I love black bean soup like I love chili. It’s great on its own, but it’s also fun to get creative with toppings and turn it into a bowl full of fun (okay, maybe I get too excited about food). This awesomely flavorful and easy slow cooker black bean soup practically makes itself, which is perfect for hot summer days like this when you don’t want a pot of soup boiling away on the stove making your whole kitchen extra steamy.
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What else is awesome about this soup? Wellll…. It’s vegan, super filling, low cal, high fiber, high protein, full of veggies, and costs next to nothing. Need I say more?
And about those awesome fun toppings? I ate mine with a dollop of sour cream, but you could do crispy tortilla strips, green onions, cilantro, pepitas, cheddar or pepper jack cheese, or even a scoop of cooked rice. Actually, just about anything that goes good in a taco would probably go awesome on top of this soup. Go wild!
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.41)
- 2 ribs celery ($0.33)
- 2 carrots ($0.28)
- 1 lb. black beans (uncooked) ($1.75)
- 1 cup salsa ($0.85)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.30)
- 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.15)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 4 cups vegetable broth ($0.53)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic, dice the onion and celery, and grate the carrots on a large holed cheese grater. Rinse the black beans in a colander under cool running water and pick out any stones or debris.
- Combine the garlic, onion, celery, carrots, black beans, salsa, chili powder, cumin, oregano, vegetable broth, and water in a 5-7 quart slow cooker. Stir well.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 6-8 hours (you want the beans to get VERY soft). Once the beans are very soft, use an immersion blender** to blend the soup until it is thick and creamy (leave some beans whole if desired). Taste the soup and add salt if needed (this will depend on the brand of vegetable broth used).
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup – Step by Step Photos
Rinse the dry beans under cool water to remove any dust and dirt. If there are any pebbles or other debris, pick them out.
Add the beans to a 5-7 quart slow cooker along with 2 cloves of minced garlic, one onion (diced), 2 stalks celery (diced), 2 carrots (grated on a large holed cheese grater), 1 cup salsa, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 Tbsp cumin, and 1 tsp oregano. Add to that 4 cups of vegetable broth and 2 cups of water. Stir well, place the lid on top, and let it cook on high for 6-8 hours (the goal is VERY soft beans).
After 6 hours on high (it can go 8 hours if needed), the beans will be soft and floating around in a bunch of liquid. You want this to be a thick soup, so you’ll need to purée some of the beans (or all if you want it to be a super smooth soup). The easiest way is to use an immersion blender, but if you don’t have one, it can be done with a regular blender. If using a regular blender, let the soup cool until it’s no longer hot (warm is okay). blend about half of the soup in batches for a slightly chunky soup, or all of the soup for a smooth soup. When blending warm liquids it’s always a good idea to throw a towel over the top of the closed blender to catch any spray if it does build pressure and burst out the top. Never, NEVER, blend hot liquids. (speaking from experience).
I blended about half of my soup and left some beans whole for texture. Blending the beans also thickens up the soup considerably. Once it’s blended, give it a taste and see if you need to add salt. I used Better Than Bouillon soup base for my vegetable broth, which tends to be on the salty side, so I didn’t need to add any. If you’re using a low sodium broth, you’ll probably need to add a pinch to make the flavors pop.
And then go crazy with toppings! Woot!
What is the nutritional?
I want to make this soup, but am nervous about not soaking the beans. Will it come out just as good if I soak the beans first, or will that mess with the chemistry?
I made the chicken lime soup several times. It is wonderful!
That will mess with the liquid ratio, since the beans will have already absorbed quite a bit of moisture.
Great recipe, makes quite a bit. We used 1/2 the recipe for soup the first night and only blended that much. Then we used some for nachos another night and finally used it in Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas. Wow that was a good recipe.
I made this soup and it was wonderful. I made a few additions, adding a red pepper and jalapenio, some cilantro, smoked paprika and some chorizo sausage. I’m starting a soup diet and this was a good start(ok, I cheated with the sausage).
I want to make a double recipe but my crock pot is not big enough. Could I do this on the stove in a pot? I’m a guy learning to cook and not certain of the order of operations. If I soak beans, how much water do I remove. Do I sautee all the veggies first and add everything or boil beans first and then toss everything else in. I see different recipes but not sure what is the best way. Thanks a bunch!
You can sauté the vegetables first if you prefer, or you can just add everything to the pot just as you would with the slow cooker. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer over low (or the lowest temperature that maintains a simmer) until the beans are very soft. It may take a couple hours, but it should be a little faster than the slow cooker because even a low simmer is usually a bit hotter than a slow cooker. You should be able to use the same amount of liquid as long as you use a lid to hold in the steam. If it starts to look dry as it’s simmering, just add a little more water.
I have heard from many sources that adding acid, like salsa or tomato products and also adding salt (say in the broth) can keep beans from softening. I am not sure how you would recommend cooking this- I am trying it now and adding the salsa in after the beans are soft. (I also soaked them over night) I am also going to add vegetable bouillon at the end rather than drain the cooking water to add broth. Am I just being paranoid? I have made lentils before that never got soft because I added tomato to it at the beginning. I threw them out.
From what I’ve heard, the salt thing is a myth and it’s acid and the mineral content of your water that can prevent beans from softening. Also, if beans are too old they will not soften. Despite the acid from the salsa, my beans still softened nicely. If you have super hard water in your area it might not work as well. The problem with adding it after cooking is that the flavors don’t get cooked into the beans.
I made a double batch of this soup as written and cooked for 8 hours on high this weekend. The beans got super soft and blended beautifully. Give it a shot as written; it worked for me! The only thing that I would do differently is add about a 1/4 tsp of cayenne for some spicy kick.
This recipe is full of flavor, quick and effortless! I make this soup once a month!
Love it. We ended up taking a potato masher to it so it was more mush with some texture still. Served it over some rice with parsley on top. Absolutely to die for.
I just found this recipe and made it today. This recipe is a KEEPER. Best black bean soup I’ve ever had. One note: I did not have any cumin on hand, so I substituted Adobo seasoning, which contains some cumin. I also forgot the oregano, so I’ll try that next time. Nice to know that I don’t have to presoak the beans for this soup. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made this yesterday and it was sooooo good and easy and cheap! I didn’t have to add any salt but I did sprinkle feta cheese on top. There’s no reason someone who doesn’t make a lot of money couldn’t eat healthy. This recipe proves it! My whole house smelled good all day too while it was cooking and the beans were perfect. I did let it cook for the full 10 hours though. Yum!
Could this be made in the instant pot? How long would I cook it and how much liquid?
You’ll probably need the same amount of liquid and I think I’d use the “bean” button on the IP or check the table in the booklet that comes with it to see the suggested cooking time for black beans.
Can we use canned black beans? I have canned black beans in my pantry and wanted to use them.
This one is designed for dry beans. If you sub canned beans you’ll need to reduce the liquid quite a bit because they won’t absorb any moisture like dry beans and you won’t need to cook it for nearly as long. :) I haven’t tested the recipe with canned, though, so unfortunately I can’t give any more detailed suggestions.
I was recently laid off. Thank God for Budget Bytes
I have a 3.5 quart slow cooker and I halved the recipes do I still cooks the beans 6-8 hours?
Yes, you’ll still want to cook them for the same amount of time.
Holy Moly just made this yesterday for my lunch all week and it’s great. I was even to lazy to do the immersion blending and it didn’t matter a bit. THANKS!
The Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup is delicious!! I soaked the black beans overnight, and cooked the soup on low for seven hours. I was becoming extremely impatient and decided to cook the soup on high for one hour, because I was starving. I served the soup with some homemade tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. I have plenty of leftovers for dinner this week, and will make the soup again. Thank you, Beth!! :-)