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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Simply delicious.
This is now on regular rotation at our house. My sons, who have never seemed to like soup before, LOVE it. We add sour cream and fresh slices of avocado and it is delicious and creamy. Comes together quickly too, which is always great on a weeknight when you are staring at the fridge wondering what to cook!
Delicious and so easy, especially if you use an immersion blender. Who would eat canned soup if they knew how fast and easy it is to make homemade soup as good as this with ordinary ingredients?
Super easy and very quick to whip up this soup requiring just a few ingredients. Have made this several times and turns out delicious each time. The consistency is on the thin side.
Jenn, I can’t tell you how many times this Black Bean Soup recipe has saved me at the end of stressful workdays in the last (incredibly stressful) year! Like many of your recipes, I’ve made this so many times, I don’t even need to refer to the recipe anymore because the ingredients and amounts are cataloged in my head! Anyway, this soup. So easy, so creamy, so comforting, so delicious. I always have the ingredients in my pantry so it’s a super-easy (and healthy) solution when I forget to plan dinner ahead. (It’s great if you’re looking for a vegan option that doesn’t taste vegan!) And it comes together really quickly. Seriously, people. It’s the least stressful homemade soup you will ever make. 30 minutes from opening the cabinet door to table. And that is a winner in my book after a long day.
Also, I think this is the first soup I ever made with the hand blender, and it came out so lusciously smooth that I sought out other soup recipes that are blended (like your Asparagus with Lemon Soup, which is so creamy yet shockingly doesn’t contain any cream).
For this soup, I like to rinse an extra can of beans and toss that in after the soup has been blended and is almost ready because we like having a little bit more fiber from the extra beans. I’ve also tossed in some leftover shredded chicken, though honestly….it doesn’t need it. We top it with sour cream and some tortilla chips or baguette slices. There is nothing better on a cold winter night. Actually….it’s freezing and snowing today and I think I’m going to make this tonight!
Forgot to say it’s a vegan option if you sub vegetable stock for the chicken. =)
I love how creamy and filling this soup is! I make a batch for the week and eat it throughout.
This soup is absolutely delicious! I’ve made a regular version, with chicken broth and sour cream, as well as a vegan version with vegetable broth and no sour cream. Both were excellent! If you don’t eat the whole batch right away, it freezes very well. Another great recipe!
This soup is absolutely delicious! I’ve made a regular version, with chicken broth and sour cream, as well as a vegan version with vegetable broth and no sour cream. Both were excellent! If you don’t eat the whole batch right away, it freezes very well. Another great recipe!
So simple, but just perfect. All three kids devoured it, even my self proclaimed soup hater. Served with a scoop of Mexican rice and sour cream, so yummy 😋
I made this as a starter for a small gathering of friends who brought over authentic tamales … We were all in awe of the flavor and texture of this soup. I did add 4 extra cans of beans to get my preferred consistency as I doubled the recipe. It turned out beautifully!! A dollop of sour cream & sliced avocado put it over the top! When I read the spice combination, I could tell it was going to be a deep rich favor and couldn’t wait to make it. The only disappointment was not having leftovers! I have made several of your recipes, Jen, and have yet not to love one! Cashew chicken is next!