Rule of thumb for Cuban food….the crazier the name, the more delicious the dish. Ropa Vieja (Old Clothes), delicious! Fufu (mashed plantains), fabulous! Rabo Encendido (Flaming Tail), heavenly! But my very favorite side dish not only has an insane name, but is probably one of the staples of Cuban cuisine. Moros y Cristianos which literally translates to Moors and Christians where the black beans represent the Moors and the white rice refers to the Spanish Christians who forced the Moors from Spain into Africa. As I said, ridiculous name but delicious dish. Most Cubans just refer to this dish as Moros.
What makes Moros the perfect dish for the Instant pot is that you are cooking the beans and the rice together in one pot. It’s like having 2 amazing side dishes in one. No need to shlep out the IP for the beans and the rice cooker for the rice. However, the tricky part was finding a way to cook the rice that takes only 15 mins totally in the Instant Pot, with beans that take 60 mins. The few recipes already out there for Moros int he Instant Pot used brown rice (which is not traditional and gives it a very different flavor) or the rice came out way too mushy. However, after some thinking I found the key to perfect Moros where the beans are cooked perfectly, the rice is not mushy or watery, the flavor is perfect, and the whole dish is made in one pot and takes less than 25 mins total!
Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice (Moros y Cristianos)
Recipe by Lana Horruitiner Perez adapted from Congri recipe by Carlos Horruitiner
*This recipe was created for the 6 Qt size IP. If you are using the 3 or 8 QT it may not work.
- 1/2 Large Yellow Onion, chopped fine
- 1/2 Green Pepper, chopped fine
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced fine
- 2- 15.5 oz cans of Goya Black Beans ( I prefer to use Goya brand black beans. Just make sure that you use the blue can and not the red can which is actually Black Bean Soup)
- 3 1/4 cups Water
- 2 Tbl Olive Oil
- 1 packet Sazon ( I used the Sazon Goya with garlic and onion. If you don’t have this you can use the bottle of Sazon seasoning, Adobo, or you can make a substitute by combining 1 Tbl each of Coriander, Cumin, Tumeric, Garlic Powder, and Salt. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of this mix to equal one packet)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 Tbl Salt
- Ground Pepper to taste
- 3 cups White Rice (I use long grain enriched), do not rinse and use the rice cup that comes with the Instant Pot. It is actually 180 ml per scoop and not 240 ml which is a standard cup size.
Finely chop your 1/2 Yellow Onion and 1/2 Green Pepper and set aside. Mince 4 Garlic cloves and set aside.
Place a strainer over a large measuring cup that holds at least 4 cups of liquid. Drain one can of beans into the strainer so the liquid pours into the measuring cup. There will not be much liquid, but that is ok. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE EMPTY CAN!
Pour 1 cup of water into the now empty can of beans and using a spoon, stir and scrape up any liquid or paste the is left in the can. This part is very important. Once you stirred it up, pour the liquid from the can over the black beans in the strainer and into the measuring cup. You should now have a little over 1 cup of liquid.
Pour the black beans into a bowl and replace the strainer over the measuring cup. Repeat this process with the second can of beans. Now you should have a little over 2 cups of liquid int he measuring cup. Add more water so you have 3 1/4 cups of liquid in total. Set beans and bean liquid aside.
Add 2 Tbl Olive Oil to the Instant Pot and press “Saute”. Then press “Adjust” button until it reads “Low”. (This adjusts the Instant pot to Saute on a lower heat. If you don’t adjust it, it will default to saute on “Normal” setting. This is fine, you will just have to watch your food closer so it doesn’t burn and saute for a lesser amount of time.)
Add the chopped Onion and Green Pepper once the oil is hot. Saute for approximately 8 mins making sure to stir occasionally. You want the onions and peppers to become translucent and soft. Add the minced Garlic and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure to stir often so the garlic does not burn.
Add the 3 cups of Rice and stir so it is coated with the oil and veggies.
Add the 3 1/4 cup liquid from beans and water, 1 packet of Sazon, 1/2 Tbl Salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and 2 Bay Leaves. Stir.
Add the black beans to the Instant Pot. Do not stir them into the rice. Rather pour over the top and just use a spatula or spoon to lightly distribute the beans out in an even layer so they are mostly submerged in the liquid.
Lock the Instant Pot Lid into place and make sure the valve is set to “Sealed” position. Pressure Cook for 8 minutes on High. Allow to Natural Release pressure when done for 10 minutes. Quick Release the rest of the pressure and fluff with a fork.
Serve as is or squeeze a little lime.
Buen Provecho!
Lana Under Pressure 
Was super excited to make this, however unfortunately for me, it triggered the dreaded BURN indicator on my 8 DUO. Do you think it’s because I’m using an 8? Do I need to modify the liquid for the larger pot? I followed the recipe to a “T”, but the rice burned to the bottom of the pot. I am in the process of trying to save it with lots more water, etc…but it’s not looking good. Let me know if you have any thoughts for future attempts. THANKS!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no! I have a feeling you are exactly right that it was probably because of the size difference between the 6 and 8 qt. The 8 at head a bigger diameter so the larger surface area of rice touching the bottom caused it to burn. Also after reading your comment i did some research and the rice cup that comes with the instant pot is not actually 1 cup but rather 180ml not 240 ml. I will definitely make that note in my recipe. Also, I realize that there are lots of different white rice. Being Cuban we’r use white rice all the time so I forget that there are different kinds. I use extra long grain enriched. I’m so sorry it burnt and I think I’ll borrow my father’s 8 at and try it again to see. When I do I’ll let you know. Thank you so much for reaching out and letting me know.❤
LikeLike
Thanks Lana! Your recipes are awesome and it warms the heart of this Puerto Rican! I’m sure with trial and error, we can get this to work in the 8qt.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m on a mission now to get this figured out. And once I got it…
Arroz con gandules!❤👍🇵🇷🇨🇺
LikeLike
I use an 8 cup but did half the recipe and this worked for me. I used exact cups not the rice measure I usually use. This is the first time I was able to get my rice to work without burning. It is close to what I have in Cuba.
LikeLike
Oh wow that makes me so happy! I am so glad you liked it and it brings memories of Cuba. That’s the biggest compliment anyone has given me. Thank you so much!
LikeLike
Ohhhhhhh…..now you’re talking! Then alcapurias in the air fryer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just tried and got the BURN signal as well. I also have the 8 qt. So disappointed as I’ve been making rice and beans in my rice cooker and was hoping to get rid of it but can’t find a recipe that works with the 8th qtr instant pot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The 8 qt is tricky. My father has an 8 at so im going to try and make it in his too see what the ratio would be. Sorry it didn’t work out.
LikeLike
Hello,
How would I modify the recipe if I wanted to use dry beans? Would I still be able to cook the rice and beans together?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi. The issue with dry beans is they take 45 on HP which is way too long for even brown rice. Plus you would have no way of controlling the water amount like you would when cooking this dish on the stove. So I can’t think of how to reconcile both of those factors which is why I went with the canned beans.
LikeLike
Maybe if you soak the beans overnight it will soften them enough to cook together with the rice?
LikeLike
Thank you for the great idea. I’ll have to try that out.
LikeLike
So do you think this could be easily converted to make on the stovetop instead of Instant Pot? I’ve had this page bookmarked for the last few days for the carne guisada recipe we’re making tonight, but I made the foolish mistake of starting new batch of yogurt in my Instant Pot this morning so now I don’t have an inner pot. Was so looking forward to making this!
LikeLike
I am so sorry it took me so long to reply. For some reason, I did not get a notification of your comment. You could absolutely make black beans on the stove. However, if you are using dried beans they have to soak overnight in water.
LikeLike
Tried this recipe with the standard 6qt and got the burn notice. Even w the layered beans the water + bean can slurry was too thick to come up to pressure without burning. Added water and trying again now 😦
LikeLike
Oh no! Rice dishes can be temperamental. I’ve made it a few times this part week and it’s come out great but I’ll see if there id anything I may have left out or do different from how I wrote it. This was one of my first recipes on my blog and I’ve learned quite a lot since in how to describe recipes.
LikeLike
One thing I noticed I left out but learned along the way was the importance of delaying the pot after sauteing. So once you saute the sofrito, it’s important to add 1/4 cup of liquid and scrape the bottom to get all the brown bits up. If this step is left off it will cause a burn notice. I will make sure to add this step.
LikeLike
Just made this yesterday, the 2nd time I’ve ever used my instant pot and I’m happy to say it came out great! Thank you for sharing this.
LikeLike
You have no idea how happy that makes me! I’m so glad you liked it. ❤🥰
LikeLike
Made the black beans (sans rice) last week and they were excellent! Saw this recipe and wondered how the rice and beans could cook together. Canned beans, of course! Makes sense given the quick time for the rice vs the long time for dried beans. This recipe sounds like it would work out better for me since it is faster and I can use it when I get home on the weekdays. Went looking for more bean recipes, but didn’t see any. Please post more! Frijoles Colorados?!
LikeLike
First, I adore your profile picture. I’m a huge trekkie. And I will definitely add frijoles colorados to my list.
LikeLike
I love black beans and rice (have been using the recipe on the back of the Goya can for a long time). How long would I cook this using brown basmati rice (that’s all I have) ? I’m very new to pressure cooking. This will be my 2nd recipe in my Mealthy 2.0! Thanks in advance, Sue
LikeLike
I love how systematic and thoroughly tested your recipes are! Todavia no he estrenado la olla IP y pienso hacerlo con la receta de frijoles negros 🙂
Two questions: 1, do you think I could use your black bean recipe here in lieu of the Goya beans, using the liquid to cook the rice? 2, have you ever used Kirby beans? They are flawless in their Cuban seasoning, and I’ve made moros y cristianos often using that very flavorful bean water. Happy New Year and thanks again!
LikeLike
Gracias! I have never used Kirby beans but I'm sure any brand would work. I actually don't use the Goya brand beans anymore and it doesn't make a difference. You could very easily use the homemade frijoles for this recipe and use the water from the beans before you thicken it by mashing them. Just remember if you use them hot, that will lessen the time it takes for the IP to come to pressure so you might want to either use them at room temp or add an extra minute. I have never done it, but I would love to know how it comes out. Happy cooking and stay safe! Buen provecho!
LikeLike
This is my second time making this recipe! It is to pair with your amazing vortex rotisserie pork roast as I had to buy a large pork shoulder butt so I cooked two. The meat has thawed and I can’t wait to have this again! Hi Lana! Where have you been?
LikeLike
Hi. I'm so glad you like it. I've been here but last year I went back to teaching to help out during covid. Then they asked me to stay so now I'm teaching full time. It's hard to find the time to make new recipes and film. I'm going to try and add new ones soon though.
LikeLike