This slow cooker black bean soup is a delicious and easy dinner that will earn it’s place into your regular dinner rotation.
This recipe is like the southwestern cousin to my slow cooker red beans and rice. 🙂 Just like the method I use in that recipe, you do NOT have to pre-soak your beans. Pre-soaking is such a pain, not because it is difficult. It’s not! But, I always forget to do it the night before.
I just love how I can dump everything in the slow cooker, and dinner practically prepares itself.
The main effort required for this dish is chopping up the vegetables – onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic and celery. And you can totally take shortcuts there by buying pre-cut vegetables, if you want to. I know my local grocery store has pre-cut onions, celery and bell peppers, which you can totally use if you want to make this virtually effortless.
I didn’t mind chopping my own! I put Mallory in her bouncy seat, and she was happy and content. I sharpened my knife, put on one of my favorite podcasts, and chopped away.
This recipe also happens to be vegan. But you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy it. My family eats it, and it is a super satisfying meatless meal. No complaints from my meat-loving husband. He went back for seconds!
If you have seen any of my soup recipes, you know that I am ALL about the toppings on soup. This soup goes great with any combination of the following: diced avocado, cilantro, green onions, lime, diced tomatoes, sour cream, cheese (those last two obviously aren’t vegan).
It also pairs well with either tortilla chips or a pan of skillet corn bread. YUM!
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Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup Recipe
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Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes undrained (14.5 ounce)
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper deseeded and diced
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 pound dry black beans rinsed
- 1 tsp salt or more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp hot sauce I used Texas Pete
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 2 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 leaves bay
- 6.5 cups vegetable stock I used 6.5 cups water + 2 Tablespoons Better Than Bullion vegetable base. Omnivores: feel free to substitute chicken stock.
- Optional toppings suggestions: lime juice cilantro, green onions, diced avocado, tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream - the possibilities are endless!
Instructions
- Place all ingredients (except for optional toppings) in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 10 hours.
- One hour prior to serving: remove the bay leaves, and use a potato masher to go in and mash a few of the beans to thicken the texture.
- Serve with desired toppings.
- Refrigerate leftovers, and keep for up to a week.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
I am not vegan, but some of my recipes happen to be vegan.
April says
I would like to soak the beans overnight. Would that affect the outcome?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi April! Soaking the beans would require less cooking liquid, and possibly a little less cooking time. I am not sure how much, though, since I have not done it that way myself.
Susan says
This was a delicious soup…perfect blend of spices. My beans weren’t completely softened but, because my kids don’t enjoy the texture of beans, I used an immersion blender and it was perfect.
Noel says
This is mine and my daughter’s favorite soup! We used veggie broth instead of chicken since we are vegetarian, and instead of canned tomatoes I just chopped up a fresh one and put it in there. This soup is amazing!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so very happy to hear that, Noel! Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating.🙏🏻
Rebecca B. says
This soup is so easy and delicious!! I do want to note for future readers that I once made this in my mother-in-law’s old crockpot and had the crunchy-bean issue even after cooking 12 hours. However, in my own crock pot that is only about 4.5 years old, it worked perfectly and the beans were soft and creamy!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Great to know that, Rebecca.👌🏻 I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Sharon Forte says
I omitted the chili powder and hot sauce. Instead, I used 2 cans of Rotel original. It has a kick to begin with. It was delicious. Definitely a new favorite.
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Sharon!👏🏻
Cheri says
I’m making a second batch of this soup in the morning. I get 10 cups out of a batch and this recipe is delicious. I do add cremini mushrooms and add corn near the end. Next to e I am going to use Serrano peppers instead of Jalapenos. I love spice!
Thank you for a great recipe 😃
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you are enjoying it, Cheri!
Jp says
Can you make this with canned beans?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi JP! There is a version of this you could make with canned beans, but it would need many adjustments. I need to publish that version. There have been several similar requests, so thank you for speaking up and asking. I would not recommend using canned beans with this set of instructions.
Tina says
Do you know how long this recipe would take in an instapot?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Tina! I have the Instant Pot version here: https://www.apinchofhealthy.com/instant-pot-black-bean-soup/
Brea says
FYI Better than Buillon makes a vegan “chicken” flavor version.
Also if people have problem with beans not cooking, try leaving tomatoes out until the end. Acidity prevents beans from softening.
Donna says
What is a serving size?
Rebecca b says
I was suspicious of the un-soaked beans but this recipe came out fantastic! The beans were creamy and smashing a few at the end thickened the soup just enough. It did have a red tint but that was just from the tbsp of paprika I think. I’ll be a regular on the blog from now on! 5 stars!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Yay, I am so glad to hear it!💖
AmyK says
My 2nd batch is in the crock pot. I made this, as written, about a month ago and it was amazing! It’s like a cross between black bean soup and tortilla soup. Yum!! Hoping for some leftovers for the freezer this time 🙂
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
I am so glad you enjoyed it Amy!💖
Amber says
Have you ever frozen leftovers? The recipe made more than I anticipated and I don’t want to waste the extra!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Amber! Yes, I have some in my freezer right now. 👍🏻
Kaitlyn says
How big is a serving size!
Laura says
How much is a serving?
Cassie says
I follow the recipe exactly and it comes out perfect every time, thanks!
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
Awesome Cassie! SO happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Ashley says
Love this easy and healthy crockpot recipe, it has hearty ingredients and look incredibly delicious! 🙂
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! SO happy that you enjoyed it Katie.🤗
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
I am not sure about canned beans.🤔 But if you put the slow cooker on high, the recipe as written will take about 4 to 6 hours.
Christine Fuchs says
Hello! I made this on Monday. While the flavor is amazing, the beans are still crunchy/not fully cooked. Maybe it’s my slow cooker? I cooked it for 12 hours the first day, and then re-heated it for another 4 hours the following day. Again, flavor is delicious, but *sigh* crunchy beans.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yikes! Yes, I would try it on high heat next time. It will cook faster (4 to 6 hours). Our slow cookers may be different.
Betty says
Sorry, didn’t see that you had fixed the recipe. Thanks!!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
No prob! I hope it turns out great for you. 🙂
Betty says
It came out fantastic! Me and my two adult kids devoured them. I paired them with a cheese enchilada casserole. Ilive in Texas, and make a lot of Mexican/Tex-mex, so it’s right up our alley! Im trying to use my crockpot more and this was a great experience for me. Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Wonderful! I am so happy that you enjoyed it. 🙂 And thanks for taking the time to come back and leave that feedback.
Betty says
Hello! You do not specify what size the can of diced toms should be. Maybe the previous reviewer used too large a can and that’s what turned it red and watery? Also are u supposed to drain the toms or put it in there with all liquid? 61/2 cups stock is a lot of liquid and adding more liquid from the toms might cause an issue. Thanks!!!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Betty! I recently changed recipe plugins (on the back end of my site), and some of my notes that were in parentheses got deleted. I went and added that back, so thanks so much for pointing that out! It should be a 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes, undrained.
Yes, the amount of liquid needs to be a lot since the beans are uncooked and unsoaked. They will absorb a lot of that liquid. I have made this recipe a dozen times (maybe more), and it came out perfect each time.
Shelby Canuette says
Do you have to check and wash the beans? I don’t like to do that.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Shelby! I prefer to rinse mine off. But it would not affect the recipe if you don’t.
Shelby Canuette says
Thank you.
sl says
I followed this recipe exactly and it didn’t turn out at all as pictured. Even after added cooking time my soup was watery and red rather than black. Wondering if perhaps there is a typo somewhere in the recipe? Thanks
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hey Sarah, I am sorry to hear the recipe did not turn out well for you! You said the soup turned out watery and red? I am not sure where the red would come from…hmmm. Usually when the black beans cook, their color kind of takes over and turns everything black-ish, like in the photos. Did you use a whole pound of dry, un-soaked black beans (not canned)? If you did use dry beans, the other thing I could think of is that maybe your slow cooker didn’t get as hot as mine does on low. You could try it on high, and just keep an eye on it. On my slow cooker, I know that the beans would be soft around 5 to 6 hours on high, but that may vary on yours. The longer it cooks, the softer the beans get and the thicker the liquid gets. I hope this helps! Let me know.