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    Home » Recipes » Pressure cooker

    Instant Pot Black Bean Soup

    Published: Oct 1, 2024 by Mike Vrobel · This post may contain affiliate links · 19 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    A bowl of black bean soup with avocados and green onions

    Instant Pot Black Bean soup. Earthy black bean soup seasoned with cumin, coriander, and lime. Pressure cooking makes dry beans easy to cook, especially black beans. No soaking is needed; the beans can go directly into the Instant Pot after sorting and rinsing. The beans release starch while they're cooking, resulting in a thick and hearty soup.

    A bowl of black bean soup with avocados and green onions

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    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • INSTRUCTIONS
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Tips and tricks
    • Sorting Beans
    • Storing leftover black bean soup
    • What to serve with Black Bean Soup
    • Instant Pot Black Bean Soup Recipe
    • Related Posts
    • 💬 Comments
    Ingredients for Black Bean Soup

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound dry black beans
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon paprika (preferably smoked paprika)
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme)
    • 1 tablespoon minced chipotle en adobo (optional)
    • 6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or water
    • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
    • 2 bay leaves
    • Juice of 2 limes
    • 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
    • Minced green onions (optional for garnish)
    • Diced avocado (optional for garnish)

    INSTRUCTIONS

    Sorting the black beans

    Sort and rinse the beans

    Sort the dry black beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Put the beans in a strainer and rinse, then let them drain.

    Sautéing the onions and peppers, and toasting the spices

    Saute the aromatics and toast the spices

    Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in the pressure cooker until shimmering. Add the onion, red pepper, and garlic and sprinkle with ½ teaspoons fine sea salt. Saute until the onion and peppers soften, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the cumin, coriander, paprika, thyme, and (optional) chipotle. Toast the spices for 1 minute, then stir them into the onions.

    Everything in the Instant Pot

    Everything in the pot

    Add the sorted and rinsed black beans to the pot, pour in the broth (or water), and stir in 1 ½ teaspoons of fine sea salt if using homemade broth (or water). Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any bits of stuck-on onion or spices. Float the bay leaves on top.

    Pressure Cook for 35 minutes

    Pressure Cook for 35 minutes with a quick release

    Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot) or for 30 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Quick release the pressure.

    Season and serve

    Unlock the pot, opening the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam. Stir in the lime juice and 2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with the (optional) green onion and avocado, serve, and enjoy!

    Substitutions

    No chipotle en adobo

    Canned chipotle en adobo sauce is easy for me to find nowadays in the international aisle in my local grocery store, and it was always available at my local Mexican markets. If you can't find chipotle en adobo, substitute dried chipotle powder or diced jalapeno pepper.

    Mild soup

    If you don't want any heat, skip the chipotle en adobo.

    Extra spicy soup

    Add a second chipotle en adobo. Or, on top of the chipotle, add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, which has a lot more heat than chipotle.

    Bell peppers

    I like the sweet taste of red bell peppers, but you can substitute green bell peppers - or any color you want, basically.

    No limes

    I add the limes at the end to give the soup a hint of citrus and acid. If you don't have limes, skip them or substitute 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar.

    Vegetarian or Vegan

    Easy! This recipe is vegetarian and vegan as written.

    Carnivore

    If you don't care about eating vegetarian, you can make some or all of the following changes: 

    • Butter: Substitute 2 tablespoons of butter for the olive oil. Melt the butter in the pot before adding the onions and bell pepper.
    • Ham hock: Beans always taste better with a little smoked pork mixed in. Throw a ham hock in the pot when you add the beans. 
    • Chicken broth: Use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. Chicken broth is richer and has more body.

    Fancy vegetable sprinkle

    If I want to dress this soup up, I'll save some of the red bell pepper and the onion, mince them fine, mix them with the green onions, and sprinkle them on the soup right before serving.

    Variations

    Cuban Black Bean Soup

    Cuban black bean soup is very similar to this one; everything cooks the same but with a slight variation in the ingredients. Substitute green bell pepper for the red bell pepper, diced cubanelle pepper for the chipotle, skip the coriander and paprika, replace the thyme with 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and use 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar instead of lime juice at the end.

    Tips and tricks

    Dry beans are the key

    Dry beans are the reason this is a thick, hearty soup. While they cook, they release a lot of starch into the liquid. Then, the quick pressure release roughs them up some more, releasing even more starch.

    Blending for a thicker soup

    As I said above, this soup is thick enough for my taste without any extra help, thanks to the starch in the dry beans. If you want an even thicker soup, after cooking, scoop out 2 cups of soup and beans,  blend it, and stir it back in. I use my immersion blender and a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. You can also use a regular blender, but be careful - hot air escaping from the soup will try to push off the lid. Hold the lid down with a towel, and if your lid has a removable plug in the middle, take it out.

    Floating or tough beans after cooking

    Older beans take longer to cook; if they have been sitting on the shelf at your store for a while, they may need extra cooking time. If your beans are still tough when the cooking time is over, especially any "floaters" at the top of the pot, give the beans a stir, lock the lid, and pressure cook for another five minutes.

    Sorting Beans

    Beans are an agricultural product, and stuff tends to creep in when they are processed. Beans should always be sorted and rinsed before being used to remove any twigs, stones, clumps of dirt, or broken beans.
    To sort the beans, I pour them out on one side of a rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan) to keep the beans from escaping. Then I slowly run my fingers through the pile of beans, pulling them towards me on the sheet. I watch the beans as they move, looking for anything that doesn't seem right. If I see something, I poke around in the beans until I find what caught my eye and discard it. I repeat this several times until I'm satisfied everything is picked out of the beans.
    Then I dump the beans into a fine mesh strainer and rinse them under cold running water to wash off any dirt or dust still on them.
    Now, the beans are sorted, rinsed, and ready for soaking or cooking.

    Storing leftover black bean soup

    Black bean soup makes great leftovers and keeps for a few days in the refrigerator or for months in the freezer. I store it in 2-cup airtight containers, which are the perfect size for a grab-and-go lunch. 

    What to serve with Black Bean Soup

    I like to sprinkle minced onions on my soup—usually green onions, like in the recipe, but red onions are another favorite. Sour cream, tortilla chips, and shredded cheese are also good to serve with this soup. I'll add lime wedges if my diners like tart flavors.  
    As for side dishes, soup, salad, and bread(sticks) are popular at restaurants for a reason—they're a remarkable combination. I'll make a side salad, and serve it with rolls or a loaf of crusty bread.

    Adapted from: Lorna Sass Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure

    Print
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    A bowl of black bean soup with avocados and green onions

    Instant Pot Black Bean Soup Recipe


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Mike Vrobel
    • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    • Yield: 8 cups of soup 1x
    • Diet: Vegetarian
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Instant Pot Black Bean Soup. Earthy black bean soup seasoned with cumin, coriander, and lime.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 pound dry black beans
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 1 red bell pepper, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon paprika (preferably smoked paprika)
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme)
    • 1 tablespoon minced chipotle en adobo (optional)
    • 6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth or water
    • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
    • 2 bay leaves
    • Juice of 2 limes
    • 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
    • Minced green onions (optional for garnish)
    • Diced avocado (optional for garnish)

    Instructions

    1. Sort and Rinse the Beans: Sort the dry black beans, discarding any stones, dirt, or broken beans. Put the beans in a strainer and rinse, then let them drain.
    2. Sauté the Aromatics and Toast the Spices: Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in the pressure cooker until shimmering. Add the onion, red pepper, and garlic and sprinkle with ½ teaspoons fine sea salt. Saute until the onion and peppers soften, about 5 minutes. Make a hole in the middle of the onions and add the cumin, coriander, paprika, thyme, and (optional) chipotle. Toast the spices for 1 minute, then stir them into the onions.

    3. Everything in the Pot: Add the sorted and rinsed black beans to the pot, pour in the broth (or water), and stir in 1½ teaspoons of fine sea salt if using homemade broth (or water). Scrape the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any bits of stuck-on onion or spices. Float the bay leaves on top.

    4. Pressure Cook for 35 Minutes With a quick release: Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot) or for 30 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Quick release the pressure.

    5. Season and Serve: Unlock the pot, opening the lid away from you to avoid any hot steam. Stir in the lime juice and 2 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls, top with the (optional) green onion and avocado, serve, and enjoy!

    Equipment

    6-Quart Pressure Cooker

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    Fine Mesh Strainer

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    Flat edged wooden spoon

    Buy Now →
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 55 minutes
    • Category: Sunday Dinner
    • Method: Pressure Cooker
    • Cuisine: American

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    Comments

    1. linda says

      March 19, 2016 at 9:56 pm

      Made this soup two times and really like it. So simple and tasty. At first I thought a tablespoon of cumin and coriander would be too much, but it was not too spicey. Want to try your senate soup next. Love my instant pot too.
      Linda

      Reply
    2. Caryn Hart says

      December 11, 2015 at 12:01 pm

      Hi- I just discovered your site. I am very impressed! I just want to point out that your brine for the beans has double the salt that America's Test Kitchen recommends, unless you are using kosher salt. Please advise. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Mike V says

        December 11, 2015 at 12:21 pm

        I went and checked my more recent recipes; looks like I’ve eased off on the salt over time. You’re right – cut back on the salt. My current ratio is 1/2 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon of table salt) per quart of water. I updated the recipe to reflect this.
        (That said, the old amount worked for me at the time, so it's not the end of the world if you used more salt.)

        Reply
        • Mike V says

          December 11, 2015 at 1:55 pm

          And...I went and checked my more recent recipes; looks like I've eased off on the salt over time. You're right - cut back on the salt; my current ratio is 1/2 tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon of table salt) per quart of water. I updated the recipe to reflect this.

          Reply
          • Caryn Hart says

            December 12, 2015 at 9:05 am

            Thanks, Mike, for getting back to me so promptly.

            Reply
    3. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      December 10, 2014 at 11:00 am

      Thanks for following up.

      Reply
    4. Jack Busch says

      December 10, 2014 at 2:25 am

      Made this a second time and this time I soaked the beans for about 24 hours (they were a little past the best by date). I probably should've just done 8 hours or no soaking because the beans were a bit too soft and the soup a bit too salty

      Reply
    5. Anonymous says

      February 24, 2014 at 3:33 pm

      This looks so good! Can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    6. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      March 18, 2013 at 9:59 am

      Ha! Love the hashtag. My stick blender died a few weeks ago- I need a new one myself.

      Reply
    7. Jack Busch says

      March 18, 2013 at 1:17 am

      I made this today, and it was excellent! I often crave Panera's black bean soup, but whenever I'm eating it, I can't help thinking "Couldn't I have made this at home?" And now, I most definitely can!

      I definitely need to get an immersion blender, though. #soup_all_over_counter

      Reply
    8. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      November 01, 2012 at 10:06 am

      Enjoy!

      Reply
    9. Stephanie Smith Diamond says

      November 01, 2012 at 6:55 am

      This looks so yummy! And easy enough for my two-year-old bean fanatic to help with a bit, too. I'm just starting to not be afraid of my pressure cooker; I'm going to search your blog for more recipes!

      Reply
    10. Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says

      April 02, 2012 at 10:26 am

      You're welcome - glad to see you're taking my basic idea and running with it.

      Reply
    11. Aaron says

      April 02, 2012 at 1:20 am

      I made this awhile ago but I'm going to try it again tomorrow a little bit differently. When I made it, I added 1/2 lb. of Mexican Chorizo in the beginning. It seemed to me that with the Chorizo, a tablespoon each of cumin, coriander and oregano, the soup had way too much seasoning. With that much cumin and coriander it  tasted more Indian than Mexican. This time I'm still going to use the Chorizo, but only a teaspoon each of cumin and oregano. Anyway, the technique seems sound. Thank you.

      Reply
    12. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      November 01, 2011 at 11:09 am

      @Corinna:

      You're welcome - I'm glad you liked it!

      Reply
    13. Corinna says

      November 01, 2011 at 12:37 am

      My first attempt at cooking beans in my pressure cooker yielded a delicious black bean soup. I may never go back to another method. Thank you, Mike!

      Reply
    14. MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says

      October 16, 2010 at 6:30 pm

      @Pam:

      Good luck - let me know how it goes!

      Reply
    15. Pam says

      October 16, 2010 at 1:21 pm

      Thanks for the pressure cooker recipes! I'm expecting my pressure cooker to see some action this week, what with the explosion of CSA veggies in my fridge...

      Reply
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    Welcome to Dad Cooks Dinner!

    I'm Mike Vrobel, a dad who cooks dinner every night. I'm an enthusiastic home cook, and I write about pressure cooking, rotisserie grilling, and other food topics that grab my attention.

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