Instant Pot Cuban Black Bean Soup (Vegan)

Instant Pot Cuban Black Bean Soup (Vegan)

Cuban black bean soup is so warm, delicious, hearty and perfect to consume for dinner during the fall and winter months. This island soup dish is made from scratch, full of bold flavours (not spicy) and ready in just under an hour in the instant pot.

Course Lunch, Soup

Cuisine Cuban

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 290kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

3 cups of dried black beans (582g)
6 cups vegetable broth (1.42litres) or water (see the link)

To make the sofrito/seasoning

1 a medium sized onion minced
4 large garlic cloves finely minced
1 large green bell pepper minced or Cubanelle pepper
1 large sweet red bell pepper minced
2 teaspoon cumin (4g)
2 teaspoon oregano (4g)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper (2g)

To finalise the soup

2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (10g)
2 teaspoon raw cane sugar (8g)
pink salt to taste
1 roasted red pepper chopped (optional)

Instructions

Switch on your unit and select the "saute" button.
Once the inner pot heats up add your olive oil along with the minced onion and garlic and proceed to saute until translucent.
Next add your minced red and green peppers and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Switch off the saute function by pressing "cancel" then add your seasoning - oregano, black pepper, cumin, and bay leaves then stir.
Continue to add your black beans and vegetable stock.
Switch on the unit and place the lid on, flick the valve to "sealing"
Pressure cook on high and adjust the +/- to 30 minutes.
Once the cooking time is over, allow the pressure to release naturally. This should take 10-15 minutes then release the excess pressure to switching the valve to "venting".
Remove the lid and use an immersion stick blender to partially puree the soup (to your desire texture).
Stir in the vinegar, coconut sugar and pink salt to taste along with the optional peppers.
Add any additional seasoning if required.
Discard the bay leaves prior to serving.

Stovetop version

Rinse the black beans and soak them in the water overnight.
Rinse and discard the bean water.
Add the beans and bay leaf to a heavy duty stock/soup pot and bring the beans to a boil with the broth/water on high heat.
As the liquid begins to boil, reduce the flame to medium. The beans should be cooked until tender, this should take 1hr - 2 hours.
Replenish with water if the liquid levels drop drastically, a cup at the maximum should be enough. You should have hardly any liquid left.
Prepare the sofrito by adding the oil to a small frying pan on medium heat.
Sauté the minced garlic and onions for one minute then add the peppers and stir in the cumin, oregano and black pepper.
Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Pour the minced mixture into the soup pot and stir.
Use an immersion blender and pulse the black bean soup no more than three times, it will break down further with time. If you don't have an immersion blender, ladle a cups worth of beans and puree in a food processor/conventional blender.
Finally, add the vinegar, sugar, pink salt and season to taste (add more if needed) and stir in the roasted red pepper if included.
Remove the bay leaf and serve with a dollop of dairy free sour cream.

Video

Notes

Don't forget to use my Homemade Vegetable Broth for the base of the recipe or use water if you want to instead.

You don't have to mince the sofrito ingredients, it's just my personal preference.

If possible use Cubanelle peppers, this is a popular long pepper used in most Spanish cuisines. It's known as a aji Cubanela.

The vinegar and sugar, yield a sweet/tangy finishing note to the soup, don't use if you don't like vinegar.

Soak the beans overnight and use dried beans, not crucial but recommended.

Once you have made the soup, do a taste test and adjust seasoning if needed. Everyone is different, so make your own changes if you wish to do so.

Use an immersion stick blender or scoop out about ⅓ cup of the beans and puree. Follow whichever method you are most comfortable with.

Nutrition