This easy black bean soup recipe is made with canned black beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a blend of simple spices. It’s a healthy vegetarian and vegan meal that will satisfy everyone!
This easy black bean soup recipe is one of the healthiest, tastiest, and most inexpensive meals I’ve ever made!
Naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan, this soup is made with 3 cans of black beans, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a simple blend of spices that everyone has in their kitchen.
From start to finish, this recipe takes only 40 minutes to make, including prep time. It makes about 6 dinner servings or 8-10 side servings, making this an excellent option for healthy weeknight meals!
My husband and I eat beans about 3 times a week; this recipe is always at the top of our list. I know you’re going to love it!
Love beans, too? Try these 25 bean recipes using dried or canned beans.
Tips for making Black Bean Soup
Sauté the onions, garlic and tomatoes until the onions have softened and are translucent. This will really help to bring out some of the creamy, rich flavors of the onions while infusing everything with that delicious garlic taste.
Stir in the spices and seasonings and saute them with the onion mixture for about 4 minutes. This will lightly toast some of the spices, which will help intensify and deepen those flavors.
Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you can leave out the red pepper flakes completely. If you want this to be a really spicy black bean soup, I recommend doubling the amount!
Use an immersion blender for easy and safe blending. Blending hot soups can be a little tricky. If you can, I recommend using an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot. But if you only have a stand blender, carefully transfer some of the soup into a large blender using a ladle and blend until smooth. Then return the pureed soup to the pot and stir. Make sure not to fill your stand blender past the max fill line, or you may have a soup explosion.
If you only add one additional topping, I recommend squeezing in some fresh lime juice. It adds a punch of brightness and acidity that compliments the creamy and savory black beans so well!
Storing and Freezing
This soup can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in an air-tight container.
To freeze, cool the soup completely in the fridge. Once chilled, scoop into freezer-safe zip-top bags or containers and freeze. When ready to eat, let frozen container thaw completely in the fridge or defrost in the microwave. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until completely warm.
More Recipes to Try
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large plum tomatoes, chopped (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more if you prefer it extra spicy
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed*
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- optional toppings: diced avocados, queso fresco, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, sour cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add the onions, tomatoes and garlic. Cook until onions soften and become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add oregano, salt, thyme, cumin, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Stir and cook for another 4 minutes until very fragrant.
- Add black beans, broth and stir to mix. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. The soup will be boiling by the end.
- Uncover and carefully blend the soup with a hand held immersion blender until it reaches your desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer some of the soup into a large blender using a ladle and blend until smooth. Then return the pureed soup to the pot and stir.
- Cook uncovered for another 5-10 minutes, until the soup reaches your preferred thickness. If you cook it too long and want to thin it out, add in more broth.
- Season with more salt to taste and serve with optional toppings like diced avocados, queso fresco, chopped cilantro and sour cream..
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Isabel’s Tips:
Nutrition Information
This is my go to recipe when I need a quick delicious dinner! Love this recipe exactly how it’s written.
Another home run! Incredibly flavorful! When I told my hubby that we were having black bean soup for dinner, he was underwhelmed. When he tasted it, it blew his mind. We both had seconds! Soooo good! We garnished with avocado, lime and cilantro. Top notch! Thanks again for another perfect recipe!
Thank you Laurie!
Holy freaking yum city! Made this by the recipe but added some garbanzo beans and cream of chicken soup, and a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. Even my very picky eaters gobbled this up and were asking for more immediately. Thank you for sharing!
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
This is a wonderful recipe for black bean soup. I am making it again. My husband and our friends thought it was fabulous. I puréed it for a friend who had a lot of dental work done and cannot eat solid food. He loved the high protein meal. Be careful and don’t add salt until you taste first. Ours came out too salty because I used Goya black beans and chicken broth that were heavily salted.
I make this recipe for a week of lunches. I have been making it for years. Love it!!
Loved it! My husband is not usually a fan of meals without meat but he was pleasantly surprised. He even said if I purée all of it and make it a little thicker it will make a great dip. May be trying that next. 😃
Fantastic soup-great flavor! Made this for dinner and the family loved it. Probably blended 3/4 of the soup, leaving enough beans and tomatoes to get it great texture. Definitely going in the meal rotation. Thank you!
Really tasty. I loved it. Will definitely be making this again. I didn’t have any tomatoes so I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes.
I also did not have fresh tom’s so sub a can of fire roasted. Added even more flavor.
Yum! Easy, quick and delicious! Not a hot pepper fan so cut it back some.
Wow! I was pleasantly surprised with the bold flavors of this soup even with such few ingredients. Absolutely delicious and just the right amount of kick! I’ll be making this again. Thank you. 😊
Very much enjoyed the Black Bean Soup. Did not use the red pepper flakes, everything else as written. All the recipes I have tried have been added to my “do again” collection. Thank you !!
I’ve made many bean soups from recipes on the internet, this’d one is the only one I saved #@isabeleats
Thank you Rick!
I like it but I changed it a bit only because my husband is a little fussy so Instead of puree I add kale and garbanzo beans to the black beans too. It is yummy. Thank you for your recipe.