Pressure cooker cooking times: table
How long to cook beans, meat, chickpeas, potatoes and cassava in a pressure cooker. A table to check while you cook.
The times below count from the moment the pot comes up to pressure, with the heat already lowered. They're approximate: the size of the pieces, the amount and the food itself change the result. When in doubt, cook less, turn it off, wait for the pressure to drop and check. With the viewing window, you can follow it without opening.
Beans and grains
- Pinto or black beans: 25 to 30 minutes if soaked; 35 to 40 minutes unsoaked.
- Chickpeas: 30 to 40 minutes, preferably after soaking overnight.
- Lentils: 8 to 12 minutes, unsoaked.
Meat
- Beef chuck or shank, cubed: 30 to 40 minutes.
- Beef ribs: 45 to 60 minutes.
- Chicken pieces (drumsticks and thighs): 10 to 15 minutes.
Vegetables and roots
- Potatoes in chunks: 5 to 8 minutes.
- Cassava: 15 to 20 minutes.
- Whole beets: 20 to 25 minutes.
- Corn on the cob: 10 to 15 minutes.
Three rules for everything
- Never fill the pot past the limit in the manual; grains swell and foam.
- Once it's under pressure, lower the heat.
- Only open it once all the pressure is gone.
Want a full step-by-step? See the recipes for pinto beans and pot roast in the pressure cooker.
