Soak 1-pound dried pinto beans in 4 cups of water for at least six hours, if not overnight. I like to soak them in the instant pot for less clean up!
Pour the pinto beans into a colander. Rinse the beans well. Discard the water that the beans were soaked in.
Add the pinto beans back into the instant pot. Add in your remaining ingredients, including four more cups of water.
Close the instant pot by screwing on the lid and closing the valve by pushing it away from you. Set the instant pot to high pressure for 20 minutes (it will take the instant pot to come to pressure in about 10 minutes.)
For 15 minutes, allow your instant pot to naturally release. After the 15 minutes, manually release by opening the valve with a hot pad or towel to prevent from the hot steam.
Open your instant pot and give your beans a stir.
You can serve in a bowl by themselves, or on a plate with your favorite Mexican dish! Top with cilantro, jalapeños, or more onion! Enjoy!
These cooked pinto beans recipe should last 3 – 5 days in the refrigerator in stored in an air-tight container.
I recommend you allow your beans to cool completely before putting them in any container.
Alternatively, you can also freeze pinto beans for up to 6 months.
When I want homemade refried beans I use this recipe and cook the beans, then do the following: