When you get the craving for baked beans but don’t have hours to spare, this easy Pressure Cooker BBQ Baked Beans recipe is your answer.
Busy lifestyles don’t often have time for cooking. Dried beans cooked in a stovetop pressure cooker. Budget-friendly homemade baked beans. So much better than any canned version.
Saucy, sweet, smoky, cooked under pressure in less than an hour. If you are a Boston baked beans fan, this is the recipe for you. BBQ baked beans with bacon in a fraction of the time.
Do you have a pressure cooker? Which kind, stovetop, electric or the new Instant Pot? Are you one of the people who is scared to try any pressure cooker altogether? I was one of those people.
I only started using a pressure cooker in the last year. Hubby insisted I get one. I insisted he stand by my side the first time I used it.
Do you know what I made? Sticky Toffee Pudding. Of course, I didn’t stop there. Irish Stew with Guinness is a great pressure cooker recipe too.
BBQ Baked Beans Shopping List
- dried navy beans
- onion
- bbq sauce
- ketchup
- bacon or bacon bits
- water
- oil
- salt and pepper
Slow cooker beans, Instant Pot beans, or beans baked in the Dutch oven. So many great ways to enjoy this ultimate comfort food. Who doesn’t enjoy baked beans on toast?
How To Make Pressure Cooker BBQ Beans
This is one of those old-fashioned pressure cooker recipes. Nothing fancy, no electronics needed.
Depending on your type of pressure cooker, directions may vary slightly. Always follow manufacturer directions.
- Pre-soak the beans using either of the methods below.
- Add beans to your cooker.
- Add hot water to the pot along with some oil.
- Place lid on and secure.
- Cook on HIGH.
- Once the pressure level is reached, reduce heat to maintain pressure and cook for an additional 12 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use a NATURAL RELEASE method to release the pressure.
- Open the lid and drain, and set beans aside.
- Using med-high heat, place the pressure cooker on the stovetop.
- Cook the onion in the oil.
- Add the water, ketchup, barbecue sauce, seasonings, and beans.
- Mix well, bring to a boil, and cook until tender (about 15 minutes).
- Add in the bacon bits.
- ENJOY!
Cooking baked beans from scratch gives you full control of the ingredient list. Flavors can be adjusted to your taste.
Use all kinds of BBQ sauce flavours, spicy ketchup, and of course maple syrup or brown sugar if you want them sweeter.
This barbecued bean recipe included bacon bits. You can dice up fresh bacon, cook it, and add it to the recipe at the end, or use store-bought like I did. You can even omit the bacon to make these vegan/vegetarian friendly.
To store, place in a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them.
Reheat on the stovetop, in the oven, or the microwave.
Can I Cook Beans Without Soaking?
No, you cannot. Soaking the beans is a VERY IMPORTANT step that must be done BEFORE cooking the beans.
Soaking the beans thoroughly cleans them and also makes them easier to digest. The water is then discarded. Be sure to rinse and drain the beans after soaking.
For this recipe, I used the overnight soak method.
- Place the dried beans in a large bowl or pot
- Cover with lots of water
- Add 1 tsp. of salt to the water
- Let soak overnight
- Remove any floaters
- Rinse, drain, and place in the pressure cooker
Alternatively, you can use the quick soak method.
- Add the beans to a pot
- Cover with water, and bring to a boil
- Turn off the heat and let the beans sit in the hot water for an hour
- Remove any floaters
- Rinse, drain, and place in the pressure cooker
Types Of Dried Beans
For this baked beans recipe, I used navy beans. You can be creative and use lots of other beans. Here are a few suggestions:
- Fava
- Kidney
- Great Northern White
- Pinto
- Black
- Chickpeas
- Cranberry
- Black-Eyed Peas
Since you are experimenting with dried beans, did you know dried lentils are easy to make and nutritious too? Great for budget-friendly and protein-packed meals.
Here are a few recipes to try:
- Puy Lentil Pasta Sauce (perfect over spaghetti squash)
- Red Lentil Meatless Tourtiere (a holiday classic)
- Poached Eggs and Lentil Hash (great for #meatlessmonday)
- Spicy Beluga Pasta Sauce (a great way to try black lentils)
- Green Lentil Mini Cream Cheese Balls (a fun and healthy appetizer for any party)
I just know if you mix in some of my Bourbon Caramelized Onion Jam, these beans will be kicked up a notch.
I will admit, my canned baked beans recipe is perfect for a quick an easy weeknight dinner.
Pressure Cooker BBQ Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound navy beans (soaked overnight)
- ¾ cup onion (diced)
- ½ cup bbq sauce (your choice of flavour)
- 1 cup ketchup
- ½ cup bacon bits (fresh cooked or store-bought)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (divided)
- salt & pepper (to season)
Instructions
- ***PRE SOAK** beans overnight. Add 1 tsp. of salt to the water when soaking.Alternatively you can use the quick soak method. See post for link.
- Remove any floaters from the soaking beans. Rinse, drain and place in the pressure cooker.
- Add the water to the pressure cooker (follow directions for your particular model) along with the additional tbsp. of avocado oil.**NOTE** Hot water will heat up faster.
- Place lid on pressure cooker and secure. Cook on HIGH. Once pressure level is reached, reduce heat to maintain level, and cook for 12 minutes.
- **NOTE** This is a great time to cook the bacon bits if you are using fresh bacon. Dice and cook in a frying pan until cripsy. Drain on paper towel to remove excess fat. Set aside until ready to use. Alternatively you can use store-bought bacon bits.
- Remove from heat and use the NATURAL RELEASE method of pressure release.
- Once pressure is off, open lid, and drain the beans. Set aside.
- Place the (now empty) pressure cooker on a med-high heat. Add the additional tbsp. of oil and the diced onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add water, ketchup and bbq sauce. Mix well. Add cooked beans.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add the cooked bacon bits, and mix in.
Sarah
I’m not sure if I’ve ever eaten homemade baked beans, and I’ve definitely never used a pressure cooker! One of these days I’m going to try using one though- I’m sure they aren’t as scary as they look! And I had no idea that French Canadian baked beans use maple syrup- but that makes total sense. Yum!
Homemade & Yummy
YUP…we do love our maple syrup! Pressure cookers are fun.
Denise
Oh those look fantastic Gloria! I love beans but they don’t always love my stomach. I still eat them every once in a while …. especially in a dish like this! I grew up with a pressure cooker. My mom always used one but only for stews and dishes like that. I can’t believe you made a sticky toffee pudding!
Homemade & Yummy
YUP…and it turned out FANTASTIC!!
Michelle
I cannot tell you how much I loved baked beans. I love the idea and ease of making them in a pressure cooker. Fantastic!
Homemade & Yummy
These are so easy to make. My first time trying this method..and I was totally impressed.
Elizabeth
These sound like the kind of beans my mother used to make when I was a child. I need to get one of those pressure cookers!
Homemade & Yummy
I will admit it is a pretty neat kitchen tool.
Amy Nash
I adore baked beans! And I just got my pressure cooker (the instant pot version). But I’ve only been brave enough to try it on one thing so far. These beans are moving to the top of my list!
Homemade & Yummy
Isn’t if funny how are are so intimated my pressure cookers….be brave…and have fun.
Colleen
We got an instant pot, but I’ve hardly used it yet! I’m itching to get going with it and baked beans might be the perfect start. Thanks for the inspo.
Homemade & Yummy
Well have fun experimenting. Pressure cookers really are fun to use.
Madi
What a fantastic side dish! They would be perfect with a burger!
Homemade & Yummy
Well I hope you give them a try soon. Perfect for cool summer cooking.
Christina
This looks so warm and comforting! I love that it can be made in the Instant Pot – it makes it so much easier.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes it will work in the Instant Pot too. Hope you give it a try.
Jill
I don’t use my pressure cooker enough. It still kind of intimidates me! These beans look delicious though so I’ll need to try them.
Homemade & Yummy
I know how you feel. The first few times I was scared to death….thought for sure it was going to explode. Now I am much calmer using it. Hope you get your nerve up and give this recipe a try.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest
I have a regular pressure cooker and it’s a gem! Pot roast in 20 minutes. I know you can make beans in the pressure cooker, but I never have — I always go to my dutch oven… I’ll have to give this a try — especially since summer cookouts are coming up and baked beans are a must have side.
Homemade & Yummy
Yup it does work like a charm. Hence I do not have the need to get an Instant Pot. Hope you give this recipe a try…and as for summer cooking….it will be great.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
You can’t beat homemade baked beans, especially on buttered bread! I’ve never tried them in the pressure cooker though, great idea!
Homemade & Yummy
Well I hope you give them a try. They turned out great!!
Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts
I love my stove top pressure cooker. It comes to pressure nice and quickly and I have not had any problems with using it for IP recipes 😀
This recipe is going to be a hit with the men in my house (Big and small!!!!)
Can’t wait to serve this up to them!
Homemade & Yummy
I’m sure they will turn out great too. Enjoy!!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
I’m finally the proud owner of an Instant Pot and I can’t wait to try these, they look so might lighter and more tempting than traditional dark brown baked beans!
Homemade & Yummy
These turned out well. They could be lighter due to the fact I used BBQ sauce and no molasses.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
Pressure cookers ROCK! They’ve come a long way from the one my mom had when I was growing up! Hubby loves baked beans and although I do not, I make them periodically for him. This recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait for him to try it!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes, pressure cookers have come a long way. Thank goodness…or I still would not have one.
Claudia Lamascolo
the only way I make beans is in my slow cooker over night. I never tried something like this cant wait to try. Plus I stumbled you from Share this and it was the first one to get you going WOO HOO! thanks for this recipe idea!
Homemade & Yummy
HAHAH…thanks so much. I LOVE my slow cooker….but when hubby buys me new kitchen toys….I have to play with them.