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 was great! Not spicy enough for me; I added cayenne and hot sauce. But then again, I like it hot enough to burn my taste buds off. :) I’ll probably throw in a jalapeno next time. I also added more liquid than called for in the recipe, since I like my black bean soup on the thinner side. Very fast, very easy, and definitely going in my “make again” folder. I love the idea of garnishing with avocado–I’d never thought of doing that with black bean soup before. It was delicious! Thanks!
Hi, Kate. Any substitutions for the cumin in this recipe? Unfortunately, even in small quantities my tastebuds do not like its flavor. Thank you!
Hi Gabrielle, I can’t think of any straight substitutions. I would just leave it out and play around with other spices if you feel like the soup is lacking in flavor. It should still be good without it!
Thank you, Kate. Enjoy Austin.
As I’m sharing the link to this recipe for the umpteenth time, I had to comment and let you know how much this soup has become a weeknight staple for me. It is so simple, yet so absolutely rich and delicious! It has saved me from take-out on more than one occasion, and I make sure to always have four cans of black beans on hand “just in case”. Thanks!
Hooray! Thank you, Kathryn.
I’ve been feeling under the weather so I came home early today. I knew I wanted soup and this recipe was perfect! So fantastic! Thank you!
Thank you, Anna! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup.
Hi there! This soup looks and sounds amazing. Do you think it would ruin it to slow cook it in a crock pot?
I think this soup will do well in a slow cooker! Please let me know if you give it a try.
So I made it in the crock! This soup is AMAZING!!! It’s so good and has just the right amount of kick. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I basically just put it all in the crock at the same time and slow cooked it for about 6 hours…PERFECTION!!!!
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your technique, Erin. Glad to know this soup works well in a slow cooker.
Hi, I’m just wondering if you put the slow cooker on low or high?
I think the way my crock pot is on the settings low is 8-10 hours and high would be 4-6 hours??? So I guess high. I use my crock pot all the time…I am at my best in the earlier half of the day. ;-) I would imagine though, that either setting would work out AMAZINGLY. Giving everything time to marinate all day. Super YUMMY!
This was a really good recipe, but I did make a few small changes recently – however – I think they really improve the flavour of this. I actually took my food chopper and grated 4 small carrots, rather than cut them into discs – this means they blended very well when you used your immersion blender. Next – I added 1 cup diced tomatoes and 2 small sweet potatoes – diced. I added the sweet potatoes last. I have made the original recipe before, but always felt it just lacked a little something. This really made a difference! Yummy.
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
This looks so good! Can I make it with dried beans that have been soaked overnight?
This was wonderful! It has great flavor and I followed everything exactly as written. Used lime juice instead of vinegar. Yummy!!!!
Thanks, Pixie! Glad you enjoyed it!
I have made this a few times and it’s terrific. With a little experimentation I found that I prefer this by substituting out the chili flakes and using a chipotle pepper instead for the smokiness. I find it also goes great with cornbread. But it’s also good as set out in the recipe. I love flexible recipes you can play around with like this.
Thank you, Scott! Your version sounds great!
Kate great soup by following the letter of the recipe which I did the first time. I experimented with using my own home made chicken stock which really did not make a big difference and would be a non starter for the vegan crowd. Not recommended
What did make a difference which is a wonderful complimentary flavour to the beans and cumin was a diced green pepper.
My other suggestion is to puree the entire soup mixed holding back a cup or two of beans depending on texture preference and finishing with a dollop of sour cream, diced tomato, cilantro and as you suggest a squeeze of fresh lime to get to the next level.
It is a winning recipe when healthy and good for you can be so flavourful and satisfying
Michael
Getnaked Chef
Thank you for your feedback, Michael! I’m glad this one got your seal of approval. Great tips!
Four cans of beans and only 4 cups of broth? Then purée four cups? Is that a misprint. It seems like one heck of a lot of beans and not a lot of soup. It looks delicious and I’m going to try, but I’m not sure about using so many beans.
Hi Deborah! No, it’s not a misprint. Pureeing the beans makes them more liquidy. It’s a hearty soup!
Simple to make and tastes great!
Thank you, KD!
AWESOME!!
I made this today (Super Bowl 50) almost exactly as the recipe (no pepper flakes, used chicken bone broth for the broth and used the lime option).
My picky son had 2 helpings. I had 3.
We loved your Spicy Vegan Lentil Soup last weekend (without the tomatoes and pepper flakes).
We’re gluten free and dairy free and can’t wait to see what we can find next!!
Thank you, Angela! So glad you are both enjoying my soups!
Yum…Slow cooker would be convenient. I use dry black beans and soak them and put the soaked beans in the freezer and when I need to make the soup, I pressure cook it with some tomatoes, spices and onions..and voila quick and easy..i second the lime juice at the end…delicious and you can eat it with tortillas or rice. I think i will make this for tomorrow morning..
Manasa – how did you use the pressure cooker for the soup. I just got an Instant Pot. Thank you.
I have made this several times now. I have added a sliced chicken apple sausage link to a bowl then added soup. Delicious.
Thank you, Suzanne!
I continue to love this soup every bit as much as I did the first time I made it. It’s still amazing to me that something so simple can taste so fabulous! Glad to see you’re giving it a bit of extra love on the blog so more readers can experience the deliciousness! :-)
Thank you so much, Kathryn!
Hi!
I am interested in the nutrition information for this recipe. I’ve just started Weight Watchers and having that info will help me know just how much I can have :)
Hi Penny, I’m sorry, I don’t offer nutrition details because home cooking can be so variable, and I don’t want to provide inaccurate information. Your best bet would be to run the recipe through a nutrition calculator like myfitnesspal.com.
Black bean soup is one of my favorites — and I think your photos are terrific! I’ll be making this soon!
Love this soup! Great for work lunch. I’ve made it so many times I practically know the recipe by heart. I add spinach for extra greens. :)
Yay, thanks Kate!
I was sold after seeing sherry vinegar in the ingredients!
I made this for Super Bowl Sunday and it was delicious and easy – both things that I love!!
Thank you, Terri! Glad to hear it!
Really good soup! Have made it twice, including tonight. Great on a cold night.
Thank you, Ann! :)
I made this soup for dinner tonight and it’s delicious. Easy, flavourful and will definitely prepare it again for my family. Another fabulous recipe Katie! Thank you xxxx
Hooray, thanks Catherine!
Very tasty. I added a few ingredients: red and green bell pepper, two jalapeños, and some flax seed (for added nutrition.) I will cook this again.I also Facebooked your page. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you! Great additions, too.
Loveeee! Any recipe that can make enough for lunches for the week earns extra bonus points from me!
Awesome!! we have it either for dinner or lunch….
The only thing I did was added more black beans just our preference.
Thanks, Debra!
Black beans with avocado is one of my favorite food combos. Yum!
Yummmm! I’m such a black bean soup freak, definitely making this next week!
Thanks for sharing babe!
Made this recipe yesterday…omg…it was beyond delicious. I’m from Cuba and I’m telling you this recipe is even better than my mom’s recipe. Thanks lots for sharing it. I’m a big fan of your recipes :-)
That’s quite a compliment! Thanks, Yordanka!
I love a bit of grated orange peel in black beans. Give that a try!!
Made half a recipe, didn’t put carrots, added 1/2 of a green bell pepper and used 1/2 teaspoon oregano instead of cumin (for 1/2 recipe). It is so good, I didn’t put it in a blender, I liked it as it came out after 30 minutes, chunky and yummy!
Thanks, Rose!
I like this soup; my husband, not so much. He even had a hard time with the smell while it was cooking. However, he is not a fan of black beans nor the texture of homemade beans, which I used instead. I, on the other hand, love everything legume. I would make this again for my daughter and I but use canned beans instead; she’s not a fan of the homemade bean either. Geesh
Well, I’m glad you liked it! Thanks, Erin!
I sauteed the carrot, onion, celery and then the garlic and spice blend per your instructions. Then everything was put in the slow cooker and 8hrs later it was blended and turned out fantastic. Thank you!
Awesome, glad to hear it! Thanks, Chelsea!
My husband and I loved it! Our’s didn’t turn out looking as dark as the pictures here, but that may have been to my using the immersion blender to blend the 4 cups of soup rather than my real blender. It tasted great!
Thanks, Irene! I think beans can vary a little in color, so that might be it, too.
Kate I guess I probably should not have attempted this recipe. My big problem is that I like my food to look as good as it tastes and although my wife and I followed the recipe and it tasted OK I just couldn’t get past the look of it and that’s on me.
When I look for new recipes the first thing I look at are the pictures and then the ingredients and if they are simple enough, because simple is my middle name I give it a go. I broke my rule this time because I have learned a great deal from you and I will continue to make your wonderful recipes but for me, this one just didn’t do it.
Cheers…Mike Germa
I knew my son would not eat it if I blended this so I blended approximately 1 cup and left the rest. He’s very picky and just asked if I could make it again today.
Mike, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. I can see why you wouldn’t, if you don’t like the color or flavor of black beans. Hope you’ll keep cooking my other soups that aren’t so bean-based!
This was excellent. I cooked the black beans instead of using canned and I believe it made the soup extra creamy and indulgent. Have you ever had Dal Makhani (indian lentil dish)? That’s what it tasted like, but WAY healthier.
Thank you, Deepthi! Yes, I have tried Dal Makhani, so good!
I made this soup and it is the best black bean soup I’ve ever had!
Thank you, Carla! Happy to hear it!
Can’t help but love Avocado! It makes a great addition to most meals and this looks fantastic.
This is the BOMB! I loved it.
Thanks, Kristy!
Yum! Delicious and easy. I cooked a pound bag of black beans first and then made the soup in the crockpot.
Thanks, April! Glad to hear that worked for you!
Hi, Kate. I recently discovered your blog which I love and have already made at least half a dozen delicious recipes in about 10 days – thank you! I don’t know what took me so long to find this. My husband and I loved your spicy black bean soup – the best we have had in a long while. We also made your tortilla pizzas, and tried one with some leftover black bean soup (since it is quite thick) and some mozzarella on top. Folded in half, it turned out to be a delicious quesadilla! Thank you again!
It sounds good, but I do prefer to cook my beans from scratch rather than using canned. Do you have any idea of the amount of dried black beans I should start with? (One reason I like using dried beans is that I can use interesting heirloom varieties, like Black Valentine beans.)
I just made this! It´s truly delicious. Tho I couldn´t find any red pepper flakes, I live in Peru, I replaced it would some paprika I had left over from the Vegetarian Chili (which was delicious as well). I recently turned vegan and I´ve been dealing with not been able to make too make vegan-friendly meals because of being a full time student and part time Wheel.thrower. Anyways, thanks so much the recipe!!! Lunch for next few days is settled :)
Just made this soup. Wow, it is delicious. I had some mascapone cheese and heavy whipped cream in the fridge that needed using up so they went in to the soup as well. The cream made it a bit watery so I actually pulsed the soup a bit more with my stick blender. It still has texture though. Awesome, I will defintely kake this again.
This was excellent. I have a non-stick pot so there was no need for the oil if any fok’ers were wondering. Thanks for posting this simple yet delicious recipe.
This is my go to soup. Everyone who has tried it loves it. I recently substituted in 1ts of chili garlic sauce instead of the 1/2ts of crushed red pepper flakes and it was a hit. Little more heat and flavor! Thanks again for the recipe.
Sounds delicious! Thank you.
This recipe knocks the socks off anyone who eats it. I have utilized various modifications depending on my audience, like omitting the cumin and the pepper flakes, however, it always ends up amazing. My favorite modification is to add diced orange bell peppers and finely chopped cilantro during step one. This recipe is a KEEPER! It rivals your lentil soup recipe which I have made 50+ times! I am really looking forward to your cookbook.
I’m a slow cooker kind of cook, so I threw everything in the crock pot (plus I added a chipolte pepper and 1 can of plain tomato sauce) and it was delicious!!! Thanks for the idea, I live on black beans now!
Hi! Just discovered your blog and loving it. Have you ever considered adding calories/nutritional information to your recipes? I want to try a lot of these, but am concerned about the nutritional value as I am trying to maintain a balanced diet. Thanks!
Hey Chandani! I have, but it’s actually super complicated since I offer variations, and I worry about offering inaccurate information to readers. I hope to find a good solution someday.
So soooo good, it turned out perfectly