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Instant Pot Baked Beans served in a vintage baking dish with a wooden serving spoon.
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5 from 1 vote

Southern Baked Beans

This from-scratch Southern Baked Bean Recipe requires no soaking and is all cooked to sweet and smoky perfection right in the Instant Pot.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 521kcal
Author: Jeremy Klae

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Dried Navy Beans
  • 8 Cups Water - for initial bean cook
  • 3 Tbsp. Salted Butter
  • 1 lb Thick Cut Bacon - diced
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion - diced
  • 1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
  • 2 Cups Water - reserved from beans
  • 1 Cup Ketchup
  • ½ Cup Molasses
  • ½ Cup Pure Maple Syrup
  • ¼ Cup Dark Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tsp. Liquid Smoke

Instructions

  • Place the dried pinto beans into the with 8 cups of water. Secure the lid and set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. Once the beans are done cooking, allow for a 10-minute natural release, and then manually release the remaining pressure.
  • Drain the beans reserving 2 cups of the bean water and set both aside.
  • Set the Instant Pot to Sauté on high for 15 minutes and add the diced bacon and salted butter, sautéing for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the diced onions and garlic stirring to combine thoroughly.
  • Continue sautéing the mixture until the bacon begins to crisp up, the onions soften, and the garlic is fragrant.
  • Pour in the reserved bean water and deglaze the bottom of the pot.
  • Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir them all together.
  • Place the beans back into the Instant Pot with the baked beans sauce and stir until the beans are completely covered.
  • Secure the lid to the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Once the cooking process is complete, allow for a 5-minute natural release, then manually release any remaining pressure. (See Notes)

Video

Notes

  • Pre-cooking the beans is very important. The other ingredients would burn in the instant pot otherwise. It also produces much better results than soaking them overnight.
  • It may not sound like it, but the water you cook those beans absorbs a lot of flavor. So it's essential to reserve that water when cooking them with the ingredients.
  • If you get the burn error at any point during that last ten-minute cook, don't panic. Press cancel, release the pressure, stir the beans, and set the instant pot to sauté on low.
  • Leave the lid off and let the sauce thicken to your desired texture. I let mine sit for about 20 minutes before placing the top back on. Once ready, secure the lid, set it to keep warm high, and serve whenever the rest of dinner is prepared.

Nutrition

Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 607mg | Potassium: 1024mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 253IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 145mg | Iron: 4mg