Black Bean Soup

4.82 from 70 votes

This easy black bean soup recipe features canned black beans, broth, simple seasonings, and sautéed vegetables. A filling vegetarian dinner!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: servings

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

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.

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!