Instant Pot Black Bean Dip [for babies, and toddlers]
This instant pot black bean dip is one of those recipes we always come back to. It's smooth, flavourful, and incredibly versatile - use it as a dip for veggies, spread it in quesadillas, or serve it to your baby as an easy puree. It's also freezer-friendly, which means you've always got a nutritious option ready to go.
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"I am always making this on repeat. great to freeze and use for a quick meal for the whole family!" - MC
We had a hard time naming this dish… should we call it a black bean dip? A black bean spread? The tastiest black beans you'll ever eat? It's actually all three of those things!
May we proudly present to you: the tastiest black bean dip/spread you'll ever eat! The best part about this recipe is its versatility. The texture is quite smooth which means it's a great option for a baby who is starting solids with purees. If that's you--don't forget to try our creamy edamame puree, Indian daal which is also instant pot friendly or banana custard which are also very smooth textures but amazing in terms of nutrient profile
Back to this spread, it's versatility is it's biggest flex. Use it as a dip, a spread, in taco bowls, for quesadillas or honestly...eat spoonfuls of it on your own. Another bonus is that the primary ingredient is black beans. In today's economy where food prices are inflated, this is a low cost ingredient with big time yields! Since we're feeding our own family's on a budget, we love suggesting low cost but nutrient dense ways to serve up healthy meal ideas.
If you've been here a while, you might already know how much we love using our instant pressure cooker. If you have one, but haven't put it to use, this recipe is going to become a favorite but we've also come up with so many other ways to use your instant pot!
We really hope you enjoy this recipe.
Why this recipe works
🕒 Instant pot or stove top recipes available
🥕 Very budget friendly
🙌 Versatile! Use the bean spread as a puree, quesadilla or even in a burrito bowl
✅ Nutritious - offers protein, fibre and a source of iron for growing babies + toddlers
👶 Baby friendly from 4 months+
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS CONTENT ON:
Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- Key ingredients
- Allergen information & substitutions
- How to make this recipe
- How to serve THIS RECIPE at each baby & toddler stage
- Bring on the flavour
- Recipe FAQ
- Play + books that match this recipe
- Other recommended baby and toddler recipes
- Black Bean Dip (Instant Pot Instructions)
- Black Bean Dip (stovetop instructions)
- Do you have fears or worries about feeding your baby?
Key ingredients
Black beans: since we love you all so much, we've tested the recipe with both canned and dried black beans so take your pick! If you opt for canned black beans, look for "no added salt" variety or be sure to rinse the beans to remove excess sodium especially if you're offering this black bean dip to a baby. It's important for babies to not be offered excess sodium, aka salt. You might also be pleased to learn that a pinto bean also works beautifully in this recipe!
Tomato paste: you'll need some tomato paste to help balance the flavor and offer a bit of tang.
Spices: for this recipe you'll need like chilli powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne. All of these work together to offer up a ton of flavor!
Cilantro: this is totally optional but we highly recommend it. Cilantro offers a burst of freshness, more flavor and even polyphenols since it's a leafy herb.
Allergen information & substitutions
This black bean dip recipe doesn't contain any of the top priority allergens in Canada. This means, not only is it a great starter recipe for babies but it's also going to be a great fit for anyone!
For the most recent step-by-step recommendations for introducing food allergens to infants, visit our video lesson in Start Solids Confidently, your go-to resource for feeding babies.
How to make this recipe
The full recipe is below, but here are a few key steps to visualize the process.
- Pressure cook black dried beans with garlic, onion and broth.
2. Once black beans are cooked, remove some of the reserve liquid and set it aside in case you need it for later.
3. Add in remaining ingredients such as tomato paste, spices and lime juice. Stir together.
4. Puree the bean mixture until you achieve your desired consistency. You can use an immersion blender or potato masher!
How to serve THIS RECIPE at each baby & toddler stage
4-6 months: the texture of this black bean dip ends up being a thick spread and you have the freedom to make it as smooth as you wish for your baby, or even a bit lumpy. Use the reserve liquid to achieve the desired consistency and spoon feed to your baby!
6 - 12 months: you can offer it as described above. But, if your family is really interested in the baby led weaning approach then you can spread it thinly on toast strips or spread on steamed carrots or broccoli.
When preparing the dip for a baby, skip the salt. Set some aside for your baby and then add salt to the remaining portion for the rest of the family.
For your toddler and the rest of the family: you have so many options! Let's look a few:
- As a (duh) dip! Offer alongside crackers and (if your toddler has developed the chewing skills for them yet), raw veggies such as carrot sticks, bell pepper sticks, and celery sticks.
- In pinwheels. Spread a thin layer of the black bean dip on a tortilla wrap. Fold it up tightly and then slice into 1-2" thick segments.
- In sheetpan quesadillas. Okay, you can use them in stovetop quesadillas but we love making quesadillas for a crowd on a sheetpan! Watch the video below to see how we make them.
- With a spoon. Seriously, it's that good! Pair it with some scrambled eggs, toast, and orange segments for a balanced meal.
Bring on the flavour
We've said it before and we'll say it again: don't be afraid to offer your baby flavourful food!
Think about it… would you be interested in eating a bowl of plain, unseasoned, unsalted black beans?
While I'm sure that might be appetizing to some people but for ourselves, we want the flavour!
And we're guessing our babies might want it too!
While in the womb, babies practice swallowing by taking sips of amniotic fluid. Studies show that the food you eat can alter the taste of the amniotic fluid. Meaning, if you ate garlic while you were pregnant, then your baby tasted garlic! Isn't science fascinating?
This is why we love developing flavourful recipes like this black bean dip, to offer your babies and toddlers.
Having said that, you need to know your child. While some kids enjoy and prefer flavourful food, others my be more sensitive to strong flavours. Scientifically known as 'super tasters' (yes, that's the scientific term!) some people are born with a higher number of tastebuds. The more tastebuds = the more amplified a flavour will be! This amplification can be overwhelming for some people.
I (Jessica) suspect I was a super taster as a kid as I found regular old jarred spaghetti sauce too spicy! And, if there was even a tiny amount of black pepper in a dish, my tastebuds were overwhelmed.
Recipe FAQ
Black beans, which are a part of the legume family, are considered a choking hazard for a young baby and shouldn't be offered in their whole form until closer to one year old. At that point they should, however, be nice and soft and squishable. That means, even if you're feeding your baby á la baby led weaning style, you'll have to modify black beans for safety!
Mashing cooked black beans into a dip or spread allows your baby to experience and taste this nutritious food in a safe texture.
If you have dried black beans at home, then yes they will need to be cooked. However, canned black beans are already cooked. For this black bean dip recipe, we've drafted two recipes for you to utilize either dried black beans or canned!
The beautiful thing about preparing food yourself is that you get full control over the flavour level! As written, the spice level is fairly mild. But if you know your baby is sensitive to spice levels, feel free to dial back on the chili powder and skip the cayenne.
Yup, yup, and yup! This black bean dip is naturally hypoallergenic and plant-based, perfect to take for school lunches. If you're a parent of a baby with cow's milk protein allergy, we're so glad you found this black bean dip recipe!
Yes. In fact, as we write this blog post we have several servings of this black bean dip in the freezer to use for busy weeknights.
No problem! We developed a stove top version just for you...but truly, we love our instant pot and we think you would too.
Play + books that match this recipe
Got a kid who might be skeptical about beans!? We get it, but guess what? When kids get the chance to interact with "food " during playtime or read a book about food, they become more comfortable with the food, and are more likely to want to eat it at mealtimes! Here are some options to include pasta during play and story time
If you tried this black bean dip recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Black Bean Dip (Instant Pot Instructions)
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black beans
- 1 medium white onion
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and sliced in half
- 4 cups vegetable broth use no sodium added if baby will be eating some
- ½ teaspoon salt *optional
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder *you dial back to 2 teaspoon if you'd like
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne *optional
- Juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- Rinse black beans, and then add into the insert of the Instant pot along with the broth, onion, salt and garlic.
- Set to manual function for 40 minutes. Ensure you've turned the knob to sealing.
- Allow this to come to pressure and cook. Once this is done, allow for a natural release for 20 minutes.
- You may see some liquid, please strain this into a small bowl - you don't have to remove all of it. You'll want to set it aside in case you need it later to achieve your desired consistency.
- Next, add in the remaining ingredients and stir.
- Use an immersion blender or potato masher to form the consistency you'd like. Again, you're welcome to add back more of the reserve liquid.
Notes
Nutrition
Black Bean Dip (stovetop instructions)
- 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
- 1 medium white onion (peeled and diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder *you dial back to 2 teaspoon if you'd like
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt *optional
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne *optional
- 2 x 19 fl oz (540 ml) cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 small can (6 oz or 156 ml tomato paste)
- Juice from 1 lime
- Heat the oil in a medium sized pot over medium-low heat.
- Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Add the garlic, spices, and salt. Cook for one more minute.
- Turn the heat off.
- Add in the beans, tomato paste, and lime juice.
- Using an immersion blender or potato masher, mash the beans to your desired consistency.
*skip these ingredients if you're serving to your baby. You can set some of the finished dip aside for your baby and season the remainder.
Do you have fears or worries about feeding your baby?
We know that starting your baby on solids can feel overwhelming and you may have other worries such as...
- I'm afraid my baby will choke!
- I'm afraid my baby won't be getting enough of the right nutrients!
- I'm afraid my baby will have an allergic reaction!
- I'm afraid my baby is not eating enough… too much!
- I'm afraid my baby will be a picky eater!
Amazing, can’t get enough! I always have some in individual portions in the freezer.
Aww! So honoured this recipe has made it to staple status in your house!
Can I use canned black beans?
Definitely!
I am always making this on repeat. great to freeze and use for a quick meal for the whole family!
So glad to hear that! We always have a batch in the freezer for a quick meal!
This recipe is a total 10/10! We love it in a quesadilla.
So glad you love it! Don't forget to freeze a bit for future self.
Love this recipe so much because it is SO EASY to modify for babies!
So glad you enjoyed it.
This recipe has been a staple since my toddler started solids. I freeze it in portions so I can quickly defrost for bean and cheese quesadillas, which my son and I love for an easy lunch.
Love that this is a recipe you can lean on! Agree that it is great for freezing.