Instant Pot No-Soak Black Bean Soup (With Alllll of The Toppings) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Instant Pot

by: Ella Quittner

November11,2018

3.7

20 Ratings

  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 50 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8

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Author Notes

Before I got a pressure cooker, I'd buy dried beans with the best of intentions, but ultimately, they'd sit on my countertop gathering dust as I continued to never, ever remember to soak them a day in advance. But when I got an Instant Pot—which is able to turn dried legumes, completely sans soak, into tender, creamy bites quickly—everything changed. Now, when I come home with a bag of dried black beans, the only thing I need to remember to do is press a button, and get my toppings line-up in A+ shape. —Ella Quittner

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • For the soup
  • 2 tablespoonsolive oil
  • 1 large red onion, diced, divided into about 2/3 for the soup, and 1/3 for the quick-pickled onions
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoonHungarian hot paprika
  • 3 tablespoonstomato paste
  • 3 tablespoonsred wine vinegar
  • 2 cupscanned pureed tomato
  • 4 cupsbroth (chicken or vegetable)
  • 3 cupswater, room temp
  • 1 pounddried black beans, not soaked
  • 2 teaspoons(heaping) kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoonfreshly cracked pepper, plus more to taste
  • For the quick pickled onions and other garnishes
  • 1/3 red onion, diced (from above)
  • 1/2 cupred wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cuphot (but not boiling) water, made by bringing water to boil, then taking it off heat for a few minutes
  • 1 tablespoondark brown sugar
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • Garnishes of your choice, like thinly sliced avocado, hot sauce, pepitas, chopped scallions, sour cream, and/or crumbled feta
Directions
  1. Set your multi-cooker to sauté mode. Add the olive oil and, once it’s shimmering, add the onion and garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent and fragrant, and just starting to get browned edges.
  2. Move the vegetables to the sides of the pot, and add the paprika to the center. Let it cook in the oil for 30 seconds, then stir to mix with everything. Add the tomato paste, and stir to mix. Add the red wine vinegar, and use it to deglaze the pot (aka, scrape up any browned bits clinging to the bottom). Add the pureed tomato, vegetable broth, water, and beans. Stir. Set the multi-cooker to pressure cook mode on high for 40 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, make the quick pickled onions. In a medium bowl, combine the red wine vinegar, hot water, brown sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Add the onion, stir, and let sit until the soup is ready. Drain and use as a garnish. (These can be made up to two weeks in advance—just keep the onions covered in the vinegar mixture, in the refrigerator, until you’re ready to use.)
  4. When the pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally for at least five minutes before utilizing the instant release function. Once the pressure is released, uncover and add the salt and pepper. Taste, and adjust seasoning accordingly.
  5. Ladle the beans and broth into soup bowls, and garnish with pickled onions, and your other toppings (I like sliced avocado, pepitas, scallions, sour cream, crumbled feta, and hot sauce).

Tags:

  • Soup
  • Stew
  • American
  • Avocado
  • Feta
  • Garlic
  • Green Onion/Scallion
  • Onion
  • Sour Cream
  • Tomato
  • Olive Oil
  • Bean

Popular on Food52

17 Reviews

Alison January 12, 2022

While I love that I now know how to cook dried beans in my Instant Pot without needing to soak, this recipe was just ok. I LOADED it with toppings (sour cream, pickled red onion and jalapeno, pepitas, cilantro, green onion, and baguette) but it was still just lacked DEPTH of flavor.

Jay1 November 4, 2020

Yum! We love this! When I try a new recipe I usually follow it as written and tweak it later if desired. I am so glad I did that this time! I was tempted to not make the pickled onion, but it really creates a nice tangy balance. In addition to the onion, I used avocado, feta, Greek yogurt, sriracha, and fresh cilantro as toppings. We will definitely be eating this again ... soon!

EvaKatalin February 17, 2019

Delicious! I served it with sliced avocado, the yummy picked onions and a dollop of Greek yoghurt. I will probably add a handful of freshly chopped Italian parsley over the same today to use up leftovers. The beans were just the perfect texture.. not mushy, not underdone..just right:) and so fast!

Ella Q. February 17, 2019

So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

Dianne C. January 20, 2019

I really wanted to like this recipe. It was the first recipe I made in my new InstaPot. I just didn't like the heavy tomato flavor, but maybe someone else would love it.

Coblond January 11, 2019

I love almost every recipe from Food52, but my husband and I felt like we were eating a can of black beans. The kids, however, enjoyed it, and I do appreciate knowing how to cook beans quickly in the Instapot.

Anna January 11, 2019

So yummy! I fixed it for dinner last night, and am currently enjoying it again for lunch. I highly recommend serving with a dollop of full-fat Greek yogurt to add some extra luxuriousness.

Ella Q. January 14, 2019

Hi Anna,

So glad that you enjoyed this! :)

Ella

Lisa M. January 5, 2019

Can you use canned beans instead of dried?

Angie A. December 18, 2018

Great pressure cooker recipe! I will definitely make this soup again! So easy and yummy.

Ella Q. December 21, 2018

Thanks so much, Angie! Glad you enjoyed it.

Jennifer P. December 10, 2018

Can this be made without a pressure cooker?

Ella Q. December 11, 2018

Hi Jennifer,

Yes, it could be. I think it'd take about 2 hours, give or take a bit, on the stovetop (depending on bean freshness). Let me know how it goes!

Gershmiller December 8, 2018

This looks great! I have a question: if you let the pressure naturally release will it lessen the pressure cooking time? Thanks!

Ella Q. December 8, 2018

Maybe for a minute or two, but I would still keep the cook time in the same range. I haven’t tested it that way because I’m impatient! :)

Nate November 20, 2018

I love this one

Ella Q. November 28, 2018

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

Instant Pot No-Soak Black Bean Soup (With Alllll of The Toppings) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to soak black beans before making soup? ›

"Black beans cook so quickly soaking only saves 30 minutes or so. It also marginally helps keep them whole, but you're going to be pureeing some anyway. and the flavor is so much better.

How to cook black beans in a pressure cooker reddit? ›

I do a 1 to 3 ratio of beans and water. Add a pinch of salt, onion, garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Pressure cook on high for 30 min, then switch the top to venting after 20 min. Salt and pepper to taste then enjoy.

What happens if you don't soak black beans? ›

Long answer: Many people claim that soaking beans is not necessary. The argument for this method is while it does take longer to cook, unsoaked beans end up having better flavor. This method is great if you aren't good at remembering to do things ahead of time (me!).

Can you make bean soup without soaking beans? ›

Just take your favorite beans (pinto, black eyed peas, chickpeas, lima beans) and cover them with your favorite broth or stock or even water seasoned with salt, spices, herbs and other aromatics like onion and garlic, and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.

How do you cook beans without soaking? ›

Bring cold water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat. Add beans and salt, and return to a simmer; cover. Bake beans in the preheated oven until tender, about 1 hour and 10 minutes, checking after 30 minutes to ensure beans are still covered with water. If necessary, add just enough water to cover.

How long to cook black beans without soaking? ›

Turn the heat to low and cover, stirring the beans occasionally. Don't let it reach a boil. Cook soaked beans for about 45 to 60 minutes and unsoaked for about 50 to 65 minutes. Check the beans for doneness by mashing them against the side of the pot.

What happens if you don t soak beans before pressure cooking? ›

Yes: When you soak beans, you dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to pressure cook them. For instance, unsoaked chickpeas take 35-40 minutes to cook, but soaked chickpeas take just 10 minutes to cook. No: I don't think anyone says no to this question per se, but there is a bit of a tradeoff.

Can I pressure cook beans instead of soaking? ›

Forget pre-soaking. Forget hours of gentle simmering. Beans on the stovetop are fantastic for a lazy weekend afternoon, but with a pressure cooker, you can go from opening a bag of dried legumes to plump, tender beans in under an hour.

What happens if you don't soak beans before cooking? ›

Modern cooking websites often say it doesn't matter. In a way, they're both right. Soaking beans can help improve the texture of the final product once the beans are cooked and reduce the gas produced when the food is being digested. But it isn't necessary to soak them.

How long should you soak black beans before cooking them? ›

First, rinse and sort the dry black beans. Remove any debris such as stones. If soaking, cover black beans in water by about 4″ and soak for 8-24 hours.

Can you put dried beans directly into soup? ›

Let's get this straight: You do not have to soak dry beans for soups and stews. Dried beans are just as easy to cook as canned; they just take more time. Simply toss them into the pot with lots of vegetables and seasonings, cover with water or stock, and let them simmer away on their own while you go about your day.

How do you soften black beans for soup? ›

Place the beans in a bowl or pot, cover with cold water, and allow to soak overnight *OR* add beans to a medium pot and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil, then boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and allow the beans to sit for 1 hour. Drain the beans and rinse them with cold water.

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