Instant Pot BBQ Baked Beans are loaded with smokey, sweet, and savory flavors. The pressure cooker really seals the flavor into each bite and makes this recipe oh so quick and easy! Serve this classic side dish at your next backyard barbecue to really impress your friends.
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What’s in Instant Pot Baked Beans?
There’s just the right amount of bacon in this baked beans recipe to keep you coming back for more without overpowering the other ingredients.
- Bacon: I love the smokey meaty flavor bacon adds to the beans but if you would prefer these be vegetarian, feel free to leave it out.
- Onion and Garlic: Classic additions to baked beans and add a subtle earthy flavor.
- Water: Helps thin the sauce and cook the beans.
- Barbecue Sauce: A great shortcut that adds a ton of flavor. Feel free to use your favorite homemade or store-bought tomato-based barbecue sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness to the beans. Light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds a bit of acidity to help balance out the richness and sweetness. You can replace it with white wine vinegar if needed.
- Ground Mustard: This spice adds the most mouthwatering (but subtle) tangy element to the beans.
- Smoked Paprika: You can swap this with regular paprika, but you’ll be missing out on some downright delicious smokey flavor!
- Beans: I’m using canned beans because they’re a great shortcut and just as delicious.
Pro Tip: For this recipe, I like kidney beans. You can also use navy, pinto, or great northern beans, though!
Variations to Try
Need a vegetarian option? Easy – just omit the bacon! You can also swap the pork bacon with a plant-based alternative if you’d like.
Also, feel free to make this recipe a little spicier by sprinkling in some chili powder.
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To cook beans from dry, it takes about 20 minutes in an Instant Pot, not including the time needed to pressurize and natural release. It saves time to use canned beans because you can cook them in just 10 minutes!
Absolutely! In fact, it cuts down significantly on cooking time and reduces your risk of ending up with under-cooked beans to zero!
Absolutely! In fact, I have a stove top BBQ baked beans recipe that you can follow!
How to Store and Reheat Brown Sugar Baked Beans
Store leftover Instant Pot BBQ baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat gently in the instant pot or on the stove, adding a splash of water or vegetable broth as needed to rehydrate.
How to Freeze Pressure Cooker BBQ Baked Beans
Freeze Instant Pot BBQ baked beans in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
What to Serve with this BBQ Baked Beans Recipe
When it comes to serving your BBQ baked beans, I recommend going all out and making a BBQ feast of it! Round out your plate with an entree like BBQ burgers, BBQ pork chops, Instant Pot sloppy Joes, or air fryer BBQ ribs. Some of the best complimentary sides include creamy homemade colesaw and corn on the cob!
Instant Pot BBQ Baked Beans Recipe
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Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup barbecue sauce store-bought or homemade
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 62 ounces canned kidney beans (dark or light) drained and rinsed (4 (15.5-ounce) cans)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes.½ pound bacon
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon (but leave the grease in the pot). Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 3 minutes or until it is tender.1 yellow onion
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.2 cloves garlic
- Add the water and gently scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits (I don’t recommend a metal utensil for this as it can scratch the pot).1 cup water
- Stir in the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ground mustard, and smoked paprika. Once combined, add the kidney beans and stir to combine.1 cup barbecue sauce, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons ground mustard, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 62 ounces canned kidney beans (dark or light)
- Add the bacon back to the pot and stir to combine. Attach the lid and ensure the valve is in the sealing position.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure Cook for 10 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot has finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then release any additional pressure manually by switching the valve to the venting position.
- Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy immediately.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- For vegetarian BBQ baked beans, omit the bacon.
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white wine vinegar instead.
- If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika.
- For spicier baked beans, add ¼ teaspoon chili powder.
- Feel free to use navy beans, pinto beans, or great northern beans instead of kidney beans.
- Be sure to scrape up all of the browned bits after sautéing to avoid getting a “burn” notice.
- If your beans aren’t thickening up as much as you’d like, you can thicken them by whisking 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into 1½ tablespoons of cold water. Whisk that mixture into the beans and cook them on Sauté mode until they thicken to your liking.
Nutrition Information
