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.
Karen
Definitely the kind of recipe we need right now – sounds so good!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give them a try. You will never want canned beans again!!
Heidy
These pressure cooker baked beans turned out wonderful. I also loved all the creative tips and tricks you included in this post. They were a HUGE help!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
You are very welcome…so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Sharon
Baked beans are a must for the spring and summer cookout season. These beans made in the pressure cooker saves so much time!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Yes the pressure cooker is the way to go…not to say the traditional method is not delicious as well.
Sean@Diversivore
This is awesome Gloria! Like so many people, I’m trying to think of new and tasty things to do with beans, and I’m a big fan of a) pressure cooking, and b) beans with bacon. Love how easy this is, and the fact that it only needs very common ingredients. Cheers!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Who would have ever thought pantry staples would be HUGE right now. ENJOY!!
Charity
I’ve got navy beans but no ham…which is my go to. I do have all these ingredients. Thank you so much! This recipe looks delicious!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
Well no ham is not the end of the world. I would gladly make this meatless any day of the week.
Anne Lawton
If bacon is involved, it has to be good! I love the idea of making beans in a pressure cooker, I’m going to have to give it a try!
Homemade & Yummy
OMG it works great…and the beans are delicious.
Amy Nash
I just made beans in my pressure cooker for the first time and I am sold! They were so quick and easy! I’m going to have to try your baked beans for our next BBQ!
Homemade & Yummy
I know…the pressure cooker does a great job on beans for sure. So much faster.
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
I love beans but the time take to cook them means you really have to plan. I usually soak and do them in the slow cooker, but pressure cooked look great. Time fr a new gadget I think.
Homemade & Yummy
Yup…soaking is the only part that takes time. Pressure cooking is the quick and easy part.
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
My husband has recently discovered baked beans and he just can’t get enough. Normally I just get the canned kind for him, but now that I know how to make them, I’m definitely going to have to give that a try! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!
Homemade & Yummy
These are so much better than canned beans….hope you give this recipe a try.
Veronika's Kitchen
I love baked beans! I got my Instant Pot a few months ago, but didn’t cook beans in it yet… will definitely try your recipe!)
Homemade & Yummy
You will see how easy it really is.
Amanda
What a great idea to make baked beans in the pressure cooker! A lot of times, when I decide I want them (especially during the summer), I come to the realization with not enough time to make them with a slowly cooked method. I think this is going to be a staple this summer!
Homemade & Yummy
They really do work well in the pressure cooker. Time saving method for sure….just remember to soak the beans overnight.
Matt Kearns
Gloria these beans are making me crave a summer BBQ right now. It’s been so cold up here in Canada! I love how these beans can be enjoyed just as a healthy entree on their own. Great job!
Homemade & Yummy
YES us Canadians have had our share of winter this year. These beans work really well in the pressure cooker. Hope you give them a try.
Kim @ Three Olives Branch
How yummy! Such a great side dish, especially with all of the barbecues coming up with the warmer weather.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes I do think these will be a staple ALL year long.
Karyl / Karyl’s Kulinary Krusade
Baked beans are so wonderful and comforting. I’ve never thought to make them in a pressure cooker. Will definitely have to give these a try
Homemade & Yummy
This was the first time I tried it….and it worked GREAT!!
Sharon
Any chance I can make beans I do because they are the best! Something about the process of soaking them the night before and preparing them the next day makes me feel very homestead. This is a great recipe and I can’t wait to try it out!
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you like it as much as we do. They really are delicious.