Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

This Crockpot Black Bean Soup is super hands-off and only requires 10 minutes of prep time, so it's great for busy weeknights! It's got the perfect amount of heat and spice without being overwhelming.

I love a piping hot bowl of soup any day of the week, especially when it's packed with wholesome ingredients like black beans. This soup is a more low-effort take on classic black bean soup made with basic pantry staples for a wholesome dish.

This recipe uses dry beans instead of canned, letting them soak up the vegetable broth as they slow cook for hours. Once the soup is done, you can blend it or leave it chunky. It's up to you! Enjoy a warm bowl with your favorite toppings as a side or as a vegetarian main course!

Love this style of soup? You'll want to try this Healthy Taco Soup, Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili, and Slow Cooker Fajita Soup as well.

You Only Need a Few Basic Ingredients

This soup uses all vegetarian ingredients for a hearty dish that will fill you up.

• Black Beans: Since this is simmering all day in the slow cooker, you can use dry beans without soaking them overnight. You should still rinse them off before you use them. If you are pressed for time, use a few cans of black beans instead. This will reduce the cooking time by a few hours.
• Onion: One way to speed up food prep is to use frozen diced onions. Although, I prefer to use fresh onion because it has a lot more flavor.
• Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Add the entire can, even the juice, to the slow cooker. For a bit more spice, add some tomatoes with green chilies too.
• Taco Seasoning: Here is my recipe for homemade taco seasoning. However, a packet from the store is just as good.

Can I add meat to the soup?

Yes, you can add your favorite type of meat to the soup! I think it will taste amazing with some Mexican shredded chicken, chorizo sausage, or slow cooker chorizo pulled pork.

How do I make it taste even spicier?

If you want the soup to taste spicier, add a few splashes of hot sauce, some jalapeno slices, or cayenne pepper.

Making Black Bean Soup in the Crockpot Is So Easy

Making Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup is super easy and mostly hands-off. First, rinse and sort through the black beans to remove any debris. You can soak them overnight if you want, but it's totally optional. Then, toss the beans into the slow cooker along with diced onion, bell peppers, garlic, canned fire-roasted tomatoes (juice included), taco seasoning, and a bay leaf. Pour in boiling vegetable broth, stir everything, and let it cook on low for several hours until the beans are tender.

Pro tip: If the soup is too thick after blending, just stir in a little extra broth until you get the consistency you like!

How to Make This Soup in the Instant Pot

To make Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup in the Instant Pot, start by rinsing the black beans and removing any debris. No need to soak them! Add the beans, diced onion, bell peppers, garlic, canned fire-roasted tomatoes (with juice), taco seasoning, bay leaf, and boiling vegetable broth to the Instant Pot. Give everything a good stir.

Seal the lid and set the pressure cooker to high pressure for about 35 minutes, then let it naturally release for 15 minutes before opening the lid. Once the beans are tender, you can serve it as-is, blend it all for a smooth soup, or blend half for a creamier texture.

What To Serve With Black Bean Soup

There are so many different ways to enjoy this soup! Try some of my favorite ideas:

• For Lunch: If you are enjoying soup for lunch, it can be used as a filling all by itself. Or, make your favorite sandwich to go along with it. The spices in the soup taste amazing alongside an avocado sandwich or a low-carb turkey pesto roll-up.
• As A Meal Starter: Start out your meal with soup and salad. This Mexican chopped salad has honey-lime dressing with lots of the same flavors as this soup. Or, serve it with spicy cabbage and corn slaw or spicy grilled chicken salad.
• As The Main Dish: Make this soup your entire dinner - all you need is some additional meat or a vegetarian main dish. Pan-fried garlic-lime tilapia, portobello mushroom pizza, or honey lime chicken are all fantastic choices.

Quick Tips to Make Your Soup Even Better

Follow these tips to make sure that this soup turns out hearty every single time!

• Blend: For a smoother soup, use an immersion blender to lightly blend some of the ingredients together. Do this after it is fully cooked.
• Taste: Taste the soup after it has cooked. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Some types of taco seasoning don't need any extra salt, and some do!

Add Your Favorite Toppings

Here are some fun topping ideas to make your soup a little more personalized!

• Diced avocado
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Crumbled cotija or queso fresco
• Hot sauce
• Lime juice
• Crushed tortilla chips