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.
Monica | Nourish & Fete
These look amazing! I don’t have a pressure cooker yet, but am planning to buy one this summer. Definitely pinning this as an idea to make then, it will be perfect for summer BBQs!
Homemade & Yummy
Pressure cookers are quite amazing for sure.
Megan
Love your take on baked beans! They look amazing.
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give them a try.
Nicole | Culinary Cool
I got an Instant Pot for Christmas and I’ve only used it twice. My mother in law makes baked beans once in awhile but I think she would love to use my Instant Pot to speed up the process.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes give it a try…I think you will be pleased with the results.
Kate
This reminds me so much of the baked beans that my grandma used to make. I loved them! These sound so delicious!
Homemade & Yummy
Well I hop you give this recipe a try soon. Thanks for stopping by.
Leslie Haasch
Everything ABSOLUTELY tastes better with bacon! You’re a wise woman 😉
Homemade & Yummy
Everything tastes better with bacon!!
Brandy Myers
Like you I’m a bit partial to my slow cooker and usually make my BBQ Beans in a slow cooker as well. I received an Instant Pot for Christmas a couple of years ago but haven’t branched out much besides a couple of roast recipes and steamed eggs. Guess it’s time to step up my pressure cooker game as these look amazing and would be a hit at our next party with such little prep.
Homemade & Yummy
For some reason this method of cooking is intimidating. I know it was scared to death to use a pressure cooker. Now it is much less stress…and the results are amazing.
Patty
I just got an instant pot and am experimenting right now (like a beginner cook lol) I’ll keep on experimenting by making your recipe, we all love baked beans in my family, it will be a treat!
Homemade & Yummy
HAHAH…I understand the experimenting part. I was worried my food was going to end up on the ceiling the first few times I used it.
Anna
I am so excited to try this recipe! The only way I cook beans is in my Instant Pot and they always come out perfect. These baked beans are happening soon!
Homemade & Yummy
Oh I am so happy to hear you like your pressure cooker. Hope you like this recipe.
Dana
I love love love baked beans! They’re so sweet and savory and nom-worthy. I just recently bought an Instant Pot, so I’ll have to give this a whirl in there. My husband doesn’t dig beans very much, but I’ll eat’em all. Bad news for him, lol.
Homemade & Yummy
HAHHA….well I am lucky. Hubby loves beans…and so do the grandkids.
Sean@Diversivore
Ohhhhh I HAVE to do this. I’ve been doing more and more beans in the Instant Pot, but mostly pinto and black beans in a Mexican/Central America style. I LOVE baked beans though, so I absolutely have to try this. Thanks for the wonderful and detailed post!
Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome. Hope ou give them a try soon.
Megan Marlowe
Oh, this recipe is totally going to come in handy this spring and summer with all the BBQ’s and parties we go to! Who doesn’t love baked beans?! And don’t forget the bacon! I also love that they’re made in the pressure cooker, freeing me up from having to babysit them on the stove!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes this is a win all around. Hope you give this a try soon.
Veena Azmanov
I love baked beans and the pressure cooker definitely makes it easier. My sister also uses the quick soak method with some salt – I never knew it until a few years ago..Love the flavors you have in this recipe. can’t wait to try.
Homemade & Yummy
I am totally impressed on what the pressure cooker actually can do. The results are so good.
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
Well, let me just say I had two pressure cookers — stove type and I used to can with them all the time. Those were the days when I would can dozens and dozens of jars — a variety of things. Well, when we down-sized I gave them up. I could kick myself from here to California and back. I wish I had them now. Your bean recipe sound delicious. I’d love to have a way to make them in a pressure cooker. We have a slow-cooker but we only use it for certain things. I don’t think an Insta-pot is in my future. But who knows??
Homemade & Yummy
I was SOOOO hesitant to get a pressure cooker. Hubby insisted I need one. Who am I to give up a new kitchen toy. The first few times I was scared to death my food would end up on the ceiling. HAHAH…everything has turned out great.
Jennifer
I am so excited to try this recipe! I have been making pressure cooked beans for years and years, but never baked beans before! The thought never crossed my mind and I am so happy I came across this recipe. We never eat baked beans because I am not a fan of the canned ingredients. My Husband loves them and will be overjoyed when I make this to go with ribs. Thank you!
Homemade & Yummy
So glad you are excited. Yes I love that you can control the ingredients…and these taste way better than canned…..hope you give this recipe a try soon.
Tiffany
Baked beans are the best! I just want a big bowl of this with some crusty bread. Great photos!
Homemade & Yummy
I know…funny how we can make a meal on these.