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    Home » Pressure Cooker & Slow Cooker » Instant Pot Posole

    Instant Pot Posole

    Last updated on June 7, 2021. Originally posted on June 7, 2021 By Elaine 20 Comments

    205 shares
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    Instant Pot Posole for Pinterest 1

    Hearty, comforting, and loaded with flavors, this instant pot posole recipe makes the ultimate satisfying lunch or dinner. If you’ve never tried this classic Mexican soup recipe, you’re in for a treat.

    A tray with chips, lime wedges and a crock of soup with an avocado slice on top

    It’s no secret that I love Mexican food. I will eat just about anything that showcases Latino food and say, “Yes, I’d like seconds, please.”

    I’m also well known for loving soups and stews, especially if they are as hearty and delicious as this posole soup.

    A long time ago when I worked at the Mexican restaurant, I asked one of the cooks, who happened to be Mexican, what his favorite soup was. I expected him to name one of the soups we served: tortilla or albondigas.

    To my surprise, he told me that his favorite soup was posole. I had never heard of it and asked him to spell it. He spelled it with a ‘z’, so pozole. He proceeded to tell me that in some regions, people spell it with an ‘s’, so posole, but where he came from, it’s pozole.

    I chose to go with the ‘s’ because that’s how I’ve seen it spelled most often since I first heard of posole. How do you spell it?

    Another thing that my friend at the restaurant stressed when he talked about this soup is that if you don’t add hominy to it, it’s not really posole and I agree with him. Hominy lends such an earthy flavor and glorious mouthfeel to the soup.

    Try it and see.

    This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and buy something. You can read my disclosure here.

    Helpful tips

    • You will see a few guajillo chile peppers in the ingredient photo but alas, I didn’t use any in the soup because hubby is very sensitive to spicy foods. If you’re interested, here’s a great website on how to toast them.
    • If you decide to use the chile peppers, I recommend using only two. That makes the soup moderately spicy. Four would make the posole spicy.
    • After you toast them, you can add the chile peppers to the IP before you seal it. Once the soup is done, remove and discard the cooked peppers.
    • Usually, posole is made with meat such as pork but I make mine meatless, with a lot of beans. I just prefer that combination of flavors.
    • If you’ve never had hominy before, you are in for a treat. You can buy it from Latino stores and sometimes you can get it at the regular grocery store. I buy mine at nuts.com.
    • If you can, buy the hominy uncooked. It’s easy to cook yourself and it tastes a lot better than canned hominy.
    • But if you can only get hominy in cans, do that instead of going with canned corn.
    • I make the hominy either the night before or earlier in the day that I’m going to make this posole. See recipe card notes for how to cook hominy.

    What to serve with posole

    I love to garnish the soup with sliced avocado, lime wedges and either tortilla chips or soft flour tortillas.

    You can also sprinkle the soup with chopped cilantro if you like.

    How to make instant pot posole

    Pre-step

    Make the hominy prior to making the soup. See the recipe card note section to see how.

    Get out your pressure cooker or instant pot.

    Step one

    Gather the ingredients – a medium onion, cooked hominy, canned pinto beans, tomato paste, chicken broth, cumin, basil, chipotle powder, salt, garlic and a bay leaf.

    Onion, chiles, bowl of hominy, beans, herbs and spices, broth and tomato paste on a table

    Step two

    Chop the onion in smallish chunks and add it to the instant pot container. (A)

    Step three

    Add basil, cumin, salt and chipotle powder. (B)

    Overhead views of onions in a pot and herbs and spices on top

    Step four

    Add tomato paste. (C)

    Step five

    Open the cans of pinto beans, place them in a sieve and rinse and drain them. Add to the instant pot container over the other ingredients. (D)

    Left - tomato paste added to the onions. Right - pinto beans added to the pot

    Step six

    Add chicken broth (you can use beef broth if you prefer.) (E)

    Step seven

    Take a rubber spatula and stir the ingredients until the tomato paste has melted and everything is mixed together. Add a bay leaf. (F)

    Left - Chicken broth added to the pot. Right - the posole stirred and a bay leaf on top

    Step eight

    Place the lid on the pressure cooker and seal it. Make sure the venting knob is in the sealed position.

    Press the pressure cooker button and set the timer to 10 minutes. Make sure the mode is on normal and the pressure is set to high.

    Step nine

    After the IP beeps that it’s done cooking, do a quick release after 10 minutes. Make sure you protect yourself by wearing an oven mitt when you move the knob from sealed to venting.

    Look at how rich and delicious the posole looks below.

    Step ten

    Add 2 cups of cooked hominy. (G)

    Stir the hominy into the soup so it’s evenly distributed. (H)

    Left - the soup done with hominy added. Right - the hominy stirred together in the soup

    Either serve the soup from the instant pot container or transfer to a serving bowl.

    A big bowl with the posole soup in it, with a crock full of the soup in the back

    I cut some avocado slices and some lime wedges.

    A big bowl with the bean and hominy soup with sliced avocados on top and a crock in the back

    Time to serve some soup!

    A crock and a big bowl of soup with avocado slices on it as garnish

    It’s so good!

    Overhead view of the soup in a crock with avocado, lime wedges and chips

    I hope you enjoyed this instant pot posole recipe!

    Other instant pot soups

    • Whole chicken
    • Lentil
    • Summer soup

    If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love the know what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

    A tray with chips, lime wedges and pozole in a crock with a slice of avocado on it

    Instant Pot Posole

    Hearty, comforting, and loaded with flavors, this instant pot posole recipe makes the ultimate satisfying lunch or dinner. If you’ve never tried this classic Mexican soup recipe before, you’re in for a treat.
    5 from 10 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Soup
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: instant pot posole, instant pot soup, Mexican soup, posole, pozole
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Pressure release: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 cups
    Calories: 110kcal
    Author: Elaine Benoit

    Ingredients

    • 1 medium onion (chopped medium small)
    • 2 teaspoons cumin (heaping)
    • 1 teaspoon basil (heaping)
    • ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (a few shakes)
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 3 teaspoons garlic paste (or 3 cloves, crushed)
    • 6 ounces tomato paste (small can)
    • 3 cans pinto beans ( 3 – 15.5 ounce cans. Rinsed and drained)
    • 4 cups chicken broth (or beef)
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 cups hominy (cooked)

    Optional

    • 2 guajilla chiles (see this site on how to prepare)

    Instructions

    Hominy

    • See recipe notes on how to cook hominy.

    Posole

    • Add onion to instant pot container.
    • Add basil, cumin, garlic, salt, chipotle powder, tomato paste, rinsed and drained cans of pinto beans and broth.
    • Stir together to melt the tomato paste and combine the ingredients together. Add bay leaf. (AND OPTIONAL – add the toasted and seedless guajillo chiles if you are going to use them.)
    • Seal the instant pot, make sure the mode is set to normal and the pressure is set to high. Also insure that the venting knob is set to sealed.
    • Press the pressure cooker button and set the time to 10 minutes.
    • Once the IP beeps that it is done cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes before doing a quick release. Here's how: don an oven mitt and carefully nudge the venting knob to the venting position. Keep away from the steam as it releases.
    • Once the pressure indicator drops, open the IP and add the cooked hominy and stir to combine. (AND OPTIONAL – if you used the chiles, remove and throw them away.)
    • Transfer to a serving bowl
    • Eat
    • Smile
    • Enjoy

    Equipment

    Instant pot
    See all my favorite tools and gift ideas at my Amazon Store page!Check out Elaine’s Amazon Store!

    Notes

    I’m not adding the time it makes hominy in this recipe, but you could add 2 hours to the time if you need to know.
    Also the pressure cooker will take up to 20 minutes to come to pressure. That time is also not added as all pressure cookers are different.
    How to make hominy
    1. Add ½ cup dry hominy and 2 cups of water to a medium saucepan.
    2. On medium/high heat, bring the hominy to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
    3. Shut the heat off under the pan and let it sit for an hour.
    4. Rinse and drain the hominy.
    5. Add hominy to a pressure cooker and add 2 cups of water. (Don’t salt because the soup will be salted).
    6. Seal pressure cooker and make sure the venting knob is at the sealed position and press the pressure cooker button and set the time to 40 minutes. The mode should be normal and the pressure should be high.
    7. After the PC beeps that it’s done cooking, you can either let the pressure release naturally or do a quick release after 10 minutes.
    8. Rinse and drain the hominy and set aside to use for posole.
    Helpful tips
    • You will see a few guajillo chile peppers in the ingredient photo. I alas didn’t use it in the soup because hubby is very sensitive to spicy foods. Instead of writing out the directions, here’s a great website on how to toast them.
    • If you are going to use the chile peppers, I recommend using only 2. That makes it moderately spicy, 4 would make the posole spicy. After you toast them, you can add the chile pepper to the IP before you seal it and once the soup is done, remove and discard the peppers.
    • Usually posole is made with meat such as pork but I prefer it without the addition. The reason is, I like to enjoy the combination of flavors and prefer adding a lot of beans.
    • If you’ve never had hominy before, you are in for a treat. You can buy it from Latino stores and sometimes you can get it at the regular grocery store. I buy mine at nuts.com.
    • If you can, buy the hominy uncooked. It’s easy to cook yourself and it tastes a lot better than canned hominy.
    • But if you can only get hominy in cans, do that instead of going with canned corn.
    • I make the hominy either the night before or earlier in the day that I’m going to make this posole. See recipe card notes for how to cook hominy.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 353IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
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    205 shares

    This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no additional cost to you,  if you click the link and buy. You can read my disclosure here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Liz

      June 11, 2021 at 8:51 am

      This is such a good way to use an Instant Pot! I’ve been looking for new recipes so this is perfect!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:41 am

        Thanks so much Liz. I hope you enjoy it when you try it.

        Reply
    2. Eva

      June 11, 2021 at 9:16 am

      Never heard of this recipe before but I like the story behind how you learned about it the first time. I’m not a soup lover in the summer, although this one might work great considering the climate of Mexico. But I’m sure going to love it come September when it cools down a bit and I start literally craving all kinds of soups!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:42 am

        Thanks, Eva. I hope you enjoy it when you try it. I’m a all year round soup eater, so I enjoy it all year. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Amy Liu Dong

      June 11, 2021 at 10:25 am

      Oh my gosh, this soup looks so easy and delicious. I have never tried to make Mexican food, and I am so excited to make this for my family.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:43 am

        Thanks Amy!! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

        Reply
    4. Heidy

      June 11, 2021 at 11:02 am

      This Instant Pot Posole was spot on perfect tasting. I loved it. It was super easy to make with all the great tips and tricks. Saving to make again!!! Have a great day!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:44 am

        Thanks so much Heidy. It is a favorite of my family. Thanks for taking the time to tell me. I appreciate it.

        Reply
    5. Jere Cassidy

      June 12, 2021 at 7:48 pm

      I love posole and can’t wait to try your version without meat. I really like the hominy in this soup, not sure why this ingredient isn’t used more.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:45 am

        I agree Jere. Hominy is delicious and lends such a glorious texture and taste! Thank you so much.

        Reply
    6. Naiby

      June 13, 2021 at 2:55 pm

      That’s the definition of comfort food! And also, it’s so easy to make.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:46 am

        Thanks so much Naiby! I appreciate it.

        Reply
    7. Katie Crenshaw

      June 13, 2021 at 7:42 pm

      I love how flavorful this Posole soup is. It is so healthy, comforting, and delicious. Making it in the Instant Pot makes cooking it so much easier.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:47 am

        Thank you so much Katie! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    8. EA Stewart

      June 13, 2021 at 8:27 pm

      Such a nourishing and delicious posole recipe! I love that you made a meatless version-it’s just as tasty as versions with meat!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:48 am

        Thanks EA. I make it with and without meat and have to say, I like it more with the beans. 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to tell me.

        Reply
    9. Jamie

      June 14, 2021 at 1:18 am

      I’ve only ever had this at a Mexican restaurant and loved it! I’m so glad I can now make it at home and it’s even better that I can make it in an instant pot!

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 14, 2021 at 8:51 am

        Thanks Jamie! I hope you enjoy it when you try it!

        Reply
    10. Brianna

      June 14, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      I’m obsessed with posole and your instant pot version was delicious! I added some leftover chicken and the flavors were fantastic.

      Reply
      • Elaine

        June 15, 2021 at 11:02 am

        That’s great Brianna. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to let me know.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Elaine! I'm so glad you stopped by. Here you will find lots of tasty cocktails, comforting food and inspiration for your next meal. I LOVE chocolate, almost all foods, blogging, photography and spending time with my hubby!

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