This Instant Pot Homemade BBQ Baked Beans recipe will show you how to make baked beans from scratch and with no soaking. Ditch those canned pork n beans for dried navy beans or pinto beans. Feel free to add ground beef, bacon, or brisket.
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This post was originally published in 2019. It has since been updated.
FOR THE FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS AND COMPREHENSIVE INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST. BEFORE YOU SCROLL, THERE'S IMPORTANT INFORMATION IN THIS BLOG POST.
Baked beans are a staple for us in the summer months. What better way to make this classic recipe, than in the Instant Pot. You don't have to use your oven and heat up the whole house!
The best way to make beans is using a pressure cooker. I love that you don't have to soak!
Are Baked Beans Already Cooked?
Most baked beans recipes call for canned beans or canned pork n beans. I have even seen Instant Pot recipes used canned beans. There's really no need to with an Instant Pot. Let it do all of the work.
Canned beans are usually loaded in sodium. Some brands also have unhealthy additives. You can read more about Are Canned Beans Healthy here.
What Type of Beans to Use
Navy and pinto beans are the most common. You can even use Great Northern Beans.
How to Make Baked Beans in the Instant Pot
Detailed serving sizes and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- First, cook the beans in the Instant Pot with chicken broth.
- Remove the beans and rinse.
- Cook bacon in the Instant Pot and then saute garlic and onions in the pot.
- Add the cooked beans back to the pot with bbq sauce, ketchup, brown sweetener, chili powder, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper.
- Saute until the sauce thickens.
Cook Time/How Long to Cook
You can prepare these beans in the Instant Pot on 25 minutes of High-Pressure. You will also need an additional 20 minutes of natural release of steam.
If you choose to soak the beans, soak for 8-16 hours (overnight). Rinse the beans and cook for 20 minutes with 15 minutes of natural release of steam.
Baked Beans Ingredients
I've seen several variations of southern baked beans. The thing that remains the same, is that most recipes include brown sugar and a form of meat such as bacon, ground beef, and at Jack Stack here in Kansas City, they add tender brisket. Feel free to add what you wish!
I like for my baked beans to be sweet with a slight tang. I have seen some recipes call for yellow mustard, which will give the beans a little more tang. If that's what you are going for, feel free to add a teaspoon, taste, and adjust as necessary.
How Many Cups of Beans Are in a Pound?
One pound of beans is about 6 cups.
How to Thicken the Sauce
I thicken the sauce by placing the lid of the Instant Pot over the cooked baked beans. I let them sit for about 10 minutes and they thicken right up. If you like them thicker, you can try making a slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water. Combine them in a bowl first and add it to the mixture.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze baked beans for up to 6 months. To reheat, defrost the beans in the fridge overnight. Reheat the beans on the stove for 10 minutes. Read more about How to Freeze Baked Beans here.
Recipe Tips
- The way to get amazing tasting beans, that taste the way YOU want them to taste is to taste repeatedly throughout the cooking process. If you like sweet beans, use more sugar. If you like your beans to have a tang, add a little yellow mustard or apple cider vinegar.
- The BBQ sauce is the star of this dish. Use your favorite BBQ sauce. Most sauces are loaded in sugar, so be cognizant of that if you want a healthy version. Here is the recipe for my Low-Carb Unsweetened Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe above.
- Feel free to add whatever meat you like. Here in Kansas City, this dish is often prepared with BBQ brisket.
If you would rather use canned beans, check out my Southern Baked Beans recipe.
Main Dishes to Pair
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Chicken
Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Instant Pot Southern Potato Salad
Air Fryer Ribs
More Southern Recipes and Side Dishes
Southern Coleslaw
Air Fryer Hush Puppies
Southern Soul Food Baked Mac and Cheese
Instant Pot Southern Green Beans
Instant Pot Collard Greens
Instant Pot Potato Salad
Southern Mustard Greens
Southern Homemade Cornbread
Instant Pot Homemade BBQ Baked Beans
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also get our free digital cookbook with 30-Minute One-Pot Recipes and weekly recipes and tips.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 16 oz dried navy beans or pinto beans I used navy beans.
- 4 slices bacon Cut into 1 inch cubes.
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-4 tablespoons brown sweetener or sugar
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth to the pot with the dried beans. You can also use water, but broth has more flavor.
- Cook the beans on Manual > High-Pressure Cooking for 25 minutes.
- When the pot indicate it has finished, allow steam to release naturally for 25 minutes.
- Open the pot, drain the beans and rinse them.
- Place the Instant Pot on the Saute function and add the sliced bacon. Cook the bacon until browned on both sides. Remove the bacon from the pot. Drain the fat from the bacon, but reserve about a teaspoon of fat in the Instant Pot.
- Add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
- Add the beans back to the pot with the bbq sauce, ketchup, half of the cooked bacon, chili powder, brown sweetener, liquid smoke, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently so the pot does not scorch.
- Turn the Instant Pot off the Saute function. Allow the beans to cool for 2-3 minutes.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot for 10 minutes. This will thicken up the mixture.
- Serve and top with the remaining half of cooked bacon.
Video
Notes
- The way to get amazing tasting beans, that taste the way YOU want them to taste is to taste repeatedly throughout the cooking process. If you like sweet beans, use more sugar. If you like your beans to have a tang, add a little yellow mustard or apple cider vinegar.
- The BBQ sauce is the star of this dish. Use your favorite BBQ sauce. Most sauces are loaded in sugar, so be cognizant of that if you want a healthy version. I have linked my Unsweetened BBQ sauce recipe above.
- If you like your beans soft to the point they are mushy, you can pressure cook them for 10 minutes after adding the BBQ sauce and remaining ingredients. You may encounter the Burn signal, depending on which Instant Pot model you have. If so, you will have to add additional liquid to the pot (i.e. chicken broth) and afterward, you will have to thicken up the mixture. See notes below on thickening.
- You can add the beans to a 375 degrees oven for 10 minutes if you wish.
- Feel free to add whatever meat you like. Here in Kansas City, this dish is often prepared with BBQ brisket.
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Barbara says
I am a heart attack survivor and type 2 diabetic. I would love low to no sodium and very low to no sugar recipes. These have to be tasty. After my heart attack my daughter, who is a dietitian, made a ton of meals for me. They were so tastless that it was hard to eat them. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
staysnatched says
Hi there! You should definitely check out the brown sweetener I link in the recipe. It tastes great and should work well for diabetics.
Fitoru says
This instant pot baked beans recipe, looks delicious. Nice content, good read and informative. Learn a lot of stuff today.
staysnatched says
Thank you! Enjoy the recipe!
Crystal Mchughs says
These are so simple and delicious! You always coming through with that fire!!
staysnatched says
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed them?
Alisan Horton says
These were so good! My boyfriend requested baked beans today, and after tasting them, told me to make them like this every time. They were so easy to make. I won’t be going back to the cans anytime soon. Thank you! You killed it again!
staysnatched says
You're welcome! Yay! No canned beans.
Rebekah A. says
These are really good! I make them with beef since I don't eat pork, and the whole family loves em!
Can you double the recipe? What would the cooking times be? Thank you!
staysnatched says
I haven't tried doubling it, but typically the cook time is the same. You can try testing it out, and adjust the cook time if necessary.
Rayanna Reed says
If you don’t have a Instant pot what else could you use?!
staysnatched says
A regular pot. You can search for stovetop baked beans on Google.
Melinda says
Thank you! This recipe is soooo good! The flavor is divine. One thing: I used pinto beans, and forgot to double check the IP time *and* I didn't taste them before starting the sauce, so totally my bad. Pintos take more like 30-32 minutes in the IP. I ended up doing what you said, and cooked a little longer after making the sauce. OMG sooo delicious.
staysnatched says
Wonderful! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Erin says
This is a great recipe! Added some ground beef but otherwise followed the recipe. Soooo much better and healthier than the mushy canned beans! Made plenty for a family get together and had leftovers. I got several compliments from my family. This was my first time making beans in the instant pot and they were a little firmer than I like so I next time I will either do a few extra minutes in the IP or soak overnight instead.
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Coby says
So delicious! I love the sweet and smoky flavor! I will definitely be making these again!
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed them!
Deborah says
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! The beans were so delicious and easy to prepare - I can’t see myself using canned beans again! Thank you too for being my go-to person for air fryer recipes!
staysnatched says
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed them.
Anonymous says
The flavor was incredible. Very pleased with this recipe, thank you! The only issue I had was the beans were not as soft as I would have like them. I had to run them through a few cycles but will try the slow cooker method next time. Thanks again! Marvelous.
staysnatched says
I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Ashley says
Made these for a potluck as an easily portable option, and they were fantastic! The sweet and smoky combo is perfect! Thanks for another great recipe!
staysnatched says
I'm glad they worked for the potluck!