Black Bean Soup
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Whip up this creamy, veggie-packed black bean soup in just 30 minutes using simple pantry staples.
Made entirely from pantry and fridge staples, this Southwestern black bean soup is quick, easy, and nutritious. It’s packed with vegetables and aromatics, like onions, garlic, and carrots, as well as warm spices to create a rich depth of flavor. Bonus: you don’t have to worry about meticulously chopping the vegetables since they all get puréed in the end—just give them a rough chop and you’re good to go! Serve the soup with cornbread, chicken quesadillas, or beef empanadas.
“This recipe was so simple and easy to whip up (not to mention healthy) that I was shocked by how good it tasted. Served with the Once Upon a Chef cornbread muffins…perfection!”
What You’ll Need To Make Black Bean Soup
- Olive Oil: Used for sautéing; provides a base for cooking and releasing flavors from the onions, garlic, and carrots.
- Yellow Onions, Garlic, Carrots: These aromatics add depth and foundational flavors to the soup.
- Canned Black Beans: The main ingredient; gives the soup its body and texture, primary flavor, and adds protein to make the meal more nutritious and filling.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: The liquid base of the soup, it contributes to the soup’s depth of flavor and consistency. Using low-sodium broth helps control the overall saltiness (canned black beans are salty!). Vegetable broth can be substituted for a vegetarian version.
- Oregano, Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin, Cayenne Pepper: These spices add warmth, earthiness, and a slight kick, contributing to the soup’s Southwestern profile.
- Lime Juice: Adds brightness and acidity.
- Sour Cream: For serving, offers a cool, creamy contrast to the warm spices of the soup; adds a tangy flavor and creamy texture.
- Cilantro: Adds a fresh, herbal element and color to the soup.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, cook the onions, garlic, and carrots in olive oil over medium heat until soft.
Add the beans and spices.
As well as the chicken broth.
Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables and beans are very soft.
Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender. If you don’t have one, you can use a standard blender and work in batches. Just be sure to keep the hole in the lid open and cover it up with a dishtowel – this allows the steam to escape and avoids a hot soup explosion all over your kitchen.
Before serving, stir in some fresh lime juice to add a touch of brightness and wake up all the flavors.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Finally, scatter some freshly chopped cilantro over top. You can get creative with additional garnishes. My husband loves to crush tortilla chips over his, and sometimes I’ll toss in some chunks of avocado. A spoonful of salsa would also be nice. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! To make the black bean soup vegetarian or vegan, simply use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Yes, the soup will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s heated through. If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water or broth to reach the desired consistency.
Yes, the soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat. Again, if the soup is too thick, you can add a little water or broth to thin it out.
If you’d like to make the soup thicker, you can add an additional can of black beans.
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Black Bean Soup
Whip up this creamy, veggie-packed black bean soup in just 30 minutes using simple pantry staples.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1¾ teaspoons ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Scant ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- Handful chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pan. Add the onions, garlic cloves and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Do not brown.
- Add the black beans, chicken broth, oregano, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
- Purée the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, you can use a standard blender to puree the soup in batches; see note.) Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped cilantro.
- Note: If using a standard blender, purée the soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour the blended soup into a clean pot.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The soup will keep nicely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water or broth to thin it to the desired consistency.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: about 2 cups
- Calories: 475
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 66g
- Sugar: 5g
- Fiber: 21g
- Protein: 27g
- Sodium: 424mg
- Cholesterol: 10mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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OMG I just made this soup with a couple adjustments for personal preference….I added a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas and once everything was pureed together I added a cup of corn. Topped with a TBSP of homemade avocado spread and I honestly dont even know if I can handle the 2 hour wait until supper…..a delicious recipe that you can adapt to your own but truly needs no adapting! This recipe will not disappoint!!!!
I love the sound of this recipe and would like to make it using a pound of organic black beans that need to soak overnight. How would I adjust the spices as I am not sure how 2 cans of ready beans relate to the dry ones. Please advise! Thank in advance for your response!
Hi Lori, I think the only thing you’ll likely need to add is more salt as canned beans contain a decent amount. I’m not certain how much you’ll need so I’d suggest just adding it to taste. Hope you enjoy!
Just made this for the first time. Fabulous flavor. Didn’t have cayenne pepper so I used a little red pepper flakes. Cut down on the chicken broth and included about 1/2c. of liquid from the beans.
Used a stick blender and soup seemed watery. However, I then ran it through my Vitamix blender at high speed for about 45 seconds each batch. What a difference. Soup thickened up and had a very satiny mouth feel.
Did the same with your potato and leek soup last night made with coconut cream. Blender made the soup much thicker and richer.
Looking for puréed soups online and found your recipe. I made it today, it was excellent, didn’t change a thing.
Shared on Facebook… thanks
A delicious, easy to prepare soup. I agree with other reviewers that it is a bit thin made as directed, but I added cooked crumbled Mexican chorizo and We really enjoyed it. Next time I’ll either cut back on the broth or add more beans. Thanks for a great soup, Jen.
You sure know your spices! I made your chicken tortilla soup last night and this black bean soup tonight. Both were perfectly seasoned! I wouldn’t change a thing on the tortilla soup and the only thing I would do next time for this one is to add less broth (and I only used 4 cups of broth). It was a little too watery for me but the taste was perfect! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I made this soup couple of years ago and loved it. Somehow, I completely forgot about it afterwards. But today wanted be a bit healthy and avoid the meat eating habit, and the first soup that popped in my head was this. Wanted to add some doritos in it, but sadly don’t have that, so will have to make use of the taco shells that we have.
It is an absolutely fantastic soup. Hats off to you Jenn.
Cheers
Flavor of this soup is the most perfectly-balanced black bean dish. I use a little less broth, so it is more like a bean dish to serve over rice. — My grandson’s favorite!
just made this soup with a cpl of changes.
extra chick broth, used a 48 oz can. no cumin, which i do not like. no oregano, used 1 t basil instead. after blending i added a finely chopped red bell pepper . and a small can of corn for texture. few shots of hot sauce. garnished with diced avocado and fat free fage greek yogurt. delicious!
My husband & I loved your soup…AND, so did our Amazon parrot! I dipped some crusty bread in it and she went crazy for it. She fanned her tail, chortled and talked to her soupy morsel the whole time she ate. So Jenn…you have some serious enthusiasm for your recipe from a 30-something bird to add to your kudos… 🙂
Ha! So glad it’s enjoyed by both humans and birds! 🙂