Name: Instant Pot Baked Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 12-ounce package bacon; 1 large onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced; 1 pound dried great northern beans, rinsed; 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 3 3/4 cups water; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*; 1 teaspoon liquid smoke; 1/3 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup molasses; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 8 ounces tomato sauce; 1/4 cup cold water; 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder

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Why I love these Instant Pot baked beans

Baked beans have always been an afterthought for me. Something you always have at a BBQ, but if they were missing, I probably wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t until I had homemade baked beans that I fell in love with this simple summer side dish.

In my opinion, a delicious baked beans need to have bacon, a little molasses and a touch of sweetness. And, this recipe has it all – without a single allergen.

Last month, I had the pleasure of meeting Megan from Allergy Awesomeness, and she was sweet enough to send me a copy of her new cookbook The Allergy Mom’s Lifesaving Instant Pot Cookbook. The entire cookbook is not only dairy free, but TOP 8 free. Could it get any better?

I immediately knew I needed to try this homemade baked beans recipe. It’s perfect for the upcoming summer months, and I had a feeling making baked beans in the Instant Pot would be a game changer (and it was).

Dairy Free Product Guide

Don’t waste your money trying a bunch of products. I’ve already tried them all, and I’m sharing my tried-and-true favorites.

These Instant Pot baked beans are absolutely delicious, and they’re super easy to make. The only changes I made to the recipe were replacing the red onion with a sweet one and using regular Worcestershire sauce (since we don’t actually need them to be gluten free).

Here’s what you’ll need for homemade baked beans

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The Allergy Mom’s Lifesaving Instant Pot Cookbook
Instant Pot Duo (this is the model I have, but there are tons of other options)
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Measuring spoons

More dairy free bean recipes: refried black beans / slow cooker lentil soup / black eyed pea salad / Mediterranean chickpea salad / Instant pot pinto beans

How to make baked beans in the Instant Pot

Sauté the bacon. Using the sauté feature on the Instant Pot, cook the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Make sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. When the bacon is cooked, drain off most of the grease (leaving about 2 tablespoons).

Pressure cook the beans. Add the onion, pepper, beans, salt & pepper, water, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce*. Close the lid and set the pressure to high for 45 minutes.

Naturally release the pressure. When the pressure cooking timer is done, let the pressure release naturally. It can take up to 10 minutes sometimes, but the beans will still be cooking during this time. So, don’t skipit.

Add the sauce. Add the liquid smoke, brown sugar, molasses, garlic and tomato sauce to the pot. Stir and bring it to a boil using the sauté function.

Thicken the sauce. Whisk the cornstarch and cold water together in a small bowl until smooth. Stir it into the pot and let the sauce thicken for about 3 – 5 minutes.

*If you want this recipe to be gluten and top 8 free, be sure to use gluten free Worcestershire sauce.

instant pot baked beans on a wooden spoon

FAQs and Tips for Instant Pot baked beans

Why are my beans crunchy? Why are my baked beans hard? I’ve found that dry beans will vary from brand to brand. You may need additional cooking time to get your beans fully soft.

The chemical makeup of the water you’re using can make a difference, too. If you find you keep having this problem, try using filtered water or broth.

How do you thicken baked beans? In this recipe, I use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. You can substitute use arrowroot powder or even all-purpose flour (use 2x the amount listed, and the recipe wouldn’t be gluten free).

You can also simmer your sauce for a longer time to boil out some of the water content, but I don’t recommend doing this.

How do you tell if baked beans are done? The skin of the beans should easily peel off when the beans are fully cooked. You can also taste a few to see if they’re soft enough.

Instant Pot Baked Beans with bacon and brown sugar

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