Cozy Instant Pot Cuban Black Bean Soup with creamy black beans, warm spices, healthy veggies, and a bright splash of lime. Simple and deeply satisfying.
Here is one of my favorite Instant Pot meals – Cuban black bean soup made from scratch with dry beans (no soaking required), healthy veggies, and warming spices. Serve it with a squeeze of lime, sliced avocado, cilantro, and if you have time, roasted crispy sweet potatoes. A delicious, healthy dinner ready in about an hour, with the Instant Pot doing most of the work.
Why you’ll love it
Besides being absolutly delicious, it's vegan, and you don't have to soak the beans, so the whole thing comes together very quickly and easily. Perfect for meal prep or freezing.
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Dried black beans– The foundation of classic Cuban black bean soup, dried beans deliver the deepest flavor and creamiest texture, while canned beans offer a convenient shortcut.
- Onion and garlic cloves - Build the savory base of the soup, adding sweetness, aroma, and depth as they slowly sauté.
- Bell peppers - Red and yellow peppers add subtle sweetness, color, and balance to the earthy beans.
- Chilies (ancho chili or poblano chili, optional) - Add gentle warmth and depth without overpowering the soup; a green bell pepper can be used for a milder, traditional approach.
- Tomato paste - Adds concentrated tomato richness and a touch of acidity, helping to round out the flavors.
- Spices (oregano, bay leaves, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper) - Create the signature Cuban flavor profile, with smoked paprika providing depth in place of a traditional ham hock.
- Vegetable broth or chicken stock - Forms the flavorful cooking liquid, allowing the beans to become tender while absorbing savory depth.
- Sweetener (agave, sugar, or honey) - Just a touch balances the acidity and enhances the natural sweetness of the beans.
- Fresh lime juice or red wine vinegar - Added at the end to brighten the soup and bring all the flavors into focus.
- Olive oil - Used for sautéing, helping the aromatics soften and develop rich flavor.
Optional Garnishes: thinly sliced red onion (or scallions), cilantro, avocado, sour cream or vegan sour cream, toasted coconut, tortilla chips, roasted sweet potato or plantain “chips, sliced fresh chilies, or orange zest. Pick something crunchy, creamy and green. 🙂
How to Make Instant Pot Black Bean Soup
Step 1: Chop the veggies! This Black bean soup recipe is loaded up with onion, garlic and peppers – all great for immunity!
Step 2: Saute. Using the saute function in the Instant Pot, saute the onion, garlic and pepper in olive oil, until very softened, about 7 minutes.
Step 3: Add the spices, tomato paste, broth, water, and dry black beans and give a good stir.
Step 4: Pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, then manually release. While the soup is pressure cooking, you could make the optional crispy roasted sweet potatoes to serve as a garnish.
Step 5: Blend part for a creamier consistency. To give this a creamier texture, take 2 cups of the soup and blend or puree in a blender (or use an immersion blender), then add it back into the pot. Taste and adjust salt.
Step 6: Serve! Divide it among bowls, and then it’s just a matter of adding the delicious toppings! Generally, aim for crunchy, creamy, and herby.
Topping Suggestions
- Avocado slices
- sour cream or vegan sour cream
- cilantro or scallions (or both)
- pickled onions or thinly sliced red onion
- crunchy toasted coconut or tortilla chips or plantain chips (most traditional)
- roasted sweet potatoes (see the recipe notes)
- lime wedges
Black Bean Soup Variations
- Stovetop Instructions (using dry Beans): Allow 2 hours cooking time. In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion, garlic, peppers, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Add the spices and tomato paste, and saute for one minute. Add the veggie broth and water (leave out the water if you soaked your beans). Scrape up any browned bits and bring to a simmer. Stir in the beans. Cover tightly, and simmer on low or medium-low until beans are tender, about 1 hour. (If the liquid looks low, add a little more water.) Check for doneness- if using unsoaked beans, these may take an additional 30-45 minutes to get them soft. Continue with step 6 in the recipe card.
- Stovetop (Canned Beans): Allow 30 mins cooking time. In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion, garlic, peppers, and 2 teaspoons salt over medium heat on the stove until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Add the spices and tomato paste, and saute for one minute. Add 6-7 cups of drained canned beans ( roughly 4 to 5, 14-ounce cans) and 2+ cups veggie broth. Bring to a simmer, adding more broth as needed and simmer for 15 minutes covered. Continue with step 6 in the recipe card.
What to Serve with Black Bean Soup
This hearty soup can be served on its own or with a leafy green salad and vegan cornbread muffins!
Storing leftoverS
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Black Bean Recipes!
Hope you enjoy this wholesome meal! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! xoxo Sylvia
Print
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: instant pot recipe, instant pot soup, Legumes, Soup, stew, vegan dinner
- Method: instant pot or stovetop
- Cuisine: Cuban
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Cozy, Cuban-Style Instant Pot Black Bean Soup with creamy black beans, warm spices, healthy veggies, and a bright splash of lime. Simple and deeply satisfying.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 bell peppers diced (red and yellow are nice)
- 1 ancho chili, diced (optional, not traditional)
- 6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8– 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle (optional)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups veggie (or chicken) stock or broth
- 2 cups water (if beans are unsoaked)
- 1 lb dried black beans , unsoaked (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- squeeze of fresh lime juice
Optional Garnishes: thinly sliced red onion, pickled onions or scallions, cilantro, avocado, sour cream or vegan sour cream, toasted coconut, tortilla chips, roasted sweet potato or plantain “chips”, sliced fresh chilies, or orange zest.  Pick something crunchy, creamy, and green. 🙂
Instructions
- Saute. Heat oil on the “saute” function in your Instant Pot. Add the onions, peppers, garlic and salt and saute for 8-10 minutes, until softened. Add oregano, bay leaves, cumin, smoked paprika, and tomato paste. Saute 1 minute. Add veggie broth and water (*if using soaked beans, leave out the water.) Add the dry, unsoaked, black beans, and give a good stir, scraping up any browned bits.
- Pressure cook: Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 30 minutes. (If using soaked beans, see notes.) At this time, you could make the roasted sweet potatoes if you like- see notes.
- Manually release (or natural release) and give a stir. Â Add the sugar and lime and fish out the bay leaves.
- Optional. For an extra-creamy, luscious texture, blend 2 cups of the soup until very smooth, then stir it back into the soup. (Recommended!)
- Taste. Adjust salt, lime, and heat- adding more cayenne if you like.
- Serve. Divide among bowls, garnish with a few toppings- they really do add to it. Creamy avocado ( or sour cream), something crunchy like the sweet potato chips or toasted coconut, something fresh- cilantro, scallions, or pickled onions.
Notes
Tip: To have the veggies look bright and colorful like the photos, remove half before pressure cooking, then stir them back in at the end.Â
Dry Beans Conversion -1 pound of dry black beans is roughly 2 ¼ cups of dry beans. If using cooked beans you’ll need 6-7 cups cooked beans ( or 4-5 x 14-ounce cans).
Soaking Blackbeans:  When talking with the farmer who grew these black beans, she told me that there is no need to soak black beans before cooking, because they are small and fresh. Other beans, yes, black beans no. So I’m not soaking them anymore. That being said, do as you please. 😉 If your beans are old, maybe best to soak them first. If you do soak your beans, reduce the pressure cooking time to 15 minutes, and leave out the 2 cups of water.
Sweet Potato Chips To make the sweet potato “chips”, thinly slice sweet potatoes or yams (do not peel) and lightly coat with olive oil and salt. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a hot 425 F oven – for 10-12 minutes, flip, continue roasting until golden and crisp.
Coconut Flakes. To toast coconut flakes, place in a skillet in a single layer on the stove over med- low heat. Stir occasionally, until golden and dont walk too far away. They brown quickly!
Stovetop w/ Dry Beans: (allow 2 hours cooking time for unsoaked dry beans) Follow the directions above, saute onion, garlic, peppers, and 2 teaspoons salt in a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat on the stove, until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Take your time here. Add spices and tomato paste, saute one minute. Add broth and water ( leave out the water if you soaked your beans). Scrape up any browned bits and bring to a boil. Stir in the beans. Cover tightly, and simmer on low or medium low until beans are tender, about 1 hour. (If liquid looks low, add a little more water.) Check for doneness- if using unsoaked beans, these may take an additional 30-45 minutes to get soft. Resume the directions above starting at #6.
Stovetop (with Canned Beans): Allow 30 mins cooking time. In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion, garlic, peppers, and 2 teaspoons salt over medium heat on the stove until tender, about 12-15 minutes. Add the spices and tomato paste, and saute for one minute. Add 6-7 cups of drained canned beans ( roughly 4 to 5, 14-ounce cans) and 2+ cups veggie broth. Bring to a simmer, adding more broth as needed and simmer for 15 minutes covered. Continue with step 6 in the recipe card.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup with no toppings
- Calories: 301
- Sugar: 8.3 g
- Sodium: 729.5 mg
- Fat: 6.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.4 g
- Fiber: 11.7 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
My new favorite black bean soup! Used Rancho Gordo beans. Perfection on a cold winter day. 🙂
Nice Jennifer, great to hear!
Just made the soup in the instant pot. It was awesome! The flavors were so good, hubby loved it too. This is a keeper!! Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed!
I have made this recipe before, but last night I added an ancho chili and it took my rating from a 4 to a 5. I highly recommend it. Made it stovetop with dry, soaked beans. Topped it with sour cream, scallions and radish. Added lime juice but no sweetener. Thanks for another great recipe!
Mmmm…sounds perfect Paula! Appreciate your review. 😋
I soaked my beans and prepared the soup on the stovetop. Once I added the beans, it took about an hour for them to cook. Topped each bowl with avocado and squeezed some lime on top. Delicious!
Great to hear Dagmar!
Awesome recipe, one of our family favorites now after a couple years of using. I do cook it for 33 minutes (rather than 30) so the beans are a little more tender, use a potato masher at the end instead of immersion blender, don’t use the tomato paste and it is still amazing every time. Serve with rice, cheese, and sour cream!
Great to hear Jessica. Love that you honed it to your liking! Appreciate the review, very helpful.
Delicious and easy black bean soup! Great with some lime and vegan sour cream. Freezes well, too.
Great to hear Kimberly!
Delicious
I bring dry beans and water to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and let them sit for an hour. Add aromatics and salt and then simmer for another 45-50 minutes and they are perfect every time.
Awesome Kathe, sounds like a fast soak method!
The flavor was wonderful but the beans could have been a little softer in my opinion.
Sometimes that could be the age of the beans. You could always cook it 5 more minutes- assuming you used an instant pot?
This soup is just what I was looking for. It is delicious and hearty, even pleased the discerning pallet of my husband. I used canned beans and the stove top. And made the sweet potato chips to go along with the soup. So good! Made enough to freeze.
Wonderful Patricia! Soup in the freezer is the best.
Absolutely delicious soup with excellent flavors and amazing texture (I followed the suggestion of putting part of the soup in the blender which made the soup very thick and creamy).
Awesome, glad you enjoyed this Kirsten!
Good!!
A perfect balance of flavors, satisfying for a stormy day. I split the recipe, used 2 cans of beans, and only needed 2 cups of broth. Thanks Sylvia!
Glad you enjoyed!
So good and flavourful. So good! My husband the carnivore asked me to make it again!
Happy to hear you both enjoyed!
Made the recipe as described but it didn’t look like the recipe’s picture. Everything was the colour of the beans. Visually unappealing but tasted great.
I’m glad the flavors were tasty Cindy.
The same amount of dried beans 2.5 cups is for the 1/2 and the 1X servings.
Thanks Marcella- adjusted the recipe. 🙂
Also instructions should include “remove the bay leaf” for people who aren’t as savvy (like my husband. ha)
Haha, ok updated it, thanks!
The beans didn’t cook all the way. Definitely recommend soaking! Or add a lot of time.
Hi Jacque, cooking time will depend a lot on the freshness of the beans. Young beans cook way faster.
We love this soup! I’ve made it twice in two weeks. The first time I soaked the beans and the second time I did not. From now on, I will soak the beans. They were fully cooked but much firmer when they had not been soaked before cooking. This recipe is a 100% keeper.
Ah yes, good experiment. I always feel better after eating soaked beans. Glad you enjoyed!
Excellent flavor. I like mine served with plain Greek yogurt.
Perfect!
Very nice balanced flavor although I modified the recipe slightly. It just begged for corn so I added two cans of sweet corn and two cans of diced tomatoes and chilis.
Perfect Patrick!
This soup was very good! My only complaint is that it actually took 55 minutes of cooking at high pressure to get tender beans, and I started with beans that I knew were fresh. I will definitely make again and adjust the time on the recipe now that I know.
Thanks for sharing Ariana- I think black beans must come in different sizes. Every time I make this, they come out tender in the allotted time. So I bet it is the size that varies?