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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This is one of my favorite soups! I make it with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to keep it vegetarian. I also have used 4 cups of broth instead of 5 for a thicker consistency. Both of my daughters (ages 3 and 5) love this so I keep it in my rotation and make it at least once a month!
I made this soup, and it was perfect! I used a dollop of greek yogurt instead of sour cream and it worked well as a substitution
Jenn,
I have now tried at least a dozen of your recipes and loved them all. Love the pictures so I know what finished product should look like. You are the best! I saw your black bean soup recipe but would like to offer you a different style (non-blended) which is a South American recipe. This recipe comes from my favorite restaurant, Churrasco’s in Houston. I thought maybe you would like to try it too. Starting with dried black beans really makes a difference. Let me know what you think if you make it. Here ya go:
Churrascos Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
1-pound bag of dried black beans
9 to 10 Cups of water
½ small can tomato paste (unseasoned variety)
½ Cup red wine
1 stick butter (You may use ½ stick to make it lower-fat)
1 medium red pepper chopped finely
1 medium white onion chopped finely
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1- 2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Soak black beans in water overnight..
You may soak beans up to 1 day before.
Rinse beans (the water will be black).
Add the 9 cups of fresh water (not the water beans soaked in) to a large soup pot and then add the beans, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
Bring beans to a boil and continue to boil, stirring frequently to keep from sticking, for one hour.
After the first hour, add the rest of the ingredients. Lower temperature of stove to medium low and continue to cook (stirring frequently) for another hour. If the beans begin to stick to the pan, turn down the temperature to simmer. If the soup gets too thick, add up to one more cup of water, a little at a time.
Don’t forget to fish out the bay leaves before serving.
Serve with a little dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, and chopped cilantro on top.
Churrasco’s serves this soup in a hollowed-out bread boule.
Regards,
Ronna
Thank you so much, Ronna. I will definitely make this soup!I can tell just from looking at the recipe that it will be good 🙂
Hi Jenn, I just wanted to let you know that I just made and tasted the Black Bean Soup. What a great recipe! Thank you for sharing all your lovely recipes. I have tried several of your recipes and there is not one loser in the the bunch. I would make them all again & again!! I can’t wait for my hubby to come home this evening. I know he will enjoy this very much. Many thanks again for taking the time to share these recipes. You are the best!
Thank you, Mickie! That is so nice to read 🙂
Made this with some baked tortilla crisps . Maybe on of my favorite comfort meals
Perfect winter dish. My local Food Lion closed up and had a 50% off sale, and I ended up with a cart full of dried beans (they last for-freaking-ever). I made this with homemade stock and added some sriracha for a little heat. Wonderful.
My family and I absolutely adore this soup, and I do add one more thing to give it a little extra zest. I add a can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and chilis. It just adds a little more zip to it, which is nicely complemented by the chopped cilantro. I make this every few weeks in the winter months and friends and family love it as well.
This is a delicious recipe. The only question I have is about the nutrition facts which say that there is 15gram of fat in this recipe. There’s only 2 tbsp of oil so where is the fat coming from? Anybody have any ideas?
So glad you enjoyed it, Sharon. Perhaps it’s from the sour cream?
Jennifer, thank you so much for your site. Literally ever single recipe I’ve made from your posts have been fantastic – unlike other food bloggers that I follow. Again, thanks! You are making my English husband, living in Paris, very happy!
An American ex-pat
That is so nice to hear, Tracy. Thanks for letting me know!
we make a lot of soups and sandwiches with 5 grandkids here everyday …and to make it a meal for the kids we added tubetti pasta(cook pasta as directed)and instead of lime juice and sour cream the grandkids like spaghetti cheese