How to Cook Soybeans in a Pressure Cooker

A rich and creamy soybeans curry with minimal spices made in Instant pot, and that's what I am going to share today! Check out my easy-peasy customizable soya beans curry with step-wise pictures below.

soy bean curry in a bowl with a spoon inside and with few lemon wedges and cilantro on the side

It's been quite a while since I posted any bean recipes, and here I am with an easy recipe with dried soya beans. While you can make quite a few dishes with soy beans, this curry is my favorite.

Jump to:

Health benefits of soybeans
Ingredients required
Dietary specifications
How to make soybean curry in Instant Pot
Recipe Notes
Frequently asked questions
📖 Recipe

As much as I love my garam masala spice blend, I love my curry powder as well. The curry powder is readily available online on all the groceries as well. You can find the Asian aisle of your local grocery stores. I use it for my dal palak, bunny chow, and few other recipes as well. It comes in handy when you want to whip up something quick.

For this recipe, all you have to do is saute some onion and garlic. Then turn off the IP and dump in everything and let the Instant Pot do its magic. :-)

Health benefits of soybeans

Soybeans are a great source of protein for vegetarians & vegans. According to the wiki, Soy beans are an exceptional source of essential nutrients, providing in a 100 gram serving (raw, for reference) high contents of the Daily Value (DV) especially for protein (36% DV), dietary fiber (37%), iron (121%), manganese (120%), phosphorus (101%) and several B vitamins, including folate (94%) (table).

top angle shot of soybean curry placed in a bowl placed on a wooden board

Ingredients required

Dried soy beans:It's the key ingredient for this curry. While you can prepare this with any other beans, given the health benefits, I highly recommend trying this with soy beans.

Butter and cumin seeds:Like any other Indian curry, we start this one with tempering too. I am using butter and cumin seeds for tempering. You can use oil for a vegan option.

Onion, garlic, and tomatoes: This forms the base of the gravy. We need one medium-size onion, two garlic cloves, and four tomatoes chopped.

Salt and spices: I have used red chili powder and curry powder in this recipe. Please check the recipe note section for alternatives. Adjust the spices and salt to taste.

Cilantro: I love to garnish my curries with fresh cilantro. You need a minimum of 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro. You can add up to 3 tbsp.

Heavy cream: I have used ⅓ cup of heavy cream here. It makes the curry rich and creamy and also balances the spice. You can also use coconut milk/soy milk for a vegan version.

Dietary specifications

This soybeans curry is a vegetarian, nut-free, and gluten-free curry. Serve it hot with rice, roti, or any Indian flatbreads.

top angle shot of soybean curry with cilantro and lemon wedges on the side

How to make soybean curry in Instant Pot

Soak the beans-

Rinse and soak the soybeans( I used 1 cup of dried soybeans) overnight with sufficient water, atleast 3 to 4 cups. Basically, you should cover the beans with at least 2 to 3 inches of water. You can soak it up to 12 hours.

Saute the onion and garlic-

Set the Instant Pot in saute mode, and the display shows "HOT," add the butter. Let it melt. Then add the cumin seeds and let it sizzle for 30 seconds.
Now add the chopped onion and garlic and saute for three to four minutes or until the onion turns soft.

sauteing onions and garlic for soy bean curry

Turn off the Instant Pot. Turn off the IP before adding other ingredients helps to prevent the "Burn" notification in the newer models.

Add the other ingredients-

Now we need to dump all the ingredients. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, red chili powder, and curry powder.

Drain the water from the soybeans and rinse it again. Add it to the Instant Pot.

Now add 2.5 cups of water and cilantro. Mix it thoroughly.

Cook the beans-

Close the Instant Pot. Ensure the sealing ring is in place, and the vent should be in the sealing position. Press the "Bean/Chili" button or pressure cook the curry for 30 minutes at high-pressure mode and let the pressure release naturally.

Carefully open the Instant Pot lid. Mix the curry. Now set the IP back in saute mode and add the cream.

If you prefer very mild creamy curry, add ½ cup of cream, or you can add ¼ to ⅓ according to your liking. Bring it to a boil and turn off the Instant Pot.

Serve warm with rice or any Indian flat-bread.

soybean curry in a bowl with rice and curry on the side

Recipe Notes

I used mild store-bought curry powder. Depending upon your spice preference, adjust the curry powder, chili powder, and the cream.
Instead of soybeans, you can use any other beans like black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, navy beans. Please check the post for the recipe timings.
If you are using canned beans, then cook the curry only for 3 minutes at high pressure and release the pressure naturally.
Make this curry vegan by using oil of your choice instead of butter and coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
You can try this curry with garam masala spice blend instead of curry powder.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use only soybeans for this curry?

No, not at all. :-) I have used dried soybeans for this curry, but you can use any other dried beans like navy beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas(black and white), kidney beans, black beans, black-eyed peans, Northern beans, etc.

Can I use canned beans?

Yes, you can use canned beans. You can use a combination of canned beans too. For this spice measure, you can use one to one and a half can of 15 oz canned beans.
I pick low-sodium canned beans always. You can choose the readily available ones, But make sure you rinse the canned beans thoroughly.
Now, if you are using canned beans, the cooking time drastically reduces. You can cook the curry for 3 minutes and release the pressure naturally. If you like a mushy curry, then cook for 5 minutes.

How to make this soybean curry dairy-free?

I have used butter and heavy cream. You can replace butter with oil of your choice and heavy cream with coconut milk. I tried this curry with almond milk and coconut milk, and we liked the coconut milk flavor very much. You can try soy milk too.

Can you cook soybeans without soaking?

If you are using dried soybeans, I would recommend soaking them. It helps to break the complex sugars and aids in digestion, so it's a good idea to soak the beans overnight.

What is the best way to prepare soya beans?

You can use soya beans in your salads and add a handful of the cooked beans to any other curries for that added protein. I love to pressure cooking my beans as it's easy and hands-free.
Rinse and soak the soybeans( I used 1 cup of dried soybeans) overnight with sufficient water, atleast 3 to 4 cups. You should cover the beans with at least 2 to 3 inches of water. You can soak it for up to 12 hours. Then drain the water and pressure cook it in Instant Pot (30 minutes – high pressure) or stove-top pressure cooker (3 to 4 whistles).

What's the cooking time if I use any other beans?

Like rice, every bag of beans is different. Age and quality make a huge difference. So adjust the cooking time accordingly and also as per your texture preference.
If you are replacing soybeans with garbanzo beans, black chickpeas, kidney beans, navy beans, then go with the exact timing as soybeans – 30 minutes at high pressure would do. Make sure to soak the beans. For unsoaked beans (I highly recommend soaking), you need to cook for atleast 45 to 55 minutes.
For black-eyed peas and black beans (soaked), I would start with 15 minutes, and depending upon their doneness, you can adjust the timings.

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📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Soybeans Curry | Soya Beans Curry

A rich and creamy soybeans curry with minimal spices made in Instant pot! Easy-peasy recipe with the healthy dried soybeans.

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Soaking Time 10 hrs

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 8

Calories: 172 kcal

Electric or stove-top pressure cooker

▢ 1 cup soybeans dried rinsed and soaked for atleast 8 hours
▢ 6 cups water divided to soak and for the beans
▢ 1 tbsp butter
▢ 1 tsp cumin seeds
▢ 1 onion chopped
▢ 2 garlic cloves chopped
▢ 4 tomatoes chopped
▢ 1.5 tsp salt or to taste
▢ ½ tsp red chili powder or paprika adjust according to your taste
▢ 1 tbsp curry powder I used mild curry powder
▢ 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream You can use upto ½ cup