Instant Pot White Beans with a flavor boost of cilantro and lime are about to take center stage at each and every Mexican dinner from here on out. Bring on the chips, tacos, and enchiladas – it's party time!
I HATED beans as a child. Hate, hate, triple hated beans.
I blame my brothers because they're the ones that taught me the tune, “Bean beans the magical fruit, the more you eat . . .” I'll spare you the ending in case your brothers were more civilized and didn't say such things at the dinner table.
Naturally, my little girl brain thought, “Well, why would I want to do that exactly. I guess I will not eat this magical fruit.”
What a pity, because grown-up Marci now adores beans of all shapes and sizes (so much so that I wrote this blog post all about how to cook Instant Pot Dried Beans), and thankfully, my kids all love them too.
So far on TIDBITS we've covered Pinto Beans, Black Beans, Garbanzo Beans (plus cookie dough!), and Refried Beans.
Now it's time to introduce my new favorite flavor, showing up at ALLLL the taco nights – Instant Pot Cilantro Lime White Beans.
I mentioned these beans a while back with these superb Instant Pot Chili Lime Chicken Tacos, and now the time has come to hand over this officially perfected recipe. If you thought those tacos were good with canned beans, JUST WAIT!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT WHITE BEANS WITH CILANTRO AND LIME
- FAST, EASY, HANDS OFF: My favorite trio. Dump the beans in the pot and let the pressure cooker do the work. No pre-soaking required!
- TEXTURE: After trying Instant Pot beans, I think you'll agree with me that canned beans will never compare. Perfectly tender and infused with flavor – homemade is the way to go!
- FLAVOR: If you're a fan of Cilantro Lime Rice – oh boy – you're in for a treat!
- VERSATILE: Serve these beans on Tacos or salads, in quesadillas, Tamales, or Enchiladas, or keep it simple and grab a bag of chips and a hot bowl of beans.
HOW TO MAKE WHITE BEANS IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker pot and start cookin'
- When done, stir in lime juice, cilantro, and salt
- Let sit for about 10 minutes to thicken; serve
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CILANTRO LIME WHITE BEANS
- USE THE RIGHT BEAN: Use dried Great Northern Beans or Cannellini Beans. If you use a smaller White Navy Bean, you may want to decrease the cook time a bit.
- BE BOLD WITH THE FLAVOR: The kick of lime is what makes these beans really stand out. I suggest using at least 2 limes, then adding a third if you're feelin' brave.
- FRESH IS BEST: I strongly encourage fresh cilantro. Dried cilantro doesn't quite deliver the best flavor, in my opinion.
- CHECK YOUR BEANS: Old beans tend to take longer to cook. If yours have been in storage for a while, add at least 5 – 10 extra minutes of cooking time.
- LET THEM SIT: The beans are going to look a little runny when you first remove the lid, but have no fear, they will thicken up so very nicely after they sit for about 10 minutes. There is so much flavor in the liquid, I really hate to drain it.
- VERSATILITY: If you are needing a more versatile flavored white bean, simply omit the cilantro and lime.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE BEANS
- Store: Chill leftovers and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
- Reheat: Leftovers can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Freeze: Scoop beans into a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months. To eat, let them thaw in the fridge overnight. May also place the frozen bag inside a bowl of hot water until they soften, then heat as directed above.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HOMEMADE INSTANT POT BEANS
- Instant Pot Chili Lime Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Healthy Crack Chicken
- Instant Pot Chipotle Ranch Chicken Enchiladas
- Instant Pot Mexican Brown Rice
VARIATIONS OF INSTANT POT WHITE BEANS
- Spicy White Beans: Add a fat pinch of cayenne pepper or an extra jalapeno including the seeds
- Italian White Beans: Replace the spices, lime, and cilantro with garlic, sage, and bay leaf for an Italian spin. Dress with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Refried White Beans: Puree the beans – voila, instant refried beans!
If you haven't joined the homemade Instant Pot beans train yet, consider these Cilantro Lime White Beans your ticket! I worked hard to get this recipe right, I can't wait for you to try it!
And just for fun, might I suggest the old bean tune be replaced with, “Yum yum, gimme some, get those beans into my tum tum tum!”
Yes? You're feelin' it, aren't you?
Enjoy!
MORE INSTANT POT BEAN RECIPE
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Healthy Chickpea Cookie Dough
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT WHITE BEANS
Instant Pot White Beans with Cilantro and Lime
Instant Pot White Beans flavored with Cilantro and Lime for an extra special kick of flavor!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried Great Northern Beans or Cannellini Beans.
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 ounce can mild green chiles (may substitute 1 jalapeno, minced. Discard seeds and membrane for less heat)
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 5 cups water
- Juice of 2 – 3 limes
- Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 – 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Add dried beans, onion, garlic, chiles, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and water to the pressure cooker pot; lightly stir.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 40 minutes (45 minutes if you want them extra soft).
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release.
- Note: beans may be runny, but once they sit for about 10 minutes, they will thicken up and be just right.
- Add lime juice, cilantro, and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste and 1 – 2 more teaspoons of salt and extra lime juice, if desired.
- Serve hot.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- I used the juice from 3 limes, but I like a stronger lime flavor. I suggest starting with 2 and go up from there.
- If you want the beans to be more versatile, omit the lime and cilantro.
- Older beans will take longer to cook. You may want to add another 10 minutes if your beans are more than a year old.
- The beans may appear runny right after you remove the lid, but it will thicken as they sit. I prefer not to drain them because there is a lot of flavor in the liquid.
Keywords: Instant Pot Beans, White Beans, Cilantro Lime
Hi! I have a question about the salt in your recipe. Step 5 says to taste and add “more” salt. When do you add salt initially? Thank you…this sounds delicious.
Hi Terri, In step 5 it says to add 1 teaspoon of salt, then to add 1-2 more teaspoons if you like. Does that make sense? Are you seeing that on your computer?
Lol, lol. My oldest brother loved to not only sing that little ditty but demonstrate it. Fortunately it didn’t stop me from eating beans but I did feel the urge to smack him on occasion (which of course I didn’t do since he was bigger than me). I love the Instant pot for cooking beans. Matter of fact, I was raving about it and cooking cheesecake too in it and our small Bible study group now wants me to teach them how to use their Instant pots! I told them there’s nothing to be afraid of. Guess I’ll have to demonstrate it one night! No then pass on the link to this blog! Thanks for all the testing and making yummy recipes to share!
Have a great week!
Cecilia
Cecilia, Brothers! Go teach them for sure, it’s so fun doing those demos. Thanks for being here 🙂