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This easy and flavorful black bean soup features everyday staple pantry ingredients like canned black beans, vegetable broth, simple seasonings, and sautéed vegetables. It’s easy to make and perfect for a quick lunch or satisfying dinner!
Easy and healthy recipes that don’t require an extra trip to the grocery store? Sign me up! I love recipes that use pantry staple ingredients and simple produce, especially when I’m in a rut and don’t know what to make for dinner.
This black bean soup is just that. It’s simple, inexpensive, naturally gluten-free, and vegetarian. From start to finish, this recipe takes only 40 minutes to make, including prep time, making it great for quick weeknight dinners! Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It’s simple and flavorful. This black bean soup uses simple ingredients like black beans, vegetable broth, tomatoes, onion, and a few everyday spices.
- It’s healthy and inexpensive. This black bean soup is packed with vegetables and black beans, which are a great source of protein and fiber. Plus, all these ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find at your local grocery store.
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are sautéed and add an extra sweet flavor to the soup broth.
- Anaheim pepper: Adds some earthiness to the soup. You can easily substitute any other pepper like bell pepper, jalapeño, or serrano, or just leave it out completely if you prefer.
- White onion: Add some sweetness and tang when sauteed.
- Garlic: Always a must and adds great flavor!
- Seasonings: A simple mix of salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper give the soup a Mexican-inspired flavor.
- Black beans: You’ll need 3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed. I prefer to use the “no salt added” variety so I can better control the flavor. See my notes on using dried black beans.
- Vegetable broth: Keep things healthier by using low sodium vegetable broth, but you can also use beef or chicken broth if that’s what you have.
- Garnishes: Make sure to top it off with cotija or queso fresco, diced avocados, chopped onion and cilantro, lime juice, and a dollop of sour cream. These garnishes really take this simple soup to the next level!
How to Make Black Bean Soup
Cook the Roma tomatoes, white onion, and Anaheim pepper in olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat for about 10 minutes, then stir in the garlic and dried spices and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Mix in the black beans and broth, then cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender straight in the pot and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes uncovered until the soup has thickened slightly.
Serve in bowls with diced avocado, queso fresco, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream.
Recipe Tips
- To make using dried beans, you’ll need 1 ½ cups dried beans, or about about 4 ½ cups cooked. Cook them according to package instructions and use as directed. I love making these Instant Pot black beans to use in dishes like this soup!
- Add some smoky flavors. This recipe is simple and flavorful as is, but you can easily bring it up a notch by adding smoked paprika or chopped chipotles in adobo for a smoky and spicy twist.
- Add extra protein. You can add shredded chicken or ground beef to the soup to make it more hearty. Leftover carnitas, barbacoa, and even birria are delicious mixed into this soup as well!
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this black bean soup with plenty of tortilla chips, corn tortillas, or bolillo bread for a warm and comforting meal.
You can also serve sides like Mexican rice, roasted Mexican vegetables, or calabacitas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Black bean soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat thawed leftovers in a pot over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or in the microwave until warmed through.
You can thicken it by blending a portion of the soup with an immersion blender or a blender, then mixing it back into the pot. This method gives the soup some smoothness while still keeping some of the texture.
Yes! This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan. It uses vegetable broth and no animal products. For the toppings, substitute the sour cream and cheese with dairy-free alternatives or omit them altogether and use avocado, cilantro, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
More Bean Recipes
- Enfrijoladas
- Black Bean Quesadillas
- Bean Dip
- Quinoa Black Bean Chili
- Bean and Cheese Burritos
- Black Bean Tostadas
If you tried this Black Bean Soup Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ½ large white onion, diced
- 1 Anaheim pepper, stemmed and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- Optional toppings: avocado, queso fresco, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, sour cream
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion, and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are soft are tender.
- Add the garlic, kosher salt, dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the black beans and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Carefully transfer 2 cups of the soup to a large blender. Pulse 4 to 6 times until mostly smooth, then add it back into the pot. You can also use an immersion blender straight into the pot and blend until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes uncovered until the soup has thickened.
- Serve in bowls top with diced avocados, queso fresco, cilantro, lime juice, and sour cream.
Video
Notes
- To make using dried beans, you’ll need 1 ½ cups dried beans, or about about 4 ½ cups cooked. Cook them according to package instructions and use as directed. I love making these Instant Pot black beans to use in dishes like this soup!
- Add some smoky flavors. This recipe is simple and flavorful as is, but you can easily bring it up a notch by adding smoked paprika or chopped chipotles in adobo for a smoky and spicy twist.
- Add extra protein. You can add shredded chicken or ground beef to the soup to make it more hearty. Leftover carnitas, barbacoa, and even birria are delicious mixed into this soup as well!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips.
Photography by Ashely McLaughlin.
So delicious, i use a goya can of black beans with seasoning and its just perfect