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 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.
I just tried this recipe. It has a lot of flavor but is thin. I’ll cut back on the broth next time.
Hi Natalie! How much did you blend?
Very good recipe! Made half the portion and perfect for two servings.
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!
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!
Thank you for sharing, Laurel!
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.
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!
I love to hear that, Julie! Thank you for your review.
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!
I appreciate you sharing what you did, Laura! I’m glad you loved it.
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.
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!
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!
You’re welcome, Paul!
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!
Can you make this in a crockpot? If yes, how long on low would you cook it?
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!
You’re welcome, Emmi!
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!
I’m happy it worked for you with your adjustments, Tina. I appreciate your review!
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.
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, W.
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.
My family loved this recipe. I loved it because it was quick and easy. Definitely will make again!
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!!!!
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)
I love it! Thank you for sharing and I’m happy you are enjoying the blog.
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.
I’m glad you loved it, Daniela!
This soup was absolutely delicious and I will make it often! I followed the recipe and used lime juice instead of sherry vinegar.
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!
From a teenager, that’s great! Thank you for sharing, Brian.
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!
Best black bean soup I’ve ever had! Definitely adding to my rotation.
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
Great recipe. I recommend trying first before the puree. I would also recommend some diced jalapeños and scallions for garnish.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Vanessa. I appreciate your feedback.
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!
Thanks for sharing!
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!
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing, Erica.
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.
Thanks for sharing your version, Leah!
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.
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!
Made this tonight and it was a hit! Garnished with sour cream and avocado. Great texture and flavor. Thanks for another “go-to” recipe!
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.
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.
I’m happy you left a comment, Sarah! It’s great to hear form you. Thanks for sharing :)
How do you make this with dry beans?
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!
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.
Hi Gabrielle! I don’t have instant pot recipes for this one, sorry.
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.
I really enjoyed this!
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!
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!!
That’s great to hear! I love that you serve with rice. Gives it more servings. I appreciate your comment and review, Hope.
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!
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!
What if you want to use dried beans in slow cooker ?
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!
This soup was delicious!
So good, extra carrots, less broth was perfect. I topped mine with radish/lime/avocados/cilantro. Thank you so much!
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!
I’m so happy to hear that, Wendy! Thank you for sharing. I love your excitement over this recipe.