With an Instant Pot and less than 1 hour, you can make perfectly cooked Great Northern white beans every time! Let us show you how.
Instant Pot White Beans
The Instant Pot is our preferred method for cooking Great Northern (white) beans because it’s quick & easy (no soaking required!) and yields perfectly tender beans!
Here’s what you need to know:
- Ratio = 1 part Great Northern (white) beans : 3 ½ parts water
- Cook Time = 30-32 minutes
- Release = 15 minute natural release, then release any remaining pressure
They go well in stews, soups, white chili, and salads, or as a sub for some of the cashews in vegan alfredo sauce.
Did you find this helpful? If so, be sure to check out our Instant Pot Cooking Times Guide for perfectly cooked grains and beans every time!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Instant Pot White Beans (Great Northern, Fast, No Soaking!)
A quick & simple method for making PERFECT white beans in the Instant Pot every time! Just 1 ingredient and 1 pot required!
Servings 4 (3/4-cup servings)
Ingredients
- 1 cup white beans (Great Northern // see notes for cannellini or white kidney beans)
- 3 ½ cups water (or vegetable broth for more flavor)
Instructions
- Add white beans and water (or vegetable broth) to the Instant Pot and stir to prevent sticking. Pressure cook on high for 27-32 minutes (27 minutes for more firm, 32 for more tender – see notes for additional details // it will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins).
- Once the timer goes off, allow to naturally release for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid once steam has fully escaped and strain off any excess cooking liquid.
- Enjoy immediately in stews, soups, white chili, or salads, or as a sub for some of the cashews in vegan alfredo sauce. Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop, adding a little water, as needed, to prevent sticking.
Notes
*After a few reader reports of the beans being overcooked at 30-32 minutes, we retested this recipe multiple times with Great Northern beans from Natural Grocers and SunRidge Farms. We continually had success at 30-32 minutes with most beans being perfectly tender and just a few that were broken open or a bit mushy (though not in an unpleasant way). 27 minutes was the shortest amount of time we were able to cook the beans without getting some that were too firm in the centers. We suspect that different sizes of beans may cook differently and explain reader reports of mushy beans. Other factors that could explain differences in cooking time include water hardness and altitude.
*If using cannellini (white kidney) beans, we suggest soaking them for 6-8 hours, draining the water, and adding the soaked beans to the Instant Pot with ~3 cups (710 ml) fresh water. Then pressure cook on high for 5-7 minutes (5 for more firm beans, 7 for more buttery) and natural release for 15 minutes as specified in instruction 2.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Total time includes active cook time, release time, and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to heat up (~8 minutes).
*If using cannellini (white kidney) beans, we suggest soaking them for 6-8 hours, draining the water, and adding the soaked beans to the Instant Pot with ~3 cups (710 ml) fresh water. Then pressure cook on high for 5-7 minutes (5 for more firm beans, 7 for more buttery) and natural release for 15 minutes as specified in instruction 2.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Total time includes active cook time, release time, and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to heat up (~8 minutes).
Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)
Serving: 1 three-quarter-cup serving Calories: 185 Carbohydrates: 33.3 g Protein: 12.9 g Fat: 0.5 g Saturated Fat: 0.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 8 mg Potassium: 745 mg Fiber: 8.4 g Sugar: 0.5 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 119.48 mg Iron: 4.91 mg
Donna Incantalupo says
Ohhh my goodness!!! I made this and I didn’t have a can of tomatoes so I used the equivalent of roasted cherry tomatoes (I roast and freeze a bunch of different veg I get from my CSA.). The flavor was SO DELICIOUS!!!! YUMMM! Whenever I need a vegan or gf recipe I KNOW will be a hit, I always include Minimalist Baker in my search parameters! This will be a definite go to for summer veg soup. Woohoo!
Aww, we’re so glad you trust our recipes, Donna! Thank you for your kind words! Which recipe did you end up making? It looks like your comment is on our Instant Pot white beans, so we’re thinking maybe you meant to comment on a different recipe?
Deborah says
I used 1\2 cup great northern beans and 1\2 cup pinto beans (unsoaked) to the 3 1\2 cups water for 27 mins. Waited 32 mins to release so it was complete. The beans are firm which is what I wanted and was exactly what you said in the recipe. I am very happy with this recipe. It is the first time I have had success cooking beans in the instant pot that didn’t turn to mush. Thank you so very much!
We’re so glad you had success with this recipe, Deborah! Thank you for sharing! xo
Nadine Spicer says
Hello Minimalist Baker!
There are several kinds of white beans so I googled Navy vs Northern beans. Glad I checked since I got Navy beans which would make them mushy at 30+ mins. I found another site suggesting 25 mins no soaking for Navy beans. Let’s see if that works. They’re in the Instant Pot as I write this.
You can find all sorts of white beans: Navy, Northern, Cannellini, baby Lima. If I hadn’t look at the reviews, I would have blindly followed your directions, but that would have been on me. Know what you buy.
Nadine
Hi Nadine, thanks for your comment! You’re correct – this recipe is specifically for Great Northern Beans. We have separate recipes for baby lima and cannellini beans. We hope your navy beans were a success!
Nadine Spicer says
Yes, 25/15 min. is perfect for Navy. I will try Northern next time.
I enjoy your site. I know that when I find a recipe here, the result will be great.
Thank you!
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience, Nadine! xo
Susan says
35 minutes was not nearly enough time for unsoaked beans. I put them back in for another 35 minutes. We’ll see how that works.
Sorry to hear they weren’t done yet, Susan! Is it possible the beans are old? That can cause them to take longer to soften.
Mary pegues says
What seasoning did you use
Hi Mary, This recipe is just for plain beans, which can be used in other recipes. If you want to season it, we’d suggest referencing the seasonings in this recipe. Hope that helps!
Nan Woff says
Followed instructions exactly for great northern beans. Beans + water. No soaking, cooked 30 minutes, natural release 15 minutes, quick release then opened. The beans were total mush – too soft even for bean spread. So disappointed
We’re so sorry you had a negative experience with it, Nan! It seems a couple readers have had a similar experience while others have had success. We’ll revisit and see if we can troubleshoot what might be the difference. Perhaps the beans come in different sizes?
Liz says
Does this make enough beans to be equivalent to 1 can? The Vegan White Bean Pot Pie Soup recipe calls for 3 cans of white beans but says you can use this recipe to make your own from scratch so I’m curious how many cups of dry beans would I use?
Hi Liz, this recipe makes ~3 cups beans, which is the equivalent of 2 cans.
Michelle says
Followed the instructions to the letter and came out way too soft, sadly.
Sorry that happened, Michelle!
Eleanor says
Soaked my beans about 24 hours with salt and also added a teaspoon of salt per cup to pressure cooker water. Turned out perfect.
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Eleanor.
Emilia says
came out overcooked. I did 30 min with unsoaked white northern beans. I let it naturally release as I wasn’t home to release after 15 min, not sure how that affects timing.
Sorry that happened, Emilia! Usually it has more to do with the cook time, but if it was an especially long release time, that could have made a difference.
Sky says
Thank you for this reciepe. It helped me alot on my instapot. I appreciate you guys!
We’re so glad it was helpful! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review, Sky!
Elizabeth says
Winner! I had some large, unidentified, flat white beans (not kidney shaped, so I don’t *think* they were cannellini). I soaked them overnight before I found your recipe and followed the cannellini instructions. Came out quite soft, but not mush – just how I like them!
I put them in your Creamy Italian White Bean Skillet Meal (I like the descriptiveness of this title!) and it was a double win – so yum. My sweetheart and I literally fought over who got the last serving. We split it :-)
Whoop! Thank you for sharing, Elizabeth! We’re so glad you both enjoyed the skillet meal. That sounds like a very amicable decision 🙃
Kristin says
I had great northern beans, not presoaked. 30 minutes at high pressure turned them to mush. Not sure what went wrong.
Sorry that happened, Kristin! We’re not sure either. Most readers have had success with this one, but a few haven’t! We’ll do some troubleshooting and see if we can figure out what might be causing the difference.
Jackie says
Someone else here who had some dry beans and wanted to make the Creamy Italian White Bean Skillet Meal! I had half a pound of Cassoulet beans, which are similar to Great Northerns. They cooked up well using these instructions. I soaked for about 5 hours first. Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s my Instant Pot, but Instant Pot beans always turn out better for me with at least a little presoaking.
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Jackie!
Michael says
So far I have made pinto beans, black eyed peas and white beans in my insta pot and they have turned out great. Everything they say about the insta pot is spot on , I enjoy using it and also have done taco soup and a pulled pork.
Yay! Thanks for the great review, Michael!
Nicole says
I have been using MB for years and she never fails me! I had to make a quick batch of white beans in a pinch. I used dry Great Northern. My beans came out perfectly. I cooked for 32 minutes to prepare them for another MB recipe, Creamy Italian White Bean Skillet Meal, which also smells amazing so far. They were not mushy at all, in fact they had more texture than I was going for, which is fine. Thank you! :)
Nicole says
Updating with my star rating, I missed that last time. Thanks.
Thanks for adding the stars, Nicole, we really appreciate it!
Karen says
This recipe was spot on perfect! This is the 4th Instant Pot recipe for staple items (beans, grains) I’ve used from this author and they are my go-to for instant pot cooking. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Karen. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Chris Day says
As an IP newbie, I really appreciated this simple way to make beans. They turned out perfect without soaking. Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Chris. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Sarah says
I soaked my cannellini beans for 6 hrs and pressure cooked for 6 minutes with a 15 minute natural release per to the note. My beans turned into mush and I can’t serve them :(
Hi Sarah, we’re so sorry that was your experience! We’ll revisit the note and see if we can make improvements. Would you mind sharing what type of beans you were using?
JD says
Looks like “cannellini” is the fourth word in her post. Doh!
FWIW – When I pressure cook my red kidney beans following the same recipe I too get mushy beans only good for “refried” beans.
Allie says
I’ve made these a few times. Great every time! Thank you for taking the guesswork out.
Woohoo! Thanks, Allie!
Shanon says
Yummy! I especially liked the tang from the balsamic vinegar. I was short on white beans so I substituted red kidney beans for one of the cans.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Shanon! Thank you for sharing your modifications! xo
Phil says
I believe using the words, “Steam or Pressure Cook” would be more clear. Maybe that is a difference in model labeling? If that’s the case, ALL the words used on all models should be incorporated into recipes.
Thanks for the feedback, Phil. Our understanding is that the “steam” function uses low pressure, so we wouldn’t recommend that for this recipe. If you have an older model of Instant Pot, the pressure cook button could also be called “manual”. Hope that helps!
Paula says
Made these with beef rib meat and cajun spice (It’s Carnival time here in the south) and they cam out great! We added garlic peppers and carrots. Thanks for these recipes!!!
PC in Houston
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thank you for sharing, Paula! xo
Diana says
Super easy. Just followed the recipe and it worked well. I was putting my beans in the crockpot for a chili after there were cooked by this method, so I only cooked them for 30 minutes. Relatively fresh package of beans, didn’t pre-soak, added veggie bullion to the water. Came out perfectly.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the review, Diana!
Morgan says
Made this according to the recipe – plus soaking a few hours ahead of time as my beans were older (following instructions in the comments).
My beans came out so mushy they had no texture at all. I’ve had very little success using MB Instant Pot bean recipes which is strange because all of the baking recipes are great! Heads up for my fellow MB lovers that this one is off.
Hi Morgan, sorry that happened! This recipe doesn’t require soaking. So if you soaked them, they will cook in much less time.
Nicole says
follow directions precisely and i have hard wet beans
Oh no! So sorry this happened, Nicole. Is it possible your instant pot wasn’t set to high pressure? We’re here to help trouble-shoot if you tell us more about your experience. Thanks for sharing!
Nicole says
It was! Its really strange. They were super inconsistent. Maybe it would help to still do a presoak?
Hi Nicole, in our experience, that can mean one of two things: 1) some of the beans are old, or 2) the water wasn’t covering them fully. If the beans are old, soaking can help. Hope that’s helpful!
Hannon says
I had a similar result last night!? My pressure cooker was set to high pressure cook for 30 minutes and the result were still hard beans and a lot of water?
Hi Hannon, sorry to hear that! Having water leftover is normal and you can drain it out. With less water, the beans at the top cook unevenly. As for the beans being hard, is it possible they are old or you have hard water? We’d suggest increasing the cook time by 5-10 minutes to see if that helps!
Suzan says
I’m wondering if a double recipe will work in the InstaPot. With 7 cups of water and 2 cups of beans would the cooking time need to be increased?
Thank you, Suzan
Hi Suzan, if you have a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot, that should be fine! Just make sure not to fill past the 1/2 line (which for a 6-quart is about 12 cups). There’s no need to increase the cook time, it will just take longer to pressurize and to release pressure. Hope that helps!
Nikki says
Followed the recipe exactly and the beans came out perfectly! I used organic veggie broth – no salt added, and it gave the beans a little extra flavor. These beans turned out way better than canned beans (and a lot less sodium too). Would highly recommend!
Yay! Thank you for sharing, Nikki! xo
Barbara says
Thankyou so much. I’ve never cooked my beans yet in the pressure cooker. Only meats so far. I so needed a guide . I’m from SE Louisiana and we just went through Hurricane Ida. Cooking everything on the grill, Still without power, so I’m tryin my hand at this.😁 I will be adding my sausage and trinity (onions, bell pepper, celery ) what we call it in the south.and Cajun them up a bit. So Thankyou so much. I will let y’all know how they turned out.
Love to hear this! Those modifications sound delicious, too! We’re so glad that this recipe may be of use to you during a difficult time, we hope you stay safe and enjoy the beans!
Sandy says
I made a double recipe and these turned out perfect for me. Thanks for such an easy recipe.
Yay! Thanks so much, Sandy!
Tracey Holmes says
How could I make these beans in a slow cooker ?
Thanks
Hi Tracey, we haven’t experimented with making them in a slow cooker, so we’re not sure! Perhaps 4-6 hours on low?