Instant Pot Black Bean Soup: My Shortcut Recipe Everyone Loves

Easy Instant Pot Black Bean Soup (Perfect for game night)

Looking for a soup recipe that you can throw together quickly for a last minute weeknight meal or get together?

I love a good bowl of hearty black bean soup, especially when it’s quick, comforting, and easy to make at home. The other night, I had friends over for a fun evening of playing Rummikub, and I thought—why not turn it into a soup and salad dinner before the game.

This easy black bean soup recipe came together in no time, thanks to a few simple shortcuts. I used canned black beans and my Instant Pot, which made the whole process practically effortless. (And honestly, it could easily be made on the stovetop too!)

To keep things even simpler, I used chunky salsa and marinara sauce for the flavoring without needing to clean and chop a million ingredients. The result was a soup that was both simple and delicious—rich, hearty, and full of bold flavor. Everyone loved it, and it was the perfect warm-up before we started playing cards.

We like to eat it with rice too

I made a big batch of soup because I always love having leftover soup for another day. Plus, it’s nice to have enough to share—especially with a single neighbor who doesn’t enjoy cooking only for herself anymore. Homemade soup is one of the easiest (and tastiest) ways to share a little comfort.

This makes a big batch of soup (about 7-8 bowls) (-it freezes well). If you want less soup, cut the recipe in half-ish. 

Ingredients for this easy black bean soup: 

4 cans of (organic) black beans

2 cups of marinara sauce - (I use organic and fat free)

1 and 1/2 cups of chunky salsa - (I use organic , no sugar)

2 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed

3 1/2 cups of water 

1 teaspoon of ground cumin 

Cracked pepper and salt to taste

Garnish: chopped cilantro, diced avocado, freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions for this easy soup: 

Add everything to the Instant Pot liner. Secure the lid and set to pressure cook for 4 minutes. When done allow to sit for about 10 minutes and then release the steam according to the manufacturer's instructions. When all steam is released, carefully remove the lid. Taste adjust salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Using an immersion blender, blend to desired consistency and serve with garnish. 

My Notes: 

1. Immersion Blender- I sometimes remove 1/3 of the soup from the IP and blend the remainder. Then I add the unblended soup back in for a mixed consistency of more shoe beans. 

2. Some restaurants serve black bean soup with sour cream or vegan sour cream. 

3. Make this on the stove top by bringing everything to a boil, then turning the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes until the soup begins to thicken a little. 

4. Add boiling water or broth carefully, a half cup only at at time if the soup if too thick-taste and repeat.

5. Don't want to use canned beans?  I've made this soup using dried black beans that I soaked overnight, pressure cooked and then followed the recipe.

Do you play Rummikub? I used to have a set for four players and recently I bought a new one for 6 players so we can play with more friends,