These Instant Pot Black Beans are lit 🔥 Don’t miss my other delicious Instant Pot vegan recipes in my new video below! Let me know if you want to see even more Instant Pot vegan recipes in the future 🙂
I finally got an Instant Pot! It seems like everyone is raving over this electronic pressure cooker, but I’ve been saying, “I don’t need another appliance.” Well, after a million requests for Instant Pot vegan recipes, I finally bought one. I’m always game for kitchen experimentation. After watching a boatload of Youtube videos, and reading everything I could find about how to work this thing, I started playing around. One of my first winners was Instant Pot black beans, aka Black Bean Coconut Stew.
I’ve actually been making this recipe for many years. I even shared it on this blog way back in 2011!! This updated version features sweet potato, whole cumin & coriander seeds, and lime juice. It’s a cinch to make in the Instant Pot. I like to cook my rice in the leftover coconut milk for an even yummier taste of the tropics.
One thing I love about this Black Bean Coconut soup is that you can enjoy it hot, chilled, or room-temperature all year round. It’s the perfect hearty vegan recipe to batch cook, and even freeze.
Now. Does the Instant Pot live up to the hype? Well, it’s certainly not “instant.” For this Black Bean Coconut Soup it takes my mini Instant Pot about 20 minutes to warm up/start cooking. But once it’s cookin’ the beans are done in just 25 minutes. I’ve been afraid to add coconut milk directly to the pot during the pressure cooking because it tends to bubble up (which can clog the release valve), so I continue to cook the stew with the coconut added for another 15-20 minutes on the sauté setting. All in all, this recipe takes about 60 minutes to prepare in the Instant Pot…same as on the stove.
So why use an Instant Pot? First off, it’s so nice to “set it and forget it.” Instead of having to check on my beans to make sure they aren’t cooking over, or adjust the heat, I can walk away from the Instant Pot and rest assured that I’ll have perfectly cooked beans without fuss. You can even cook unsoaked beans in the Instant Pot. For the perfect texture I recommend pressure cooking this recipe for 25 minutes, but if you want to retain a firmer texture, you can cook them in as little as 15 minutes! Check out this post on the Kitchn for Instant Pot bean cook times. You can also use the Instant Pot for slow cooking and schedule the start time so you can come home to a cooked meal!
I’m glad I got the Instant Pot! It’s a lot of fun to use, and as you’ll see in the video below, you can make a wide variety of recipes with it. Let me know if you want even more Instant Pot vegan recipes!
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or a neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds (or ground coriander)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- ½ bell pepper, diced
- 1½ cup raw black beans, soaked overnight (or not soaked)
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed (about 1½ cups)
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 2-3 teaspoons veggie bouillon paste or 1 bouillon cube (skip this if you're using veggie broth)
- 1 can coconut milk (full-fat)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste
- ½ bunch cilantro, for garnish
- 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Serve over coconut rice (recipe below)
- Turn the Instant Pot onto sauté for 10 minutes, then add the oil to the pot.
- Once warm add coriander and cumin seeds, and fry for about 30 seconds.
- Now add the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Sauté until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the soaked (& drained) black beans and cubed sweet potato. Stir well.
- Add the water or veggie broth, then the veggie bouillon paste, and then the coconut milk.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, and make sure the release valve is sealed. Turn it onto pressure cook for 25 minutes for soaked beans, or 30 minutes for unsoaked beans.
- Once cooked, allow it to natural release.
- Season to taste with more salt and a little cayenne pepper.
- Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro and jalapeño pepper.
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or a neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- ½ bell pepper, diced
- 1½ cup raw black beans, soaked overnight
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed (about 1½ cups)
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut milk (full-fat)
- 1 teaspoon veggie bouillon paste or 1 bouillon cube (skip this if you're using veggie broth)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste
- ½ bunch cilantro, for garnish
- 1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced, for garnish
- Warm oil in a large dutch oven, then add the coriander and cumin seeds to fry for about 30 seconds on medium heat.
- Add the onions, garlic, ginger, and bell pepper to sauté.
- When the onions soften add the soaked black beans, sweet potato, and water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook the beans with the lid ajar for about 35 minutes. Add more water if necessary.
- Once the beans are cooked and tender, add the coconut milk, lime, and bouillon. Stir well, then cook for another 15 minutes, or until the stew has thickened and the beans are tender.
- Season to taste with more salt and cayenne pepper.
- Serve over coconut rice (recipe below), and garnish with fresh cilantro and jalapeño pepper (or lemon).
- 1½ cup jasmine rice (white or brown)
- 2½ cups water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (or the rest from the coconut milk used for the stew, it might be just short of 1 cup so add water to make up the difference)
- If using white jasmine rice, rinse rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
- Place the rice into a saucepan and add the water, salt, and spices.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook on low-medium heat with the lid ajar for 20 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, and stir. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Add more water if it starts to dry out.
- Fluff the rice with your fork then serve.