Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, Instant Pot black bean soup is flavorful, creamy, and satisfying. It’s perfect for a meatless dinner or a filling lunch. Discover how your Instant Pot can be an amazing tool for cooking dried beans.
How long it takes: i hour, 40 minutes (most of the time is hands off)
Equipment you’ll need: Instant Pot, immersion blender (optional)
Servings: 6
Perfectly Wonderful Black Bean Soup
The best way to cook dry beans. Turn dry black beans into creamy delicious soup in just over an hour with your Instant Pot. My Instant Pot has revolutionized how I cook beans. Usually you have to soak dry beans overnight but with the Instant Pot, soaking isn’t necessary. You can take economical dried beans from hard dry pebbles to perfectly cooked tender beans so quickly and easily. I love how pinto beans turn out (try making Instant Pot refried beans!) and this black bean soup is another winner.
A good-for-you soup. You’ll love Instant Pot bean soup. It’s just so homey, with good plant protein, fiber, and healthy vegetables. While it’s perfect for vegetarians and vegans, it will please pretty much everyone in your family.
One pan meal. Since you can sauté the vegetables right in your Instant Pot, that makes this a one pan meal, and you know what that means! Easy clean up!
Great make-ahead soup. Black bean soup is really good leftover. Since this recipe makes a pretty big batch, you’ll probably have enough to enjoy for lunch the next day. I often freeze half of the soup for an easy meal on a busy day.
Ingredient Notes
- Dry Black Beans – No need to soak them first! This is a quick and inexpensive way to cook beans. You’ll need about two cups, or a one pound bag. Rinse the beans with cold water and remove any foreign objects before adding them to the pot.
- Onions, Carrots, Celery, Garlic – These building blocks, or mirepoix, give the soup tons of flavor.
- Jalapeño Pepper – Leave the seeds and ribs in if you like extra heat; remove them if you prefer things a little more mild.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, and a Bay Leaf – There’s so much flavor in this soup. The best part is that you can probably find all these spices in your pantry.
- Low Sodium Vegetable Broth – Chicken broth would also work well if you’re not preparing this for vegans or vegetarians. I usually choose low or no sodium so I can control the saltiness of the soup.
- Fresh Cilantro – You’ll add this when the soup is done cooking for a pop of fresh flavor. If you’re not a fan, it’s fine without it.
- Lime Juice – Adding a squeeze of lime juice right at the end gives the soup a touch of acid and provides the brightness it needs to balance out the spices.
How To Make Black Bean Soup
Prep and cook the vegetables. Chop up the veggies and sauté them briefly in your Instant Pot, adding the garlic and spices for the last minute or so.
Pressure cook the soup. Turn the Instant Pot off, add the beans, broth, bay leaf, and water, and set the pressure cooker for 45 minutes on Pressure Cook (or Manual, High Pressure, depending on what model you have). It will take about fifteen minutes to come to pressure.
Natural release. Once the soup has cooked, let the pressure release naturally for another fifteen minutes. If you add the time together, you’ll see that the cooking time is pretty close to an hour and a half, with another 10 minutes of prep time.
Blend a portion of the soup. This step is optional but recommended. For really creamy soup, remove about half of the soup from the pan and, using a stick blender or a regular blender, purée it. You can either purée the soup you removed or the soup that’s remaining in the pan, it doesn’t really matter. If you prefer chunkier soup, simply skip this step; however, it does help to thicken the soup too.
Finish up. Mix the puréed soup with the remaining soup and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. The lime juice adds just a bit of acidity which enhances the flavor of the soup. You could skip it but I really recommend adding it. Check the seasonings and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Keep warm. If you’re not quite ready serve the soup, no problem, just keep the soup on Warm until you are. Like most soups, black bean soup doesn’t mind waiting around.
Serving suggestions
Toppings: This soup is made for a dollop of sour cream or sliced avocado, or even guacamole. Shredded cheese is great idea, too, or a sprinkling of chopped jalapeño peppers, fresh cilantro or onions.
Sides: Serve black bean soup with warm whole wheat cornbread or cornbread muffins with herbs and cheddar. Baked tortilla chips (or try air fryer tortilla chips!) and salsa are always good, too. Texas toast garlic bread is another great choice; air fryer grilled cheese sandwiches go well, too.
Can you make this soup with canned beans?
If you’re looking for a faster option, you can make this soup with canned beans. It requires a much shorter cooking time and it may be easier to just simmer it on the stove. However, if you would like to cook it in the Instant Pot, five minutes under high pressure will likely do the trick. You’ll need three cans (15.5 oz. each) of beans which is equivalent to 1 pound of dried beans.
Recipe Variations
Like most soup recipes, you can change pretty much anything you like and still have good results.
- Use different beans. Try a different type of bean if you don’t happen to have black beans or don’t care for them. Pinto beans are a good substitute.
- Change the seasoning. Play around with the seasonings to come up with your own special recipe.
- Add meat. Add diced ham, cooked bacon, sausage, or another meat of your choice. Since the meat is already cooked, it can be stirred in after you purée the soup.
- Cook it on your stovetop. Follow package directions for soaking the beans overnight or doing a quick soak. The soup will still have to simmer about two hours even after a soak. An alternative is to substitute three 15.5 ounce cans of black beans instead of the dry beans for a quick cooking soup.
- Rather have brownies? Try black bean brownies. They’re pretty amazing, fudgy and gluten-free, too.
Refrigerate/Freeze: Instant Pot black bean soup can be stored for three to four days in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container. You can also freeze the soup for up to a month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge for best results.
Reheat: Individual bowls can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove. Sometimes beans sort of explode in the microwave, so to avoid a mess, be sure to cover the bowl of soup. If soup seems too thick, stir in a bit of water or broth.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at my Meal Plan #14. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let me do the planning for you this week! We add a new meal plan weekly.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
Do you love soup but feel like you just don’t have time to simmer it? Your Instant Pot speeds up the process. Try:
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup Recipe
- Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
More Soups and Stews
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 medium onion)
- ½ cup finely chopped celery (1 stalk celery)
- ¾ cup finely chopped carrot (2 small carrots)
- 2 small jalapeño peppers, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste
- 2 cups dried black beans, rinsed and any foreign matter removed (1 lb.)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 2 cups water (see notes)
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, more for garnishing
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- suggested toppings: fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, sliced jalapeños
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot to sauté. Add oil, onion, celery, carrot, jalapeño, and salt, and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 cup chopped yellow onion, ½ cup finely chopped celery, ¾ cup finely chopped carrot, 2 small jalapeño peppers, ribs and seeds removed, finely diced, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, or about 1 minute. Turn off the Instant Pot.3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more to taste
- Add black beans, broth, water, and bay leaf. Stir to combine, scraping bottom clean.2 cups dried black beans, rinsed and any foreign matter removed (1 lb.), 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth), 2 cups water, 1 bay leaf
- Place lid on Instant Pot and set on high pressure, Manual mode (or Pressure Cook, depending on model) for 45 minutes. Allow 13 to 15 minutes for it to come to pressure.
- When cooking time has elapsed, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before turning vent to release any remaining pressure.
- Remove bay leaf and discard. Remove about half of soup and use an immersion blender to blend (or a standard blender). This step is optional but it does give the soup a more creamy texture. If you prefer chunkier soup, don't purée it.
- Stir blended soup and non-blended soup together, adding the cilantro and lime juice, and serve with desired toppings.¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, more for garnishing, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Notes
- Adjust consistency of soup. This soup is fairly thin immediately after cooking but it tends to thicken up as it cools. If you prefer a thicker soup, reduce water by one cup. You can always add more, but it’s harder to remove it once it’s in.
- Add meat. Diced ham, cooked bacon, or sausage can be added to the soup. Stir it in after you purée the soup.
- Stovetop instructions. Follow package directions for soaking the beans overnight or doing a quick soak. The soup will still have to simmer about two hours even after a soak.
- Use canned beans. An alternative is to substitute three 15 ½ ounce cans of black beans instead of the dry beans for a quick cooking soup to make on the stovetop.
- To prepare with soaked beans: If you want to soak your beans overnight, omit the 2 cups of water from the recipe. Reduce cooking time to 15 minutes, with a 15 minute natural release.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
So easy and delicious! I made it without celery (because I didn’t have any) and it was still perfect. Thank you, Rachel!
So glad you liked it! Thank you for leaving a review!
This was really delicious and easy – I’m making it for the second time tonight
I’m so happy you like it! Your comment reminded me that I need to make this again soon!
I have not made this yet but I have a question. When would you add the meat if you’re not making it vegetarian? I tried, not your recipe, and added some spicy sausage, maybe too soon. There wasn’t much taste from it and the pieces were not quite as chewy as I would have hoped for, lol.
You could saute it until cooked through, and then remove it, leaving the drippings and continuing with the recipe. The drippings would add flavor and then you could add the meat back in at the end if you’re finding it gets overcooked.
look simply delicious!
Thanks Denise!