Name: Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 360 min
Total time: 375 min
Ingredients: 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; 1/2 teaspoon Pimenton de la Vera (or smoked paprika); 6 cups vegetable broth (I use Better Than Bouillon); 1/3 cup salsa; 1 teaspoon kosher salt (optional, particularly if you use Better Than Bouillon for the broth); Finely chopped red onion; Sour cream; Cilantro; Scallions; Avocado

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.

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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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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
🔪 Recommended Equipment
👩‍🍳 Preparation Tips
🥩 For the Meat Eaters at the Table
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
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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 - I use Better Than Bouillon paste made from roasted vegetables.
Salsa

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🔪 Recommended Equipment

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.

🥩 For the Meat Eaters at the Table

Stir in cooked chorizo or cook it with a smoked ham hock.

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.

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5 from 22 votes