Peruvian beans are soft, buttery, and have a more mild taste than pinto beans. Cook them easily in an Instant Pot and serve them whole or refried.
Peruvian beans go by the following names: Peruano, Canary, or Mayocoba beans depending on the region. When dried they are a yellowish color and once cooked they turn a light tan and have a smooth buttery taste.
I prefer Peruvian beans over Pinto beans since they can be cooked with just water and salt and still be flavorful.
I learned how to cook beans from my in-laws and they always make them on the stove. This method usually takes about 2 hours and you need to watch the pot and keep an eye on the water level.
My preferred method is to use my Instant Pot, it’s fast, easy, and fool proof.
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How to Cook Dried Beans in the Instant Pot
Whether I cook beans in the instant pot or on the stove, I don’t soak them. I’ve read that soaking them helps them cook faster and makes them easier to digest.
Honestly, I never remember to soak my beans overnight and my in-laws never do.
You do want to rinse and sort your beans prior to cooking. This step is very important, because I actually found a small pebble in the beans before. Nobody needs to eat a rock in their beans.
Once the beans are rinsed and any broken pieces picked out, place them in the instant pot.
Add 6 cups of water for every pound of dried beans. Then add 2 tablespoons of oil, any neutral oil to prevent foaming of the beans.
(*Updated) Initially I never added salt to the beans before cooking. But since I make these beans so often, I tried adding 1 teaspoon of salt and it did not extend the cooking time. The salt also flavored the beans more, but do whichever method you prefer.
Set the instant pot timer to 30 minutes and once the timer goes off, leave it alone for another 20 minutes (natural pressure release).
Before you start cooking, if the beans look dried and shriveled then you will need to add on extra time. Start with 5 minutes extra, so 35 minutes, with a 20 minute rest of keep warm after the timer goes off.
Taste the beans, if they are still under cooked, then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Once the beans are done add any extra seasoning or salt to taste.
You can serve the beans immediately or once cooled, store them in the fridge or check out this post on How to Freeze Beans.
How to Make Refried Beans
The secret to creamy refried beans is the cooking liquid. Yep, it’s magical!
I usually remove a little more than half of the beans to freeze for later and leave the remaining beans in the pot with enough cooking liquid to cover the top of the beans.
Turn the Instant Pot to 'sauté' and allow the beans to reach a low boil. Continue to have the beans simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
Once the beans have simmered for a couple minutes, turn off the instant pot, and start mashing them with a masher. Keep mashing until you reach your desired consistency.
If you like them extra creamy you can run them through a blender. My kids love eating beans this way. It’s perfect as a bean dip, for Enfrijoladas, or any recipe that calls for re-fried beans.
I’m using Peruvian beans, but the exact same process and method can be used for dried pinto or black beans.
Feel free to customize with any spices or flavors to jazz up the beans. This is a base recipe, and if you are using Peruvian Beans, the flavor is delicious on its own. You can add some onion, garlic, bacon, or jalapeno for some spice.
Not sure what to serve Peruvian Beans With? Here are 11 Recipes to use them in.
Instant Pot Peruvian Beans
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 16 ounce Peruvian Beans (also known as Peruano, Canary, or Mayocaba.)
- 6 Cups Water (this is for an 8 qt Instant Pot. Use 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of dried beans.)
- 2 tablespoon Avocado Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt (taste after beans are cooked and add more if needed.)
- Any additional seasoning or spices you like
Instructions
- Rinse Peruvian beans in a colander and check for any debris or broken beans.
- Place rinsed beans in the Instant Pot, and add water and oil. You can add salt now or after the beans are cooked. Lock lid on, have valve on sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes (if beans are old do 35-40 min).
- Once timer goes off, allow pressure to release naturally for an additional 20 minutes. Just leave the instant pot alone and allow it to stay on keep warm for 20 minutes.
- Open lid, stir, taste, and add more salt if needed. At this point you can add additional seasoning if you like.
- If beans are still hard, place lid back on, turn valve to sealing, and cook on high for 5 more minutes. Then rest for 10 minutes before releasing pressure valve.
- See How to Freeze Beans Here
Re-fried Peruvian Beans
- Leave enough cooking liquid in the pot to cover the beans. If you want some whole beans, then remove them now.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute and allow the beans to reach a low boil. Continue to have the beans simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn on the bottom of the pot. Once the beans have simmered for a couple minutes, turn off the instant pot, and start mashing them with a masher. Keep mashing until you reach your desired consistency.
- If you like them extra creamy you can run them through a blender. Taste and season if needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and depends on ingredients and amounts used. Thai Caliente makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Marci Symington says
Thanks for this...I need a new instapot recipe!!
Renee says
HI Marci! You're very welcome, hope you enjoy them!
Marjorie says
Peruvian beans have been my personal favorite for ages. I love this recipe for its simplicity and for teaching me how to make the best "re-fried" beans. I froze 2/3 of the batch in wide-mouth mason jars (pint/2 cups), and they are fabulous. Thank you.
Renee says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Marjorie! I agree Peruvian beans are delicious. Thank you for the rating and feedback 🙂
VANESSA OLVERA says
This was perfect! I've used your cooking directions twice now 🙂
I add my spices, onions and garlic with the beans, water and oil though. I like the flavor to cook into the beans.
Renee says
Thank you for the rating and review, Vanessa!!
Lori A Yavorsky says
I will definitely try your recipe and be back to rate it, but I already know it will be good. I bought a bag of these beans from walmart without really knowing what they were and because I'm Diabetic and need to lose weight. I liked the description of them and figured I would really like them. What I DO know is I absolutely HATE red Kidney beans AND Chilli that is made with them!! I was forced to eat them as a child and they always reminded me of insects for some reason. I was traumatized by beans until I ate Lentils at an Indian restaurant.
I want to eat clean, lean & high protein foods so I decided to try plant-based, gluten-free, and organic food such as beans (zero fat, higher in protein, high fiber, packed with nutrients at such a low cost ) and plant-based pasta (mostly produced by Asian food makers) instead of wheat-based and vegan broth, also Asian, like Pho broth for healthier soups. I'm not vegan or vegetarian; I just wanted to incorporate some of that in my clean diet.
I bought dried beans instead of canned because I'm trying to get away from as much processed food as I can. I'm a "soak beans overnight person" to shorten the cook time and saving the amount of gas used for the cooking. While I do love Latin food, I am wondering what other types of ethnic food would work well with these beans? I love Thai, Vietnamese and Indian food. I've been getting into buying packets of herbs & seasonings such as Grill Mates Mojito & Lime Rub for pork chops.
Should I just eat the beans plain (with salt of course) as a side-dish? I bought a packet of "Urban Accents Brazilian Style Churrasco Main Dish Seasoning Mix" as a rub for a thin, lean, organic steak. Should I also serve the beans plain as a side dish? What types of herbs & seasonings could I use on the beans? I'm slowly building up my spice rack (Simply Organic brand). Or are they too buttery and delicate any seasonings would over-power them? What do you recommend?
Renee says
Hi Lori! That's wonderful you are trying to incorporate a clean diet. Peruvian beans are great as a side dish, but also go perfect with your dishes that incorporate beans, such as soups and chilis.
https://thaicaliente.com/white-chicken-chili-instant-pot-or-slow-cooker/
My favorite way is to puree them and use for breakfast like this dish: https://thaicaliente.com/huevos-rancheros-mexican-eggs/
You can definitely add seasoning to the beans and add some meat for a flavorful meal, too! Let me know what you think once you try them!
Diana says
Believe it or not, I love to add these beans to an Asian salad. I get those ready-made salad kits that come with an Asian sesame dressing, but you could always make your own dressing that's clean if you don't want to use that. Of course you can make the whole thing from scratch (shredded green cabbage, scallions, cilantro, almonds, carrots, green onions, etc.), but I do it as a time saver. Either way, these beans are an amazing addition because they are delicious but also somewhat neutral.
Renee says
Yum! Yes, I add Peruvian beans to salads too 🙂
Uli Bischoff says
Got a 25 pound bag of those beans delivered today and tried your recipe for some bean and cheese burritos for dinner. Delish!
I had to add two additional nine-minute pressure cooking cycles — so the total pressure cooking time was 48 minutes — for the beans to be tender, but now I know.
Thanks!
Renee says
So glad you liked them! Yes, if the beans are drier or older they will need more cooking time. I also have in the recipe to let the pressure release naturally after the timer goes off for 20 min, with the lid still locked. Did they still need more time after this?
I just used up my last bag of beans, do you mind sharing where you were able to get a 25 lb bag delivered? I'd love to get some!
Ulrich Bischoff says
Wouldn’t you know it, I bought them off Amazon. The seller is listed as Dulceria Vargas. They even put a little Mexican candy in with my order as a thank you for buying from them.
Happy!
Ulrich Bischoff says
I got it off Amazon from a seller named Dulceria Vargas. They even included a Mexican treat as a thank you.
Renee says
How cool!! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Megan says
I absolutely love Peruvian beans and was so happy I found an instant pot recipe for not only whole, but refried as well! Thank you so much for sharing
Renee says
Yay! You're very welcome, Enjoy!!
Twyla says
I love making beans in the Instant Pot! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
I buy all my beans from Chili Smith Family Foods. They sell delicious, fresh,
and cleaned heirloom beans.
You can order any size 1 lb. - 100 lbs. They ship all over the United States.
https://chilismith.com/ or 800-434-2929
They also sell organic rice, iPot bean pouches that include everything you need:
beans, rice, spices, etc.
Renee says
You're welcome! Thank you for the info, I'll check them out! 🙂
Robin says
Made this to a T. Turned out horrible. Water mostly gone. Beans all shriveled.
Renee says
Hi Robin, I'm sorry this recipe didn't work out for you. I would love to help you troubleshoot. What kind of instant pot do you have and the size? Was the valve on sealing during cooking time? Were the beans shriveled to begin with, this may indicate they are old and need more water and cooking time.
Todd says
This was a very delicious recipe super creamy and buttery. Thanks so much for sharing.
Renee says
Thank you, Todd for the rating and review 🙂 I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Jeannie Rivera says
I made this recipe exactly as written and it turned out perfect. I used it in place of the usual pinto beans recipe that I make to accompany Mexican meals. I don't think I'll ever go back to the pinto beans because the flavor of these Peruvian beans is very similar to pintos yet it is creamier and more flavorful.
Thank you for sharing this wonderfully simple, versatile and tasty recipe!
Renee says
Thank you Jeannie! I'm so glad you enjoyed them, and I agree, Peruvian Beans have a better flavor and texture.
Brenda says
I followed the instructions exactly and my beans came out hard. I had to pressure-cook them for 10 additional minutes in the instant pot. They came out delicious.
Renee says
I appreciate the feedback Brenda. If the beans are old and dry, they will need more time in the pressure cooker. Glad you were able to make it work!
Jeannie W says
Can you make this recipe without oil?
Renee says
You can make it without oil, it just helps to prevent too much foaming in the instant Pot. But I've done it before! Let me know how it goes.
Diana says
Made these today and they are melt in your mouth. I did adjust the time and water amount since I started with different amounts than the recipe and I thought my beans might be old. After 35 minutes on warm, the seal still hadn't released, so I just did quick from there. Probably needed less water, but either way, the beans are super soft, falling apart, and I'm going to use some of the extra liquid to start a broth. It was My very first time using the instapot, and I appreciated the detailed instructions!
Renee says
Hi Diana- Wow I feel honored you made this for your first Instant Pot recipe! That's awesome, yes save the bean broth to make creamy beans or for a bean soup.