Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup builds rich flavor one layer at a time without fussing over a hot stove. Sweat the vegetables until they're soft, add your beans and broth, then season the heck out of it. Stir in fresh cilantro and lime juice just before serving for a bright and earthy finish. This soup benefits from a little blender action after cooking - partially puree after cooking to release the starches in the beans for a thick, silky soup with very little effort.
Servings 8
Calories 181kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black beans picked over and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced to ½”
- 1 large leek halved and thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery diced to ½”
- 1 large red bell pepper diced to ½”
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 jalapeños minced, see Note 1
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth; see Note 2
- 1 cup water
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juices, see Note 3 and Note 4
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika see note 5
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 whole bay leaves
- ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1-2 tablespoons lime juice
Toppings
- diced red onion
- diced avocado or guacamole
- cilantro
- sour cream
- tortilla strips
- crumbled queso fresco
Instructions
- Pick through the beans and discard any stones or broken beans. Place the beans into a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cool running water to remove any dirt or grime.
- Press the “Saute” button to heat the inner pot; if your model allows for temperatures, select “Medium”, then program the Saute function for 10 minutes. Add the oil to the inner pot and heat until it shimmers.
- Add the onion, leek, celery, and bell pepper and toss to coat in the fat. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions and leek are soft and translucent, 6-7 minutes. Do not allow the vegetables to brown.
- Add the garlic and jalapeno and saute, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Press the “Cancel” button to turn off the Saute mode.
- Add the rinsed black beans, broth, water, diced tomatoes, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Give everything a good stir, then top with the bay leaves.
- Seal the Instant Pot and ensure the pressure valve is set to sealing. Program to “High Pressure” for 35 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally (see Note 6). It will take approximately 20 minutes for the pot to come to pressure and approximately 15 minutes for the pressure to release naturally.
- Open the Instant Pot, ensuring you open the lid away from your body so that the built-up steam wafts away. Use tongs to remove the bay leaves. Using an immersion blender, partially puree the soup for 10-20 seconds to create a silkier texture (see Note 7 and Note 8).
- Stir in the cilantro and and one tablespoon of lime juice, then taste for seasoning. Adjust the salt or lime juice to taste until the flavor is balanced.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with toppings to taste. Serve right away, and enjoy!
Notes
- Note 1. Jalapeños add terrific flavor to black bean soup, but they don't have to bring heat! Halve the peppers lengthwise, then scrape out the seeds and discard before mincing (be sure to wash your hands thoroughly when you're finished, as the spice will "stick"). If you prefer more heat, keep the seeds intact and thinly sliced the jalapeños instead.
- Note 2. We always cook with low sodium broth so that we can control the salt content.
- Note 3. We typically choose fire-roasted tomatoes for recipes with shorter cooking times. Fire roasted tomatos are sweeter, less acidic, and a little bit smoky. If you're sensitive to acid, fire-roasted tomatoes are great choice.
- Note 4. Diced tomatoes will cook down a bit under pressure and yield the best texture. If you only have whole canned tomatoes, coarsely chop them first, or crush them in your hands. If you only have crushed tomatoes, omit the water; crushed tomatoes are saucier than diced, and it's easier to add a bit more water or broth if your soup is too thick than to remove liquid if it's too thin.
- Note 5. Both sweet or smoked paprika for this recipe; smoked paprika will yield smoky, more spice-forward flavor. Smoked paprika can be quite strong, so you may want to start with half the amount.
- Note 6. Do not skip the natural pressure release; after 35 minutes, the beans will be fully cooked, but they only become tender during the natural pressure release stage.
- Note 7. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can (1) gently the mash the soup with a potato masher, or (2) ladle 2-3 cups of soup into a traditional blender, puree, then return the pureed portion to the Instant Pot and stir until combined.
- Note 8. If the soup is too thick, stir in a few tablespoons of water or broth until it reaches the desired consistency. If the soup is too thin, turn on the Saute function and allow some of the liquids to cook off for 5-10 minutes.
- In the Fridge: store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- In the Freezer: store in air-tight containers for 3-6 months. Seal larger portions of black bean soup in gallon-sized freezer bags, stored flat. Store individual portions in silicone molds like Souper Cubes or in pint-sized freezer bags.
- Defrosting and Reheating: defrost large portions by placing the freezer bags or cubes in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a pot on the stove over medium heat until the edges start to bubble, or small portions in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between each, until warmed through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 637mg | Potassium: 572mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 109% | Vitamin C: 48% | Calcium: 9% | Iron: 16%