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Homemade Baked Beans with crisp bacon are so easy to make in the Instant Pot! The flavor and texture are amazing and no soaking is required! The perfect combination of navy beans, bacon, fresh vegetables, pure maple syrup, sauces and spices come together in this mouth watering recipe that feeds a crowd.
If you’re making these for a summer potluck and want to bring a second dish to share, you’ll love my Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing, Cowboy Caviar, or my Grilled Corn Salad.
Why this recipe works so well:
- No soak! Most homemade bean recipes made with dry beans require a 12 hour soak to soften the beans. Not when you cook them in the Instant Pot!
- Crisp bacon – The best beans are cooked with fat, and what’s better than bacon fat. You’ll find that other baked bean recipes with bacon cook the beans with the bacon, but that makes the bacon soft. By cooking the beans in the bacon grease and adding in the crisp bacon at the end, it stays wonderfully crisp and delicious.
- Incredible flavor – There are a million different baked bean recipes out there and the ingredients vary wildly, so you’ll just have to trust that this is the perfect combination of salty sweet and savory with the best texture.
- Feed a crowd – This recipe makes A LOT of baked beans, so it’s a great potluck recipe or any leftovers can easily be frozen.
Ingredients needed to make this recipe:
- Navy beans – one bag of dried beans. I’ve also seen baked beans made with pinto beans, but navy beans are the best.
- Bacon – Look for a delicious bacon – it is worth it.
- Bell pepper and onion – these get cooked in the bacon fat!
- Pure maple syrup, BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce, yellow mustard, and a bit of water – these all make the baked bean sauce and is the perfect amount of liquid for cooking in the Instant Pot.
- Chili powder, salt and pepper are all the seasonings you will need.
How to make Instant Pot Baked Beans:
Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.
- Partially cook the beans – The dried beans, lots of water, and a bit of salt are partially cooked in the Instant Pot. When done, they are to be drained and rinsed.
- Prepare sauce – Combine all of the liquid ingredients along with the spices.
- Cook bacon and veggies – The chopped bacon is cooked in the Instant Pot. The cooked pieces are removed and set aside and then the pepper and onion are cooked in the remaining bacon fat.
- Add remaining ingredients – The sauce and partially cooked beans are added to the Instant Pot.
- Cook the beans – Another 15 minutes in the Instant Pot are needed to finish off the beans.
- Add the bacon – At the very end, stir in the cooked crisp bacon pieces.
Cooking tips for perfect results:
- When cooking the bacon – Keep it moving around as it cooks. As it gets closer to being done, the fat will bubble more and the bacon is at risk of burning if you’re not constantly stirring.
- Want a little heat? You can always add a little hot sauce, red pepper flakes, a diced jalapeno, or cayenne if you want a little kick in your Instant Pot baked beans.
- Storing leftovers – Leftover baked beans can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. For longer storage, add to a plastic quart sized container and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheating – To reheat baked beans, simply heat on low in a pot on the stove or microwave at 50% power in one minute increments, stirring after each minute.
- How to keep warm – Since baked beans are a staple at potlucks and summer cookouts, you can keep them warm on the low setting in a slow cooker or in a large covered pot over very low heat. Be sure to keep them covered so they don’t dry out!
What to serve with Baked Beans:
Homemade baked beans are perfect for potlucks and summer BBQ cookouts. Here’s what I think tastes great with them.
- Citrus Cumin Coleslaw
- BBQ Pork Ribs
- Skillet Buttermilk Cornbread
- Collard Greens with Bacon
- Apple Cider Brine Smoked Pulled Pork
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
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Pin ItInstant Pot Baked Beans
Homemade Baked Beans with crisp bacon are so easy to make in the Instant Pot. The flavor and texture are amazing and no soaking is required!
Equipment
Ingredients
Initial bean cook:
- 16 ounces dried navy beans
- 8 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Baked beans:
- 12 ounces bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 onion diced
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- black or red pepper to taste
Instructions
Initial bean cook:
- Sort through your beans and remove any funny looking ones. Give them a thorough rinse in a colander.
- Add dried beans, 8 cups water, and teaspoon of salt to the Instant Pot. Secure lid and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. When done, press Off and allow pressure to naturally release. When lid can be removed, drain and rinse beans. Clean pot and return to pressure cooker.
Cook baked beans:
- Set Instant Pot to sauté mode and add your bacon pieces. Cook bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When done, transfer cooked bacon pieces to a separate plate (will be added back in at the very end) and keep all bacon grease in the Instant Pot.
- Add bell pepper and onion to the bacon grease and cook on saute mode for about 5-10 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to release anything that may have stuck to the bottom. Because of the large amount of grease, vegetables will not brown but they will get soft.
- Whisk together remaining ingredients except for the tomato sauce in a small bowl.
- Add partially cooked and rinsed beans, tomato sauce, and remaining ingredients (not cooked bacon pieces) to Instant Pot. Gently stir to combine. Close and secure lid. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. When done, turn off but let beans release pressure naturally. When pressure is gone and lid can be opened, remove lid and gently stir.
- Stir in cooked bacon. Beans will thicken as they cool. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- When cooking the bacon – Keep it moving around as it cooks. As it gets closer to being done, the fat will bubble more and the bacon is at risk of burning if you’re not constantly stirring.
- Want a little heat? You can always add a little hot sauce, red pepper flakes, a diced jalapeno, or cayenne if you want a little kick in your Instant Pot baked beans.
- Storing leftovers – Leftover baked beans can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. For longer storage, add to a plastic quart sized container and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheating – To reheat baked beans, simply heat on low in a pot on the stove or microwave at 50% power in one minute increments, stirring after each minute.
- How to keep warm – Since baked beans are a staple at potlucks and summer cookouts, you can keep them warm on the low setting in a slow cooker or in a large covered pot over very low heat. Be sure to keep them covered so they don’t dry out!
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 648mg, Potassium: 539mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 197IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 72mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave me a comment below
Can I omit the bacon as I want heart healthy without all the fat.
You can, but homemade beans really do taste best when cooked with fat. You can substitute with a more heart healthy oil like olive or avocado.
My sister LOVES baked beans. Unfortunately, I do not have an Instant Pot. Do you have a conversion for this recipe either for a crock pot (or even oven, I have a bean pot!) These sound PERFECT!
I used to make them in the slow cooker years ago but I have forgotten how long it takes. Sorry! I do know I had to soak the beans overnight first and then sauté the veggies and bacon in a separate pot before adding everything to the crockpot.
Are you able to make this the same way in a crockpot?
Actually, my original version of this same exact recipe was made in the crockpot. I found the Instant Pot is better and quicker so I switched!