Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (no need to soak beans!)
Made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, Instant Pot black bean soup is flavorful, creamy, and satisfying. Perfect for a meatless dinner or a filling lunch.
Turn dry black beans to creamy delicious soup in just over an hour with your Instant Pot. My Instant Pot has revolutionized how I cook beans. No soaking necessary, you can take economical beans from hard dry pebbles to perfectly cooked tender beans so quickly and easily. I love how pinto beans turn out and this black bean soup is another winner!
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.
And the bonus? Black bean soup is really good leftover. Make a big batch and look forward to it for lunch the next day, or freeze half for another meal on a busy day.
Serve black bean soup with warm whole wheat cornbread or cornbread muffins with herbs and cheddar. Tortilla chips and salsa are always good, too. If you like toppings, this soup is made for a dollop of sour cream or sliced avocado. Shredded cheese is great idea, too, or a sprinkling of chopped jalapeño peppers, fresh cilantro or onions.
What’s in this recipe
- Dry Black Beans – No need to soak them first! This is a quick and inexpensive way to cook beans.
- Onions, Carrots, Celery, Garlic – These building blocks give the soup tons of flavor.
- Jalapeño Pepper – Leave the seeds and ribs in if you like extra heat, remove them if you prefer it a little more mild.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, and a Bay Leaf – So much flavor in this soup!
- Low Sodium Vegetable Broth – Chicken broth would also work well if you’re not preparing this for vegans or vegetarians.
- Fresh Cilantro – You’ll add this when the soup is done cooking for a pop of fresh flavor.
- Lime Juice – Adding this right at the end gives the soup a touch of acid and provides the brightness it needs to balance out the spices.
About this vegan black bean soup
This is a one pan meal for easy clean up. Chop up the veggies and sauté them briefly in your Instant Pot, adding the garlic and spices for the last minute or so.
Turn the Instant Pot off, add the beans, broth, bay leaf, and water, and set the pressure cooker for 45 minutes on High Pressure (or Manual, depending on what model you have).
Remember to allow time for the pot to come to pressure. It takes nearly fifteen minutes. 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 but most of it is completely hands off.
This next part 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.
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. Check the seasonings, and serve with the desired toppings.
Or if you’re not quite ready yet, no problem, just keep the soup on Warm until you are. Like most soups, black bean soup doesn’t mind waiting around.
FAQ
Dry beans are a more cost effective way to buy beans, but typically you have to soak them overnight before using them (or do a quick soak with boiling water).
Using the pressure cooker, you can skip this step. You’ll still want to rinse the black beans to remove any debris, but then you can throw them right in the Instant Pot.
Yes, but you won’t need to cook it as long. If you use canned beans, it may be easier to just simmer it on the stove until the vegetables soften. 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 to be equivalent to 1 pound of dried beans.
How to make this soup your own
Like most soups, you can change pretty much anything you like and still have good results. Try a different type of bean if you don’t happen to have black beans. Pinto beans would be perfect. Play around with the seasonings to come up with your own special recipe. If you like meat, add diced ham, cooked bacon, sausage, or another meat of your choice.
Rather cook this soup on your stove? 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. You could substitute three 15 1/2 ounce cans of black beans instead of the dry beans for a quick cooking soup.
Storage and Reheating Tips
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 overnight in the fridge for best results. Heat gently in the microwave or on the stove. If soup seems too thick, add a bit of water or broth.
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 the process up. Try:
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup — so creamy and easy to make!
- 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 Beef Pho (Noodle Soup) by The Spruce Eats — can’t wait to try this one!
- Instant Pot Borscht from Feasting At Home (for all you beet lovers)
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Made with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, Instant Pot black bean soup is flavorful, creamy, and satisfying. Perfect for a meatless dinner or a filling lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- ½ cup finely chopped celery (about 1 stalk celery)
- ¾ cup finely chopped carrot (about 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
- 1/4 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 NOTE
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 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, and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, or about 1 minute.
- Add black beans, broth, water, and bay leaf. Stir to combine, scraping bottom clean.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and set on high pressure, Manual mode (or Pressure Cook, depending on model) for 45 minutes. Allow 13-15 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).
- Stir blended soup and non-blended soup together, adding the cilantro and lime juice, and serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- This soup if fairly thin immediately after cooking, but thickens up after cooling. If you want to eat this right away and 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.
- If you prefer chunkier soup, omit step 5.
- Like meat? Add diced ham, cooked bacon, or sausage to the soup.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 1/2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 335Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 373mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 12gSugar: 6gProtein: 18g
RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.
2 Comments on “Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (no need to soak beans!)”
look simply delicious!
Thanks Denise!