Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
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This Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup takes the guesswork out of dried beans. Follow my proven tips, and you’ll end up with beans that are tender, creamy, and full of flavor every time! Its versatility also makes it perfect for healthy meal prep. Makes a delicious starter for my Caribbean Pork Tenderloin!
“Make this soup … I promise you will not be disappointed!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
This Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup delivers perfectly tender beans without any guesswork.
The low-and-slow cooking allows the beans and spices to fully infuse, creating a rich, satisfying soup that’s completely hands-off until the end. It’s also ideal for healthy meal prep, giving you wholesome, fiber-rich meals that reheat beautifully!
This Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup recipe is:
- So easy! Simply combine all but a few ingredients in your slow cooker and let it cook away!
- Foolproof and hands-off. There’s no pot watching and no boil-overs. Just set it and let your slow cooker do the work.
- Versatile and perfect for meal prep. One batch makes several nourishing, fiber-rich meals that reheat beautifully. Leftovers are perfect over rice or quinoa with vegetables or greens.
- Freezer-friendly!
From easy weeknight dinners to make-ahead lunches, this soup is built for real-life cooking.
How to Make slow cooker black bean soup:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this slow cooker black bean soup recipe. The exact quantities are on the recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Chicken Base: Chicken base is a concentrated paste that adds a richer, more robust flavor to soups. I usually use organic, reduced-sodium for the best flavor. Because it does have salt, I add it after the beans have softened.
- Mexican Oregano: Mexican oregano has a brighter, more citrusy flavor and is distinct from Greek or Turkish oregano. They are also from two different botanical families.
- Chili Powder: Chili powder is a blend of ground, dried chiles—such as New Mexico, Ancho, or Cascabel combined with spices like cumin, oregano, and paprika.
- Canned and Dried Black Beans: I use a combination of canned and dried black beans in this soup recipe. Dried black beans for the body of the soup, then canned black beans at the very end because I like the extra “beaniness” and the added texture.
- Ham: Use regular or smoked ham. If you don’t consume pork, use turkey ham. Diced sausage (pork, turkey, chicken, or beef) can be used in place of ham.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Combine the first 11 ingredients in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours.
- About half-way through cooking (2-hour mark on High and 4-hour mark on Low), add the roasted chicken base and salt and black pepper to taste.
- Working in batches, puree half the soup in a food processor blender. Better yet, use an immersion blender to coarsely puree so you don’t have to transfer any of the hot soup.
- Add the vinegar, ham and canned black beans. Cover and simmer another 30 minutes on High.
- Add additional water if the soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve in bowls garnished with chiles, avocado, and cilantro.
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- Check your beans for debris or damaged beans, then rinse well to remove any dust or surface starch.
- You’ll find a lot of conflicting advice about salting beans. Some say never salt until the end, others say salt from the start. After years of cooking with dried beans, I’ve found the best balance is to wait until the beans are cooked about halfway before seasoning. You don’t want to take a chance on adding salt too early, while salting only at the very end doesn’t always allow the flavor to fully develop. Seasoning midway gives you beans that cook up tender while still absorbing enough salt to be flavorful all the way through.
- Resist lifting the lid. Every peek releases heat and extends cooking time.
- Adjust seasoning at the end. Final salt, acid (lime or vinegar) should be added after the beans are fully tender so you can fine-tune the flavor.
- Let it rest before serving. Like many soups, black bean soup thickens and improves after sitting for 10 to 15 minutes.
Recipe FAQs:
Soaking beans is optional for this Slow Cooker Black Bean recipe. An advantage to soaking the beans is they’ll cook a little faster and it reduces any digestive issues beans can create. The optional epazote in this recipe is believed by ancient cultures to help with that, too.
>>If you do want to soak the beans, soak the beans overnight in the refrigerator then discard the water.
>>The other option is a “quick soak.” All that means is to place the beans in a saucepan of water, bring it to a boil, shut off the heat, cover and let stand for an hour. Afterward, discard the water.
If your beans are still hard after cooking, it could be their age. It will be very difficult to get them soft. If that happens and you have a pressure cooker, you can try that. Get rid of old beans or recycle them into pie weights. Another reason is acid in the form of tomatoes or alcohol, for example, is present.
As mentioned above, there’s plenty of debate about when to salt dried beans. I’ve found the most reliable results come from waiting until the beans are about halfway tender–early enough for good flavor, but late enough to ensure they soften properly.
Absolutely! This black bean soup only gets better after sitting overnight in the refrigerator. It will thicken up, so just add a little water or broth.
Yes! Place in airtight containers in the desired amounts. Freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave until heated through.
Serve with:
For more great slow-cooker soups, try my:
For all my soup recipes, find them all here! Soup and Stew Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen.
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 pound dried black beans, soaked overnight in the refrigerator
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, without salt
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried epazote, optional
- 1 tablespoon roasted chicken base
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 package (8-ounce) diced ham, or the equivalent, diced
- 1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
- Sliced Fresno chiles or jalapenos
- Sliced or diced avocado
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine the first 11 ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 8 hours.
- About half-way through cooking (2-hour mark on High and 4-hour mark on Low), add the roasted chicken base and salt and black pepper to taste.
- Working in batches, puree half the soup in a food processor blender. Better yet, use an immersion blender to coarsely puree so you don't have to transfer any of the hot soup.
- Add vinegar, ham and canned black beans. Cover and simmer another 30 minutes on High.
- Add additional water if the soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve in bowls garnished with chiles, avocado, and cilantro.
Notes
- If you don’t consume pork, use turkey ham.
- Diced sausage (pork, turkey, chicken, or beef) can be used in place of ham.
- Soaking beans is optional for this Slow Cooker Black Bean recipe. An advantage to soaking the beans is they’ll cook a little faster and it reduces any digestive issues beans can create.
- Check for debris or damaged beans, then rinse well to remove dust and surface starch.
- There’s plenty of debate, but I’ve found the best results come from seasoning once the beans are about halfway tender—early enough for flavor, late enough to ensure they soften properly.
- Keep the lid closed. Every peek releases heat and extends cooking time.
- Adjust final salt and add acid (lime or vinegar) only after the beans are fully tender so you can fine-tune the flavor.
- Like most soups, black bean soup thickens and tastes better after resting 10–15 minutes.
- Place in airtight containers in the desired amounts. Freeze for 1-2 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Question, do you put the soaking water in with the beans in the crockpot? Thank you.
Hi, Sharon, Thanks so much and GREAT question! You certainly can cook the beans in the soaking water, but if you don’t want the digestive issues beans can cause, you’ll want to drain that off and start with fresh water for the soup. Be sure to rinse the beans before soaking if you plan to reuse the water. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
I added orange juice and a splash of maple syrup.. I got rave reviews from the recipients. Great recipe. Thank you!!
Hi, Kathy, Thanks so much and happy you and your friends love this recipe! I do have a black bean soup recipe that calls for orange juice; may need to add it to this one the next time I make it. Thanks again and really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
Enjoyed this a lot!
When I read this recipe I thought that it would be a great dish for a cold, poor weather day. I took the list of ingredients with me when I was out shopping this week on a 60º day here in New York! The forecast for the next day was a much cooler and snowy day. Turns out we got 11.5″ here in Queens. I set up the Slow Cooker with the pre-soaked beans and all the other needed ingredients and went about a day of paperwork and TV watching. Smelling the soup cook for 8 hours is near torture–the aroma is delicious. The soup is certainly the best Black Bean Soup I have ever made and among the best I have ever eaten. Make this soup…I promise you will not be disappointed! Thanx Carol, as with all of your recipes I’ve tried the flavors are perfectly balanced.
Thank you so much, Jim! You’re awesome! Glad you enjoyed!