Vegan Black Bean Soup
on Jan 19, 2023
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This easy vegan black bean soup is made with pantry ingredients including canned black beans and fire-roasted tomatoes along with a mix of dried spices that you probably already have in your kitchen. It simmers in 20 minutes or so. Then you blend part of it, so the soup is somewhere between a smooth and chunky broth.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It is a hearty and filling vegan soup. When you puree part of the soup, you end up with this lovely thick and creamy broth, so it eats like a meal.
You can control the spices. As the recipe is written, the soup turns out mild. If having more of a spicy kick suits your tastes, then increase the amount of chili powder.
The recipe doesn’t require much prep work. All you have to do is dice an onion and a carrot. The rest is just pouring ingredients into the pot. You don’t even have to rinse the black beans because you use all the contents including the liquid in the can. No dried beans and soaking, so it is quick and easy to make.
What Is The Difference Between Black Bean Soup and Black Bean Chili?
The flavors in both in this bean soup and the chili version are similar. I consider it a soup when you blend some or all of the broth before you serve it. For black bean chili, you would leave the beans whole because you want that chunky texture.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Black beans: As mentioned, unlike other recipes, you don’t need to rinse the canned beans. You can go ahead and dump everything into the pot, goop and all.
- Tomatoes: The soup has a can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes. For chili and other soups with a kick, I always use fire-roasted varieties.
- Onions: The recipe starts with sautéing red onions. You can use a white or yellow onion.
- Carrots add just a touch of sweetness. This soup is all about layering in more flavors.
- Garlic: Even though there is garlic powder in the recipe, I still include 2 minced garlic cloves.
- Spices: The soup is seasoned with cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
- Vegetable broth: Make sure to use low-sodium broth. You can substitute with chicken broth, but the soup will not be vegan.
Toppings for the Soup
Once you divide the soup into bowls, you can top it with diced avocados, tortilla chips (crumbled or whole), chopped cilantro and lime wedges. The soup is so good with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. You can also add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt or shredded cheese if you don’t mind if the soup is not vegan.
How To Make Black Bean Soup
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove.
2. Sauté the onions until they start to turn soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Stir in the carrots, garlic and spices. Give them a couple minutes for everything in the pot to become nice and fragrant.
4. Add the black beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth.
5. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Let the soup cook for 20-25 minutes until it thickens.
6. Use an immersion blender to puree part of the soup. Or you can put about a third of the soup into the blender to puree it and then return it to the pot to warm as needed. Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with avocados, cilantro and tortilla chips.
Serving
You can serve the soup with Sheet Pan Nachos, Baked Sweet Potato Fries or Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Quesadillas. For a salad, try a Quinoa Black Bean Salad or Roasted Corn Salad.
Leftovers and Storage
You can keep the soup in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days and in the freezer up to 1 month. If you do store it in the freezer, I recommend putting each portion of the soup into a separate container because that will make it easier to thaw. Warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
FAQs
The recipe is specifically written for canned black beans, so I do not recommend switching to dried beans.
No. The liquid from the cans of beans help thicken the soup, so pour them in to simmer with the rest of the ingredients.
Yes, you can put all the ingredients straight into a slow cooker and cook the soup on high for 3-4 hours. Then blend part of it depending on your preferred consistency.
More Bean Soup Recipes
Minestrone Soup
Cauliflower White Bean Tahini Soup
Spicy Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup
Rosemary White Bean Tomato Soup
White Bean Mushroom Spinach Soup
Vegan Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2-15 ounce cans black beans
- 1-15 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- Diced avocados for serving
- Chopped cilantro for serving
- Tortilla chips for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften.
- Stir in the carrots, garlic, cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the black beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until the soup has slightly thickened.
- Use an immersion blender to puree about a third of the soup. Or transfer 1/3 of the soup to a blender to puree it. Then pour it back into the pot.
- Divide the soup into bowls and top with avocados, cilantro and tortilla chips. Serve each bowl with a lime wedge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published February 24, 2020. Updated: January 19, 2023.
