This black bean soup recipe is healthy, simple to make, and quick (it uses canned beans). Eat it as-is or load it up with your favorite toppings!
This is a great soup because it's fairly light and fresh-tasting, but you can also add some toppings to make it more into a meal. Otherwise, this is a great soup that you can eat as an appetizer or even a snack.
This soup can easily be made vegetarian (vegan, in fact) if you substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
How do you make black bean soup?
- Sauté the onion in a soup pot;
- Stir in the garlic, diced tomatoes, beans, green chilies, red pepper, and seasoning;
- Simmer the soup for 8 minutes;
- Blend the soup so it's mostly a purée (I like to leave some of it unblended for texture);
- Add the lime juice and salt & pepper. (Full ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe card below)
Recipe notes & tips:
- I use an immersion blender to blend it right in the pot (I prefer a plastic one like the one linked because it doesn't scratch the pot).
- Want to add some kick? Add in 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or use spicy green chilies (I used mild ones).
- Recipe is easily doubled (double all ingredients).
- I recommend using fire-roasted diced tomatoes for more flavor, but regular ones will work in a pinch.
What to serve with black bean soup
- Chopped cilantro
- Scallions
- Avocado
- Tortilla strips (I used multi-colored ones in the photos)
- Shredded Tex-Mex cheese blend
- Sour cream
- Chopped tomatoes or salsa
- Lime wedges
I just love cooking with canned beans. They're delicious, super easy to use, a good source of protein, and nice and filling.
Love beans? Try these recipes:
- Easy Baked Beans with Bacon
- Corn and Black Bean Salad (Texas Caviar)
- Easy Black Bean Chili
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Turkey White Bean Chili
- Easy Three Bean Salad
- Creamy Taco Soup
Will you cook this black bean soup?
Questions? Leave me a comment below. Don't forget to tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you make any of my recipes. 🙂
Easy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 3 (14 fluid ounce) cans black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (4 fluid ounce) can diced green chilies with juices
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Garnish (optional): chopped cilantro (recommended), sour cream, tortilla strips, avocado, etc.
Instructions
- Add the oil and onion to a soup pot and sauté it over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, followed by the broth, diced tomatoes, beans, green chilies, red pepper, and spices.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar, reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
- Using either an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend most of the soup (use caution - you may want to let it cool a bit first). You can blend it all, but I like to leave some whole beans in there for texture.
- Stir in the lime juice, and season with salt & pepper a needed (I found that I needed to add a fair amount of salt).
- Serve as-is or with desired toppings.
Notes
- This recipe serves 4, but it's easy to double all the ingredients if you need extras (just make sure to use a decent size pot).
- Want to make this a spicy black bean soup? Add in 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or use spicy green chilies (I used mild ones).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. Nutrition info doesn't include any soup toppings.
Karen says
Many black bean soup recipes don’t have enough flavor. This one bucks the trend, and brings a delicious kick! So tasty.
Natasha says
Aww thank you so much!! 🙂
Melissa says
Instant favorite. Very simple, yet outstanding.
Natasha says
Great!! So happy you enjoyed it, Melissa.
Cathy says
I cooked dried black beans to use in this recipe just to cut down on salt.
Soup was delicious!! I’ll make this many times.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Jules says
This was perfect! It came together easily. We like spicy food, so we added 1 teaspoonful of red pepper flakes. This will definitely go into our fall/winter soup rotation.
Thank you
~Jules
Natasha says
Awesome!! 🙂
Judy says
Just wondering if you have a calorie count on this black bean soup. Sounds delicious.
Natasha says
Hi! I just calculated it for you.
Tara Kaufman says
We made this during [...] and comments from my kids included “this is incredible and I want some more!”
We need to double recipe next time.
Another salt and lavender hit as usual.
Thank you!
Natasha says
I am so happy to hear that, Tara! 🙂 (I edited your comment because bloggers have been told not to use buzzwords associated with the current events because it may affect our search rankings, so I am erring on the side of caution)
Emily says
I just made this soup. It’s delicious. Super easy too. I also squeezed a fresh lime wedge in the individual bowls. Definitely added great flavor!
Natasha says
That's great! Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment! 😀
Masooma Z says
Made this today. Simple to make yet so flavorful. Loved it. Will be adding this to my rotation. Perfect for a cold day like today.
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Victoria Wagner says
I made this wonderful soup using veggie broth for my family on Christmas Eve. It was a hit! I have vegan and gluten free cousins and they loved it. We had a mix in bar set up and added avocado, cilantro, sour cream and tortilla strips. I puréed a little over half the chunky ingredients so it still had texture but smooth at the same time. Can’t wait to make again. Thank you!
Natasha says
I am so glad it was a success, Victoria! Thanks so much for letting me know. ♥️♥️♥️
LizAnne says
Delicious soup and very easy to make. Made it as stated just added 1/8th teaspoon cayenne. Great idea to leave some of the beans whole and purée rest. Had a nice texture. Family asked to put this on rotation for fall/winter. Thank you for this nice recipe.
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit! Thanks so much for leaving me a comment! 🙂
David Moses Perez says
I made this recipe and loved it -- and EASY was the the perfect word. This will become a keeper in our household. I followed the recipe to a "T" added the salt-to-taste as it suggested and was delicious. I went back for 3rds. The one thing I will do better next time is only blend half, so it's bit more chunky. Cheers and Enjoy!
Natasha says
I am so happy to hear it, David!! Thanks so much for leaving me a comment! 🙂