Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup

By Ali Slagle

Updated Feb. 8, 2023

Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup
Linda Pugliese for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
10 hours
Rating
4(1,026)
Comments
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Start your slow cooker in the morning and by dinnertime, you’ll have deeply spiced black beans that just need a quick blend to become a velvety and vegan black bean soup. While not essential, a smidgen of baking soda helps the beans soften so they end up almost fudgy. Blending some of the beans with their liquid gives the soup body; for a very smooth soup, purée the whole mixture. A little vinegar and a flourish of toppings keep it from being one-note. Leftovers will thicken overnight, so thin as needed with water or turn them into refried beans.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1pound dried black beans (not soaked)
  • 1yellow onion, peeled, trimmed and quartered
  • 5garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1chipotle chile in adobo plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2dried bay leaves and/or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼teaspoon baking soda (optional)
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • 1teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • Any combination of sour cream, Greek yogurt, corn chips, pickled red onion, cilantro, lime wedges or poached eggs, for toppings
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

277 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 264 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a 5- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the beans, onion, garlic, chipotle chile and sauce, cumin, bay leaves and/or oregano, and baking soda, if using. Add 6 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, 8 to 10 hours. Taste more than one bean to ensure they’re all cooked through; they should also flatten without much effort when pressed between your fingers.

  2. Step 2

    Remove and compost the bay leaves. Transfer the onion, garlic and chipotle chile to a blender or food processor, along with about 2 cups of the beans and broth. (You can purée more or less of the soup, depending on desired consistency.) Blend until smooth. Pour puréed soup back into the slow cooker, stir in the vinegar, then season to taste with salt. Eat with desired toppings.

Tip
  • Beans should reach a simmer and cook until tender to be safe to eat. If your slow cooker does not reach a simmer on the low setting, increase the heat level to high, and ensure the beans cook at a simmer for at least 15 minutes at some point in the cooking process.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,026 user ratings
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Comments

Mostly Vegan

Actually you can but modify the cooking method not the recipe. You can just use the Dutch Oven like a slow cooker. Instead of placing the Dutch Oven on the stove top (not a great idea for this length of time) put it into your oven instead at about 200 degrees (average temp for a Slow Cooker on Low) for the same time. It effectively turns your Dutch Oven into a slow cooker.

Joe

I make a broth from ham hocks, celery, carrots, and cilantro to use as a base for this soup. After making the broth, I cut the meat off the hocks and use it in the soup. The day before serving the soup I refrigerate it then remove the congealed fat before reheating and serving.

sandra, copied from notes

Soak your dry beans in Zinfandel overnight and add the whole thing to the slow cooker along with whatever other liquid you are using. I’ve done this many times.

Bland

I love beans and I love my husband but I felt irrationally angry when he reheated these leftovers. Tastes slightly more interesting than a bowl of boiled beans.

Megan

Have made this many times and always a quick winter winner! Highly recommend seeking out Rancho Gordo midnight black beans to take this to the next level. Mine usually cooks in 6-7 hours. RG beans are fresher than more store bought varieties so they cook faster.

Oregonian

Typically, I do an easy no recipe black bean soup: soup, broth, onion, cilantro, garlic. This recipe seemed and more complex, so I gave it a try. I did the recipe exactly, and it turned out pretty good, definitely more depth than my simple concoction. Next time, I will cut the cumin in half…that’s a personal preference. Cumin is not my favorite spice and this recipe is very cumin forward. I will also reduce the liquid by a cup or so. The soup was more liquid than I like it, even after I puréed half the beans. Easy adjustments. Overall, this recipe was definitely worth a try

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