Instant Pot Pinto Bean Soup

Pinto bean soup is a hearty and nutritious soup and can be made easily in an electric pressure cooker like an instant pot using dried pinto beans. Yes! you can use unsoaked pinto beans to make this vegan and gluten-free soup and that too without using any oil or butter.

This soup can be served as an appetizer or as a full meal with bread or grilled cheese. It can be stored in the fridge or freezer for later use and is a perfect make-ahead soup for meal planning.

Ingredients

Pinto bean soup is made with very few ingredients available in the kitchen pantry. This soup is made with dry pinto beans and can also be made with soaked ones in which case the pressure cooking time will be reduced to about 15 minutes.

Vegetables like carrots, celery, onion, and tomato are used to make this soup. And you can add more variety of veggies as per your preference. Some lime juice, chopped cilantro, and optionally onion greens are added for garnishing while serving.

Adding some chopped jalapeno and red chili powder gives a good kick and garlic adds flavor. You can always adjust the spiciness as per your taste.

A low sodium vegetable stock is preferred to make this soup, however, if you do not have it, you can just use water.

Instructions

Making this vegan pinto bean soup in the instant pot is very easy. This is a dump-and-go recipe and the best thing is it does not use any oil or butter.

I have used the 6 qt. instant pot to make this soup. If you are using dry beans then it is best to rinse them before using them to get rid of any residue. Place all the ingredients including pinto beans, low sodium vegetable stock, spices, and salt in the instant pot liner.

Now lock the lid and cook on high-pressure mode for 40 minutes with the "keep warm" setting on. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually by turning the pressure release knob to the venting position until the silver pin drops.

Adjust the salt as per taste and add some lime juice and chopped cilantro while serving. Optionally, you can add some spinach or kale at this point if you want to add some leafy greens to the soup.

What is the ratio of water to pinto beans in an instant pot?

Pinto beans can be cooked unsoaked or by soaking them for a few hours or even overnight. I have used dry beans to make the soup and the ratio of 1:3 of dry pinto beans to water works well to cook them unsoaked.

If unsoaked beans cause bloating then it is best to soak them overnight and then use them to make this soup. When using soaked beans use 1.5 cups of liquid for every cup of beans.

Serving suggestions

Pinto bean soup is a hearty soup and makes a satisfying meal or can be served as a side dish. While serving, add some lime juice and chopped cilantro to enhance its flavor.

It can be served with sliced or toasted French bread, white bread, garlic bread, or sourdough bread. You can also serve it with some grilled cheese, mac and cheese or veggie sides like roasted broccoli and air fried mushrooms.

Storage

Pinto bean soup can be stored in the fridge for about 4-5 days. You can prepare this soup ahead of time for meal planning and use it over the week. If you want to store them for longer time then it is best to freeze them.

Pinto beans, just like other beans, freezes well and can be stored for about 3 months. You can make pinto bean soup and freeze it for meal planning. Another option is to only cook the pinto beans and freeze them.

Frozen pinto beans can be used in Mexican recipes like burritos and tacos. You can also make this pinto bean soup from frozen bean by adding them to the vegetable soup and simmering for about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Before freezing the pinto beans or pinto bean soup, it must be completely cooled down. Then portion it and freeze it in freezer safe containers or ziplock bags. This will allow you to use what you need.

When you are ready to use it, simply defrost the beans in the microwave and use as needed in your favorite recipes. Frozen pinto bean soup can be reheated and served with some lime juice and chopped cilantro.

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