Cuban Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (With Dry Beans)
Cuban Instant Pot Black Bean Soup is quick, easy, and flavorful. Made with frugal dry beans and pantry spices (and no soaking required!). A nutrient-dense vegetarian meal or add extra protein on the side (like grilled chicken or chicken fajitas). With the perfect texture, serve the soup chunky or thick and creamy!
1teaspoonsaltthis will need to be adjust to taste after cooking
1 ½ cupsfrozen corn kernelsoptional
Instructions
Add the beans to a colander. Rinse the beans under fresh water and pick through the dried beans to check for rocks and misshapen beans.
Prepare all the vegetables (chopping, mincing) before starting.
Turn on the saute function of the Instant Pot. Once hot, add olive oil. Add the chopped vegetables, sprinkle with a few pinches of salt, and sauté for a few minutes until beginning to soften and sweat.
Add the cumin, paprika, and oregano. Stir for just a minute to bring out the flavors in the spices.
Press the Cancel button on the Instant Pot.
Splash in some of the broth and use a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. This is an important step to avoid the burn notice when pressure cooking. Add the black beans, remaining broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, and salt. Stir to combine.
Lock the lid on the Instant Pot. Position the steam pressure valve on top of the lid to Sealed. Cook the soup on Manual, High Pressure for 30 minutes.
Once the cooking cycle ends, the Instant Pot will beep and then begin counting up on the screen. Let the pressure naturally release for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, perform a quick pressure release: carefully release the remaining pressure from the pot by turning the steam valve on top from Sealed to Venting. Once steam is no longer pouring from the steam pressure valve, open the lid.
Taste the soup and add more salt (until it tastes just right). The amount of salt added will depend on if your broth was salted as well as the tomatoes.
Serve the soup in its chunky form with your favorite toppings or over rice, or blend it up to make a thick and creamy soup. Before serving, stir in the frozen corn kernels, if using.
For a thick and creamy soup, blend the soup directly in the Instant Pot with an immersion blender to desired texture. Or use a regular blender or potato masher (see instructions in notes).
Notes
To thicken the soup without an immersion blender, use...
Regular Blender: After cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove some beans (2-3 cups) to a tabletop blender and puree. Add the pureed beans back to the pot and stir.
Potato Masher: After cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove 2-3 cups of beans to a large bowl, use a potato masher to mash the beans. Then add the beans back to the Instant Pot and stir.