Thick, creamy Black Bean Soup that's loaded with hidden veggies! Simple directions & simple ingredients. Top with the most divine smoky cashew cream sauce.
Soup season is the best season.
This creamy Black Bean Soup is super wholesome and flavorful. Perfect for meal prepping as it keeps very well in the fridge and can easily be enjoyed as a soup on it's own or even as a topping to rice bowls or taco salads.
One quick batch cook to get you through the week! You know... for those weeks that you just can't.
Let's break out our Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is by far one of the top 5 necessary appliances in my kitchen. It get's weekly (and sometimes daily) use. Here's a few of my favorite uses ⤵
- Batch cooking dried beans - I basically cook a whole pound of chickpeas every week or two to make some homemade hummus. (Like this one!)
- Steam potatoes for air frying or easy lunches all week
- Simple soups & chilis for easy dinners
- Refried beans or thick soups like the Black Bean Soup we're making today!
I just love how easy the Instant Pot makes cooking things that would otherwise need a lot of your attention on the stove top.
Let's make Instant Pot Black Bean Soup!
This soup is a perfect example of a wholesome meal that takes little effort to achieve.
Basic Steps
- Chop up the veggies. They don't even need to be cut up that great 'cause you're gonna blend most of it up at the end anyway 👌
- Sautee the veggies in the Instant Pot- I water sauté, meaning I add little splashes of water or broth if the veggies start to stick.. but please feel free to start with a little olive oil if that's in your wheelhouse!
- Add in the spices, flavor-y things and basically everything else... like your soaked beans & broth.
- Pressure Cook and allow natural release
- Blend it up! - Immersion blenders works great for even less cleanup, but you can carefully blend the soup in your stand blender if you prefer. (Just please let the soup cool a bit and be careful!)
- Lime it up - Stir in some lime juice and pile on the toppings!
- Toppings? - I'm a sucker for any meal that I can pile toppings or condiments onto. 😬 Check out the list of yummy things that I recommend topping your soup with, but especially don't forget the SMOKY CASHEW CREAM!
Smoky Cashew Cream?
The answer is yes.
Don't skip it! Unless you have an allergy... then definitely skip it. 🤦♀️ (See recipe notes for possible substitution) But otherwise.... DON'T SKIP IT.
Listen... I don't want to say that the cream makes the soup. But the cream totally makes the soup. The added smokiness, creamy decadence that this sauce adds to the Black Bean Soup just can not be beat.
It's stupid simple to make too... so there's no excuses (you know... unless you're allergic). Just blend it all up till smooth and there you go!
You can either top each bowl individually as you serve the soup OR just take the whole batch and stir it right into your soup at the end. Take that yummy soup and level it up. 🌟
Pin it for later ⬇
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @samcookskindness !
On a soup kick? Make sure you check out this Curried Lentil Noodle Soup & Manhattan No-Clam Chowder!
Recipe
Instant Pot Black Bean Soup with Smoky Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic minced fine
- ½ medium sweet onion diced
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 bell peppers (red is best) deseeded & chopped
- 1-2 jalapeno, diced deseeded or omitted for less/no spice
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 lb dried black beans soaked overnight, minimum 8 hrs
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Topping Ideas
- Smoky Cashew Cream* recipe below!
- fresh pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes
- thinly sliced jalapenos
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime juice
Smoky Cashew Cream
- ¾ cup raw cashews soaked 8 hrs or boiled 10 minutes till soft
- ½ cup water
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
Black Bean Soup
- Soak dry black beans overnight or a minimum of 8 hrs
- Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add in prepared garlic, onion, celery and carrot. Sauté for about 6-8 minutes until onions begin to look translucent, stirring occasionally. (Add small splashes of water if veggies begin to stick)
- To instant pot add peppers, jalapenos, spices, soaked and drained black beans and tomato paste and mix to combine. Stir in water and make sure all tomato paste is fully incorporated before pressure cooking.
- Pressure cook for 8 minutes and allow natural release.
- When pressure release valve has gone down, use immersion blended to blend soup to desired texture. I prefer mostly smooth with just a little chunkiness left behind. (Can alternatively allow soup to cool a bit more and then carefully blend ¾ of soup in a stand blender)
- Stir in lime juice, and salt & pepper to taste. Stir in cashew cream (recipe below) or alternatively top each bowl with a dollop individually. Serve with any or all of the optional toppings listed!
Smoky Cashew Cream*
- Blend all ingredients in a bullet style blender! Use as a topping for the soup as you serve, or mix it all directly into the soup before serving.
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