The traditional Cuban Black Beans Recipe is made conveniently and time-saving by using the Instant Pot. Go from dry beans to table in less than an hour, with this no soak recipe.

Cuban Black Beans
Black beans are a healthy addition to your diet which are high in fiber, protein, and folate (Resource). This recipe proves to be a flavorful main or side dish. Serve them in the traditional Cuban style, over white rice and garnished with chopped onions. Fresh Cuban bread and butter are a great accompaniment.
I also love the versatility of this recipe. Leftover beans are great in recipes like Black Bean Quesadillas or Black Bean Burritos. They can also be frozen to use at a later time. I like to freeze them in 1 cup portions. This amount can be used in any recipe that calls for a can of beans.
Using the Instant Pot is a great way to greatly speed up the process of cooking dry beans. Additionally, using the Instant Pot reduces the cleanup by allowing the sauteeing and pressure cooking, in the same pot. Enjoy this Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans recipe is a great and frugal option for a meatless meal.
Dry Beans
- Pantry Staple – I like to use dry beans as they are so convenient to have around the house as a pantry staple. In most cases, I feel they are a healthier alternative to canned beans, which often are packed in cans containing BPA.
- Cost Savings – Dry beans are one of the most frugal of healthy meal options. Canned beans are often 4 times the price of dry beans.
- Avoid Unwanted Additives – By cooking your black beans from scratch, you can avoid any unwanted additives, ensure the quality of ingredients used, and control the amount of salt used.
Instant Pot for Convenience
- Reduce Cleanup – One of my favorite features of the Instant Pot is using the Saute setting to cooks vegetables or brown meat before adding to a dish. By using the Instant Pot you are able to use the same pot that you use for the final dish.
- Time-Saving – The Instant Pot greatly reduces cooking time. In the case of cooking dry beans, it also allows you to skip soaking the beans overnight, as is traditionally required.
Other Instant Pot Resources
- The Ultimate Guide to Instant Pot Fundamentals
- Instant Pot Recipe Collection
- The Best Instant Pot Accessories

Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 Spanish onions finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon cumin dried
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons pepper
- 1 pound black beans dry
- 5 cups water
- white rice cooked
Instructions
- Finely chop onions, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish.
- Set Instant Pot to Saute setting and saute onions in olive oil until light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper to the onions. Saute for another 2 minutes to bloom spices.
- Add water and black beans to Instant Pot.
- Press "Cancel" to stop the saute function on the Instant Pot. Then, set it to "Pressure Cook" at high temperature for 25 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes to come up to pressure.
- Let sit to natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Serve over white rice and garnish with reserved chopped onions.

Denise says
These look delicious! I love the ease and versatility of my instant pot. I will be trying this recipe on rice! thanks!