Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Cook dry beans, sweet potatoes, and spicy chipotle peppers in your Instant Pot to make this hearty Black Bean Soup up to a week in advance.
Now that it's soup season, I think it's about time for me to share my first Instant Pot recipe. (Took me long enough, right?)
Most often, I use my Instant Pot to cook dry beans relatively quickly and without any soaking. Just pour in the dry beans, cover with water or broth, and sprinkle in a little salt. Maybe a few bay leaves if you're feeling fancy. Then, lock up the lid, set to pressure cook for an hour, and they're good to go.
It doesn't get any better than that.
Except maybe if you also toss a couple of carrots, sweet potatoes, and spicy chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Because then, my friend, you get this hearty, Mexican-inspired, Black Bean Soup.
The actual best.
Before we get to the soup, though, let's talk about toppings.
Because just when you thought this Black Bean Soup couldn't get any better, I'm pulling out all of the stops with crunchy tortilla strips.
Crispy Chili Lime Tortilla Strips.
That's right.
I'm not one to set strict rules, but I'd say these tortilla strips are basically a required topping.
So let's talk about how to make them.
How to Make Crispy Tortilla Strips
First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and slice a few corn tortillas into thin strips.
Grab a large bowl and toss in the tortilla strips, oil, lime juice, chili powder, and salt. Gently toss until all of the tortilla strips are evenly coated.
Spread tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. (You may need to use multiple baking sheets and cook the tortilla strips in batches.)
Bake 10 minutes, stir, and cook 5 more minutes (15 minutes total), or until the tortilla strips are golden brown and crispy.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool the tortilla strips on a wire rack until the soup is ready. Tortilla strips will continue to crispen as they cool.
Okay, now that we have the topping out of the way, let's cook some soup.
How to Make Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
First of all, note that Instant Pot settings can vary depending on the model, so you should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the specifics.
First, sauté the vegetables
To start, set your Instant Pot to the sauté mode and pour in the grapeseed oil. Once hot, stir in the onions. Then add the sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, and oregano.
Then, Set to Pressure Cook
Finally, add in the black beans, vegetable broth, and water. Close and lock the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 1 hour.
Once cooked, release the pressure and remove the lid.
And Blend
Carefully ladle about 3 cups of the soup into a blender container and blend until smooth.
Pour the blended soup portion back into the Instant Pot with the rest of the soup and stir until it's all evenly mixed. (If you have an immersion blender, this would be a great time to use it.)
Meal Prep: How to Make Black Bean Soup Ahead of Time
The nice thing about this Instant Pot Black Bean Soup is that you can make the whole thing in advance. Cook the tortilla strips and soup according to the recipe instructions until it's ready to serve.
Once cooked, store the Black Bean Soup in an airtight container and refrigerate up to a week or freeze up to six months.
Store crispy tortilla strips separately in an airtight container at room temperature up to a week.
You can find more Easy Vegetarian Lunches for Work in this post.
Looking for more? You might also like these vegan soup recipes:
- Vegan Corn Chowder
- Tomato Barley Soup with Roasted Chickpeas
- One-Pot Asparagus Chard Ramen Noodle Bowl
- 8-Ingredient Harissa Bean Chili
- Butternut Squash Minestrone Stew
- Freezer-Friendly Taco Soup
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot multicooker
- blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
Tortilla Strips:
- 8 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into strips
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or oil of choice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt
Black Bean Soup:
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced (about 2 ¾ cups)
- 2 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 pound dry black beans (2 cups)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups water
- Salt and pepper
Optional toppings:
- Cilantro
- Chopped green and red onions
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Prepare the Tortilla Strips:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Gently stir corn tortilla strips, grapeseed oil, lime juice, chili powder, and salt until evenly coated. Spread tortilla strips in a single layer on a baking sheet. (Cook in batches if necessary.) Transfer baking sheet to the center rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes, stir, and bake an additional 5 minutes (15 minutes total), or until the tortilla strips are golden brown and crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool tortilla strips on a wire rack until ready to serve. Tortilla strips will continue to crispen as they cool.
Prepare the Black Bean Soup:
- Set Instant Pot to sauté and pour in the grapeseed oil. Stir in the onions and cook 5 minutes, or until translucent. Stir in sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, and oregano, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in black beans, vegetable broth, and water. Close and lock the lid according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 1 hour.
- Once cooked, release the pressure according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once all of the steam is released, unlock and remove the lid.
- Carefully ladle about 3 cups of the soup into a blender container. Cover and blend on high 15 seconds, or until smooth. Pour the blended soup back into the Instant Pot and stir until evenly mixed. (If you have an immersion blender, you can also blend directly in the Instant Pot.) Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve:
- Divide the soup between bowls and top with tortilla strips, cilantro, chopped green and red onions, and lime wedges if desired.
