Baked Beans

When baked beans don't take all day to make, the notion of making them is quite appealing. They are not the prettiest side dish, but with bacon added in, they might be your most popular. These are NOT your canned baked beans!

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Baked Beans

  • Prep Time: 10 m
  • Cook Time: 26 m
  • Natural Release: 30 m
  • Total Time: 36 m
  • Servings:
    8

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried navy or white beans
  • ½ pound bacon chopped
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Place the navy beans in the pressure cooker and cover with an inch of water. Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Let the pressure drop NATURALLY and carefully remove the lid. Drain and set the beans aside.
  2. Pre-heat the pressure cooker using the BROWN setting.
  3. Add the bacon and cook until almost crispy. Remove bacon pieces and set aside. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat. Add the onion and garlic to the cooker and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well and return the beans to the cooker. Pour in enough water to just cover the beans (about 2 cups) and lock the lid in place.
  4. Pressure cook on HIGH for 18 minutes.
  5. Let the pressure drop NATURALLY and carefully remove the lid.
  6. Season to taste again with salt and let the beans cool before serving with the reserved cooked bacon sprinkled on top. The beans will continue to absorb liquid and get thicker as they cool.
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Comments (16)Post a Reply

  1. 5 stars
    Made these for hubs on Fathercs Day. Really delicious, easy, and fast. Our family loved them with baked ham. Thanks!

  2. 5 stars
    I just made these today. I substituted pinto beans and blackstrap molasses because it’s what I had on hand. The first time I’ve made beans from scratch. Husband loves them and I am on the fence. Easy to make! Thanks for your recipes!

    1. Hi Tess. This pressure cooker recipe does a quick-soak method on the beans in the first step. 5 minutes under pressure and then natural release. Then, you strain them and begin making the rest of the recipe. If you DO soak your beans overnight, you can skip step 1.

  3. I modified this to avoid pork and omitted the sugar. I used roasted rib bones from my freezer for flavor. It was delicious.

    1. You can use canned beans and sauté the onions and bacon on the stovetop. Then bake all the ingredients in the oven at 350 degrees for about 60 to 75 minutes.

  4. This recipe is my #1 all time favorite. I just make one minor change. I use canned pea beans instead of cooking the beans myself. Cook for 12 minutes. A great short cut & just as delicious.
    Meredith, you are one of my favorite chef. You show us how to cook using pressure cooker, air fryer, and baking.
    Thank You for all your wonderful recipes and easy instructions.

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