This Black Bean Soup is bursting with flavor and loaded with delicious ingredients! Make it in the slow cooker or pressure cooker with minimal effort!
This Black Bean Soup uses dry beans, but I promise—it’s easier than canned!
Let Me Convince You To Use Dried Beans
I’ve spent most of my life thinking nothing’s easier than opening a can.
But for this recipe, I pinky swear—dried beans are not only tastier, but they’re also easier. Here’s why:
- Dried beans are cheaper.
- No measuring—just use the whole bag.
- Opening one bag beats opening, draining, and rinsing four cans.
- No soaking required—seriously!
- The texture and flavor are so much better.
Still skeptical? Try this simple Black Bean Soup and let me know if you’re convinced!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Adds richness and helps sauté veggies.
- Yellow Onions, Red Pepper, Carrots: Use a food processor to chop quickly.
- Garlic: Add garlic last during sautéing to avoid burning.
- Seasonings: Create a smoky, warm, and balanced seasoning blend.
- Dried Black Beans: Rinse and pick through for debris before using.
- Chicken/Vegetable Stock: Use low-sodium stock to control salt levels.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Remove peppers before blending if you prefer mild heat.
- Bay Leaf: Don’t forget to remove it before serving.
- Fresh Lime Juice: Brightens and balances the flavors.
Variations
Make a Vegetarian Black Bean Soup by replacing chicken stock with vegetable stock.
How To Make Black Bean Soup
- 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.
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!
Black Bean Soup Tips
- Cooking the veggies in olive oil first gives the soup so much flavor—don’t skip!
- Blend some of the soup to make it creamy but still leave some chunks.
- Take out the blender lid’s center piece, cover the hole with a towel, and blend to avoid messes.
- Taste and adjust salt based on your broth. If it tastes bland, add more salt or a squeeze of lime. Top with garnishes and enjoy!
- Freeze leftover chipotle peppers easily! Here’s how: Spoon peppers with sauce onto a parchment-lined pan. Freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag, seal, and store for up to 6 months.
What To Serve With Black Bean Soup
- Sour Cream: Use light or fat-free sour cream for a fresh, creamy touch.
- Chips: Crushed chips or tortilla strips (plain or seasoned) add crunch. You can also dip chips in the soup!
- Avocado/Guacamole: Add diced avocado for extra creaminess.
- Cheese: Sprinkle grated cheese on top and let it melt. Try pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or sharp Cheddar.
- Lime Juice & Cilantro: Add more for extra freshness and flavor.
- Dairy-Free: Replace sour cream with avocado and add fresh lime juice.
Storage
Black Bean Soup Storage
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:
- White Bean Soup with basil-pesto
- Corn Soup with fresh sweet corn and basil
- White Bean and Sausage Soup with carrots
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup with quinoa and black beans
- Pumpkin Soup using a can of pumpkin!
Black Bean Soup
This Black Bean Soup is loaded with flavor and nutritious ingredients! Make it in the slow cooker or pressure cooker with minimal effort!
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or slow cooker
- Blender
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 coriander
- Salt and pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) bag dried black beans see note 1
- 8 cups chicken 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.
Video
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 to 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.
