Black Bean Soup

This easy black bean soup recipe is destined for your regular rotation! Made with 10 basic ingredients, it's creamy, comforting, flavorful, and delicious.

black bean soup recipe

This black bean soup is about to become your new favorite back-pocket recipe! It calls for 10 ingredients, and there’s a good chance you have all of them in your pantry already. It cooks up in right around 30 minutes, and it tastes just as good leftover as it does hot off the stove. Best of all, it’s comforting, hearty, satisfying, and (of course!) delicious.

When I cook with canned beans, I almost always start by draining and rinsing them. But in this black bean soup recipe, I pour the canned bean liquid into the pot right along with the beans themselves. This liquid, coupled with the fact that I puree half the soup after it simmers, creates a super creamy and flavorful broth. It’s smoky, spicy, earthy, and bright. Trust me, you can plan on having seconds. 🙂

Black bean soup recipe ingredients

Black Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients

This black bean soup recipe comes together with a handful of pantry ingredients:

  • Black beans, of course! You’ll need 2 cans of black beans for this recipe, and you’ll use the liquid in the cans as well as the beans themselves.
  • Onion and garlic – They add savory depth of flavor.
  • Canned chipotle peppers and adobo sauce – They give this black bean soup a spicy kick.
  • Chili powder, cumin, and coriander – Their smoky, earthy, citrusy, and warm flavors add depth to this simple soup.
  • Vegetable broth – It helps create the soup’s creamy base.
  • Lime juice – It makes the soup bright and balanced.
  • And sea salt – To make the smoky, spicy flavors pop!

Sauté the onion in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and spices and cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic. Next, add the beans and their liquid as well as the chipotles, adobo sauce, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow the soup to cool slightly before adding half of it to a blender and pureeing it until smooth. Then, transfer the pureed soup back into the pot with the remaining chunky soup. Add the lime juice and stir to combine. Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Bowl of easy black bean soup

Easy Black Bean Soup Serving Suggestions

This black bean soup is tasty no matter what, but I like it best with flavorful garnishes on top! Pile your bowl with a scoop of Greek yogurt or cashew sour cream, sliced avocado or guacamole, sliced serranos or pickled jalapeños, pickled red onions, cilantro, and/or pepitas for crunch. My fresh corn salsa would be a wonderful topping here too.

Enjoy the soup on its own, or pair it with cornbread, regular crusty bread, or cilantro lime rice for a heartier meal. It would also be fantastic with a gooey grilled cheese sandwich, a baked sweet potato, or any of these vegetable side dishes:

black bean soup

More Favorite Soup Recipes

If you love this black bean soup, try one of these delicious soup recipes next:

Black Bean Soup

rate this recipe:
4.97 from 30 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves 4
This easy black bean soup recipe is creamy, comforting, healthy, and delicious! If you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans including the liquid in the can
  • 2 chipotles peppers canned in adobo sauce*, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
  • cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus wedges for serving

topping options:

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, and chili powder and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the beans, chipotles, adobo sauce, and broth and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly and transfer half of the soup mixture to a blender. Puree until smooth, then add it back to the pot with the remaining soup and stir. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with lime wedges and desired toppings.

Notes

*If you're sensitive to spice, feel free to scale back to one chipotle pepper.

31 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Marysa
    07.19.2023

    I’ve never made a black bean soup before. This sounds flavorful and I like that there is a spicy kick to it as well. I love avocado and that makes for a perfect topping.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.