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vegan black bean soup in a bowl with a spoon and napkin
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4.60 from 27 votes

Vegan Black Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)

This recipe is practically Stone Soup. With just a few ingredients and the barest of attention, a hearty, nourishing meal comes together almost like magic. Don't be tempted to soak the beans first or to add any embellishments before trying this soup in its purest form. It may take a little trust, but I assure you it's worth it.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Soups
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegan black bean soup
Calories: 292kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (454 grams) dried black turtle beans
  • 1 large yellow onion diced small
  • 1 green bell pepper diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 8 cups 1(900 ml) for stovetop OR 6 cups (1420 ml) for Instant Pot vegetable broth or water
  • ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

To garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Pick over the beans and remove any small stones or other stray matter. Give the beans a quick rinse in a sieve.
  • Place all ingredients into a large pot or a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot.
  • Stovetop: Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender, about 90 minutes.
  • Instant Pot: Position the lid and set vent to sealing. Cook on manual, high pressure, for 60 minutes. The pot will take a while to come up to pressure before the countdown begins. Carefully perform a manual pressure release, and then open the lid.
  • Let the soup cool off for a few minutes.
  • Puree the soup halfway or more with an immersion blender, or transfer half the soup to a regular blender and carefully puree it. Stir together the whole and pureed portions.
  • Ladle into bowls to serve.

Notes

  1. Dried black turtle beans are often just called black beans. They have an astoundingly complex flavor for such a simple, common ingredient. I used canned beans a lot, but in this recipe, starting from dried makes all the difference in the world. Don't skip it.
  2. My favorite boxed vegetable broth by far is Imagine No Chicken lower-sodium broth. It has a great flavor profile and none of the rust-colored nonsense that plagues many other brands. Note that the quantities are different for stovetop and Instant Pot.
  3. The soup is shown here garnished with two of my all-time favorite condiments: cilantro sauce and pickled red onions, along with some sour cream. 
  4. This recipe makes a great companion to tacos and other Mexican-inspired meals. You can search this site to find several vegan taco recipes, and if you're not vegan, I especially love serving black bean soup with tacos de papa.
  5. You can make this recipe in advance. As with most soups, it only gets better as the flavors have a chance to commune. It keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.3g | Protein: 16.7g | Fat: 0.8g | Fiber: 12.7g