This Black Bean Soup recipe is super delicious and so healthy! Naturally gluten-free and full of flavour, this soup warms you up from the inside delivering protein-packed black beans, sweet roasted red peppers, and spices you probably have in your cupboard. Make this soup tonight and the whole family will love it❣️
When the temperature dips outside, keep things warm and toasty inside with a filling and healthy black bean soup🥣
When you first go gluten-free, it can be overwhelming - think deer in headlights kinda situation.
But if you get a few recipes under your belt, do a quick kitchen re-organization and mindset shift, you'll have a much higher chance of success.
If you love gluten-free soups, definitely check out this recipe for Easy Winter Soup with Beans, this Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk or this recipe for Easy Weeknight Hamburger Soup with Sweet Potatoes.
Jump to:
- 📝Ingredients for this black bean soup recipe
- 🔪Instructions for black bean soup
- ✅Make ahead tip
- 🥡Storage and Freezing
- 🙋♀️How do you roast red peppers?
- 🍽️What to serve with black bean soup
- ✅ Is black bean soup good for you?
- ❓Why does my black bean soup taste bitter?
- 🥣How do you get rid of the bitter taste in black bean soup?
- Want more?
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
📝Ingredients for this black bean soup recipe
- Olive oil
- Onion - I like using shallots and you can also sub in cooking onion
- Garlic
- Chili powder - if you like things spicy, add extra to the soup
- Cumin - a common ingredient black bean soup
- Paprika
- Salt
- Apple cider vinegar - this addition of an acidic ingredient will help balance the taste of the soup out. You can sub in red wine vinegar or regular vinegar if you don't have apple cider vinegar or even fresh lime juice
- Black Beans - the main event! I use canned black beans that have been rinsed
- Red Bell Peppers - orange or yellow will work too (you'll be roasting these)
- Chicken broth - gluten-free, low salt. Vegetable broth will work too
🔪Instructions for black bean soup
Roast the red bell peppers:
- Pre-heat oven to 400F
- Toss roughly chopped red peppers in a baking dish with olive oil, paprika and fresh pepper
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes
- When the peppers have 5 minutes left in the oven, start the soup
Make the black bean soup:
- Once the time is up, allow at 10 minute Natural Pressure Release and then release the steam value. Once the pin has dropped, remove the lid of the Instant Pot.
- Use a hand-held immersion blender to puree the soup until the large chunks of the red pepper are blended and serve
✅Make ahead tip
Got a hot oven from say, Friday Pizza Night?
Pop the red peppers in and get the roasting out of the way.
Store in an air-tight container overnight and make the black bean soup in the next day or two.
🥡Storage and Freezing
Leftover soup is good up to 3 days in the fridge.
Just re-heat until hot and serve.
You can also freeze this black bean soup: just cool it down and place it in an air-tight container. Freeze for up to 1 month.
When ready to serve, take out the night before wanting to eat. If the soup separates a little bit, just whisk it back together. Use extra broth to thin it out if it's a little too thick for your liking.
🙋♀️How do you roast red peppers?
Lemme tell ya: this is an eeeeasy one.
All you do it just toss roughly chopped red peppers in a baking dish with olive oil, paprika and fresh pepper.
Then bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. That's it!
🍽️What to serve with black bean soup
For toppings, this soup is delicious topped with some sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese and/or cilantro.
And for lunch, a black bean soup is a fabulous pairing for the classic soup+salad combo🥗
Try these delicious salads with this soup:
It also makes an easy work-from-home-lunch, paired with some gluten-free crackers and tuna.
Easy peasy, delicious and healthy to boot.
✅ Is black bean soup good for you?
Black bean soup can be a healthy and nutritious addition to your gluten-free diet. Black beans are a good source of plant-based protein, healthy carbs, fibre, and a variety of vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, and folate. This black bean soup also adds even more antioxidants and vitamin C from the roasted red peppers. Plus, this black bean soup is fueling and satisfying which can help keep you fuller for longer.
❓Why does my black bean soup taste bitter?
There are a few reasons why your black bean soup might taste bitter:
- Burnt Ingredients: If any of the ingredients, such as the onions, garlic, or spices, were burnt during the cooking process, it can cause the soup to taste bitter. Make sure to stir the onions and spices frequently at the start to avoid burning and use the amount of broth as indicated in the recipe.
- Old or Stale Spices: Spices can lose their flavour and become stale over time, which can result in a bitter taste. Make sure to use fresh spices or replace old ones.
- Too Much Cumin: Cumin is a common spice used in black bean soup, but if too much is used, it can make the soup taste bitter. Try reducing the amount of cumin used or omitting it altogether if you're not a fan.
- Overcooked Beans: If you're using dry black beans, overcooking the black beans can also result in a bitter taste. Make sure to follow the cooking instructions and check the beans frequently to avoid overcooking.
- Burnt Broth or Stock: If the broth or stock used in the soup is burnt or overcooked, it can also cause a bitter taste. Use fresh broth and avoid overcooking it.
🥣How do you get rid of the bitter taste in black bean soup?
Here's some ways to help reduce the bitterness in black bean soup:
- Add sweetness: You can add sweetness to the soup by adding a little bit of sugar or honey. Start with a small amount and taste it before adding more.
- Acidic ingredients: Adding some acidic ingredients like lime juice, vinegar or tomatoes can help to balance out the bitterness in the soup.
- Using salt: Salt can help to reduce bitterness in the soup. Be sure to taste the soup and add salt gradually to avoid over-salting it.
- Spices: Adding spices like paprika or chili powder can help to enhance the flavor of the soup and reduce bitterness. This recipe has both of them😄
- Dilution: If the soup is too bitter, you can dilute it by adding more liquid like broth or water.
Remember that the best way to get rid of bitterness in black bean soup is to prevent it in the first place. Not as common when you use canned black beans, as this recipe calls for. But it's more common if you choose to use dry beans.
If you're using dry beans for this recipe, be sure to soak the beans overnight, drain and rinse them well before cooking.
My favourite way to work with dry beans in this soup recipe is to cook them using this method from Minimalist Baker. I've used this recipe a bunch times and they turn out perfectly every time.
Also, avoid adding any ingredients that might cause bitterness, such as overcooked or burnt garlic.
I hope you love this easy black bean soup recipe like we do!
~April
Check out these other gluten-free and delicious recipes:
- Sheet Pan Maple Dijon Chicken and Broccoli Bake
- Healthy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup (no beans)
- Spinach and Citrus Salad with Sweet and Spicy Almonds
- Gluten-Free Turkey Burger Recipe
- Easy Red Lentil and Chickpea Curry with Spinach
- Chicken Soup with Tomatoes and White Beans
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This recipe was originally posted on February 7th, 2021. Post copy was updated and re-posted on March 15th, 2023.
📖 Recipe
Black Bean Soup with Roasted Red Peppers {Instant Pot}
Equipment
- 1 Pressure cooker (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
Roasted Red Peppers
- 2 red peppers, roughly diced
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon paprika
Soup Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 roasted red peppers
- 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (about 4.5 cups)
- 4 cups low salt chicken or vegetable broth
- Cilantro, crushed tortilla chips and sour cream for serving
Instructions
Roasted Red Peppers
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss roughly chopped red peppers in a baking dish with olive oil, paprika and fresh pepper.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.
- When the peppers have 5 minutes left in the oven, start the soup.
Black Bean Soup
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in Instant Pot on "Saute". Once the oil is shiny and pot indicates "Hot", add onion and garlic. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add chili, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and some fresh ground pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
- Add jalapeños, beans, broth, and roasted red peppers once done roasting. Stir to combine.
- Press "Cancel" to turn off "Saute" function. Secure the lid on the Instant Pot. Select "Soup" (low pressure). The default time is 30 minutes.
- Once the time is up, allow at 10 minute NPR and release the steam value. Once the pin has dropped, carefully remove the lid of the Instant Pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until the large chunks of the red pepper are blended.
- Serve hot, topped with some sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese and/or cilantro.
K says
I'm going to try this without the blending eat it just as it is. Thanks
April says
Awesome, thanks for commenting, K! Hope you enjoy it,
April