These soft Instant Pot soybeans are an easy way to cook dried soybeans until tender and creamy without hours of stovetop simmering. Soybeans are particularly useful in vegan keto cooking because they provide substantial plant-based protein while being much lower in net carbs than most other legumes. Once cooked, they’re versatile enough for salads, soups, stews, dips, and plenty of other recipes. You can find more ideas for using them in my Bean Recipes.

I’ve had very little luck getting dried soybeans as soft as I want them on the stovetop. Even after soaking them overnight and simmering them for hours, they’ve remained frustratingly firm. The Instant Pot, on the other hand, works miracles on them. I usually cook unsoaked soybeans for 50 minutes, although soaked beans can be cooked for about 30 minutes. Cooking time can vary considerably between different batches of dried soybeans, so don’t be surprised if yours need a little longer. I’ve seen recipes suggesting dramatically shorter times, but that has definitely not been my experience.

Canned and jarred soybeans offer a convenient alternative, but they can be surprisingly difficult to find. Eden is one brand to look for in North America, while Biona sells jarred soybeans in the UK. Their labeled carbohydrate values are substantially higher than the national nutritional database values I’ve found for soybeans cooked from dried, which is another reason I often prefer cooking my own. With nothing more than dried soybeans, water, and a pressure cooker, you end up with a batch of soft beans ready to use throughout the week.