Instant Pot Cowboy Beans Recipe

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In my family, we like to eat easy yet hearty meals. This Instant Pot Cowboy Beans recipe has all the makings of a hearty meal and is super easy to make in your Instant Pot. Made with simple ingredients, this pressure cooker cowboy beans recipe is sure to be a real hit!

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Why This Recipe Works
📋 Ingredients
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
🔪How To Make Instant Pot Cowboy Beans
👩‍🍳 Expert Tips
💭 FAQs
Serving Suggestions
🍜 Related Recipes
Instant Pot Cowboy Beans Recipe
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Why This Recipe Works

Hearty and Filling: Packed with proteins and fiber, these Instant Pot cowboy beans are a satisfying meal.
Flavorful and Rich: This cowboy beans recipe delivers a robust, smoky flavor that's hard to resist.
Efficient Cooking: The Instant Pot cuts down on cooking time significantly.

📋 Ingredients

Lean Ground Beef: Is the meaty backbone of the dish, providing a rich, savory flavor and satisfying protein.
Olive Oil: Used for sautéing, it adds a subtle fruitiness and ensures the beef and onions don't stick to the pot.
Spicy Red Chili or Kidney Beans: These baked beans offer a heartiness, texture, and fiber to the dish, while soaking up the flavors of the other ingredients.
Chopped Small Yellow Onion: Add a layer of sweetness that complements the savory beef and spicy beans, while also contributing a nice crunch.
Diced Cloves of Garlic: Infuses the dish with a pungent, spicy flavor that deepens the overall taste profile.
Ketchup: Adds a tangy sweetness to the dish, balancing the heat from the chili beans and hot sauce.
Worcestershire Sauce: Gives the beans a complex, umami flavor, with a hint of tanginess that pairs well with the sweetness of the ketchup.
Hot Sauce: Adds a spicy kick, elevating the flavors and adding a bit of heat to the dish.
Your Instant Pot: The cooking tool that brings it all together, allowing the flavors to meld under pressure, resulting in a dish that tastes like it's been simmering all day in just a fraction of the time.

For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

🔀 Substitutions & Variations

Pinto Beans: Feel free to use pinto beans as in this Instant pot recipe instead of kidney beans. Don't use dried pinto beans. Use canned beans or cooked pinto beans as dried beans take much longer to cook.
Butter Beans: Another option would be to use butter beans or navy beans for this Instant Pot cowboy beans recipe.
Add Bacon: Add a little cooked bacon to this this recipe for added flavor.

🔪How To Make Instant Pot Cowboy Beans

Step 1: Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Add the olive oil and allow it to heat up. Add garlic and onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant.

Step 2: Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink.

Step 3: Add hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup to the Instant Pot.

Step 4: Add the BBQ sauce, followed by the beans, and mix everything together.

Step 5: Close and lock the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is closed. Set Instant Pot to 10 minutes.

Step 6: Once 10 minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Open the vent and release the remaining pressure. Serve your cowboy beans, garnish with sour cream and chopped tomatoes.

👩‍🍳 Expert Tips

Soak the Beans: Although the Instant Pot significantly cuts down cooking time, soaking your beans overnight can help them cook more evenly and reduce cooking time further. It also helps to make them more digestible.
Sauté Aromatics and Meats: Before adding the beans, use the sauté function to brown any meats (like bacon or sausage) and cook onions or garlic. This step builds a flavor base that infuses the beans with rich, deep flavors.
Layer Flavors: Add layers of flavor with ingredients like molasses, brown sugar, mustard, and apple cider vinegar. Adjust these components to taste before pressure cooking to balance sweetness, tanginess, and depth.

💭 FAQs

Are Cowboy Beans Chili?

This recipe uses spicy red chili or kidney beans, so it can be treated like a chili would even though its a little bit different. So, eat it by itself, serve it with Fritos, tortilla chips, sour cream, or cheddar cheese. The best thing about this dish is that it's hearty and can be eaten any way you like.

Best Way to Store Cowboy Beans Recipe

Allow the cowboy beans to cool to room temperature before storing.
Transfer the cowboy beans to an airtight container or cover the dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Consume within 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
For longer storage, freeze cowboy beans in a freezer-safe container. Label with the freezing date and store for up to 2-3 months.

Serving Suggestions

This dish can be used as a main dish or you can serve cowboy beans with the following sides:

Jalapeño Cornbread: Whip up a batch of moist jalapeño cornbread to complement the smoky flavors of Cowboy Beans.
Cheesy Garlic Bread: A gooey, garlicky delight pairs perfectly with the hearty goodness of Instant Pot Cowboy Beans.
Coleslaw: The crisp freshness of coleslaw, dressed in zesty cilantro-lime, balances the richness of the beans.
Avocado Salad: Creamy avocado salad adds a cool and creamy contrast, enhancing the Tex-Mex vibe of your meal.
Grilled Vegetables: Fire up the grill for a medley of colorful vegetables, providing a charred and savory counterpoint to the beans.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Caramelized sweetness from roasted sweet potatoes complements the savory notes of the Cowboy Beans, creating a harmonious blend.

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