Spicy Black Bean Soup
This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. It's absolutely delicious and naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
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.
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!
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?
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!
Haven’t made this yet. The large sodium content is concerning. Rinsing the beans helps but still….what else will help lower it?
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.
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!
Hey Claire! You can substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth, generally speaking. Should be fine.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
Thank you for sharing how you make this recipe, Katie! I like how you get creative.
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
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.
You’re welcome! I’m happy this one works well for your friends needs. I appreciate your review!
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 …
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!
JB, thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to trying your Instant Pot variation. :)
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:(
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!
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!
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!
Slow cooker black bean soup is delicious!
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.
I’m sorry you didn’t love this one. I appreciate your feedback!
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!!
Fantastic! Thank you, Amanda.
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!
I’m happy to hear it, Cynthia! Thank you for sharing.
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!
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!
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.
soup is amazing, i loved it very much, it’s a new staple food, being vegan and gluten free !!
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!
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!!!!
I’m glad you loved it, Lillian! Thank you for your review.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Honestly awesome!! One of my absolute favorite soups for big batches, and love using lots of lime and avocado.
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!!
What can you use instead of cumin. My husband doesn’t like that flavor. But he loves black beans! What would you recommend?
Hi Grace! You could try some chili powder or a small amount of cayenne, but be careful! They both have extra heat.
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.
Thank you for sharing, Kay! I appreciate you taking the time.
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
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.
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 :)
Simply fabulous, easy and sooooo tasty!! Brava!
Really good! Lots of yummy tastes and pretty easy to make
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.
Really tasty! Have made it a few times now and its so nice and comforting as a winter meal!
Delicious! How long will it stay fresh in the refrigerator? Should I freeze it if I make it 3 days ahead of serving?
Hi Barbara! It should last 3-4 days. Check for spoilage if you are pushing that 4 day mark! I hope this helps.
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!!
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.
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.
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!
Made this and it’s amazing!! Thanks for another great recipe !!
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!!!