10 Essential Instant Pot Recipes

Classic Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yields 8 cups soup to serve 6 to 8

Cooking dried beans from scratch is a snap with your Instant Pot — no soaking required! Our deeply flavored Black Bean Soup is sure to be a hit with both the vegetarians and carnivores in your life. Enjoy as a hearty soup with fun toppings or serve over rice as a side. This recipe will provide 8 cups of soup.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 lb. dry black beans, picked over and nonbeans removed
1 bay leaf
6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly grated black pepper
Optional Garnishes: Sliced avocado, cilantro leaves, chopped scallions or red onion, lime wedges and sour cream, for serving

Instructions

Set your Instant Pot to Medium Saute. Add olive oil and onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, oregano, cumin, and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Hit Cancel to turn Saute off. Add black beans, bay leaf and broth.

Set to Pressure Cook on High for 1 hour. When cooking is done, carefully quick release the steam, unlock and open the lid, and remove the bay leaf. Stir in lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as is or partially puree with an immersion blender or in your blender for thicker results. Serve with optional garnishes.

Chef's Tip: Make this recipe your own by adding different spices such as coriander or a mix of your favorite chili powders. For a meaty nonvegetarian version, add in a ham hock or ham bone when cooking the beans and stir in diced cooked ham or crumbled bacon to the finished soup.

Credit: Julie Hartigan/Tom's Guide

Julie Hartigan
Julie Hartigan is a professional chef and food writer who has developed recipes for publications including Weight Watchers, Saveur, and Real Simple. She has also appeared on CBS New York and The Chew. You can find more of her recipes at cookingwjulie.com.