Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
An easy from-scratch black bean soup made with dried beans in the Instant Pot. This recipe makes enough for dinner and lunch throughout the week, or freeze the extra for the future.
Ingredients
- 1 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 1 poblano pepper seeded and diced (approx. ¾ cup)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into ¼” thick rounds (approx. 1 ½ cups)
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced (1 generous cup)
- 1 TB cumin
- 1 TB paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lb dried black beans
- 6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained (use juice and tomatoes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp salt this will need to be adjust to taste after cooking
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels optional
Special Equipment:
- Instant Pot all recipes on Live Simply are tested using a 6-quart Instant Pot
- immersion blender or tabletop blender
Instructions
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Rinse and pick through the dried beans to check for rocks and misshapen beans. Set aside to drain.
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Prepare all vegetables (chopping, mincing) before turning Instant Pot on to Saute.
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Once hot, add the olive oil to the Instant Pot. Add the chopped vegetables, sprinkle with a few pinches of salt, and sauté for a few minutes until beginning to soften and sweat.
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Add the cumin, paprika, and oregano. Stir for just a minute to bring out the flavors in the spices.
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Press the Cancel button on the Instant Pot.
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Splash in some of the broth and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the insert (this is an important step to avoid the burn notice)--use a wooden spoon to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the black beans, broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, and salt. Stir to combine.
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Lock the lid and set to Manual, High Pressure for 30 minutes. Make sure the valve on top of the lid is set to Sealed.
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Once the cooking cycle ends, let the pressure naturally release from the pot for 20 minutes, then carefully release the remaining pressure from the pot.
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Taste the soup and add more salt, if needed. The amount you add will depend on if your broth was salted as well as the tomatoes. Tasting is the key to salting your food well.
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For a thick and creamy soup, blend the soup with an immersion blender to desired texture. Or use a slotted spoon to remove some beans (about 2-3 cups) to a tabletop blender and puree. Add the pureed beans back to the pot.
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Stir in frozen corn, if desired.
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Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, sliced green onions, avocado, a squeeze of lime, tortilla strips, etc.
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Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze.
Recipe Notes
This recipe is suited for the Instant Pot and dried beans. If you'd like to use (cooked) canned beans on the stove-top, I recommend this black bean soup recipe from Cookie and Kate.
Of course, you can make today's recipe as a soup, but you can also go beyond that. Here are 3 ways to use this recipe...
- Soup: Top the soup with sour cream, chopped avocados, cheese, and green onions (if desired). For a creamy soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup for just a minute or two to puree some of the beans.
- Multi-Purpose Beans: Use water instead of the broth and strain the beans from the liquid before serving. Store some of the beans in the liquid to keep the beans from drying out. Serve the beans with rice and toppings, in burritos or enchiladas, tortillas for tacos, etc.
- “Refried” Beans: Spoon some of the beans (or all of the beans) into a bowl and add just enough cooking liquid to help puree the beans into a thick and creamy consistency. Add more liquid, if needed, to reach your desired consistency. Serve the beans in taco shells, burritos, or as a side dish with shredded cheese and green onions--my favorite!