Slow-Cooker Black Bean Soup Recipe (2024)

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.

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.

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.

Can you make this in a Dutch oven?

Best black bean soup ever! Followed recipe to the letter. It did need the full time for adequate tenderness of beans. The heat from the chipotle was just right. On regular rotation now.

I would soak the beans overnight. I would sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil and add in the ground spices, then the liquid and remaining ingredients. Depending on the age of your dried beans start checking around 1 hour into the cooking. Now that I am retired I seldom use my slow cooker..I may have to dig it out, I forgot how handy they are.

Yes, simmer for a couple hours until beans are tender. Keep an eye on the pot as the recipe only calls for 6 cups of water. That's not very much for 1 lb of beans and cooking in a dutch oven the liquid tends to evaporate much more than in a crock pot. I might even start with 8 cups (2qts) liquid and still need to add some more, especially if you puree the beans at the end. Hope that answers your question. Happy Cooking.

Any idea what changes would I make to the recipe if I were to use canned beans?

It comes in cans and you should be able to find it at your supermarket.

Planning to make this tomorrow, but if you've already cooked this recipe, were you really able to remove the chile after 8-10 hours of cooking to put it in a blender? Seems like it would have fallen apart by then. I can see that the garlic and onions are big chunks that you could remove to blend but not so sure about that canned chipotle pepper.

A careful cook will add the garlic during the last 30 minutes or so of the cooking. It's a general rule. Garlic after 10 hours cooking is no longer garlic.

We don't blend our bean soup, we take a potato masher to it til we have the desired consistency.

I had no trouble fishing out the chile after 10 hours. Remarkably, it stayed whole. The soup is delicious—I made it as written. Will make again.

How would you do this in an insta pot ?

I’d sauté the onion, garlic and Chile with the spices, and cook it together with the canned beans for 30 mins on the stove.

I’ve made this, as directed, more than once. Best ever!

Made with navy beans. DELISH and is basically bean dip soup

I don't know where I went wrong, pretty sure I followed the recipe (even used more of the spices/chipotle than called for because NYT), but the result is BLAND.

A few notes that may help. Old, desiccated beans will NEVER soften. Buy bagged, check dates, stay away from bulk bins. Also, acidic water or broth can impact the beans ability to break down. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking SODA (not powder) to your liquids. It may even bubble and sizzle. Stir well. The pectin in beans breaks down on alkaline not acid…

A very good black bean soup. I did the recipe with canned black beans and in the oven at 220 degrees.Left overs are great as refried beans with eggs.

Followed the recipe and loved it! I DID simply stick blender the solids then added it into the soup and stick blended the whole thing. Worked well.

Good - took the “soak beans in Zinfandel overnight” suggestion, added depth. Served with sour cream and cilantro. Chipotle provided right balance of heat.

Is it supposed to be one can of chipotle chili or just one chili in the ingredient list?

Subbed in a cup of red wine for the liquid. Needed to add 1/2 C of water. A little bland - more chipotle next time, maybe some tomato paste

I make this on repeat for my big hungry Mexican - American blended family. We don’t eat as soup, just as beans. It has become a delicious staple for us-start it in the morning for dinner, start it in the evening for breakfast. I just put another pot in now.

2 cups black beans

Made this. Best ever.

Cooked this in a Dutch oven at 225 for nine hours and it worked perfectly. I don’t have an immersion blender (ordering stat!) so I diced the onion and pepper and then just used a potato masher at the end to smoosh it all together (technical term). Worked great and was delicious!

I made it with the addition of a ham hock that I had in the freezer and substituted some of the water with leftover juice from slow cooking a corned beef. Fished out the ham and used an immersion blender before adding it back without the bone and fat. Fabulous.

If you are pressed for time, didn't soak your beans, etc., this works well in a pressure cooker / Instant Pot. It's the same as the slow cooker directions (except for no need to soak the beans). Even if you start with dry beans, pressure cooking for 35 minutes will thoroughly cook the beans. I think it's a great modification.