Pressure Cooker Red Beans, Creamy and Southern Style.
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I really don’t think that you could get more southern than beans. Unless you’re counting seafood, but that’s another matter. Beans are just a southern staple. They’re cheap, pretty foolproof, and delicious. But, every person who’s ever cooked beans knows that they’re not exactly quick.
When you’re cooking red beans, you’ve got to take into account if you plan on soaking the beans, not soaking the beans, the meat you plan on cooking with, or no meat, f they’re gonna be a main dish, or a side dish. All of these things factor into the already long cooking time.
But thankfully, all of that doesn’t matter anymore, because I can cook beans in as fast as 45 minutes- and no longer than about an hour and a half. Instant Pot to the rescue again! These Pressure Cooker Red Beans are cooked southern style, so they’re creamy and delicious. You’d never know that you didn’t spend all day cooking them!
I’ll be honest, we don’t cook a lot of lentils around here. It’s just not my favorite thing. I believe that a meal isn’t complete without ALL portions of the food triangle being filled. So, I really would rather eat them as a side dish unless I’m running short on time, ingredients, or even just will-power.
Once again, something amazing about this recipe, like many of our other Pressure Cooker Recipes, this pressure cooker red beans and rice can be changed/altered all depending on what you’ve got on hand. Another great thing, white beans are basically the same. So, if you’re outta reds, go with whites.
It doesn’t matter if you forget to soak beforehand, we’ve got you taken care of! It’s all in the cooking time. Although, each time we cook beans, the cooking times seem to never be exact. Maybe it has something to do with the way they process the beans or something. Who knows?
Look, I can be truthful with you guys because you’re my people. I’m a southern girl and don’t get into all the specs unless I’m trying to get a recipe together for you guys. But mainly, I just wing it in the kitchen. Ain’t nobody got time for all that measurin’.
Here’s a trick. If you meal plan or do any kind of planning ahead, then you should be able to soak your beans overnight (which is what I suggest). But, it doesn’t hinder the flavor whether you do or not. It just softens the shells so it makes for faster cooking pressure cooker red beans. If you can soak, you’ll only need to cook your beans for about 30-45 minutes.
If you don’t get to soak, you’ll want to cook for about 1 to 1.5 hours. It just depends on how your beans decide that they want to cook, and how much water that you put in them. Which brings me to my next point, water. You’ll need more/less water depending on which method you choose.
To cook Instant Pot red beans with soaking, you’ll want to cover your beans with water overnight and then add more water before cooking. If you’re cooking your pressure cooker red beans without soaking, then you may have to add more water while cooking. Depending on how much water your beans soak up and how fast they cook.
But you’ll find all that out on our recipe card below. Another big tip? We have a Facebook Community with fellow potheads that love their Pressure Cookers as much as you! If you want to join, just click this link and ask! Pressure Cooker Family Recipes Facebook Group.
Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Instant Pot to the rescue again! These Pressure Cooker Red Beans are cooked southern style, so they're creamy and delicious. You'd never know that you didn't spend all day cooking them!
Ingredients
- 1 lb red beans
- 8 oz sausage, ham, or meat of preference will suffice
- 4-6 cups water
- 1 small onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 stick butter
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Instructions
- If you plan to soak your beans, start here and follow all steps.
- If you do not plan on soaking your beans, start at Step 8.
- SOAK METHOD: If you can, soak your beans overnight or for at least a few hours. Just put them in a bowl and cover them with water about an inch over (should be about 4 cups).
- When you are ready to cook your beans, you'll want to start by browning your sausage. Because we're cooking the sausage with the beans, you'll want to really make it crisp so that it isn't overly soggy by the time the beans are done. (If you chose ham, skip this step)
- Once the sausage is fairly browned, add in your onion. Cook until soft (about 3 minutes).
- Add beans and all seasonings, then cover everything by about an inch with water. (about another 2 cups)
- Close and lock the lid of your pressure cooker and cook on HI pressure for 45 minutes. Let the pot perform a 5-minute natural release, then check the beans. If they are dry, add a little water. If they aren't soft enough, cook in 15-minute intervals until desired consistency.
- At this point, I like to take out about 1/2 a cup of beans and really mash them good (you'll see that in a photo above). After I mash them, I add them back to the pot with my butter and then stir. If they aren't creamy enough, I mash more until I'm happy. Serve over rice and/or with cornbread and enjoy!
- NO SOAK METHOD: When you are ready to cook your beans, you'll want to start by browning your sausage. Because we're cooking the sausage with the beans, you'll want to really make it crisp so that it isn't overly soggy by the time the beans are done. (If you chose ham, skip this step)
- Once the sausage is fairly browned, add in your onion. Cook until soft (about 3 minutes).
- Add beans and all seasonings, then cover everything by about an inch with water (about 4 cups).
- Close and lock lid. Cook on HI pressure for 1 hour. The beans will not be done at this point, but you are checking to see if they require more water. If the beans are not covered, add water until they are covered.
- Close and lock lid and cook on HI pressure again for 20 minutes. At this point, you can do a manual release (quick release).
- Your pressure cooker red beans should be fully cooked, but if not, continue cooking in 15-minute intervals until they reach your desired taste.
- At this point, I like to take out about 1/2 a cup of beans and really mash them good (you'll see that in a photo above). After I mash them, I add them back to the pot with my butter and stir. If they aren't creamy enough, I mash more until I'm happy. Serve over rice and/or with cornbread and enjoy!
