you'd like, and use, refrigerate, or freeze.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Sara says
So easy to make and meal prep for chili and soup. I like to make it and keep it portioned in quart freezer bags ready to use when I need them!