Instant Pot Homemade BBQ Baked Beans

instant pot baked beans with bacon in a blue bowl

Instant Pot Homemade BBQ Baked Beans

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.

Course dinner, lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot baked beans, instant pot bbq baked beans, instant pot no soak beans

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings

Calories 183kcal

Author Brandi Crawford

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
1/2 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.

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 2g