Black bean soup is a simple recipe you can make in one pot with everyday ingredients and a bold, smokey flavor.
If you love black bean recipes, try our black bean salad, veggie burgers, vegetarian chili, and Mexican rice.
Mexican Flavors in One Pot
Louise and I have a soft spot for cozy, plant-based meals that pack a punch of flavor.
This Mexican-Inspired Black Bean Soup is one of our absolute favorites.
The flavor begins with a fragrant soffritto of onion, garlic, and cumin.
Add in the cooked black beans, a bit of smokiness from the chipotle, and let everything simmer into a rich, satisfying soup that feels like a warm hug.
Top your soup with your favorite Mexican sides. I recommend guacamole, pico de gallo, quick pickled onions, jalapeños, sour cream, and corn tortillas. It’s also delicious with our homemade cornbread.
The contrast of spicy and cool, creamy and crisp, is what makes every bite exciting 😛.
And the best part? It’s incredibly easy to make and wholesome to eat.
It’s a fiber-rich meal, and low calorie dinner idea (297 calories per portion without toppings!).
It’s excellent for meal prep, and satisfying enough to stand alone as a main course. I hope you love it as much as we do.
Ingredients
Full ingredients and substitutions are in the recipe box below.
- Olive oil – or substitute with avocado oil.
- Carrot, onion, celery, and garlic – chopped by hand or pulsed in a food processor for the flavor base.
- Bay leaves and ground cumin – great for depth; use dried oregano instead of bay leaves if needed.
- Chipotle powder – adds a smoky, mild heat. Sub with smoked paprika + red pepper flakes, or use 1 chipotle in adobo + 1 tbsp of its sauce.
- Black beans – canned (rinsed and drained) or home-cooked (see our guide on how to cook black beans).
- Vegetable broth – low-sodium preferred; chicken broth also works if not keeping it vegetarian.
- Canned diced tomatoes – or sub with whole, crushed, pureed, or fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
- Salt & pepper – sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Lime juice – freshly squeezed for acidity; sub with apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
How to make black bean soup
Step 1: Sauté the Veggies and Spices
Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrot, and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the grated garlic, ground cumin, and chipotle powder (or substitute with 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika and red pepper flakes). Cook for 1 more minute, or until fragrant.
Step 2: Simmer the Soup
Add the vegetable broth, drained and rinsed black beans, canned tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Stir well.Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then crack the lid open slightly and simmer on medium heat for about 25 minutes.
Step 3: Blend and Finish
Blend 1 to 2 cups of the soup to create a creamy texture, using an immersion blender or standing blender. Stir in the juice of one lime, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Add more broth if you prefer a thinner soup.
Step 4: Serving Suggestions
We love serving this black bean soup with a variety of toppings and sides to make it a complete, comforting meal. Here are some of our favorites:
- Fresh cilantro – adds a pop of color and a fresh herbal note.
- Guacamole or sliced avocado – for creamy richness and healthy fats.
- Pico de gallo – brings brightness and a little crunch (Louise’s favorite).
- Tortilla chips, corn tortillas, or tostadas – perfect for scooping or adding a bit of crunch on top.
- Sour cream or vegan sour cream – a cool, tangy contrast to the warm spices.
Sometimes, we pair it with a slice of warm homemade cornbread on the side. It’s SO good 🤤.
Tips
- Start with a flavorful base – Sauté onion, carrot, and celery (soffritto) to build depth from the start.
- Toast your spices – Add garlic and spices after the veggies; a quick sauté boosts aroma and flavor.
- Blend a portion for creaminess – Puree 1 to 2 cups of soup to thicken it while keeping some texture.
- Finish with acid – A splash of lime juice at the end brightens and balances the flavors.
- Top with garnishes – Add cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, tortilla chips, or vegan sour cream for texture and contrast. That’s the best part, so don’t forget it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes please! You’ll need about 1.5 cups of cooked beans for every can the recipe calls for. That’s about 1/2 cup of dried beans. Soak overnight and cook in plenty of water until tender (about 2 hours).
Blend a portion of the soup (about 1 to 2 cups) and stir it back in. This creates a creamy texture without needing cream or flour. To speed things up, you can also blend directly in the pot with an immersion blender.
Yes! It’s rich in plant-based protein, high in fiber, low in fat, and naturally cholesterol-free.
Store leftover black bean soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot.
To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers. It will keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat before serving.
Yes, that’ won’t be a problem. Sauté the aromatics first, then cook everything under pressure (about 10 minutes on high) or slow cook on low for 6–8 hours.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Black bean salad
- Black bean burger
- Sweet potato hash
- Refried beans
- Tostadas
- Quinoa salad
- Sweet potato chili
- Lentil chili
If you tried this Black Bean Soup or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Black Bean Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic grated
- 2 tsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp chipotle powder more or less to taste. Sub ½ tsp red pepper flakes + 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 3 cups vegetable broth or more to taste
- 3 cans (15 oz each) black beans or 4½ cups cooked black beans
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
- 4 bay leaves
- ½ tsp salt or more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 lime the juice + more for squeezing on top
Instructions
- Sauté the Veggies and Spices – Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 onion, 3 carrots, and 1 rib celery; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in 4 cloves garlic, 2 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp chipotle powder (or smoked paprika + red pepper flakes); cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Simmer the Soup – Add 3 cups vegetable broth, 3 cans (15 oz each) black beans, 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, 4 bay leaves, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered for 25 minutes.
- Blend and Finish – Blend 1–2 cups of soup for creaminess. Stir in juice from 1 lime, adjust seasoning, and add broth to thin if needed.
Notes
- Fresh cilantro – adds a pop of color and a fresh herbal note.
- Homemade cornbread
- Guacamole or sliced avocado – for creamy richness and healthy fats.
- Pico de gallo – brings brightness and a little crunch (Louise’s favorite).
- Tortilla chips, corn tortillas, or tostadas – perfect for scooping or adding a bit of crunch on top.
- Sour cream or vegan sour cream – a cool, tangy contrast to the warm spices.
- Olive oil → avocado oil
- Carrot, onion, celery, garlic → chopped by hand or pulsed in a food processor
- Bay leaves → dried oregano
- Ground cumin → no direct substitute recommended (essential for flavor)
- Chipotle powder → smoked paprika + red pepper flakes, or 1 chipotle in adobo + 1 tbsp sauce
- Black beans → canned (rinsed and drained) or home-cooked from dried
- Vegetable broth → chicken broth (if not vegetarian)
- Canned diced tomatoes → whole, crushed, puréed, or fire-roasted canned tomatoes
- Salt & pepper → sea salt or kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
- Lime juice → apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
Nutrition
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Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We're here to share easy, healthy, and delicious recipes 🌿✨.
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Delicious!! Very easy to make and full of flavor. Made numerous recipes from this website and all of them are equally amazing.
Great recipe! Made it last night and it’s super easy to make and super yummy! Since I like my soup a bit more runny, I added more water. Never had Chipotle seasoning in a soup, I love the smokiness! Will totally make it again, it’s a Five Stars for me!
Fantastic, Billie! That’s great news, I’m delighted that you enjoyed the chipotle powder in the soup 🎉
All the best,
Louise
I made today. I used dry black beans that I cooked all afternoon bringing to a boil twice and simmered vigorously for hours. I love my veggies, so used more than suggested and I sauteed them for a very long time. Once finished, the beans and veggies could have been softer! Nice flavor, but not exciting. Only variation was smoked paprika instead of chipotle powder.
Hi Diane, thanks for your feedback and for your detailed notes, I appreciate it.
Kindest, Louise
Excited to try, do youdrain and rinse the canned black beans? Thanks!
Hi Rachel, yes, we drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the soup base 💪
Happy cooking, hope you will like it!!
I just made this recipe I will get back to you on my how well I did
I just made this and it’s delicious! You were right about the lime juice complimenting the soup. It’s so easy, I sent it to my daughter who is just learning to cook.
Wonderful, Debra!! So happy that you enjoyed the soup – and the lime 😉
Thank you for your kind comment here. All the best,
Louise
I made it with dry black beans. It took a bit longer but it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Just made this tonight. I served it with your Garlic and Naan bread. Excellent! The whole family enjoyed. Will be a staple around out table. 🙂
That sounds wonderful, Celeste, I’m very happy that everyone enjoyed the soup and the Naan bread, YAY!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment here. All the best,
Louise
This was a scrumptious black bean soup! It reminds me of a vegetarian chili. I didn’t have any Chipotle powder but had some smoked paprika. That smoked paprika took the meal to the next level! 😋
I’m going to try this but wonder if I could also add frozen chopped sweet potatoes to give it a bit of depth and reduce to 2 tins of black beans and eliminate the celery?
Thanks!
Hi Wendy,
Yes! Sweet potatoes and Black beans are delicious together so go ahead and add it in. Reducing to two cans seems the right thing to do if you add sweet potatoes.
And yes, you can omit the celery; no problem 🙂
Let me know how it turns out! Im sure it’ll be delicious.
Nico
Delicious, thank you!
Very very tasty, packed with flavor
So happy you enjoyed it!
/Louise
I’m planning on making this it looks delicious. Im only learning to cook and love all your recipes so far.This may be a stupid question but what is the difference/ why would someone grate the garlic vs using a garlic press? Thanks for all your recipes and teaching.
Hi Jonathan,
The flavor difference between grating and pressing is not noticeable in this recipe, but we like to grate the garlic as half of the garlic tends to get stuck and unused in out garlic press 🙂 We find that grating or microplaning tends to enhance the garlic flavor.
And BTW yes, we certainly need to upgrade our garlic press! 😉
Thank you for your kind words, all the best,
Louise