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.
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).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
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!
This recipe is delicious! Highly recommend!
So good – added a slice of cheddar on top (to melt into the soup) – Yummy!!!
Hi. I tried this recipe, and the beans burned. The plastic crockpot liner fused to the crockpot. I have to buy a new one.
I know modern crockpots run hot and tend to burn food, so I don’t blame the recipe entirely. This is just a caution not to make this if you’re not home to keep an eye on it. (Which, for me, defeats the purpose of having a crockpot.)
Honestly the issue here seems to be operator error, and not the recipe’s fault at all. Plastic and heat are never a good combo, and it makes sense that there would be issues with the bag burning and fusing when it was used with a recipe that calls for the crock pot’s highest setting for such a long time (most recipes only use the high setting for 4 hours). This IS a recipe you need to keep an eye on once the 6 hour mark rolls around. Is it possible that you cooked it for longer than 6 hours?
Hi Beth! I was so excited to try out this soup today but it didn’t quite work out for me. I have a 2.5 quart slow cooker so I halved the recipe.. and after 6 hours there was water on my counter (from boiling over?) and there was no liquid inside and a burnt ring around the top.
Is there anyway I can modify this recipe for my small slow cooker or use a Dutch oven instead?
Thank you!
Huh! That’s really bizarre. The fact that there was a burnt ring around the top is the most puzzling part. Usually heat elements are on the bottom and sometimes around the sides, but not usually near the top of the sides. You can actually do this on the stove top by simmering on low and it will take maybe a couple hours. I’ve heard that a dutch oven cooked at 250 is similar to a slow cooker, but I don’t know the conversions for how long it would take.
I think with the water boiling over it was food that was burnt around the top? I do think that my heating element is on the bottom. I kind of want to try my slow cooker again, but on low instead of high, and see how that goes. I feel like stove top might be my best choice though.
Thank you!
I made this recipe a few days ago, and it was delicious! Due to having a smaller slow cooker, I halved the recipe and ended up with an extremely thick soup that was closer to refried bean consistency. More water would likely help with this. Definitely not a flop though – the ‘soup’ ended up making a wonderful burrito filling. It would go quite well with tortilla chips, too.
Excellent recipe. Followed directions without any changes, it was Delicious.
I love black bean soup. I was wondering if the addition of the salsa at the beginning makes the beans take longer to cook. My mom always told me to hold out the tomatoes or acids until the beans were soft. Have you found this to be a problem?
I’ve heard that as well, although it didn’t cause a problem for me when I made this recipe. Maybe it wasn’t enough acid to make a difference. If you’re concerned, you can try adding a teaspoon of baking soda, which will help neutralize some of the acid.
Never use Baking Soda in Cooking! It destroys the Vitamins, Salt will toughen the beans too, add it last. I made this today. I created a phenomenal Soup using Black Beans, that I pre-soaked them a few minutes when I washed and rinsed them. Then I put them in a 4 quart pot and cooked on High for 5 Minutes, Black Beans do not need to be soaked overnight. I put the beans with the cooking water into my Slow Cooker. I added cooked – stir fried onions, peppers, celery, garlic, Jalapeno pepper without the seeds – minced, in EVOO. I cooked them in batches, adding as I went along to the Slow Cooker on top of the beans. I had two small red potatoes, i cut in small cubes, and stir fried them as well. I added a jar of homemade soup stock, pint size as it was condensed. Then added Apple Cider Vinegar 1 T. I had a small amount of left over canned Pumpkin puree, added that, then iincluded a package of premixed seasoning – Cumin, Salt, Oregano, Chili, and added my own Cumin, and a Tsp of Italian Herbs, then to finish a tsp of Kelp. The Peppers were sweet – Red, Yellow, Orange,cubed and a Jalapeno in smaller cubes. When it is done I will add a small can of peeled tomatoes, large shredded carrot pieces also to let them cook, and add crunch and color.
Another amazing hit! by Beth on a budget!! This recipe was amazing! I added some ground turkey meat for an extra protein punch and it was delish.
I made this recipe in a 2qt crockpot in my dorm today, I let it cook overnight and it came out perfectly. I was so flavorful and thick. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn because I cut it in half for smaller crockpot but it worked wonderfully. I served it with brown rice and fresh jalapenos and salsa it was delicious. I had it for lunch and I can’t wait to have it for dinner!
Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe. I just made it tonight, followed all instructions, with the only difference being that I added in some frozen sweet corn. It is deeeeeeelicious!!! Seriously, so very good and thick and filling. I’ll definitely be making this often!
Beth, I’ve got some black beans I made from dry in the freezer that NEED to be used up. Do you think it’d be OK to use in the crock pot for this recipe? Perhaps I don’t need to cook it as long. I’m trying to find a good way to revitalize and season the beans since they’ve been in the freezer a bit. What do you think?? I’m on a kick making sooo many of your recipes, love them!
Yes, you can definitely do that, but you’ll want to reduce the broth to maybe around 2 cups? Also, because the broth is reduced, you may need to add a bit of salt at the end. :) Oh, and you’re right, you won’t need to cook as long because the beans are already soft. Just until the vegetables are mashably soft.
I did it and it turned out great!! I actually used 4 cups liquid and 4 cups beans. Maybe would have reduced liquid by 1/2 a cup but not really by much. It was light and smooth and creamy, not too watery or thick! I love how customizable your recipes are! Delicious with your corn bread!!!
Nice!! Thanks for updating me. I’m sure other people want to try it that way, too. :)
First, THANK YOU! I have to tell you I really wish I could print this on less than 5 pages! I cannot tell you haw many times I’ve come back and searched for this recipe! It is one of my absolute favorites and I keep losing the printed pages…or spilling and tossing!
Just know that this one little recipe has truly brought me and those I’ve been sharing with, so much comfort and happiness. Seems silly really and I NEVER write the authors of recipes but I’ve literally re-searched & made at least 10 times so I figured I should offer a proper thank you!
Happy New Year!
I’m so glad you like the recipe!! If you use the “print” button on the recipe card, it should open a separate window with just the recipe and no other text or photos for easy printing. Or, if you try to print the main page, you should be able to choose to print just page one, or pages one and two from the printer options pop up box on your computer. I hope that helps!
I am eating the leftovers right now for lunch, and wanted to send a review. I buy my beans in bulk, so I used a little over 2 cups to make this recipe of dried black beans. I left the recipe as is, except I had an open veggie broth in the fridge that was about a cup, so I used 5 cups of vegetable broth, and then added about 1.5 cups water. I cooked it on low all day, and used my immersion blender for a little bit for the texture of soup we like. I serve mine with a dollop of sour cream, some diced avocado, and a topping of hot salsa! Hubby likes his beans and cornbread, so I made a batch of Mexican cornbread on the side, but it is great all alone (like I am having for lunch right now!).
Very good recipe, and I will be adding this to the list for take to work lunch soups and Meatless nights. This is a keeper!
Would you be willing to share your Mexican cornbread recipe? Sounds delish!
I was wondering how this could be adapted to cook on the stovetop. My current slow cooker is too small (I have a larger one, but I’m in the middle of a move and can’t find it) and really want to try this soup. Thank you! 😊
You can try simmering it on low until the beans are soft. It will probably take less time because even on low, the stove top is hotter than the slow cooker. You’ll probably also need to stir it occasionally because the heat is only coming from the bottom, whereas it comes from all sides in the slow cooker. :)
Thanks! I will try that next time, but my sister let me borrow her 6-quart slow cooker yesterday, so this is definitely on the menu for tomorrow night! 😊
I do it on the stove top with 4 cans of drained black beans. I probably could reduce the liquid but it turned out great tonight without really any changes.
Such a simple and delicious recipe! It came out so divine. I’ve made this twice so far with just a couple modifications for preference. I’m even posting it on my blog (with credit to you of course) because it is such a gem of a recipe. Simplicity at it’s finest. Thanks for sharing!