This is a recipe for Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Mexican Chorizo. Flavored with New Mexico Chile Powder, onion, bay leaves and tomatoes, this is a meal in itself, or a side dish for your Mexican themed dinner.
Six months into it, my Instant Pot is still proving to be a fabulous little Christmas Gift.
I’ve been using it at least once a week and sometimes more. I’m finding it has a very useful role in my cooking routine, and performs some tasks better than stove top, oven or slow cooker.
I love how it works with starch, it cooks pastas beautifully. My favorite recipe so far has been Instant Pot Chicken Chipotle Mac and Cheese. Holy cow was this recipe a good one…a “couldn’t stop eating good one”.
It can also be a life saver for cooking dried beans. I’ve used my Instant Pot to cook several different kinds of beans, dried black beans, dried red kidney beans and now pinto beans.
Each variety needed no pre-soaking and cooked up beautifully in a pressure cooker situation.
And I adore using it to make Instant Pot Refried Beans.
Until now and pre-instant pot, I’ve always used my slow cooker to cook dried beans. It works great for a hands-off all day simmer.
This recipe for Bolita Beans with Red Wine, Smoked Paprika and Jalapeno is a great example and I’ll always use the slow cooker method for this recipe. For no other reason than I know it works well.
But you can’t beat the luxury of a quicker cook time cooking beans with the pressure cooker.
For instance if you decide you want beans for a side dish for dinner at 3:00 in the afternoon using an Instant Pot, you can have your dried bean side dish on the table that evening. Nice.
These beans are super flavorful and creamy, soaking up savory goodness from the Mexican chorizo and the bay leaf. And some beautiful spice from the New Mexico chile powder. And the best part about it, it’s quick and easy.
The beans are made by cooking the chorizo and onion in the Instant Pot by using the saute feature.
The beans, broth and seasonings are then added and cooked on manual pressure cook for 35 minutes. The tomatoes are added after the beans are tender.
Serving Suggestion for Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Mexican Chorizo:
- Serve these beans with tortilla chips and scoop them up like a dip.
- Serve the beans over a bowl of rice or with warmed flour tortillas, with optional toppings like cheese, cilantro, green onions, or a finely diced red onion.
Serve them as a side dish with main course meals like:
- Hatch Green Chile Chicken Burgers
- Chicken Enchiladas with Spinach, Mushrooms and Tomatillo Cream Sauce
- Orange Spiced Pork Tacos
Recipe for Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Mexican Chorizo
I hope you give this Mexican pinto bean recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.
Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite pressure cooker bean recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Mexican Chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1/2 pound Mexican Chorizo bulk
- 1 Sweet onion Rough chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic pressed in a garlic press
- 2 cups Dry pinto beans
- 2 Bay leaves
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon New Mexico Chimayo Chile Powder or Ancho
- 15 ounce can Diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- With fingers, tear the chorizo into small chunks. Add it to the instant pot along with the cooking oil. Press the Sauté button, then the Adjust button to select the “less” temperature setting.
- Sauté the chorizo in the oil, without a lid, until it becomes slightly crispy on the edges.
- Once the chorizo is almost fully cooked, add the onion and continue to sauté until the onions are soft and transparent. Add the garlic.
- Add the beans and bay leaves to the pot and wait a moment to let the beans absorb some of the heat and prevent the broth from splattering when it hits the hot pot.
- Add the New Mexico Chimayo Chile Powder, or Ancho Chili Powder.
- Add the broth to the pot, stir briefly to combine, then place the lid on the Instant Pot. Make sure the steam valve is in the closed position. Close the Press the Manual button, select high pressure (if not selected automatically), Set the time button to 35 minutes.
- Allow the beans have cooked 35 minute, then let the pressure release naturally (you’ll know the pressure has released when the silver float valve has fallen back down and is no longer flush with the top of the lid).
- Once the pressure has released. Press the steam release and remove the lid. Discard the bay leaf. Add the canned diced tomatoes with all their juices, then stir to combine.
- Press the cancel button to cancel the “keep warm” function, then press the Sauté button and use the Adjust button to select the “normal” heat level. Let the mixture simmer, stirring often, until the beans are very tender and the liquid has thickened.
- Stir in the cider vinegar and remove to a serving bowl.
- Serve the beans with tortillas, tortilla chips, or over a bowl of rice, and with optional toppings like cheese, cilantro, green onions, or finely diced red onion.
Notes
Nutrition
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This maybe the best bean recipe I have ever used. I have made it several times, this time I substituted dried Cranberry beans, it is still a winner.
Thanks for a great recipe!
Suzanne – what a compliment. Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to let me know. And I’m so glad it worked with cranberry beans. I’ll try it next time. Have a delicious day!
Hi, I made these and they were delicious! However, my beans weren’t quite cooked all the way–I would have liked them softer. Next time, I will let them cook for an additional 5 minutes (is that enough?) or if I’m really organized, I might soak them over night.
LEA, these recipes look great! It’s awesome to see so many delicious recipes in one place.
Sounds like the instant pot is really working out for you. You’re making some dynamite dishes! I just happened to have pressure cooked a pot of pintos yesterday to eat on this week and used all of your ingredients minus the tomatoes and chorizo. So that will be easy to add for a great meal tomorrow. Nice looking bowl of beans Lea Ann.
Looks wonderful. I love my pressure cooker. At this altitude I can’t cook dried beans without it.
Perfect for summer outdoor events
Lea Ann, I’m not one to jump on any bandwagons, but you ARE tempting me to jump on the Instant Pot bandwagon. I’ve resisted so far, but you are someone whose opinion counts with me! And I’ll take a big bowl of these beans too!
FInally! The instapot! Manservant loves pintos. Must be his Texas roots. Though I still don’t have THE POT you can bet I will still attempt this recipe! Yummy!
I will totally be making these pinto beans! I use a Cuckoo, rather than an IP, and will fill her up w/your goodliness! xo
I’ve made loads of Mexican-style bean dishes, but have never included chorizo for some reason. I should — love the stuff! And in an Instant Pot? How easy! Good recipe — thanks.