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.
This recipe also happens to be whole foods plant-based/ 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 the omnivores.
And feel free to take liberties on the toppings. Omnivores may love cheese, sour cream, etc.
Plant based toppings could include cashew cream, diced avocado, green onion, vegan sour cream, guacamole, etc. Also, you can serve this with a scoop of cooked rice to make it even more filling.
Ingredients
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Making slow cooker black bean soup
There is not much to say here.😅 The bulk of the work for this recipe is prep – chopping the veggies. 🤷🏼♀️
I just love how I can dump everything in the slow cooker, and dinner practically prepares itself.
This recipe has also been tested in the Instant Pot on the slow cooker setting. I would recommend cooking this on high only. The “low” setting on the Instant Pot tends to not get hot enough, FYI.
And of course I have an Instant Pot black bean version of this soup over here as well.
It also pairs well with either tortilla chips or a pan of skillet corn bread. YUM!
Tools Used to Make This Recipe
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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
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Place all ingredients (except for optional toppings) in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 10 hours. (Note: You can also cook this on high for 6 hours.)
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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.
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Serve with desired toppings.
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Refrigerate leftovers, and keep for up to a week.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
You may also enjoy: More of my recipes that happen to be vegan.
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. 👍🏻