Instant Pot Detoxing Black Bean Soup: Your Effortless & Flavorful Vegan Meal Prep Guide
Discover an incredibly easy detoxing black bean soup that requires minimal effort yet delivers maximum flavor! This is my absolute favorite soup for meal prepping and enjoying healthy, satisfying weekday lunches. The best part? It actually tastes even better as it sits, allowing the rich flavors to deepen and meld beautifully.
There’s something truly special about recipes that nourish your body without demanding hours in the kitchen, and this Instant Pot Detoxing Black Bean Soup truly makes my heart sing! It’s not just a detox-friendly option that’s light on your waistline; it’s also incredibly simple to prepare, making it a perfect addition to any busy schedule. One of its standout features, and a significant bonus for meal preppers, is that the soup’s flavors intensify and improve with time. Make a big batch on Sunday, and by Monday lunch, you’ll be treated to an even more delicious, flavor-packed bowl. This delightful evolution continues into the days that follow, making it unlike many other meal-prepped dishes that tend to lose their freshness. The spices mingle, the beans absorb more of the aromatic liquid, resulting in a robust, vegan-friendly black bean soup that will quickly become a household favorite.
I’m genuinely captivated by this recipe. As February rolls around, many of us who enthusiastically jumped on the clean eating bandwagon at the start of the new year might be feeling a bit fatigued. With major events like the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day often falling in the same month, maintaining strict dietary goals can become significantly harder. I personally had a challenging past weekend, indulging in three different cakes over three consecutive days! When a parents’ anniversary coincides with two friends’ kids’ birthday parties, the temptation to enjoy a slice (or three!) of delicious cake is undeniably strong. And let’s be honest, resisting birthday cake is a feat I, for one, often fail at. 🤦🏻♀️
However, this versatile detoxing black bean soup isn’t solely reserved for those clinging desperately to their New Year’s resolutions. In fact, if the indulgent food-lover inside me could offer a tip, it would be this: pair a warm bowl of this soup with a handful of crispy tortilla chips. Trust me, the combination is absolutely divine. It adds a satisfying crunch and an extra layer of flavor that elevates the whole experience. My personal goal for the year, beyond shedding a few unwanted pounds, is to embrace cleaner eating and prepare more meals from scratch. While I’ve often reached for canned black beans in the past for convenience, this year I’m taking the extra step of using dry beans and cooking them in my Instant Pot. This commitment to wholesome, homemade ingredients is precisely how this simple yet incredibly flavorful detoxing black bean soup came to be.
This Instant Pot black bean soup is not only incredibly easy but also naturally vegan and vegetarian-friendly, making it suitable for almost any diet. Packed with plant-based protein and fiber, black beans are a nutritional powerhouse, offering sustained energy and supporting digestive health. The rich, earthy flavor of the beans, combined with aromatic spices, creates a truly satisfying meal that doesn’t compromise on taste or health. While it’s perfectly filling and delicious on its own, you can certainly customize it to your preference. Feel free to add crumbled bacon, leftover cooked fajita meat, or grilled chicken on top if you desire a little more substance or animal protein. However, rest assured, this hearty black bean soup will keep you feeling full and content just as it is, making it an excellent choice for a light yet satisfying lunch or dinner.
This entire black bean soup recipe is designed for maximum convenience, made effortlessly in your Instant Pot. The best part? There’s no need for pre-soaking the beans, saving you valuable time and planning. You’ll start by utilizing the sauté setting on your Instant Pot to gently cook down the diced yellow onions and minced jalapeños. Season them with a pinch of salt as they soften, releasing their aromatic essences. After about 5-6 minutes, or once they’ve achieved a tender texture, add the minced garlic, stirring it in for just a minute until fragrant. Once these foundational vegetables are softened, the rest of the process is incredibly straightforward. Simply load up all the remaining ingredients into the Instant Pot, give it a quick stir, and then let the pressure cooker work its magic to transform simple dry beans and spices into a deeply flavorful, detoxing black bean soup. The magic of the Instant Pot lies in its ability to cook dried beans quickly and evenly, ensuring a perfect consistency every time.
After the pressure cooking cycle is complete and the beans have softened beautifully, you have a couple of options to achieve your desired soup texture. If you prefer a creamier, thicker consistency, you can carefully transfer about half of the soup to a blender and puree it until smooth before returning it to the Instant Pot and mixing it in. However, to save on cleanup and effort, I often opt for a simpler method: just grab a sturdy wooden spoon and gently smash some of the beans against the sides of the pot. This technique naturally thickens the soup and creates a wonderful, rustic texture without having to dirty an extra appliance. It’s surprisingly effective and requires minimal effort. Just remember, the soup will continue to thicken slightly as it cools, so keep that in mind when adjusting the consistency. If serving immediately, allowing it to rest for 15 minutes before dishing out will help achieve that perfect, hearty texture.
One important tip I’ve discovered through making this black bean soup several times is a subtle difference in cooking times depending on the type of black beans used. I’ve noticed that regular black beans tend to cook slightly faster than their organic counterparts. If you’re using conventional beans that aren’t organic, you might find them to be softer and require less smashing or pureeing to achieve your desired consistency. However, if your beans are organic or if they’ve been sitting in the back of your pantry for a while (those “out of sight, out of mind” bags!), they will generally require the full 45 minutes of pressure cooking, similar to organic varieties, to ensure they are perfectly tender. Always test a few beans for doneness before proceeding to the mashing step to ensure a delightful texture.
Once your rich and aromatic black bean soup is perfectly cooked, the fun of customization begins! Garnish your warm bowl with vibrant pico de gallo, a refreshing squeeze of fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of bright cilantro, and creamy diced avocados for a truly detox-friendly and flavorful finish. These toppings add layers of texture and zesty freshness that perfectly complement the hearty soup. And, of course, if you’re not strictly adhering to a detox plan and want to treat yourself, feel absolutely free to dollop on some sour cream and serve with a generous side of crispy tortilla chips for an extra indulgent touch. This soup’s versatility means it can adapt to whatever your dietary mood desires, from a light, healthful meal to a comforting, more robust dish.
And just like that, you’ve successfully created a meal-prep friendly, detoxing black bean soup that’s ready to nourish you throughout the week! This recipe yields approximately six generous 1-cup servings, making it perfect for preparing in advance. Each bowl is a symphony of warm, cozy, and deeply satisfying flavors, providing a comforting embrace on any day. Do you ever feel a distinct lack of enthusiasm when faced with the prospect of eating a cold salad during the colder months? I know I do! For me, finding the motivation to enjoy a salad when the temperature drops can be incredibly challenging. That’s where my all-time favorite comfort food comes in: SOUP. This detoxing black bean soup is the ideal antidote to chilly weather and salad fatigue, offering warmth, nutrients, and incredible taste. Make sure to put this delicious and easy black bean soup on your lunch menu for the week! It’s a choice you won’t regret. 🙂
Instant Pot Easy Detoxing Black Bean Soup
5 minutes
45 minutes
50 minutes
An easy detoxing black bean soup that requires hardly any work at all! This is my favorite soup to make and have around for weekday lunches and guess what? It actually tastes better as it sits!
Ingredients
- swish of olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, smoked paprika, and adobo seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 teaspoons better than bouillion (see notes)
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup dry black beans (about 1/2 pound)
Instructions
- Veggies: Hit the saute setting on the instant pot and add a swish of oil. Add the onions and peppers and season them with a pinch of salt and let them cook for 5-6 minutes or until they soften. Add the garlic and stir to combine.
- Pressure Cook: Add all the remaining ingredients to the instant pot, stir. Cover, make sure the vent is sealed. Cook on manual high pressure for 42-45 minutes. If using organic or older beans, I suggest 45 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow a release pressure release for 10 minutes, then do a quick release. Stir the soup and test the beans for doneness, remove bay leaf. You can puree 1/2 the soup in the blender if you want it to be thicker. I usually just smash using a wooden spoon on walls of the pot until it reaches my desired consistency, season with additional salt to taste. If serving immediately, allow the soup to cool for 15 minutes as it’ll thicken as it sits. Top with guac, pico de gallo, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and serve with tortilla chips!
Notes
- Any variety of better than bouillion will work. If you’re a fan of garlic, try the roasted garlic, it’s sooo good in this soup!
- I have a 6 quart instant pot and I think the recipe can easily be doubled without any problem. However, I’m not sure if this will increase the cooking time and by how much. I’d test it at 45 minutes and would let it go for slightly longer depending on the doneness of the beans.
Have you made this recipe?
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