One of my 2023 highlights was finally getting called up to the big show — that is, officially receiving my invitation into the Rancho Gordo Bean Club1. I’d been a fan for a while, but once I was off the Bean Club waitlist, the need to cook through my dried bean collection skyrocketed.
I can’t argue with the convenience of canned beans, but the texture and taste of cooked dried beans is really a game-changer.
This has been especially true as I’ve transitioned us into a mostly vegetarian and plant-based meal routine over the past few years. With beans as one of our regular protein sources, I’m thrilled to have beans that are flavorful and toothsome instead of boring and bland.2
A lot of people believe that cooking dried beans can be time-consuming and finicky — and yes, that can be true if you don’t have the time or patience to allow them to simmer for an hour or two on the stove.
But if you own a multicooker, like an Instant Pot, you don’t need to wait hours to have a bowl of tender, well-seasoned beans at your disposal.
Honestly, in most cases, you don’t even need to bother with pre-soaking your beans. And if that already blows your mind, well, get ready for more revelations from the dried bean department.
Here’s my comprehensive primer on cooking dried beans in the Instant Pot / multicooker so you, too, can feel the bean magic.
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