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This Cuban Black Bean Soup makes a delicious, flavorful weeknight meal. This soup is plant-based and vegan and so flavorful. Top it with vegan (or non) sour cream, sliced avocado and diced red onion. Below you’ll find two ways to make it: in the Instant Pot and on the stove top. Serve it alongside my other Cuban favorites like Cuban Picadillo and Ropa Vieja.
This recipe is fire for so many reasons! But before we dive into the recipe let’s talk about why I love this soup so very much.
Cuban black beans might be my favorite food to get in all of Florida. They truly are the food of South Florida. While my family isn’t Cuban, we spent a lot of family celebrations at Cuban restaurants. They were our go-to. And the black bean soup was always a favorite (along my other favorites like pastelitos de guayaba and lechon asado.
The most critical part of Cuban black bean soup?
The sofrito. In this instance it’s a combo of red onions, green bell pepper, garlic and some spices that give the beans some good flavor. Beans by themselves are notoriously bland so you definitely have to gussy them up with lots of spices and a healthy amount of salt.
Traditionally Cuban black bean soup is made with a ham hock or pieces of bacon, but I wanted it to be vegan/vegetarian. I’m trying to incorporate more plant-based recipes into my diet and this is a nice addition to my rotation of healthier recipes that I like to make during the week.
Ingredients for cuban black bean soup
- Black beans – This is essential. And could you probably do a shortcut version and use canned? Probably but this recipe uses dried black beans. It’s the most economical and delicious way to infuse them with flavor.
- Sofrito – The combination of onion, green bell pepper and garlic are what make up the sofrito. This is sauteed in olive oil to make a delicious base to the soup.
- Spices – This adds nice depth of flavor to an otherwise simple soup.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below.
How to Make Cuban Black Bean Soup
- Sauté onion, green bell pepper, garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, oregano and crushed red pepper together.
- Add the bay leaves, black beans and water.
- Turn the Instant Pot to “high pressure” and set the time to 40 minutes. If you’re doing it on the stove-top, you want to bring the mixture to a simmer and cover the lid. Bring the heat down to medium-low.
- Natural release will help the beans cook a bit further. Remove the bay leaves.
- Blend up using a blender or a hand blender.
- Divide amongst bowls and garnish with sour cream, avocado, diced red onion and serve with lime wedges.
TIPS AND TRICKS
- Can you use canned beans for this recipe? Absolutely. I would drain them and proceed with the recipe. I recommend cutting each cooking time (whether it’s for the Instant Pot or Stove Top) in half. You want the beans to soften so they can be blended easily.
- Can you cook this on a stove top in a pot? Yes! The directions are below.
- Bell Pepper substitutions – You can use red, green or yellow bell peppers.
- Onion substitutions – If you don’t have red onion, use a yellow onion or white onion in its place.
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Cuban Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
Cuban Black Bean Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped (a tablespoon reserved for garnish)
- 1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt , plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon Mexican or Italian dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 dried or fresh bay leaves
- 1 pound dried black beans , (that have been soaked in water for at least 4 hours)
- 4 1/2 cups water
For Garnish:
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Cilantro Leaves
- 1 lime, quartered
Instructions
To Soak the Beans:
- Pour the black beans into a large bowl. Cover with filtered water. I like to add about three times the amount of water than the beans. This will allow space for them to expand. Let them soak for at least 4 hours. I like to do this overnight for optimal softness. Drain the beans and then proceed with the recipe.
To Make the Cuban Black Bean Soup on the Stove:
- In a medium to large pot, set over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, ground cumin, coriander, oregano and crushed red pepper. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add the bay leaves, black beans and water. Stir until combined. Bring to a simmer and bring the heat down to medium low. Cook for about 2 hours, until the beans are tender.
- Remove the leaves of bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the black beans until they’re smooth and cohesive. This will thicken the soup quite a bit, going from kinda watery to a good soup consistency.
- Divide amongst bowls and garnish with avocado, a dollop of sour cream, some of the reserved red onion and cilantro leaves.
To Make the Instant Pot Cuban Black Bean Soup:
- Turn your Instant Pot to the "medium sauté function." Add the olive oil and when warm, add the red onion, bell pepper, garlic cloves, salt, ground cumin, coriander, oregano and crushed red pepper. Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add the bay leaves, black beans and water. Stir until combined. Place the lid to the Instant Pot on and press “cancel." Then, turn the Instant Pot to “pressure cook” and set the timer to 40 minutes. Make sure the pressure knob is on “seal.”
- When the Instant Pot comes to pressure the timer will begin. When the timer goes off, do not do a quick-release. Allow the machine to do a natural-release which will continue cooking the beans further.
- When the natural release is done, you’re welcome to remove the lid, making sure you do it pointing away from yourself. Remove the leaves of bay leaves and discard. Using an immersion blender, blend the black beans until they’re smooth and cohesive. This will thicken the soup quite a bit, going from kinda watery to a good soup consistency.
- Alternatively, you can transfer this to a blender in batches.
- Alternatively, you can transfer this to a blender in batches. Divide amongst bowls and garnish with avocado, a dollop of sour cream, some of the reserved red onion and cilantro leaves.
- Soup lasts up to 1 week when stored in an air-tight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Can you use canned beans for this recipe? Absolutely. I would drain them and proceed with the recipe. I recommend cutting each cooking time (whether it’s for the Instant Pot or Stove Top) in half. You want the beans to soften so they can be blended easily.
- Can you cook this on a stove top in a pot? Yes! The directions are below.
- Bell Pepper substitutions – You can use red, green or yellow bell peppers.
- Onion substitutions – If you don’t have red onion, use a yellow onion or white onion in its place.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I have a huge amount of canned black beans so I plan on using them and cooking on stove top. How many cans equal a pound of dried beans
This is the recipe I have been searching for for years! I had black bean soup at the Cheesecake Factory once and swore it was like dessert! To go from dry beans in an Instant Pot to smooth texture in less than 2 hrs was amazing!! I used my Blentec to blend it. Thank you!!!
Love hearing this! 🙂
I haven’t tried this recipe yet to give it an accurate rating, but I was wondering when you would add in the ham hock or bacon if you weren’t concerned about it being a vegan/vegetarian dish? This recipe looks so flavorful even without the meat- I can’t wait to make this! Thank you!
Yes, you absolutely could–it’d be delicious.
This soup is delicious! Very easy to make, and the flavors are wonderful. I kept a cup of cooked beans out while blending it with my immersion blender, then added it back in for a little extra texture. I will definitely make this again!
Adriana, just want to make sure about this before making it. I don’t have an Instapot, will be making it on the stovetop. Is it really true that I don’t need to presoak the dried beans? (Either way is fine, but want to do it correctly.) I can use my Creuset dutch oven, or my Cuisinart pasta pot. Which would be best? This sounds awesome, can’t wait to try it!
With black beans you don’t HAVE to but if you have time, I would. I think even soaking them for like 4 hours would really soften them up and be best. Probably the Dutch oven. Hope you love it!
Do you leave the garlic cloves while while sautéing them??
yes! they are blended at the end.
How much time would you give this if you pre-soaked the black beans?
hmm not sure since i didn’t make it that way but i’d say you can knock off about 10 minutes from the instant pot cooking time!
I made this black bean soup today -WOW! I followed the recipe but reduced the water to 4 cups instead of 6 cups. For a pound of beans I figured this would be a good amount to result in a thick soup. I immersion blended it and added a tablespoon of no-chicken bouillon to intensify the broth flavor. And WOW – it is mighty tasty. I use my Instant Pot almost every day, sometimes twice a day, and I now have 3 of them. Making beans, lentils, tough meats, long-cooking grains is easy and this bean soup is great.
Addendum to my previous message: After the soup cooled somewhat it got very thick and I can see now why there would be a need for more broth – to thin it to soup consistency, rather than being so thick. Still delicious though!
This is delicious! So flavorful, glad I found it. I agree though, that it has too much liquid. But since i read your comments, I removed to cups of liquid before I blended it and came up with a soup that is thick enough. Maybe it depends on the kinds of bean you use. But I think you might be able to get away with 4 cups of liquid (also used chicken broth.)
This was fantastic! I’ve been looking for a vegetarian, not too spicy, no tomato version of black bean soup, similar to one I used to get at a small, mom and pop style Cuban restaurant I frequented years ago. This was very similar, flavorful and hearty and ready in less than an hour! Perfect for a cold, rainy November evening.
love hearing this! so glad you enjoyed it!