Our black bean soup is hearty, warm, comforting, and bursting with flavor. All you need are a few simple pantry ingredients, and some veggies, and done! Bonus: it tastes even better the second day ( if you have leftovers, that is... )
I wish I had made a double batch of this black bean soup. Everyone absolutely loved it, and it was gone in no time! Thankfully, I hid the two bowls I used to take the pictures and was able to enjoy it the next day ( one of the advantages of being a food blogger, I guess?? 😉 One of the best things about this soup is that it is gluten-free and vegan without even meaning to be.
Black Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Olive Oil.
- Veggies. Celery. Red Bell Pepper. Carrots. Red or Yellow Onion. Garlic Cloves. Tomato Paste.
- Spices. Chili Powder. Smoked Paprika. Cumin. Red Pepper Flakes are optional. Salt to taste.
- Canned Black Beans. With their liquid.
- Water. Or Vegetable Broth. If the soup is too thick you can add more at the end of the cooking period to loosen it up.
- Brown Rice. You can also use quinoa, barley, or farro.
How to Make The Best Black Bean Soup
- Stir up some diced celery, carrots, onions, and bell pepper (or jalapeno peppers if you want extra heat) in your large pot on medium heat. This step is your flavor builder.
- Add some tomato paste to the diced veggies for some extra umami. You can also add some chipotle en adobo for extra heat and smokiness. It is up to you!
- Add your spices. We chose smoked paprika, prepared chili powder blend, cumin, and red pepper flakes for heat here.
- Add canned black beans with their liquid; this helps add flavor, as well as thickens the soup a bit. We're planning on trying soaked dry black beans; we'll give you an update if we do! If you give it a try before we do, we would love to hear about your experience.
- Add a small handful of brown rice to make it extra hearty. You can also add quinoa, barley, or corn. ¼ cup of rice, quinoa, or barley is enough; any more would make the soup a little too thick. If you're using corn, add ½ to ¾ cup.
- Bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer until all the flavors develop.
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Saute onion, carrot, peppers, and celery in a skillet. Add the rest of the soup ingredients to a slow cooker and add the cooked vegetables. Leave it to simmer in the slow cooker all day - you will love the results. You'll have a hot delicious soup ready when you get home at the end of a long busy day.
You can also use an Instant Pot. I recommend mixing and sauteeing all of the ingredients directly in the pressure cooker and then cooking on high pressure for 20 minutes.
What you’ll need to make Black bean soup
- A large soup pot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker.
- An immersion blender if you want to puree the soup.
- A knife for chopping.
How to Store Black Bean Soup: Storage Tips
Place leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for three to five days. Reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Freeze leftover soup in individual servings with airtight containers and keep it for up to three months in the freezer. Reheat the same as thawed soup, just plan a little more time. Freezing the soup may change the consistency or texture.
Tips on How to Make The Best Black Bean Soup
- As with most soups, the soup he longer you simmer it, the better it will taste!
- Sauteeing your onions, garlic, and vegetables at the beginning for a few minutes allows the flavors to develop and meld.
- Many recipes suggest pureeing all or part of the soup for extra creaminess. Personally, we love biting into tender black beans and veggies, so we chose not to puree them. Plus, it saves us time and works with clean-up! If you do want to puree your soup, an immersion blender is the best choice. Use caution to avoid burns.
Black Bean Soup Toppings
Our black bean soup is great as is, but you can always make it even better by adding some toppings. Here are some to choose from:
- Greek Yogurt or sour cream (dairy or vegan)
- Sliced avocado or guacamole
- Diced fresh tomato
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Shredded cheese (dairy or vegan)
- Sliced scallions
- Sliced jalapeno peppers
- Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
- Dukkah
- Schug
- Fresh mango
- Fresh tomatillo salsa
- Crushed corn chips or tortilla chips
- lime juice
Serving Suggestions
You may enjoy dipping Tostones, Lemon Cranberry Cornbread, or Cheesy vegan corn muffins into your soup.
Other Bean Soup Recipes to Enjoy This Winter
- Cannelini Bean and Quinoa Kale soup
- Moroccan Harira soup
- Meatless Sausage Kale Soup
- Wheat Berry and Chickpea Soup
Did you like our black bean soup? Scroll down to the comments and leave us a rating! Did you love it? Share it or leave us a comment on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook! Wanna see more? Subscribe to our blog and remember to follow us on Pinterest!
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The Best Black Bean Soup
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Our black bean soup is hearty, warm, comforting and bursting with flavor. All you need are a few simple pantry ingredients, some veggies, and done! Bonus: it tastes even better the second day ( if you have leftovers, that is... )
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 4 celery stalks, diced small
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced small
- 2 medium carrots, diced small
- 1 medium red or yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp chili powder blend
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
- 2 cans black beans with their liquid
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- ¼ cup brown rice (you can also use quinoa, barley or farro)
Instructions
Black Bean Soup on the Stove Top
- Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, and tomato paste and cook over medium-high until they start to soften about 5 minutes
- Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes and continue cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add a cup of the water or vegetable broth, and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Add the black beans with their liquid, the remaining 2 cups of water or vegetable broth, and the brown rice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 -30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and all the veggies are tender (the longer you cook the soup, the better it will taste)
- Add a little more water, if you want the soup to be less thick, but don't add too much or it will water down the flavor
Black Bean Soup on the Slow Cooker
- Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, and tomato paste and cook over medium-high until they start to soften about 5 minutes
- Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes and continue cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add a cup of the water or vegetable broth, and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Add the black beans with their liquid to the slow cooker, the remaining 2 cups of water or vegetable broth, the brown rice, and the cooked vegetables. Turn the crockpot to low and let it simmer for a minimum of 4 hours or until the rice is cooked and all the veggies are tender.
- Add a little more water, if you want the soup to be less thick, but don't add too much or it will water down the flavor
Black Bean Soup on the Instant Pot
- Use the sauté setting on your Instant Pot. Heat the oil, add the celery, red bell pepper, carrot, onion, garlic, and tomato paste, and cook until they start to soften about 5 minutes
- Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes and continue cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add a cup of the water or vegetable broth, and cook for another 2-3 minutes
- Add the black beans with their liquid, the remaining 2 cups of water or vegetable broth, and the brown rice. Close the lid set it to pressure cook for 20 minutes, and let it release naturally.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Category: soup
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 6.7
- Sodium: 1,477.7
- Fat: 8.3
- Saturated Fat: 1.3
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 56.1
- Fiber: 18.6
- Protein: 15.5
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: black bean soup, soup, vegan, gluten free
Ruchama says
I would like to make this in my slow cooker and serve on Shabbat. Can you suggest modifications to optimize slow cooker version
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Ruchama, we have not tested our black bean soup recipe in the slow cooker and we are not sure how it will come out or how the spices will taste after long cooking time. We do have some suggestions for you if you want to try.
1. Saute celery, onions, garlic, and carrots and add it to the crockpot. Skip the bell pepper.
2. Buy a jar of roasted red peppers, drain them and chop them small, put the cut peppers back in the jar and set them aside in the fridge. Add them to the soup right before serving it on Shabbat.
3. Since the soup is going to cook for a long time, we would suggest that you use 1 1/3 cups of dry black beans with 4 - 5 cups of boiling water instead of using canned beans. Dry black beans are better for longer cooking times and they will make their own sauce while cooking. However, If you do not have dry black beans, you may then use the 2 cans of black beans with their liquid, plus an additional cup of water.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients mentioned in the recipe, including the water of broth, plus 3-4 cloves of garlic whole.
5. If you are using dry black beans you may need to use more salt since canned black beans are already cooked in salt. But that is your personal preference.
6. The brown rice will probably become mushy in the crockpot, but since it is only 1/4 cup it shouldn't be a problem.
We hope it comes out right for you. Please let us know how our black bean soup comes out in the slow cooker. If these modifications work we will add them as recommendations in our recipe. Let us know if you have any more questions.
Lee says
Amazing, satisfying, filling like a meal
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you, we are so happy you enjoyed it!
Susan Nathan says
This soup is so easy to make and super delicious!!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much for sharing!
LISA KOLTUN says
Is it possible to start with dried black beans vs the canned with liquid? And how would this recipe be modified to start with dried vs canned w/liquid black beans? Many thanks!
Vicky & Ruth says
Hi Lisa, you can absolutely make this recipe with dried black beans. We would soak the black beans the night before, rinse them and start cooking them in enough water that they will become tender and still have some "black bean broth" AKA cooking water, left in the pan. Add salt to the cooking water. In a separate pan follow steps 1 & 2, once the beans are almost done we add the cooked veggies and spices to the beans and continue with the recipe. Let us know how it comes out!
Cindy says
My kind of recipe!! Ingredients I have, super easy and delicious!! It’s never too early for a good soup!!
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you! We agree!
Natalie says
Delicious, flavorful and filling! The best part was that it wasnt a complicated recipe and I already had most of the ingredients at home! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you Vicky and Ruth
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much Natalie, we are so happy you enjoyed our black bean soup!
Naomi cohen says
Alway enjoy trying the recipes on this blog.
Can’t wait to try the black bean soup
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Thank you so much!
Rebeca says
Very filling, lots of flavour and easy to make! What else can you ask for?
★★★★★
Andrew says
Delicious. The whole family loved it - the kids even told me to stop making my signature chili from now on, and start making this instead! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (And if you like thicker soup like my family does, I also added a can of refried beans - not the most sophisticated idea, but it worked pretty well! - just make sure it still has enough liquid for the rice to cook.)
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Sounds good, we love it when our readers adapt our recipes. So glad your family enjoyed our black bean soup recipe
juleezee says
Delish!
★★★★★
Ann says
Black Bean soup is on my menu for this week, so I will try this recipe! I use dried beans and make the soup in my Instant Pot. I will post my results later this week.
Vicky and Ruth says
looking forward to your feedback!
Sarah says
I have everything to make this in my kitchen right now so I will definitely make this week!
Vicky and Ruth says
Great! Let us know how you like the soup!
Cara says
Made this last night, it was excellent !
Added chopped avocado, tomatoes, and hot sauce.
It was so delicious. Did not have brown rice so I use barley and it
was good.
Love it - Thanks
★★★★★
Vicky and Ruth says
So glad you like it Cara! Thank you so much for your comment!