This Black Bean Soup Recipe is bursting with flavor and loaded with delicious ingredients! Make it in the slow cooker or pressure cooker with minimal effort!
author’s note
This Soup Is Easier Than Opening A Can Of Beans!
I have to admit, I was a canned-bean girl for years. Opening a can felt like the quickest way to get dinner on the table, and I never thought twice about it. Then one week, I was completely out of canned beans but had a bag of dried black beans shoved in the back of my pantry. I decided to give them a try, and I couldn’t believe the difference. The soup turned out richer, creamier, and so much more flavorful than anything I’d made before.
That’s when I started making this Black Bean Soup recipe on repeat. It’s now one of my family’s favorite dinners, especially on chilly nights. And here’s the best part: you don’t even need to soak the beans! Toss everything in the slow cooker or pressure cooker, and the result is a soup that tastes like it simmered all day.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps or Tips |
|---|---|
| Olive Oil | Use avocado oil or butter |
| Onion, Carrot, Red Pepper & Garlic | Use a food processor to chop quickly; pre-minced garlic works in a pinch |
| Seasonings | Add extra chili powder for more spice |
| Dried Black Beans | Canned beans work (adjust cook time) |
| Chicken or Veggie Stock | Use low-sodium to control salt |
| Chipotle Peppers in Adobo | For mild soup, use just sauce (not whole peppers) |
| Bay Leaf | Don’t forget to remove before serving |
Variations
Make a Vegetarian Black Bean Soup by replacing chicken stock with vegetable stock.
How To Make Black Bean Soup Recipe
- Cook Veggies: Cook onion, pepper, carrots, and garlic in oil until soft.
- Add Seasoning: Mix in the spices and cook briefly for flavor.
- Combine Everything: Add beans, broth, chipotle peppers, and bay leaf.
- Cook Soup: Pressure cook for 45 minutes (or slow cook for 8 hours on low).
- Blend Soup: Blend some of the soup to make it creamy, then mix it back in.
- Finish It Off: Add lime juice, adjust the salt, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Black Bean Soup Recipe Tips
- Sauté veggies in olive oil for extra flavor.
- Blend part of the soup for creaminess while leaving chunks.
- Remove the blender lid’s center piece and cover with a towel to avoid splatters.
- Taste and adjust salt or add lime if it needs brightness. Finish with garnishes.
- Freeze leftover chipotle peppers on parchment, then bag for up to 6 months.
Storage
Black Bean Soup Recipe Leftovers?
Reheating: Keep in the fridge for 4–6 days. Warm on low heat, adding a little broth if it’s too thick.
Freezing: Freeze for 2–3 months. How to thaw soup.
More Favorite Soup Recipes:
One Pan / One Pot
White Bean Soup
Soups And Stews
Marry Me Chicken Soup Recipe
Soups And Stews
Corn Soup Recipe
Soups And Stews
Pumpkin Soup (Using Canned Pumpkin!)
Black Bean Soup Recipe
This Black Bean Soup Recipe is loaded with flavor and nutritious ingredients! Make it in the slow cooker or pressure cooker with minimal effort!
Video
Equipment
- Instant Pot or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions diced, 1-1/2 cups
- 1 red pepper diced, 1 cup
- 3 to 4 medium carrots diced, 1-1/2 cups
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic 6 cloves
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) bag dried black beans see note 1
- 8 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, or broth, like Swanson
- 2 heaping tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce measure the peppers and surrounding sauce, see note 2
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Toppings as desired see note 3
- Tortilla chips or tortilla strips, for serving, optional
Instructions
- For a quicker prep, give onion, pepper, and carrots a quick coarse chop and add along with the garlic cloves to a food processor; pulse to dice into small pieces.
- Select “sauté” in the pressure cooker (see note 4 for slow cooker instructions). Add olive oil, and once hot, add diced onion, pepper, and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 8–10 minutes. Season to taste; I add 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add garlic and all seasonings and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add rinsed beans, chicken/vegetable stock, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and bay leaf. Stir everything together, add lid and seal the pressure cooker, turn the valve to seal, and cook on manual mode 45 minutes (it takes about 15–20 minutes to get up to pressure). Once finished, allow for a natural release for 30 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure manually.
- Remove lid of pressure cooker. Remove chipotle peppers and bay leaf; discard. Pull out 4 cups soup and blend (see note 5). Return blended mixture to pressure cooker and stir through. Add in lime juice and optional cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings. (I usually add another 1 teaspoon salt here, depending on how salty the stock used is; add slowly until flavors sing).
- Ladle into bowls and add your favorite toppings. I love a diced avocado and/or sour cream, an extra squeeze of lime juice, and lots of tortilla chips on the side for dipping.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Rinse the beans in a strainer and pick through them, discarding any shriveled beans, debris, or rocks.
Note 2: The chipotles add a great flavor, but only a touch of heat since we remove them after cooking. If you choose to leave them in and blend, the soup is quite spicy (start with blending in one, then both if you want it super spicy). Leftover chipotles from the can freeze beautifully. (Read blog post for details.)
Note 3: Try some of these toppings: 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, large ripe avocado and/or sour cream.
Note 4: Slow cooker directions: Sauté diced onion, pepper, and carrot in your slow cooker if it has a sauté function or in a pot on the stovetop if not. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 8–10 minutes. Season to taste; I add 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add in garlic and all seasonings and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Transfer everything from pot to slow cooker. Add rinsed beans, chicken/vegetable stock, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and bay leaf. Stir everything together, add lid, and cook 8 hours on low or high for 4 hours or until beans are tender. Refer to steps 4 and 5 in the recipe card for finishing things off.
Note 5: When blending, remember that heat expands, so increase the speed slowly and watch carefully to avoid soup exploding. Never fill a blender more than halfway full at a time. Remove the center knob from the blender lid and replace it with a clean kitchen towel to avoid splatters. The blender needs to be able to release steam!
Storage: This soup keeps nicely in an airtight container in the fridge for 4–6 days. You can freeze this Black Bean Soup for up to 2–3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5738IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Shortcuts
Save Time
- Preparation shortcuts. While the chopping can take a bit of time, you can save time by pulsing all the veggies until nicely chopped in a food processor.
- Don’t soak the black beans. No need to soak the beans before cooking!
What To Serve With Black Bean Soup Recipe
- Sour Cream: Use light or fat-free for a creamy touch.
- Chips: Crushed chips or tortilla strips add crunch, or use them for dipping.
- Avocado/Guacamole: Add diced avocado for creaminess.
- Cheese: Top with grated cheese like pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or sharp Cheddar.
- Lime & Cilantro: Squeeze lime and sprinkle cilantro for freshness.
- Dairy-Free: Swap sour cream for avocado and extra lime juice.
