Meet my favorite black bean soup! It takes advantage of canned black beans and comes together quickly. Yet the soup tastes remarkably fresh thanks to the carrots, celery and garlic.
Cumin and a little bit of sherry vinegar (or lime juice) add a Cuban flair that takes it over the top. This lightly creamy black bean soup is packed with flavor.
This homemade soup is a million times better than the store-bought variety. Read the comments if you don’t believe me just yet!
How to Make The Best Black Bean Soup
A few notes and tips before you get started:
You don’t need a long list of ingredients for complex flavor. Basic, fresh aromatics like onion, carrots and celery make all the difference. Just cook them until they’re nice and tender.
Briefly sauté the cumin, garlic and red pepper flakes to enhance their flavor. Then, add the remaining ingredients and gently simmer until the beans are tender and the flavors have melded.
To achieve the perfect soup texture, purée a portion of the soup in the blender until it’s super creamy. Then stir it back into the pot. Ta da! Now you have black bean soup with tender beans and a lightly creamy consistency, no cream required.
Black Bean Soup Storage Tips
I should mention that this recipe makes quite a lot of soup. Leftovers will keep well for four to five days, so it’s perfect for weekday lunches.
You can also freeze this soup. I always freeze my soup in pint-sized mason jars, leaving room for expansion at the top and waiting to screw on the lids until the soup has fully frozen. Then I just defrost it later.
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Rumor has it that this black bean soup turns out well in a slow cooker (Erin said she “basically just put it all in the crock at the same time and slow cooked it for about 6 hours”). If you give that a try, will you please let me know how it turns out?
Please let me know how this soup turns out for you in the comments! I’m always so eager for your feedback and hope my recipes turn out wonderfully for you.
Craving more hearty vegetarian soups? Don’t miss the following soup recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Vegetarian Chili
- Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili
- Pinto Posole
- Mexican Quinoa Stew
- Best Lentil Soup
- Plus my cookbook has eight of my favorite soup recipes!
Watch How to Make Black Bean Soup
Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. Thanks to some basic aromatics and Cuban spices, it’s incredibly flavorful and delicious. This soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. The recipe yields quite a bit of soup (6 to 8 servings)—it is easily halved, or you can freeze the leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (use ¼ teaspoon if you’re sensitive to spice)
- 4 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, to taste, or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnishes: diced avocado, extra cilantro, thinly sliced radishes, tortilla chips…
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, celery and carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the broth is flavorful and the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer about 4 cups of the soup to a stand blender, securely fasten the lid, and blend until smooth (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender, it’s very hot). Or, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the cilantro, vinegar/lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
Suggested sides: Chunky avocado salsa, a little green salad, quesadillas or a grilled cheese sandwich.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Theresa
This was delicious! I added extra carrots and cut the broth in half, using only 3 cans of beans to ensure there wasn’t a lot leftover- but it was so good I would have welcomed it for dinner again tomorrow! A little bone broth added at the end with a topper of sharp cheddar cheese were perfect additions. As a side note, I only used 2 t Cumin for this amount of soup.
★★★★★
Natalie
I just tried this recipe. It has a lot of flavor but is thin. I’ll cut back on the broth next time.
★★★★
Kate
Hi Natalie! How much did you blend?
Clarissa
Very good recipe! Made half the portion and perfect for two servings.
★★★★★
Crys
2-morrow is ladies bible study luncheon. Needed a new soup as the theme is soup. Had 5 cans of black beans to use so will blend 4+ cups to thicken.
Comments on nutrients in bean juice not sure this is do-able, but here is a link to deeprootsathome.com soaking beans and grains
Seems there are ‘things’ in beans and grains that can give issue to digestion. SO for those interested, decide for ones self. Instant pot made quick work of efforts. Love my kitchen ‘tools’. Just did a spoon taste test, really think the pepper flakes are as 3 bears would say, just right. Not a fan of cilantro, used flakes and 1tsp was enuff. Hope the ladies will enjoy. Just added my email for recipies to come to inbox Thank You Kate and your pooch is adorable!
★★★★★
Laurel
Amazing soup! So much flavour. I went a little heavy on the lime juice and it was delicious. Will be adding this to the rotation!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Laurel!
Monique
This soup is amazingly good! I made this soup last night. My 19-year-old son looked at it and asked if he could make a can of chicken noodle soup instead. I had him try a little before telling him “yes” or “no.” He tried it, then proceeded to make a hearty bowl of this soup.
★★★★★
Julie
Great soup! I made this last night and my boys loved it! I halved the recipe since there was only three of us. My son just asked for leftovers tonight and let me tell you that’s a huge compliment. He is such a picky eater!
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Julie! Thank you for your review.
Laura
I just made this last night and it was excellent! The part about blending a portion of the soup is what is key about this and I may have blended more than 1/4 of the soup, perhaps closer to 1/3. Also, I added a small chunk of goat cheese to the blender and a small can of tomato paste to the pot while simmering. I garnished it w parsley and goat cheese bc that is what I had on hand and topped it with lime juice and it was ALIVE! I am looking forward to making this with a more traditional Mexican flavor profile and will likely put this in regular rotation along with Ikarian longevity stew…Great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I appreciate you sharing what you did, Laura! I’m glad you loved it.
Sid
Delicious and easy! I used my immersion blender and it was so creamy. I am so happy I found your webpage. I am now making your other recipes and they are all delicious.
★★★★
Lana
Made it mostly following the recipe. Used immersion blender to blend it right in the pot and it was great. Was cautious with spice and will add more next time. Amount of broth was fine for 4 cans.
Love your recipes!
★★★★★
Paul Ruckel
This is a 5 star recipe that we thoroughly enjoyed. Two changes that I made were to add 1 chopped jalapeno pepper to the vegetable mix while cooking and after combining the blended and unblended mixture I added a small can of summer crisp corn. Thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Paul!
Grace
Loved this recipe!! I halved it, added chopped red pepper so I did a little more than two cups of broth. It was even better the next day after everything sat for a little. Also topped with a little shredded cheddar, mwah!
★★★★★
Cyndilee
Can you make this in a crockpot? If yes, how long on low would you cook it?
Emmi
I just made this soup in a soup making machine my husband got me for Christmas. I halved the recipe, and only used a little dried cilantro since I didn’t have fresh. It turned out delicious, but not as creamy as your photos. Even halved it made plenty of leftovers for the rest of the week! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Emmi!
Tina L.
Enjoying the soup right now! It’s great! I wanted to make half a batch to try, but only had one can of beans and one can of Trader Joe’s black refried beans. So I used those. It worked fine and I didn’t have to blend it! Everything else the same except I lowered the amount of cumin (just personal taste).
I saute up a bunch of onions, carrots celery and garlic when I have a lot of them and freeze it in ziploc bags. Saves a lot of last minute time. Usually 1 1/2 cups per bag. I eyeballed the recipe and added about 3/4 cup of the cooked mixture and it seemed to be about right. Thanks a lot for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy it worked for you with your adjustments, Tina. I appreciate your review!
W.
This was so good! My partner was skeptical and kept asking me if that was what it was supposed to look like (lol), but we ended up both loving it. Great vehicle for toppings…we used radish, avocado, tortilla chips, and vegan cheese. Mmm. Next time I’ll make 1.5x so we have even more leftovers.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, W.
Nico
Not my favourite black bean recipe. I chose this recipe because I had all the ingredients on hand and I’d made other tasty recipes from this blog before but this one was missing some depth and flavours in my book. Not bad, but not a soup I’d really look forward to.
Still tasty enough with the right dressings- lots of lime, sour creme, cilantro and maybe a few corn chips.
★★★
Hope
My family loved this recipe. I loved it because it was quick and easy. Definitely will make again!
★★★★★
KDV
Added more salt, more pepper, and a fair amount of garlic salt. Stuck with the lime juice and the whole 1/4 cup of cilantro. Also stuck with the full 32 oz. of broth, and after blending 4 cups of the cooked soup, the consistency was perfect. It was DELICIOUS!!!!
★★★★
Dave Linscheer
Hi Kate, since I discovered your website I have made 4 of your wonderful recipes. They include Spicy Black Bean Soup, Better Broccoli Casserole, 10 minute Quesadillas and Hearty Spaghetti with Lentils & Marinara, all of which were a 5 out of 5 delicious. I have been following a vegetarian diet for about 10 days and having your recipes to follow has made it much easier to cook delicious food, which in turn makes it easier for me to stick to the Vegie diet. So thank you very much. I’m about to start making your Favurite Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Thanks again. Dave (in Australia)
★★★★★
Kate
I love it! Thank you for sharing and I’m happy you are enjoying the blog.
Daniela Mckeithan
Delish!! Such basic ingredients but so yummy! I added 2 extra carrots and 2 extra celery stalks as well as a dash of cayenne pepper and extra cumin.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Daniela!
Jodi
This soup was absolutely delicious and I will make it often! I followed the recipe and used lime juice instead of sherry vinegar.
Brian
Made the soup last night and it was YUMMY! My wife and (13yo.) son both gave it two thumbs up. I was lazy and just used a regular sized bag of frozen mirepoix, foregoing chopping the onions, carrots, and celery. I really loved the consistency of the soup b/c of the blending of the ingredients at the end. I don’t like soup that is totally liquid and this method provided a great balance. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Kate
From a teenager, that’s great! Thank you for sharing, Brian.
Mr.Anderson
I made a smaller batch of this, and it was awesome! I did add a finely diced, seeded jalapeno with the celery and carrots for some added kick.Easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Samantha
Best black bean soup I’ve ever had! Definitely adding to my rotation.
★★★★★
christine pohly
Spicy black bean soup, delicious!
Quinoa and kale soup, amazing, even my carnivore husband called me from work to say A+!
Vegetarian chili, won’t turn back to beef chili!
Buy the cookbook, you will not be disappointed
★★★★★
Quinn
Great recipe. I recommend trying first before the puree. I would also recommend some diced jalapeños and scallions for garnish.
★★★★★
Shay Heiseler
Just made this tonight for my husband and I. I cant express how much we loved this recipe!! We added corn and put tomatoes on top for garnish! In love! Thank you!
★★★★★
Olivia Mandala
Super good recipe! First time making black bean soup ever, it was very easy. And I’ll be adding this one to my rotation!
I would not say I’m a lover of spicy food, but maybe I’m a little heavy on seasonings sometimes because I like a lot of flavor. That being said, I did not think this was spicy and would probably try more red pepper flakes if I did want it to be spicy. However, it was delicious without the extra kick!
Didn’t feel the need to add any more salt after that initial sprinkle of the vegetables so make sure you try it before adding more at the end.
★★★★★
Katherine Rhoades
I just made this soup and wanted to let you know of my experience. First off, I accidentally left the bay leaf in the soup that I put in the blender and had to Google if that was going to be a bad thing, but apparently it’s not. Second, I had no cilantro or lime juice but I did have a jar of Chipotle lime salsa in the fridge and since I had seen another recipe that used salsa in their soup, I decided to try a little bit of that. It made it pretty spicy and since I like the Chipotle flavor I thought it was good.
But my husband won’t care for it so I probably will not add that to the soup other than in my own dish maybe. Was not as thick as I had hoped so will use less broth next time but otherwise, turned out pretty tasty.
★★★
Marilyn
This looks delicious, but I think the protein is overestimated. A 15 oz can of black beans contains 21 grams of protein, so one serving would contain about 14 grams of protein.
Vanessa
Bland and flavorless. Had to add a lot of extra spices to get to the point where it was palatable. Will not use this recipe again.
★★
Kate
I’m sorry you feel that way, Vanessa. I appreciate your feedback.
Sandy M Martin
this was so so tasty…I usually don’t tweak recipes but I was originally going to make a black bean, “the best black bean soup,” which I saw in the New York Times this past week; it called for using fresh dried beans (and not to pre-soak them) but upon reading the reviews, a lot of people were complaining that the beans weren’t as soft as they’d like etc…..another comment relayed how you could quickly prep the beans by bringing them to a bowl and letting them sit for an hour….which I did while I worked on prepping the vegies for this recipe…I add a couple of ingredients from the NYT recipe (one whole jalapeno finely diced with seeds) as well as a 1/3 of a small can of chilis in poblano sauce….cooked for a couple of hours, tried to use by immersion blender but did not work in terms of mushing the beans….so I used my bullet and voila! what a tasty soup! thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Erica
I put in very little red pepper flakes as it’s always easy to add spice later and it was great! I served with avocado, cilantro, lime and pickled onions and made a very satisfying lunch!
★★★★
Kate
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing, Erica.
Leah
This was great! I added jalapeños to the veggie mix at the beginning for more heat, as well as some smoked chipotle seasoning later on for a little more depth. We topped it with tortilla strips and shredded cheese.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing your version, Leah!
John'ae
I just made this soup yesterday for my lunches this week. Its DELICIOUS. The flavors arent super bold but I just added salt & pepper & some cayenne pepper & those was the missing element. Definitely making another pot full this weekend. Also I omitted the cilantro & used ACV & a dash of sugar in place of the sherry wine. And topped with some crushed plantain chips.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing! I’m sorry you felt that it was missing something, but glad you were able to adapt it. Thanks for your review!
Gretchen
Made this tonight and it was a hit! Garnished with sour cream and avocado. Great texture and flavor. Thanks for another “go-to” recipe!
★★★★★
Carol Goldthwait
Everyone in my family loved this. I made it in my instant pot. I soaked the beans in the morning, and prepared it in the evening. It was easy and ready in an hour.
★★★★★
Sarah
Hi, Kate. I finally decided to leave you a comment, as I’ve never done before. I bookmarked this recipe years ago, it’s what introduced me to your blog. I still make it, as I’m doing tonight, and I love it so much. I’d like to thank you for this and everything you put on your site. I’ve made so many of your recipes! I follow you like a creepy stalker and you are my go to for anything I want to make. Thank you again for doing what you do.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you left a comment, Sarah! It’s great to hear form you. Thanks for sharing :)
Nathalie
How do you make this with dry beans?
Kate
Hi Nathalie, You can! You can cook them to package instructions and then add the amount to the soup it calls for. I hope that helps!
Gabrielle
Just loved this soup…. though I swear the first time I made it, it had instant pot instructions…. were they removed? I was hoping to make it tonight for dinner.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Gabrielle! I don’t have instant pot recipes for this one, sorry.
Jennifer
This was delicious! 4.5 tsp of cumin was the right amount of cumin. I have been waiting for the day I found a black bean soup recipe tasty enough to write down and add to my recipe box. Yesterday I made this soup, and that was the day. This was the hearty, tasty, satisfying black bean soup recipe I have been looking for.
★★★★★
Evangelia
I really enjoyed this!
★★★★★
Cori
I made this recipe in a crockpot and it knocked my socks off! I put everything in the slow cooker at once, except for the lime juice and cilantro, then cooked on low for 6 hours. Then I blended 1/3 of the soup and added lime juice and cilantro. The only adjustment I would make is to cut the amount of broth in half. My soup turned out a little thin, and I could have drained some of it out before I blended it, but I didn’t want to lose all that flavor! Thanks again for this recipe!
★★★★★
Hope
I had to make a few ingredient substitutions/omissions because of staying away from stores, but still, this soup was super easy to make and really delicious! Didn’t have celery so I added extra carrot. Used two cans of beans and 4-5 cups of a broth/water combination. Let everything simmer for closer to 45 minutes. Then I just stuck in an immersion blender for a few seconds and voila! instant creaminess. My nine-year-old added some rice and gobbled up three bowls–and ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. I topped mine with some roasted butternut squash and chopped parsley. Next time, I’ll add a dollop of sour cream. YUM! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear! I love that you serve with rice. Gives it more servings. I appreciate your comment and review, Hope.
Colleen
I’ve made this soup using my Vitamix (blending 4 C.) and using an immersion blender (blending a random amount to my liking); I’ve made it exactly as written and I’ve made it with extra carrots. I’ve used lime juice, I’ve used vinegar. Every single time- whether it’s made exactly as written or with minimal tweaks- it’s been fantastic. I keep making this again and again. DELICIOUS and easy! Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Heidi
Hi:
I just made the spicy black bean soup and I was concerned about the cumin but I like spicy. No one else wants to give black beans a try so I knew it didn’t matter but I actually could use a bit more spice. I am hoping it is even better after it sits in the fridge tonight. It is very good though! I used my hand blender for the first time and so much easier than putting it in my big blender. I have been trying to lose weight so I thought this would be a good recipe. Very good!
★★★★★
kathie maxwell
What if you want to use dried beans in slow cooker ?
Kate
Hi Kathie! I know others have used dried beans here, but need to be cooked first before using. This recipe wasn’t designed with dried from the start, sorry!
Ms. D
This soup was delicious!
★★★★★
Taran
So good, extra carrots, less broth was perfect. I topped mine with radish/lime/avocados/cilantro. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Wendy
What? What? I cant stop eating! Grocery store shelves been empty of all legumes and veggie stock for weeks. The non-vegans are infiltrating our foods! I made black beans from stones and had to make my own veggie stock. This is, by far, the best black bean soup I’ve ever had. Never made and am privileged Kate to have made yours as my first (and last). The most simple ingredients that meld into this hearty, satisfying, amazing black bean soup. In the end, I salted soup to perfection…important. I used a small handful of Mi Nina chips and 1/4 of an avocado, OMG. Must be nice to be the person who makes so many of us so happy!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so happy to hear that, Wendy! Thank you for sharing. I love your excitement over this recipe.
Kathryn
This soup makes regular appearances in our recipe rotation, and we’re craving it tonight on a chilly, slightly-dreary evening in Northeast Ohio. Fortunately, it’s a perfect pantry/staple recipe, and we’re looking forward to its comforting warmth. It’s amazing how much flavor can come from such simple ingredients.
★★★★★
chey
Big fan of yours! I probably make 3-4 of your recipes a week. This one was new for me. I made this in a Crockpot Instantpot but on the slow cook setting. However I tend not to trust that the veggies will get sufficiently caramelized in the instantpot, so I started this on the stove with the onions/celery/carrots/garlic/spices, then threw it all into the instantpot on slow cook for 4 hours. I added about a cup of frozen corn. I threw in some taco seasoning that needed to be used up. Love that this is a vehicle for toppings. We had it with avocado, sour cream, chips, cheese, lime and salsa. MM!
★★★★★
Kelsey
Hi Kate – I’m new to cooking with beans (embarrassing I know…)
Can I use a bag of dried beans in this recipe? I’m soaking them all day today, and am wondering if they will sub into the recipe the same way canned beans would. I researched a bit and saw that beans tend to double in size when they go from dried to soaked, so perhaps 2 cups of dried beans would yield roughly the 4 cups needed for this recipe. But do I need to do anything else before adding them to the pot?
Kate
Hi Kelsey! Not a silly question at all. You will want to make sure your beans are cooked. Here is a resource I hope helps!
Deanne Groves
Haven’t made this yet. The large sodium content is concerning. Rinsing the beans helps but still….what else will help lower it?
Kate
Hi Deanne, you could use low-sodium beans. You could even replace the broth with water (should still be great). Lastly, be judicious with the salt. Hope that helps.
Claire
I have made this recipe before and loved it! I wanted to make it again, but the only broth I have is chicken broth. Have there been any success stories swapping the veggie broth for chicken broth? Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Hey Claire! You can substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth, generally speaking. Should be fine.
Mark Swartz
Kate, two questions: (1) If one wants to cook with dried black beans, versus canned ones, how much does one need, and any other adaptations required? (2) What are the best options for reducing sodium, given the high content listed above? WIll substituting dried for canned beans “do the trick?” Thank you.
Kate
Hi Mark! Here is a resource that may help you. Your sodium level would change if you used dried as well as decreasing the amount of salt you add. You can adjust to taste at the end if you like and are needing to pay attention to your sodium.
Alex
I love this soup so much! So far I’ve only made it with canned beans. If I were to use dried beans that I just cooked, how many cups would I use? Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Kate
Hey Alex, so glad to hear it! I bet it’s even tastier with freshly cooked beans. One can of bean typically contains about 1 1/2 cups beans, so times 4 comes to 6 cups cooked beans.
Judy
Most excellent soup. I have been buying Trader Joe’s “Latin Spicy Black Bean Soup” & haven’t been able to get to the store & lines at the door. Decided to make “my own” & found this recipe. The taste is amazing and is easy to make. The consistency of the soup seemed a little thin to me compared to the photos. I went over the recipe to see where I could have missed something, but didn’t see anything. Maybe next time, I will add another can of black beans. I don’t have to go to TJ’s, just need lots of black beans. Thanks for a great recipe.
★★★★★
Katie
Hi Kate! This is my go to black bean soup although I never seem to have celery on hand when I make it… I omit the red pepper flakes because my kids think even candy canes are too spicy. I like to add balsamic vinegar at the end. But convenience changes aside, this is a great recipe! I have your cookbook and love it, thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you make this recipe, Katie! I like how you get creative.
Robyn
Hi Kate & Cookie, I love this amazing recipe and have made the soup many times. It’s now a family favorite. I just wanted to emphasize the importance of not overfilling your blender! I must have done that because my NutriBullet exploded spicy black bean soup all over my kitchen! I was covered from head to toe in beans and realized a bit later that I actually suffered some minor burns as well! Since then, I have used an immersion blender every time and it always comes out perfect. No mess…and no burns! haha
Thanks for sharing this delicious soup with us,
Robyn
★★★★★
Lacey l Nutt
This Black Bean soup, turned out so amazing. My friend can’t have a lot of food due to severe flood allergies, and she had to stop eating her favorite organic store bought black bean soup because it had cornmeal in it. We made this last night, with all organic ingredients, and with a little extra seasoning( i love salt) and it was great. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy this one works well for your friends needs. I appreciate your review!
Elda
Hi, liked the receipe. Found it to be a little thick so added 2 more cups broth. I don’t tend to follow to a t. Added more celery . A little more olive oil. I only did half the receipe. Really delicious. One of my staple soups …
★★★★★
JB
For any instant pot lovers out there – this recipe works amazingly well using dry beans. I sautéed my veggies and spices and garlic in the IP, then added dry beans (1 pound, unsoaked because who has time for that?) and broth (5 cups, 1 extra for cooking the beans) and a bay leaf. 50 minutes on high pressure and the soup was ready for blending! It came out sooooo flavorful and the perfect consistency. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Kate
JB, thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to trying your Instant Pot variation. :)
Vanessa
Followed the directions to a T, but it did not turn out well. I like cumin, but it’s the only flavor I’m getting. Just unfortunate it made so much soup that no one will eat:(
★★★
Nita
This soup was simply amazing in every way. I just put the last spoonful in my mouth and grabbed my phone to comment right away! It is so easy & quick to make and has loads of lovely flavors. I made the beans in my Instant Pot which contributed to its super creamy texture. I blended about 3/4 and left the rest as is. Yummy and filling!
★★★★★
Mina
This was delicious! I halved the recipe for the 4 of us, served for dinner with sour cream and cilantro as garnish and quesadillas on the side. Didn’t have celery on hand so I added extra carrots. Didn’t have veggie stock either so I used water + a bay leaf. It turned out great! Blended about 1/3 and it came out super creamy. My family was suspicious of my cooking skills at first but everyone raved!
★★★★★
Cathy
Yummy! I used dried black beans and crock pot. I soaked the beans overnight. Chopped up the carrots versus rounds. Added first 9 ingredients to the crock pot and set to cook on high for 6 hours. It was really thick so added more broth and cooked an additional 2 hours as the beans were still a little too firm. Added fresh lime juice during the last 20 minutes. Do not have an upright blender so skipped that step. Soup was thick, hot and delicious!
★★★★★
Duane E Wilcox
Slow cooker black bean soup is delicious!
KRD
This soups is ok, but a little bland. It could use more flavors. I would love suggestions. Maybe more celery or, I’m not sure what. It just was bland for us. We added the cilantro and even tried some hot sauce. We added salt and pepper.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. I appreciate your feedback!
Amanda
This was delicious! I halved the ingredients (except the cumin) because I was making myself lunch for the week. Easy to make and I thought the ratio of broth to beans was perfect! Once I blended, it was nice and thick. I will definitely be making again!!
★★★★★
Kate
Fantastic! Thank you, Amanda.
Cynthia J Adams
Wow, this Black Bean Soup was delicious. Made exactly per your recipe. I am a vegetarian and my husband is not, but he loved it and asked me to keep the recipe and make it again. Lots of flavor and healthy. It seemed a bit watery at first, but followed your recipe and blended some of it with an immersion blender, thickened it up perfectly.
I have made many of your recipes and they are all fantastic.
Thank you Kate!
Kate
I’m happy to hear it, Cynthia! Thank you for sharing.
Carly
Made this in the winter time and I’m still reheating frozen leftovers! It keeps so well and is delicious with avocado, greek yogurt, and cilantro on top!
★★★★★
Calla
This is the best soup me and my boyfriend have ever made. We substituted chicken broth for the vegetable broth and added in a small packet of sazon along with extra chili flakes (he likes his soup spicy!) and we both went back for seconds and agreed this will become one of our go to week night recipes. So easy to make and we’ll be enjoying the leftovers over the next couple days! Thanks so much for our new favorite!
★★★★★
Carol
Fabulous! Only had 3 garlic cloves so supplemented with 3/4t of granulated. Perfect for a vegetarian dinner. Sherry vinegar really complemented the taste. Used the immersion blender for about a 1/3 of soup and found the texture to be just right! Cooked on a stove top pressure cooker for 15 minutes after sauteing the vegetables. Added some grated sharp cheddar cheese per another’s comment. Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
Emma
soup is amazing, i loved it very much, it’s a new staple food, being vegan and gluten free !!
★★★★★
Kelli Fisher
Thanks for the recipe! I added more garlic (always), better than bullion roasted garlic paste and water instead of veggie broth, and a bag of dried black beans. Dumped everything in my IP (sans the oil and extra water because of dried beans) and set for 35 minutes. Used a stick blender for a minute and added extra lime juice. Served with cilantro, jalapeños, spring onion, Violife vegan cheese shreds, kite hill plain non dairy yogurt and tomatoes. Yummy Yummy!
★★★★★
Lillian Simms
Love this recipe as is but today had only one can of black beans so I added a can of refried black beans and did not puree any of the soup. Turned out great. Also added some red pepper for colour. Yummers!!!!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Lillian! Thank you for your review.
Michelle Meyer
This was really great! I only used 2 celery stalks, and next time I think I will only use 1 carrot. I didn’t notice the celery flavor at all, which is good for me, so next time I will do 2 yellow onions, 3 celery stalks, and 1 carrot. I loved the sweetness the carrot provides, and it’s a great contrast to the spicy; but I think it was a little too sweet (to the point I was worried I used sugar instead of salt (I didn’t)). I also recommend to at least double the amount of lime juice. I used 2T in the soup pot, but continued adding to my bowl on the table until it was sufficiently bright and tart enough. I LOVE lime, so start with what the recipe calls for and add more to taste, but I promise the extra lime juice is worth the effort of squeezing.
★★★★★
Cindy
Loved the soup, but wondering how to reduce the sodium content. Is it from the beans? Will look for no added salt canned beans. I thought rinsing beans was supposeded to remove much of it.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Cindy, no-salt added canned beans would definitely reduce the sodium content. You could probably also use water instead of low-sodium vegetable broth; I often don’t miss it. You’re right, I imagine that rinsing the beans removes a lot of the sodium, but I’m not entirely sure that my nutrition calculator tool is taking that into account.
Willow
I probably make this about once a month now, it’s that easy and delicious. I also love that it’s versatile — sometimes I make it spicier, sometimes mix in extra veggies, sometimes add extra cheese. My make for June was very citrusy and had feta cheese and parsley as garnishes. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
yvonne
I was a cowboy and used dried beans that I soaked for a day and a half. I also used my crock pot. It turned out amazing. I used 8 oz of beans and adjusted the veggies slightly, added chopped jalapeno and diced roasted tomatoes (half a can). Lol. The bomb….dot com. So good!!!!! Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Helena
Honestly awesome!! One of my absolute favorite soups for big batches, and love using lots of lime and avocado.
★★★★★
Claire
I’m dumb and didn’t realize that simmer meant cover, so I lost most of the liquid, but 1) good lesson to me (20 year old still getting the hang of feeding myself healthy food) and 2) they turned out delicious as refried beans! Ate them on tortilla chips and they were great :) Thanks for another awesome recipe!!
★★★★★
Grace Rush Cuevas
What can you use instead of cumin. My husband doesn’t like that flavor. But he loves black beans! What would you recommend?
Kate
Hi Grace! You could try some chili powder or a small amount of cayenne, but be careful! They both have extra heat.
Kay
This soup has a ton of flavor and is very cost effective. I found that the recipe as it’s written lacks a strong source of spice so I diced a whole jalapeno and added it when I started the other veggies, ribs, seeds, and all. It was still lacking a little bit so I added a bunch of cayenne and hot sauce right at the end. Next time I’ll just start with a hotter pepper.
Overall, this soup keeps and reheats well and maintains its texture after reheating on the stovetop.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kay! I appreciate you taking the time.
Isabel
I love the simplicity of the recipe, yet how flavorful it is! The entire family loved it. Have served it tortilla chips or cheese quesadilla.
I add the cilantro at the end to individual bowls.
Thank your for this delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Kris
This looks yammi, will be trying out after I restock with black beans! Meanwhile, do you think this recipe would be working with any other types of beans?
PS. Thanks for this blog Kate, I have tried many of your recipes and love them all, planning to buy your cookbook next :)
Kate
Hey Kris! Pinto beans might work? Since I designed this recipe for black beans, I might lean toward waiting until you are restocked! Have a great day.
Kait
I think this was the best-testing thing I’ve ever made (my husband agreed) – also the first recipe I’ve tried from this site so will def be trying more! I halved the recipe and it was perfect for two. Also took one of the commenter’s advice and added some goat cheese (also happened to be what I had on hand!) – added a chunk of goat cheese to both the blended mixtures and shredded on top. Squeezed a whole lime’s juice into it and went heavier on the red pepper flakes because I like some spice. Can’t wait to enjoy again.
★★★★★
Nancy
Your Spicy Black Bean soup was wonderful. I did add 1 jalapeno pepper without seeds, 1 whole red pepper and Swanson’s low sodium chicken broth instead of the vegetable broth. I also did not rinse one can of the low sodium black beans. The soup was delicious and thick. But I did not serve it after the suggested 30 minutes. I simmered it on low for at least an additional hour and it was very thick. Yum, I will definitely make it again.
★★★★★
Katrina
I was looking for a high protein blended soup for my husband because he had oral surgery and couldn’t chew food yet. I made this soup and followed your recipe, except I blended the whole batch. This soup has so much flavor and was completely satisfying! Definitely a keeper! Thank you for the great recipe :)
★★★★★
Karla B.
Simply fabulous, easy and sooooo tasty!! Brava!
★★★★★
Susan
Really good! Lots of yummy tastes and pretty easy to make
★★★★★
Lynn
I’m about to make your spicy Black Bean Soup. I’ve made numbers of yr recipes in the past, and expect this will be another winner (will let you know). A request: that you provide dried bean equivalents when using canned in a recipe. I prefer, and normally use, the dried. And would encourage others too, both for taste and for environmental reasons (no can to recycle – and since I buy them in bulk and use a glass jar or cloth bag as container, I have Nothing to dispose of, Zero Waste, which is my wish). Thank you Kate.
Faye
Really tasty! Have made it a few times now and its so nice and comforting as a winter meal!
★★★★★
Barbara A Schultz
Delicious! How long will it stay fresh in the refrigerator? Should I freeze it if I make it 3 days ahead of serving?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Barbara! It should last 3-4 days. Check for spoilage if you are pushing that 4 day mark! I hope this helps.
Kaitlyn
I want to make this recipe, but I do not have a blender. Is there an alternative to blending some of the soup? Thanks in advance!!
Kate
Hi! Do you have a good processor? Blending helps bring out the flavors and give it a great texture. But, you could omit this step if you don’t have a blender or food processor.
Amy
This was delicious! I can see thickening it and using it in a quinoa bowl. Maybe with a little corn and diced tomatoes. The avocado topping was my favorite part.
Betsy Brown
I LOVE this recipe! We sold our home right; have been camping or in short term rentals since. Some kitchens are more “cooking friendly” than others, but I’ve yet to find one where where I couldn’t make this! Also love the primary ingredients are readily available.
Though I travel w an immersion blender, I prefer this recipe as it cooks. I add a can of petite diced tomatoes [w chilis if avail], extra (3-4 ribs w tops) of celery and about 2-3 large carrots. I also add a little chili powder if I have it and almost always use garlic powder in lieu of cloves. It comes out hearty and spicy and really makes a meal when accompanied w grilled or toasted bread. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Beth
Made this and it’s amazing!! Thanks for another great recipe !!
★★★★★
Jodi
This soup was great!! I added some fresh jalapeños to it with the onion/celery/carrot misfire. And instead of all that cumin (cuz I’m not a fan of cumin and it wasn’t the taste I was going for), I added Sazón. I did not use the vinegar, just the lime. So yum!!!!
For toppings, I used fresh tomato, onion, cilantro, Monterey Jack cheese, Don Juan Mahon cheese 3 month dop, sour cream and Texmex micro greens. Ate it with tortilla chips. It was so great that we over ate!!!
Great recipe!!!
★★★★★