This Instant Pot Black Bean Soup is made up of black beans, veggies, green chiles, lime juice, and seasonings cooked in the instant pot and then blended until velvety. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and healthy!
Ingredients
- Olive Oil – used to sauté the veggies which provides an extra layer of delicious flavor.
- Yellow Onion, Celery, Carrot, and Red Bell Pepper – a simple blend of veggies that adds so much flavor and nutrition to this soup.
- Minced Garlic – adds a sharp kick of nuttiness.
- Vegetable Broth and Water – makes up the base for the soup and provides enough liquid to cook the beans directly in the instant pot.
- Dry Black Beans – no need to cook first. The dry black beans cook right in the instant pot!
- Diced Green Chiles – give the soup a little kick of heat.
- Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Dried Oregano, Salt, and Black Pepper – a simple blend of seasonings that adds just the right amount of spicy flavor.
- Lime Juice – adds a bright, tangy flavor that goes so well with the other earthy, spicy flavors in this soup.
- Cilantro, Green Onions, Sour Cream, Feta, Shredded Monterey Jack, Pico de Gallo, Southwestern Tortilla Strips, etc. – for serving. Optional but very highly recommended.
How to make
- Pour oil into your instant pot and hit SAUTE. Once hot, add in onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Hit CANCEL, then stir in broth and water, scraping up any brown bits. Mix in black beans, chiles, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Close and lock the lid then cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Once it’s done cooking, do a natural release.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove 3 cups of the beans and set aside. Pour the rest of the soup into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Mix that back into the instant pot, stir in the unblended beans, then serve and enjoy!
Do black beans need to be soak?
Nope! It’s not necessary to soak the beans before you use them in the soup. In fact, un-soaked beans tend to cook more evenly and are less likely to split apart during pressure cooking.
Can you use canned beans?
In theory, yes. However, I’m not sure how much liquid you’d need instead if you used already cooked, canned beans. The liquid to ingredient ratio in this recipe accounts for the liquid needed to cook the dry beans.
With that in mind, I recommend sticking to dry black beans!
Do you have to blend the soup?
Not necessarily, although I love the velvety, creamy texture of the soup when the bulk of it is blended.
If you do prefer a soup with more texture you can either blend less of the soup OR leave it as is!
What to serve with instant pot black bean soup
This black bean soup makes a delicious vegan main dish but you can also serve it as a side! Here are some recipe pairing ideas:
How to store
Leftover black bean soup will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, microwave or warm on the stove until heated through. Thin with a splash of water or veggie broth, if necessary! The soup may thicken as it sits.
– Jennifer
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 (32 oz) carton vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 (16 oz) bag dry black beans
- 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles undrained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup lime juice
- Cilantro, sliced green onions, sour cream, crumbled feta, shredded Monterey jack, pico de gallo, southwestern tortilla strips, etc. for serving*
Instructions
- Pour oil into a 6 quart Instant Pot.
- Hit SAUTE, then once the Instant Pot reads HOT add in onion, bell pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
- Hit CANCEL, then stir in broth and water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom to avoid a BURN reading.
- Stir in dry black beans, chiles, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Close and lock the lid - make sure the pressure valve is pointed toward SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 1 hour.
- Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release (this can take about 30 minutes), then remove the lid.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove about 3 cups of the beans. Set aside.
- Pour the remainder of the soup into a high powdered blender to blend until smooth.
- Pour back into the Instant Pot, then stir in the unblended beans.
- Taste and re-season, if necessary, then serve with toppings of choice and enjoy!
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Notes
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*Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.