So, you don’t want to wait all day for Best Ever Black Bean Soup? I can’t blame you! Maybe you still need to pick up some ingredients, or just don’t like leaving the slow cooker on when you’re not home, or maybe you just like how little clean-up is needed with your Instant Pot. Fear not, you’ve got this!

I usually make my black bean soup in the slow cooker. Partly because I love the whole house smelling so yummy, but mostly because I think the bean skins break down just a little bit more compared to cooking in the Instant Pot. It’s a very minor distinction, though, and one I’m all too happy to ignore when I want my soup NOW. So here’s the recipe adapted for the Instant Pot. A printer-friendly version is at the bottom of this page.

Ingredients:

1 pound Rancho Gordo Midnight Black beans (do not pre-soak)

2 large cloves garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

⅔ cup diced red onion (about half a medium onion)

⅓ cup chopped carrots

⅓ cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp sherry vinegar

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

2½ tsp cumin, divided

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground chipotle

½ tsp Mexican Oregano (may substitute regular oregano)

⅛ tsp cayenne

2 cups Homemade Vegetable Broth

4 cups water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Lime

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Sour cream or plain, nonfat Greek yogurt (optional)

Preparation:

1.) Pick over the beans, removing any dirt or bits of debris. Rinse and set aside to drain. Mince the garlic.

2.) Turn on your Instant Pot to “Sauté, normal.” When the display reads “Hot,” add the olive oil and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are just turning translucent. Add the garlic. Stirring constantly, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3.) Add a cup of the water to the pot, scraping up any browned bits.

4.) Add the vegetable broth & remaining water. If your vegetable broth is frozen, as mine was, cook until it melts. Press “Cancel” to exit the sauté function. Add the beans, carrots, celery, tomato paste, vinegars, bay leaf, 2 tsp of the cumin, plus chili, chipotle, oregano, & cayenne. Stir to mix.

5.) Close and lock the lid, and seal the steam vent. Set the pot for 30 minutes on high pressure. You can do this with “manual,” “Beans,” or “Soup” function. It will take anywhere from 10 — 20 minutes to reach pressure. At the end of the pressure cooking program, allow a 15 minute NPR (natural pressure release).

6.) While the soup cooks, combine the salt and pepper with the remaining ½ tsp cumin in a small prep bowl and juice the lime.

7.) QR (quick release) any remaining pressure (about 5 minutes). Remove the bay leaf. Check to see if you’re satisfied with the texture of the beans. If they still seem too firm, close and lock the lid and seal the steam vent again, and use the “Manual” function to set up a few more minutes. How many is up to you; remember they will still be heating while the pot re-builds the pressure.

8.) When the beans reach the desired texture, remove the inner pot. Stir in the remaining seasonings and the lime juice.

9.) Very carefully (it’s hot!), use an immersion blender to partially blend the beans. I like to leave about half of them whole, blending the rest to thicken the soup. You could also use a food processor or blender, but be extra careful with those. Better yet, let the soup cool first. When it’s hot, the steam from the soup creates pressure in the closed blender or food processor – the soup could splat back out and burn you.

10.) Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, and some chopped cilantro (optional).