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    Home » SOUP, CHILI, AND CURRY

    Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

    Modified: Jan 17, 2024 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 25 Comments

    This slow cooker black bean soup is made with dry beans, and practically makes itself. Dress it up with garnishes such as sour cream, pickled jalapeños or the spicier variety, cilantro, lime, green onions, or avocado.

    Jump to Recipe
    Bowl of black bean soup with sour cream, red onion and jalapeno slices, with lime wedges and cilantro off to the side.

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    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
    • 🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
    • 🔪 Recommended Equipment
    • 👩‍🍳 Preparation Tips
    • More Puréed Soups!
    • Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

    In my world, "slow cooker" is code for easy and hands-off. I've cooked this black bean soup in my slow cooker overnight while I slept. And I've made it when I've been out for the day. All the work is done while I do something else. And sometimes that's the only way dinner is getting made. You have days like that too?

    When I crave black bean soup, and want it to be easy, I either make this Instant Pot Black Bean Chili or this slow cooker recipe, which is even easier. If I have a little more time, then I head to this Southwestern Black Bean Soup with Tomatillos and Corn. As you can see by now, I really like black bean soups.

    ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

    • Easy, hands-off recipe.
    • Hearty and flavorful dinner or lunch on the go.
    • Naturally vegan, although you can add cheese and sour cream for a vegetarian dish.
    • Super budget friendly since it uses dry beans, which are a fraction of the cost of canned beans.

    🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes

    For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.

    • Yellow onion - white onion if fine too, but red onion is too sweet.
    • Celery
    • Carrot
    • Dry black beans (uncooked) - I've used standard black beans, heirloom black beans, and black turtle beans in this recipe, all with great success.
    • Garlic - I often use garlic paste because it's so easy.
    • Spices - chili powder, dried oregano and Pimenton de la vera (or smoked paprika).
    • Vegetable broth - Make your own vegetable broth or use Better Than Bouillon paste made from roasted vegetables.
    • Salsa

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.

    🔪 Recommended Equipment

    • Chef's knife
    • 4-quart Slow cooker

    Close up of black bean soup swirled with sour cream, red onions and jalapeno slices.

    👩‍🍳 Preparation Tips

    No need to pre-soak the beans when cooking them in the slow cooker.

    There's some variability in cooking time from one slow cooker to the next. I cook this soup on high for 6 - 7 hours very successfully.

    The other factor in cooking time is the beans themselves. It's impossible to know the age of the dried beans. Beans on the shelves of your grocery store could be as old as 2 years. And the older they are, the dryer, and longer it can take to cook. Heirloom beans will generally cook faster because they're almost guaranteed to be more recently dried.

    I purée my soup in a countertop blender. If you prefer the black bean soup to be chunkier, either use an immersion blender or remove 1 cup of the soup and puree it before stirring it back into the soup.

    Don't add the salsa until the beans in the soup are completely cooked. The vinegar in the salsa can prevent beans from softening.

    More Puréed Soups!

    Avocado Soup with Tomatillos and Hatch Chile

    Don't have time to run to the grocery store? Order the ingredients for this recipe using Instacart (affiliate link). Just click on the Instacart button in the recipe card below, and the ingredients will all be organized for you on their site. Plug in your zip code, choose the store you prefer, and select the ingredients you want delivered to your home.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!

    Save Recipe
    Bowl of black bean soup with sour cream, red onion and jalapeno slices, with lime wedges and cilantro off to the side.
    5 from 22 votes

    Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

    This slow cooker black bean soup is made with dry beans, and practically makes itself. Dress it up with garnishes such as sour cream, pickled jalapeños or the spicier variety, cilantro, lime, green onions, or avocado.
    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe Add to Recipe Collection Go to Collections Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time6 hours hrs
    Total Time6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
    Course: Vegan Dinner
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: slow cooker black bean soup
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 293.8kcal
    Author: Susan Pridmore
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    Equipment

    • Chef's knife
    • box grater
    • fine mesh strainer
    • 4-quart slow cooker
    • countertop blender

    Ingredients

    Bean Soup

    • 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups diced)
    • 2 ribs celery, diced
    • 1 large carrot, grated
    • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
    • 1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
    • ½ teaspoon Pimenton de la Vera or smoked paprika
    • 6 cups vegetable broth I use Better Than Bouillon
    • ⅓ cup salsa
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt optional, particularly if you use Better Than Bouillon for the broth

    Optional Garnishes

    • Finely chopped red onion
    • Sour cream
    • Cilantro
    • Scallions
    • Avocado

    Instructions

    • Mince the garlic, dice the onion and celery, and grate the carrots on a large holed cheese grater.
      Rinse the black beans in a strainer under cool running water.
    • Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker EXCEPT the vegetable broth and salsa.
    • Pour the broth into a microwave-safe container, cover with plastic and bring to a boil in the microwave. This takes about 5 minutes in my microwave oven. Pour the hot broth into the slow cooker.
      Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 - 8 hours.
    • Stir in the salsa, and puree in a countertop blender. If you prefer a chunkier soup, use an immersion blender to get the texture you want.
    • Serve with garnishes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 293.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 55.6g | Protein: 17.1g | Fat: 1.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 1376.2mg | Potassium: 1272.4mg | Fiber: 13.5g | Sugar: 5.6g | Vitamin A: 3034.7IU | Vitamin C: 3.3mg | Calcium: 125.7mg | Iron: 4.4mg
    « Sweet Potato Biscuits | #BreadBakers
    Vegetarian Meal Plan: February - Week 4 »

    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious

      February 23, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      5 stars
      Your soup is modern art!

      Reply
    2. Lynn

      February 23, 2014 at 9:28 pm

      5 stars
      Yum!! I love Black Bean Soup~

      Reply
    3. JJ - 84thand3rd

      February 23, 2014 at 10:20 pm

      5 stars
      I love a good black bean soup and the flavours on this one sound great!

      Reply
    4. Emily @ Life on Food

      February 24, 2014 at 3:34 am

      5 stars
      I hope you start feeling better soon. I am sure the soup certainly helped. It looks delicious!

      Reply
    5. Melissa

      February 24, 2014 at 3:56 am

      5 stars
      I love black bean soup. This sounds delicious!

      Reply
    6. SallyBR

      February 24, 2014 at 6:28 am

      5 stars
      Sorry about the flu, that is not fun!

      my Mom always believed that black bean soup would cure anything, so there you go... I am sure this was a great dish to enjoy when you were not feeling that great 😉

      Reply
    7. Rebekah @ Making Miracles

      February 24, 2014 at 7:33 am

      5 stars
      Feel better!!! This recipe looks amazing - I've never seen a soup like that! Yumm!

      Reply
    8. Rita

      February 24, 2014 at 8:45 am

      5 stars
      Never thought of bean soup in the slow cooker; makes lots of sense. (I would have gone the chicken soup recipe following the flu! Had you gotten a flu shot?)

      Reply
    9. Erika

      February 24, 2014 at 8:47 am

      5 stars
      Oof sorry to hear you and your husband both got slammed with the flu!! That is truly unfortunate. But I had to laugh at --> "It’s hard to rally interest in cooking when you have a fever unless it’s to fry an egg on your forehead while you remain in bed." I can totally relate, which is why I'm so impressed that you managed to make this black bean soup anyway! Yum! I'm going to have to hurry and make this before Houston gets too hot...summer feels like it's just around the corner!

      Reply
    10. cheri

      February 24, 2014 at 9:55 am

      5 stars
      I have some black beans soaking on the counter as we speak. Love the way your post reads and your pics are gorgeous.

      Reply
    11. Tara

      February 24, 2014 at 11:36 am

      5 stars
      Hope you all feel better! I love the topping of your soup!

      Reply
    12. Karen @ Karen's Kitchen Stories

      February 24, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      I hope you are both feeling better! This soup is gorgeous. Love the white swirl! Great blog Susan!

      Reply
    13. Kirstin

      February 24, 2014 at 6:35 pm

      5 stars
      oh wow. Just pinned this. it looks so good. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    14. mjskit

      February 24, 2014 at 7:55 pm

      5 stars
      So sorry that you and your husband have had the flu. 🙁 Hope you're feeling better. You sound a lot like me when it comes to what makes you feel better. When I'm sick, I just open up a can of chicken noodle as well. This black bean soup does look delicious and I bet it's great for the after flu recuperation period. Take care of yourselves!

      Reply
    15. Melissa

      February 24, 2014 at 8:07 pm

      5 stars
      I love, LOVE black bean soup. Knowing there's a crockpot method is amazing. Great pick--thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
    16. laurasmess

      February 24, 2014 at 11:51 pm

      5 stars
      Sorry to hear that you and the carnivore have been feeling so terrible this week Susan! May health return to your household very soon! This soup, on the other hand, looks divine. The best kind of simple food for when sickness hits. Thanks for the recipe and inspiration. Rest up and get well! xx

      Reply
    17. Oui, Chef

      February 25, 2014 at 10:19 am

      5 stars
      Ugh, I hate the flu....you poor thing. Glad to hear you are finally back on your feet, I bet this soup REALLY helped on that front.

      Reply
    18. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel

      February 25, 2014 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      Mmmm soups are such great comfort food... this one sounds awesome!

      Reply
    19. Terra

      February 26, 2014 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      I have to incorporate more beans in my diet, for extra protein. Love this recipe, all the flavors together would be fantastic! Gorgeous, Hugs, Terra

      Reply
    20. Amy @ Fearless Homemaker

      March 02, 2014 at 6:20 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow, this soup looks SO good. Hope you're feeling lots better now!

      Reply
    21. EA-The Spicy RD

      March 02, 2014 at 11:59 am

      5 stars
      SO sorry you got sick 🙁 This looks SO good 🙂 Hope you're feeling LOTS better now!!

      Reply
    22. Paula

      February 16, 2023 at 3:00 am

      Hi! Please let us know how much salsa to add. Thank you!!

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        February 16, 2023 at 8:38 am

        Thank you SO much for noticing this was missing! It's 1/3 cup, and I've updated the ingredients now.

        Reply
    23. Paul:-)

      February 22, 2025 at 1:41 pm

      Susan,
      I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Black beans so will definitely be making this one!
      Will leave stars soon

      Paul:-)

      Reply
      • Susan Pridmore

        February 24, 2025 at 4:12 pm

        Yay! I'd love to hear what you think. I'm excited you're planning to try it.

        Reply
    5 from 22 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    about the author:

    Susan Pridmore

    Hi there! I'm an award-winning cookbook author, culinary school graduate, professional photographer and recipe developer. My cookbook Simply Vegetarian was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians, and I want to make it easier for you to cook fabulous vegetarian meals. Come join me in the kitchen!

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