Instant Pot Easy Detoxing Black Bean Soup
An easy detoxing black bean soup that requires hardly any work at all! This is my favorite soup to make and have around for weekday lunches and guess what? It actually tastes better as it sits!
These kinds of detox recipes make my heart sing!
Not only is this detoxing black bean soup light on the waistline, it requires hardly any work at all on our part, AND this is a big one. You can make it on Sunday and by the time lunchtime rolls around on Monday, this soup will be even better. And even better the day after that. So unlike most things you may meal prep, this soup is made to be eaten later. The flavors really mesh and mingle and what you’re left with is a flavor-packed, vegan-friendly black bean soup.
I’m completely in love.
It’s February and most of us that got on the hamster wheels of clean diets come the turn of the year are starting to feel just a leetle burned out. And with both the Super Bowl and Valentines being in the same month, it sure makes it a ton harder. This past weekend was brutal for me! I ate three different cakes, three days in a row. When your parents anniversary falls on the same weekend as your friends’ kids birthday parties (two of them) there’s a WHOLEEEE lot of cake temptation around.
And you know what, I just can’t say no to birthday cake. 🤦🏻♀️
Of course, this soup isn’t just limited to those of us that are desperate to cling to our new year’s resolutions either. In fact, can the fat girl inside of me give you a tip? Eat these with a handful of tortilla chips.
Lawd that is the best.
My goal for the year (other than shedding a few unwanted pounds) is to eat cleaner and leaner and make more things from scratch. I’m the first one to grab a can of prepared black beans from the store. But this year, I’m taking the extra step of buying dry beans and preparing them in the instant pot. And that’s how this simple detoxing black bean soup was born.
My detoxing black bean soup is naturally vegan and vegetarian-friendly. So that means you can serve it to just about anyone! Now, of course, you can certainly add crumbled bacon, leftover cooked fajita meat, or grilled chicken on top if you want it to have a little more substance to it. But know this, this black bean soup will easily keep you full as is.
This recipe is made entirely in the instant pot and it’s so simple you don’t even presoak the beans. We’ll use the saute setting to get the onions and jalapenos going then we’ll add in the garlic. Once you’ve softened the veggies, everything else just gets loaded up and you sit back and let the instant pot make this detoxing black bean soup for you. Once the beans have softened all the way through, you can puree about 1/2 the soup in a blender and pop it back into the pressure cooker and give it a mix. To tell you the truth, I usually just use a wooden spoon and smash it up a little bit. Really, it doesn’t even take much effort. Not gonna dirty a blender if I don’t have to. 🤷🏻♀️
One thing I want to mention, I made this black bean soup a few times and did notice a slight difference in cooking times between organic black beans and regular ones. The regular ones take slightly less time to cook than the organic variety. Know that if the ones you’re using aren’t organic, you won’t even really need to smash them much. Unless they’re old. Beans that have been around for a while (stored way in the back of the pantry, out of sight out of mind) usually will take about the same time as organic black beans.,
And once it’s cooked top your bowl with pico de gallo, a squeeze of lime juice, a little cilantro, and diced avocados. And if you’re not doing a detoxing thing, feel free to bring on the sour cream and the tortilla chips.
And just like that you’ve got a meal prep friendly detoxing black bean soup that’s ready to go! this makes about 6, 1 cup servings. It’s warm and cozy and satisfying.
Does anyone else feel less than excited when you need to eat a salad during the colder months? I don’t know what it is but for me, I just cannot find the will do it. Enter my all-time favorite kind of food; SOUP.
Put this on the lunch menu for the week! 🙂
Instant Pot Easy Detoxing Black Bean Soup
An easy detoxing black bean soup that requires hardly any work at all! This is my favorite soup to make and have around for weekday lunches and guess what? It actually tastes better as it sits!
Ingredients
- swish of olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, smoked paprika, and adobo seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons better than bouillion (see notes)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup dry black beans (about 1/2 pound)
Instructions
- Veggies: Hit the saute setting on the instant pot and add a swish of oil. Add the onions and peppers and season them with a pinch of salt and let them cook for 5-6 minutes or until they soften. Add the garlic and stir to combine.
- Pressure Cook: Add all the remaining ingredients to the instant pot, stir. Cover, make sure the vent is sealed. Cook on manual high pressure for 42-45 minutes. If using organic or older beans, I suggest 45 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow a release pressure release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Stir the soup and test the beans for doneness, remove bay leaf. You can puree 1/2 the soup in the blender if you want it to be thicker. I usually just smash using a wooden spoon on walls of the pot until it reaches my desired consistency, season with additional salt to taste. If serving immediately, allow the soup to cool for 15 minutes as it'll thicken as it sits. Top with guac, pico de gallo, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and serve with tortilla chips!
Notes
- Any variety of better than bouillion will work. If you're a fan of garlic, try the roasted garlic, it's sooo good in this soup!
- I have a 6 quart instant pot and I think the recipe can easily be doubled without any problem. However, I'm not sure if this will increase the cooking time and by how much. I'd test it at 45 minutes and would let it go for slightly longer depending on the doneness of the beans.
Hi Marzia,
Thanks for a yummy & healthy recipe! Any idea how long this would take in a slow cooker?
Many thanks ?
Hey there! If you decide to make the recipe as written, I suggest making it in a 3 quart slow cooker on high for 6-8 hours. If you have a larger slow cooker, doubling the recipe might be a good idea so that it cooks in the same amount of time. Making a single batch in a large slow cooker may result in overcooked/ uncooked beans. Hope you enjoy the soup, Dee!
This was by far the best black beans that I have ever eaten!!!! I kept the seeds of the jalapeno in as I love spicy. The seasonings were perfect!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
Great recipe – thank you! I used my 3 qt. Instant Pot and it worked great. Used some of the leftovers for breakfast with fried eggs this morning – yummy!
Adding pico de gallo, or at least tomatoes, really helps. Avocado would be great too, but mine weren’t ready yet to use.
Are all the ingredients listed that the picture represents? Just wondering what is the orange colored ingredient and if you used a garnish, what is it? Thank you! I can’t wait to try it.
Hey there! Yup, all ingredients are listed. It’s store-bought pico and the tomatoes just hadn’t ripened.
This is a FABULOUS, easy, fast, clean tasting recipe. I crave it – so flavorful and makes you feel really full, but no nasty stuff I am trying to stay away from. I double this recipe every time and make my own pico for the top of it.
Don’t have an instant pot. Can this be made on top of the stove ? what size pot ?
I haven’t tested the recipe on the stove top, but I can provide a basic guideline for making it on the stove. First, I suggest soaking the beans overnight or bringing them to a boil for 3 minutes and then turning the heat off and allowing the beans to sit in the warm water for an hour. Drain and after that, you’d follow step 1 and 2 just up the water to 4 cups and cook for 2 1/2 -3 hours or until the beans are done.
So delicious and savory, comfort food at its best. I used a regular pressure cooker and it came out perfect.
So you Don’t soak the beans? Also, if I use canned, how long should it cook?
Hi there! That’s correct, no need to soak the beans for this recipe. Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I’m not sure about using canned beans and the time they would need. The water amount listed would also be too much for beans that are already cooked. Hope that helps!
This black bean soup was delicious and really easy! I wasn’t sure if it would work with only 3 cups of water, especially starting with dry beans, but it did. The beans were tender and there was just enough broth to make it soup. However, there’s no way it’s 6 servings. The two of us ate the whole thing for dinner!
What is the adobo seasoning? Is it chipotle adobo?
I have made this before, and absolutely loved it! So this time, I am noticing that there is a beautiful picture of chopped green peppers? They don’t look like jalapeno! Maybe you were making pico de gallo? Anyway, please let us know if green peppers are in this recipe! They might make it even better than it already is!
I’ve made this black bean soup recipe several times now. The flavor and simplicity of preparation makes this a winner. I keep the seeds in my jalapenos to add to the soup, for a wonderful spicy experience.