I had a craving for black bean soup but didn’t feel like cooking. I wanted to keep the chopping and measuring to a minimum, so I tried to narrow down black bean soup to its most essential flavors. I came up with a soup that took just a few minutes to throw together and then I could let the Instant Pot do its thing while I took care of other pressing matters. Like walking our new dog…
This is Bandit and he’s a total sweetheart. We adopted him after Herman died suddenly of pneumonia at the end of January. Herman’s death hit me hard, and I’m still not really ready to write about it. It came suddenly and without a chance to say goodbye, and for a couple of weeks, I ran myself ragged working in the house and yard to avoid thinking about how empty the house felt without him.
But one morning, I just decided to look for a new dog, not one to replace him (Herman was a sunbeam–no one could replace him) but to create a new chance to love. I found a Pomeranian rescue organization in Dallas, and after some correspondence, my husband and I drove there to meet some dogs. Three-year old Bandit, who was suffering his own kind of grief since his owner died, seemed like a perfect fit for our cat-filled home, and he became a family member right away. I’m sorry I took so long to introduce him to you!
The Blog’s New Look
I spent all of March working on FatFree Vegan Kitchen’s new look, and I hope you like it. It’s less cluttered, I think, and the Recipe Index is more visual and less list-y. A new feature that is rolling out slowly is the ability for readers to give a star rating to recipes when they leave a comment. I have to add this to each recipe manually, so if you see one that you would like to rate, please leave a comment with the number of stars you’d like to give it (scale of 1 to 5), and I will update that recipe and put the stars in for you. It’s a tedious process that will take a while, and I want to be sure to start with the recipes my readers like the most.
Get Out Your Instant Pots…or Not
As you can see by the title, I used the Instant Pot to make this soup, but it’s definitely not required. You’d follow the same instructions to cook it in a stovetop pressure cooker in about the same amount of time. But if you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can certainly make it on the stove. I added some very general instructions in the notes on the recipe.
I can’t believe how good this soup is for having so few ingredients. Of the optional ingredients, the one I really recommend is the lime juice—it adds a vibrant zing.
I served the soup with tortilla chips that I made in the air fryer. They’re so simple—just preheat the air fryer to 360F, cut up corn tortillas, and toss them in. I set a timer for 2 minutes, shake them and separate any that are sticking together, and then shake them again after another minute. They cook quickly and go from yellow to brown in seconds, so just keep checking and shaking. It usually takes mine 4 minutes.
A Word About Pressure Cooking Beans
It’s almost impossible to give a pressure cooking time that works for everyone because there are so many variables that affect beans: your altitude, the hardness of your water, and the age of the beans themselves (you never know how long they’ve been sitting on the grocer’s shelf). The times below are what worked for me with freshly bought beans, neutral city water, at 328 feet elevation. My beans came out perfectly, but if you are at a higher altitude, you may need to add extra time. Consult this chart for more info.
Simple Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black beans
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 cups boiling water
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 12 ounces frozen corn kernels
- 1 cup salsa
- additional seasonings to taste
Optional Garnishes
- avocado, soy yogurt, salsa, squeeze of lime
- baked tortilla chips
Instructions
- Check over the beans for small stones, misshapen beans, or other debris. Rinse well. Start boiling 6 cups of water while you chop the onion.
- Turn your Instant Pot on Sauté (other electric pressure cookers may call this "Brown"), add the onion, and cook until it's softened and beginning to brown, stirring often.
- Add the beans, boiling water, cumin, salt, and chipotle chili powder to the pot. Turn off the Sauté function and lock the lid in place, making sure the pressure release valve is set to Pressure. Press Manual to select high pressure. Adjust the time to 30 minutes. Pot will begin coming to pressure and will count down to zero once pressure is reached.
- When the pot is finished cooking at pressure, allow the pressure to come down naturally for 20 minutes. (You can either turn it off or leave it on warm.) Turn the pressure release knob to Steam to release the pressure.
- Open the lid carefully, angling it away from you so you won't get steamed. Check the beans for doneness. If they are still hard, replace the lid and give them an extra 2 minutes at high pressure. (Check the liquid level first--if it seems dry, add more water.)
- Once the beans are cooked, you may blend part of the soup or leave it as-is. (I removed 3-4 cups of the beans with a slotted spoon and used a hand blender to blend the soup in the pot. Then I returned the beans to the pot.) Add the corn and salsa. Add water if it seems dry. Taste the soup. Add extra salt, cumin, and chipotle powder as needed. Set the pot on Sauté and adjust the heat to low. Cook, stirring often, scraping up from the bottom, until it's hot throughout. Serve with garnishes of your choice.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
For those of you following Weight Watchers Freestyle, this has zero Smart Points. Check out more of my zero point recipes.
Please pin and share:
Thanks for reading, and remember, I have a ton of other pressure cooker recipes that also work in the IP. Enjoy!
Mori
The black bean soup looks amazing. I really need to get an instant pot – keep hearing such good things!
Congrats on your new family member Bandit 🙂
Lindsey
Susan, I’m so very sorry for your loss. Almost nothing is harder. So sorry. Herman was really precious. Bandit looks like a nice guy who will help you heal.
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Lindsey. Herman was really special, but Bandit is also special in a totally different way. He’s been a bright spot in a dark time.
Pamela
Your new friend Bandit is adorable! Thanks for this recipe, I love all your recipes, and can’t live without my two Instant Pots and Air Fryer, so this is perfect.
Susan Voisin
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
nancy
The site looks amazing Susan thank you for all your work. It is pouring rain here and I am going to have tea and spend some luxurious time looking ar recipes xo
Lisa
I did not care for the instant pot but do like to use my crockpot, can this be done with all ingredients at one time or do you recommend cooking beans first.
Thanks!
Susan Voisin
It will probably be okay all at once except the tomatoes in the salsa could keep the beans from softening. I advise putting them in an hour before serving.
Dianne
Your new puppy looks adorable and I am so happy for you !!
Thank you very much for rescuing this dog. Just the best thing to do!!
Janet
The soup looks fabulous and Bandit is adorable! So sorry to learn of Herman’s passing. It’s so hard to lose a pet!
Rebecca Cody
After a frustrating afternoon of trying to organize a trip to Europe and buy tickets at good prices, I didn’t feel like cooking at all – but I knew there wasn’t anyplace healthy nearby to eat out, either. Your black bean soup saved my day! I had all the ingredients on hand – even lime juice! So I put my Instant Pot to work and we enjoyed the results.
My husband has been avoiding nightshades to help his painful arthritic hands, and I recently learned that tomatillos, from which salsa verde is made, are not nightshades! There are, of course, some peppers in the salsa, and we’re hoping they are few enough so they won’t hurt. It made a fine substitute for the usual red salsa.
Susan Voisin
I will have to try it with the tomatillo salsa. What a great idea! Thanks for making it so quickly and reporting back.
Leslie
Tomatillos are most definitely in the nightshade family.
Lorna
This recipe came at the perfect time! I am introducing my visiting vegan cousin to the instant pot, and we are making this recipe together tonight. It looks like a fantastic recipe to start with. Thank you!
Herman looks like a lovely addition to your family, I’m glad you found each other!
Linda
I am so sorry for your loss of Herman , but so thrilled you decided to open up your heart and give little Bandit a chance at a happy life. He certainly is beautiful. I lost my mama chihuahua , Blondie last year and I still miss her terribly although I still had her 3 babies -who 11. They grieved terribly also and I could not pull them out of it so I recently adopted two more rescues and they have certainly helped to lift everybody’s spirits. I am so very grateful to my furbabies – one and all.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. My daughter loves black beans so I am going to try this recipe next weekend. Hope you and Bandit will have a lovely week ahead.
Susan Voisin
I’m sorry for your loss. It sounds like you have a house full of canine love now. I’m working on my husband to adopt a “sibling” for Bandit, but he likes the simplicity of having one dog. We’ll see. 😉
Brenda
Thanks Susan! Trying this recipe. I am usually a soaker but this looks so much easier. Sometimes I notice my beans are a little overcooked after I soak all night. I only pressure cook for 6 minutes but may have something to do with the beans I buy. This looks like a great solution! So about your dog, we just lost one too and it does leave an empty hole in your heart. Bandit is a very lucky little guy!!!
Em
Soup looks amazing! Thank you for all the recipes. Site looks GREAT!
I am sorry to hear about Herman- such a beautiful dog-yes bright light. Hugs.
Bandit looks like a wonderful spirit and a lucky dog to be a member of you loving family :heart:
Susan Voisin
Thanks Em! About the site and Bandit. 😀
Jill
Simple is definitely my style, and I can’t wait to try this. I love your photos, these are really inspiring to help us eat fresh wholesome food! So colorful. ) Bandit looks so friendly and with soft fur! Who’s a good boy!
Jenna JM
Made this yesterday and it disappeared almost immediately! EXCELLENT recipe, tasty, full of flavor and EASY to fix!
Susan Voisin
I’m so happy you liked it!
Lisa
So happy to have another Instant Pot recipe, Susan, and especially one where I don’t have to soak the beans first, which I rarely remember/plan to do. I’ll try this soon and will report back. My partner and I both love black beans. Thank you!
Mary
I’m glad you found sweet Bandit!
Diana
Hi! Love your recipes! I have a question… You’re a big user of the instant pot and I have one as well (which I love). I recently tried to cook lentils to use as a filling for cabbage rolls but they came out too mushy. I cooked them according to the instructions in the instant pot recipe book. I want them firm so when they’re done cooking I can rinse them and let them drain. Any suggestions?
Susan Voisin
Never follow the times in the Instant Pot manual. Seriously, never! It is notoriously off. If you can get one of the pressure cooker books by Lorna Sass, Jill Nussinow, or JL Fields, they have good times. I also have a chart for beans here: http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/05/25/pressure-cooker-bean-cooking-times-at-a-glance/
Jane Plass
I made this on Sunday. It’s excellent, and so easy too! It was also a good chance to use my Instant Pot for something more than cooking plain beans. Thanks, Susan.
nancy
Sorry to hear about “Herman’ (my last name is Herrmann). I just adopted a cat from down South (I live in CT). He came in in transport with 15 dogs in a van OMG. Well it didn’t seem to bother him I guess as he is one ‘laid back cat’!! When it came to finding a name for him, I decided to bring back memories of me in high school. Since my last name was Herrmann, kids in school nicknamed me “hermy’…………well so Hermy is his new name.
Everyone is different when it comes to healing over a lost pet. Some need time and space before adopting another and some just want to fill the void and help another lonely pet find a home. I’m glad you decided to adopt again. He’s a rea cutie!! Hence the facial features aka. “Bandit”. I have 5 rescued pets in my house and love them all to pieces.
Oh BTW nice job on ‘tweaking’ your website. It looks ‘fab!!!
Susan Voisin
Hi Nancy, thank you for telling me about your Hermy. We sometimes called our Herman that. I think it’s great that you adopted a Southern cat (but not so great that our overpopulation is such that we can’t find homes for them locally.)
I felt a little guilty about adopting so quickly, but I figured that I had a lot of love to give and there are lots of dogs that need homes. The only drawback is that every time Bandit so much as sniffles, I panic and have to stop myself from calling the vet. (I’ve already had one unnecessary vet visit and am in danger of being known as the hypochondriac dog mommy. 🙂
Finally, I’m so glad you like the look of the site! I haven’t gotten much feedback, but what I have has been good.
Maria
I love the picture of Bandit. How is he doing? I was wondering how he is doing with your cats.
Have a wonderful day.
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Maria. He is doing great! Part of the reason we chose him was that he was being fostered in a house with several cats. When we visited, he just wanted us to throw the ball to him, and he completely ignored the cats. He’s continued that behavior here at home, for the most part. There’s one particular cat that he seems fixated on (probably because that cat has taken a few swipes at him). He’ll stare and whine at the cat, hoping the cat will run, which he rarely does. 😉 Another cat, Loki, rubs up against him and would like to play, if only they could figure out how. I have some videos on my personal Facebook page that are open to the public, if you’re interested.
Kickinrsd
Susan I have not been online for quite some time and thought I had been linked to the wrong site when I found myself here. You have done a wonderful job of recreating your site. It has a peaceful feeling about it, drawing me in with the soothing colors of the background contrasting against the spectacular food photographs. You must have spent endless hours reworking everything and your hard work has really paid off.
I am so very sorry to hear of your Herman passing. Only those who have lost an animal, especially suddenly, can truly comprehend what it feels like. My heart is happy that you found Bandit, one so very suited to you and your family, both two and four-legged. Rescue animals seem to know the gift you have given them and love you all the more for it. Loki must be adorable when trying to get Bandit to play.
This soup looks and sounds fantastic. I am heading to the kitchen to put it in the Ipot in a little bit. As always, than-q for the time and effort you put into creating the wonderful recipes you post for us. As one living with a disability that makes it difficult to prep meals, I always have confidence that the time and physical effort I expend will be worth it when I sit down to enjoy a fantastic meal.
Hope your health is great and you are feeling wonderful. With gratitude and grace xo
Jill
Wow, this really is easy! I cut the recipe in half and used thawed frozen black beans that I had previously cooked in the IP. It cooked up quickly on the stove. I served it with pickled jalapenos (which I always have on hand), steamed asparagus, and your Cornbread Stuffing (!). I don’t know what my problem is, but I’m cooking up a mess of Thanksgiving dishes lately. I must really want the holidays to get here! Thanks for such an easy recipe, this is going into my regular rotation.
John Preston
Susan,
I make this all the time, the only difference is I press Bean/Chili instead of the manual settings and after taking the 3-4 cups of beans out I add two torn up corn tortillas and then blend until smooth. I used to use salsa but found a can of Ro-tel tomatoes w/ chilis more in line with my tastes. It may have something to do with me making my salsa too hot.
Very tasty, thanks!
Agness of Run Agness Run
Delicious soup, Susan! Can’t wait to give it a try!
laura nestell
Made this and it was delicious. I love my Instant Pot and it has made cooking beans so simple. Your new member of the household looks so sweet, I sure he is loving being with you.
laura nestell
Sorry forgot to leave my star rating. This recipe is simple and delicious.
Susan Voisin
Thanks! I’m so happy you liked it! 😀
Katherine Struthers
Can you suggest how I would adjust the cooking time if I were using canned beans?
Susan Voisin
For canned beans, I wouldn’t even bother using the Instant Pot, just add all ingredients after sautéing the onion and heat for about 15 minutes (use about half the water and 2-3 cans beans). If you really have to use the IP, just use 2 minutes at high pressure in step 2 and follow the rest of the instructions.
Julia
I have canned corn. Can I use this in my instant pot or I should I add it in after?
Susan Voisin
Add it in afterward so it doesn’t get overcooked.
Lynne
I love black bean soup and an easier recipe is to dump a can of veggie broth, 2 can’s of black beans, drained and a half jar of salsa into a pan and heat it up. I serve it with chopped green onions and vegan sour cream but now I”m also going to try avocado also.
DHARAMBIR CHAUDHARY
nice recipe!healthy and nutritious!
Kelli Fisher
Couldn’t go one day without using my IP, thanks for the recipe as it’s what’s for dinner tomorrow after I make some “refried” beans in it.
My heart aches for you as you mourn the loss of your precious Herman, it’s a most painful heartbreak (I lost 3 of my beloved Jake last November), but it sounds like you and Bandit were destiny waiting to happen! Enjoy every single second of him!
Linda
Hi Susan,
I have been looking for more ideas on what recipes will work well in my new Instant Pot. Lots of your recipes look great, but I’ve noticed they tend to be high in sodium. Do you think omitting or limiting the fat in the recipes calls for more salt to make up for the lost fat flavor?
Generally I cook without adding any salt to recipes and then let everyone add some at the table if desired. This method seems to result in lower sodium intake overall since when you add the salt directly to your meal, the salt crystals are right there on your tongue and you don’t need as much to get that flavor boost!
Thanks for sharing your great plant based recipes.
Linda
Lynda
I noticed you mentioned not having to overnight soak beans cooked in the Instant Pot? Do beans cooked in the pressure cooker cause less gas?
Susan Voisin
I don’t think the pressure cooker has any effect on gas, but some people claim that soaking helps decrease gas.
nozomibirmignham
nice recipe!healthy and nutritious!
Aurora
Thank you for this delicious and easy recipe. We enjoyed this soup last night for dinner and is definitely a keeper! It’’s so hard to find simple, easy vegan Instant pot recipes-thanks a million!
Jedn
This is easier than my usual blCk bean soup recipe that I developed to mimic a local restaurant’s soup. I did add an extra onion, some garlic, & sautéed in garlic olive oil before adding beans, liquid, & spicesused 1/2+water and 1/2 vegetable broth, puréed as directed in the recipe.after removing about 3-4 cups beans. Added more cumin and rinsed 3 cans of black beans to thicken it up, about 2 cups salsa, fire roasted frozen corn. Will add some plain Greek yogurt and avocado to each bowl.
Emily
Hi Susan,
Love this recipe but have recently started buying beans in bulk and don’t have a scale. How many cups of dried black beans is a pound? And how many cups of corn is 12 oz? Thank you for your help!
Jackie
I’ve made this recipe three times now and I just absolutely love it! The chipotle powder really gives it such an amazing taste…and I use my favorite salsa at the end. Thank you for such a simple and yummy recipe!
Charlene
What size instant pot did you use for this recipe?
Susan Voisin
I use the 6-quart Duo: https://amzn.to/2PuP7nD