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You’ll be the hit of your next BBQ or picnic with these Instant Pot Cowboy Beans. Slightly sweet, amazingly smoky, and ready in a flash. You’ll find both Instant Pot and slow cooker instructions in the recipe card.
These Instant Pot Cowboy Beans are a healthier take on a dish that was on the table at every single family event growing up.
The result is still a giant bowl full of comfort that tastes like childhood BBQs but with a lot less sugar.
The Instant Pot makes quick work of this Instant Pot cowboy beans dish, but if you have the time to plan, it’s even better to make it a day ahead of time. The flavors will improve after 12-24 hours in the fridge.
You can use canned beans or cook dried beans in the Instant Pot beforehand for this recipe. Place 1/2 cup each of dried navy, kidney, and butter beans in the insert of the Instant Pot.
Cover with 4 inches of water and cook on manual high pressure for 38 minutes. Allow for a 20-minute natural release and then vent to remove any additional pressure.
How to Store and Reheat
Storing Leftovers: Allow the cowboy beans to fully cool before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating Leftovers: You can reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, or on the stovetop on low for 5-10 minutes.
Freezing Leftovers: Allow the beans to fully cool before transferring to freezer-safe containers.
I’m a huge fan of using the 1-cup Souper Cubes to freeze individual-sized portions. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bags.
What to serve with this recipe
Most people serve cowboy beans as a side dish with BBQ main dishes. At least, that’s how I grew up with them. Try them alongside Air Fryer Turkey Burgers for a tasty combo.
But you could also serve them over some Air Fryer Cornbread with Cabbage Chopped Salad on the side and call it a full meal.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes:
- No BBQ sauce in the fridge? You can make this Sugar Free Barbeque Sauce instead.
- Use some of the leftover molasses to make homemade brown sugar.
- You can double the meat without impacting the cooking time. Many people even like to add sliced kielbasa.
- Throw in some chopped and deseeded green pepper or jalapeños to kick the heat up.
- Want to make this vegetarian/vegan? Leave out the burger, bacon, Worcestershire, and chicken stock. Replace with veggie stock and increase each type of bean by 1/4 cup.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Press saute on the Instant Pot. When the display shows HOT, add bacon and cook, stirring often. Pro tip: the bacon will likely stick to the Instant Pot insert. That’s ok!
4 strips uncooked bacon
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When the bacon is half-cooked, add ground beef and onions and cook until both the bacon and beef is cooked through and the onions are softened.
1/2 lb ground beef, 1/4 cup onion
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Press “keep warm/cancel” twice to turn the Instant Pot off.
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Carefully drain any grease using a metal spoon.
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Add chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to thoroughly deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
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Add the mustard and smoked paprika, and stir to combine in the chicken stock.
1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
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Add all the other ingredients but do not stir. {Stirring could result in a burn notice.}
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 cups cooked navy beans, 2 cups cooked kidney beans, 2 cups cooked butter beans, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup prepared BBQ sauce
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Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes.
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When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, it will beep and switch to ”keep warm”.
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Allow it to sit with the lid on for 10 minutes and then do a manual release with the nozzle set to venting.
Place 1/2 cup each of dried navy, kidney, and butter beans in the insert of the Instant Pot. Cover with 4 inches of water and cook on manual high pressure for 38 minutes. Allow for a 20-minute natural release and then vent to remove any additional pressure.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet, cook ground beef on medium heat until cooked through.
- Drain any grease and remove from pan and add to the slow cooker.
- Cook chopped bacon in the same pan until crispy. Remove from pan and place in the slow cooker.
- Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or 4-6 on low.
Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 195kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 9gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 202mgPotassium: 602mgFiber: 7gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 210IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
