These Instant Pot butter beans are what I make when I want gigantes on a weeknight and don’t have three hours for the oven. Soaked beans go into the pressure cooker with onion, broth, and sage, while a pan of cherry tomatoes and whole garlic cloves roasts until blistered and jammy. Fold the two together and you have a brothy, Greek-style butter bean stew with creamy beans and sweet, charred tomatoes. It’s vegan if you use vegetable broth, and even better the next day.
If you love these, try my slow-baked Gigantes Plaki with Sausage and Graviera, Fasolada – Greek White Bean Soup, and Lemony Chicken and Beans Stew!
Why you will love this recipe
Beans like these are what Greeks eat most nights. Find more in my Greek Mediterranean diet dinner recipes.
Butter beans vs. gigantes: which beans to buy
In Greece we call these fasolia gigantes, “giant beans.” They’re a large white runner bean grown mostly in northern Greece, and they’re the bean behind classic gigantes plaki (here’s my slow-baked version with sausage and graviera).
In the US, the easiest substitute is large lima beans, often labeled “butter beans.” They’re a different species but cook up just as creamy, with a slightly softer, less meaty bite. Look for the large white ones, not baby limas, which cook much faster.
I use Greek-brand gigantes from the supermarket, and that’s what this recipe is tested with. Whichever you buy, skip any beans that look yellowed or wrinkled. Old beans never soften properly, no matter how long you cook them.
Here is what you need
You need a package of dried gigantes or large lima (butter) beans, a carton of vegetable or chicken broth, mixed cherry tomatoes, a whole head’s worth of garlic cloves, fresh thyme and sage, a large onion, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
How to make Instant Pot butter beans
- Soak the beans. Cover with plenty of water, stir in 1 teaspoon salt, and soak overnight. Drain and rinse.
- Roast the tomatoes. Heat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Toss the tomatoes and garlic cloves with 2–3 tablespoons olive oil, the thyme and sage, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until blistered and jammy.
- Sauté the onion. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté, add 2–3 tablespoons olive oil, and cook the onion until translucent.
- Pressure cook the beans. Add the beans, broth, 2–3 sage leaves, salt, and pepper. Cook on High Pressure (or the Bean/Chili setting) for 25 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally.
- Fold it together. Gently fold the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and all their oil into the beans. Serve with fried sage leaves and a pinch of chili flakes.
Pro tips
- Keep it under the half line. Beans foam under pressure. In a 6-quart pot, don’t fill past the halfway mark.
- Let the pressure release naturally. A quick release can make the beans split and spit foam through the valve.
- Use all the tomato oil. The olive oil from the roasting pan, with the garlic and herbs, is the flavor base, so scrape every bit into the beans.
- Short on time? Use canned. Warm two 15-ounce cans of butter beans with their liquid and ½ cup broth (more if you like it brothy). Season, simmer about 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then fold in the roasted tomatoes. Don’t rinse the beans; the liquid gives the broth body.
Storage and leftovers
- Store the cooked beans in the fridge for up to five days.
- If you have leftovers, freeze them for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw the beans in the fridge overnight, then warm them on the stovetop until heated through.
Great side dishes for gigantes beans
- Bread– Crusty bread like our peasant bread loaf is a great side that complements the flavors of beans.
- Greens– Greek boiled wild greens or a salad like a maroulosalata and a traditional Greek salad add a nutritious and flavorful touch.
- Fried zucchini and eggplant– Crispy and savory, they complement beans beautifully.
- Skewers– Try our pork skewers or our chicken thigh skewers.
- Burgers– Traditional Greek bifteki is great with gigantes.
- Rice– Our lemon rice is terrific side as well as our pilafi with raisins and pinenuts.
- Make it a meal. Serve with feta, olives, and crusty bread, the way we eat beans in Greece.
FAQ
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Instant Pot Butter Beans with Roasted Tomatoes (Gigantes)
Equipment
- Instant pot or Pressure cooker
- medium baking pan
Ingredients
- 17 oz dried gigantes-butter beans , I used the 3 alfa 500 gr package
- 1 teaspoon salt, for soaking
- 32 oz broth, One carton of organic free range chicken or vegetable broth.
- 12 oz mixed cherry tomatoes
- 8-10 garlic cloves
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 3-4 fresh sage sprigs
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 onion, diced
For serving
- sage leaves, (fried in olive oil)
- chili flakes
Instructions
Soak the beans
- Cover with plenty of water, stir in 1 teaspoon salt, and soak overnight. Drain and rinse.
Cook the gigantes beans
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Add 2–3 tbsp olive oil and the diced onion, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the drained beans and stir to coat them in the oil. Add the broth, 2–3 sage leaves, salt, and freshly ground pepper.
- Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on High pressure for 18–25 minutes (see notes). Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest.
- Check a bean: it should be creamy all the way through but still hold its shape. If the beans need more time, simmer them on sauté for a few minutes until tender.
Roast the tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Place the tomatoes and garlic cloves in a baking pan, drizzle with 2–3 tbsp olive oil, and add the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and roast for 30–45 minutes, depending on how charred you like them.
- Once the tomatoes and beans are ready, gently mix everything together in a separate pot and serve.
Notes
- Cooking time depends on your beans. Freshly dried or homegrown gigantes cook much faster than beans that have been sitting in the pantry. For very fresh beans, start with 12–14 minutes on high pressure. For store-bought packages, 18–25 minutes is usually right. When in doubt, go shorter. You can always add a few minutes, but you can’t undo mushy beans.
- The natural release keeps cooking the beans. If yours tend to split, shorten the natural release or skip it.
- Beans: Large lima (butter) beans or any large white bean can stand in for gigantes. Smaller beans cook faster.
- Canned shortcut: Use two 15-oz cans butter beans with their liquid plus ½ cup broth. Simmer 10 minutes after sautéing the onion, then fold in the roasted tomatoes.
- Instant Pot: Don’t fill past the half line, and use natural release.
Nutrition
I have never heard of these beans. I will look for them next time I am in the store. What a great side dish.
Thanks so much Gloria
Those are some big beans for sure! I love how you prepared them and can’t wait to give your recipe a try.
Thank you Chef!
Love your site! Greek food is one of my favorite cuisines so I’ll be trying lots of recipes from it! Love a good bean dish, too and this looks delish!
Thanks so much Carol! You made my day!
This looks like the ultimate comfort food! I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with gigantes beans before, but I can’t wait to try them! I think there’s nothing better than a big, warm bowl of bean soup to warm up in the winter. 🙂
Thank you Amy! Hope you like them!
Oh my! So hearty and delicious! I’ve never had these beans before. I loved them! Greek food is one of my favorites and I enjoyed learning the story behind this stew.
Thank you so much Tara! So happy you liked the beans!
I love this recipe! I adore this type of bean, too and I love how it sounds with tomatoes in it….really good!
Thank you so much Paige!
Your recipe for Instant Pot Gigantes Beans and Roasted Tomatoes was so delish and comforting. I can not tell you how much my husband and I enjoyed every spoonful. I will be saving this recipe and sharing it with friends!
Thank you so much Heidy! I am very happy you guys liked the beans!
Such simple recipe to make absolutely delicious dish. Love the simple flavors here. It looks delicious!
Thank you Jo!
What a lovely dinner idea. I just saved this into my weekly meal planner. Can’t wait to make this for my family. Looks really delicious, comforting and healing. Just what we all need right now.
Thank you so much Natalie! Hope you will like the beans!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Made this yesterday and it was amazing! Great combination of tastes. The gigantes are so buttery and creamy! This will be on repeat at our house. Hint- if your usual grocery doesn’t carry gigantes, try a middle eastern or mediterranean specialty store. Really really delicious, thanks again!
Hi Gigi! So happy you like this gigantes recipe! I love the tip, I will add it in the post. Thank you so much! x Jenny
Can you freeze this after cooking? How long are these good for in fridge? Thinking of adding spinach or kale as well?
Thank you
Hi Tricia,
Yes you can freeze it. Leave enough space at the top of the freezer container in case the beans expand. Fill the container to 1 to 11⁄2 inches from the top, making sure the beans are covered with liquid so they won’t dry out. They will keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
You can store the beans in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep them in their cooking liquid so they don’t dry out.
Thank you so much!
x Jenny
For my soaked Gigantes 19 min high pressure w/ 20 min natural release was too much.
I grow Gigantes and they’re precious to me. Thank you for sharing this with everyone.
Hi Marionette, thank you so much for this! You’re right, homegrown gigantes are fresher than most store-bought beans, so they cook faster and can turn mushy quickly. For freshly dried beans I’d try 12–14 minutes on high pressure with a 10-minute natural release, then check. If they need a bit more, you can always simmer them on sauté for a few minutes. Older store-bought beans need the longer time. I’m so jealous you grow your own, they’re such a treasure! I’ll add a note to the recipe so others know too. x Jenny