Name: Wholesome Vegetarian Black Bean Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 1 small red bell pepper, diced; 1 small green pepper, diced; 1 stalk of celery, diced; 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional); 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 cloves of garlic, chopped; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1/2 teaspoon coriander; 1/2 teaspoon oregano; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1 bay leaf; 3-4 cups vegetable broth, depending on how thick you want your soup; 3 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed; Salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Juice of 1 lime; Lime wedges; Jalapeño; Cilantro; Red onion; Avocado; Vegan sour cream

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This wholesome vegetarian black bean soup recipe is made with simple ingredients like canned black beans, veggies, and dried spices. It’s hearty and full of flavor! Top it with your favorite garnishes for a quick and easy dinner that the whole family will love. A Mexican inspired soup that freezes well and is great for weekend meal prep. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free.

The best vegan black bean soup

I’ve been making this soup on the fly for the last handful of years and it never gets old. Always quick, easy, filling, and loved by the whole family!

Pretty much everything you could ever want from a black bean soup.

It’s super satisfying and made with a simple combination of pantry staples and fresh veggies. True vegetarian comfort food for any chilly night in!

Why you’ll love this soup recipe

It is:

Hearty and filling
Perfectly spiced
Totally comforting
Easy to make
Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free
Great for meal prep
Freezer friendly
Seriously satisfying
SO delicious!

Vegan black bean soup in a small ceramic bowl with a spoon dipping in, topped with avocado, cilantro, red onion, and lime wedges.

Ingredients for vegan black bean soup in various sized ceramics, on a light cream colored background.

Ingredients and substitutions

The ingredients needed for making the best black bean soup are really simple. It’s an easy mix of pantry staples, a few fresh veggies, and spices. There are a few substitutions you might want to make that I’ll share below.

Olive oil – I love olive oil for this soup recipe but you could also use avocado oil or coconut oil.
Onion – Diced yellow onion helps create a flavorful base. You could substitute red onion.
Bell peppers – Any colored bell peppers will work. I like to use a mix of green and red peppers.
Celery – Celery adds a nice aromatic sweetness to the soup.
Jalapeño – Jalapeño is optional, but if you like a bit of heat in your black bean soup it’s the perfect thing.
Tomato paste – A little tomato paste is cooked down with the vegetables and spices to add depth of flavor.
Garlic – For added aromatic savory flavor.
Spices – A simple mix of dried cumin, coriander, oregano, paprika, and a bay leaf add tons of flavor.
Veggie broth – Any type of vegetable broth (or even chicken broth if your not vegetarian) work well in this soup.
Canned black beans – Canned black beans are an easy and inexpensive pantry staple that shine in this recipe.
Lime juice – Fresh lime juice is added just before serving to brighten up and tie together all of the flavors. A must in my book!
Salt & pepper – To taste.

Garnishes

I’m a firm believer that every soup is better topped with an interesting garnish before serving!

Some of our favorite garnishes for this soup are:

Avocado
Cilantro
Extra black beans
Lime wedges
Red onion or green onion
Jalapeño
Vegan sour cream

Can you use mixed beans in this bean soup recipe?

Yep! Absolutely.

If all you have on hand is a variety of canned beans, feel free to use whatever you’ve got! This recipe calls for three 15 ounce cans of black beans, and you could switch all or some of them out for other types of beans.

Some beans that would be delicious in this soup

Great Northern beans
Kidney beans
Pinto beans
Cannellini beans
Black Eyed Peas

Is this soup spicy?

No, not particularly. The only ingredient that adds any heat to this soup recipe is the jalapeño.

If you want to make a version that isn’t spicy the jalapeño can be omitted.

For more spice you can add an additional jalapeño pepper or a generous pinch of cayenne or red chili flakes with the rest of the spices.

Are there other vegetables you could add?

If you want to add even more veggies to this homemade soup you absolutely can!

Here’s some ideas

Diced sweet potatoes
Frozen corn*
Carrots
Fire roasted tomatoes
Spinach or baby kale*

*If using corn or spinach I would recommend waiting to add those until after you’ve blended a portion of the soup.

How to make vegan black bean soup: Raw veggies in a large soup pot.

Vegan black bean soup in a small ceramic bowl, topped with avocado, cilantro, red onion, and lime wedges.

How to make

Traditional black bean soup is one of those hearty and filling recipes that is easy enough to make when you have less than an hour to get dinner on the table. A weeknight hero, if you will.

Because it comes together fairly quickly, I recommend prepping all of your ingredients before you get started. After that the rest of the recipe comes together really simply.

Here’s the step-by-step

Sauté the vegetables. In a large soup pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion, bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, and kosher salt. Sauté until veggies have softened and are starting to caramelize.
Add aromatics. Add chopped garlic, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, paprika, and bay leaf. Continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until spices are fragrant and sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Add broth and beans and scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan.
Simmer and blend. Simmer until soup has reduced slightly and veggies are super tender. Remove the bay leaf and transfer roughly 1/3 of the soup to a blender and blend until mostly smooth. Return to the pot with the remaining soup and stir together. Alternatively, you could partially blend with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Bring back to a simmer to thicken slightly. Season with salt, pepper, and juice of one lime.
Garnish. Serve topped with red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and avocado.

How to make black bean soup thicker

For a thick black bean soup, start with less broth – somewhere around 3 cups. You could even use a little less if you want a *really* thick soup. More broth can always be added to thin it out.

Alternatively, if you’ve already added the broth and blended the soup and it’s thinner than you’d like, you can simmer the soup on low, stirring occasionally, until reduced to your desired consistency.

Can you make this soup recipe without a blender?

If you don’t have a blender or an immersion blender, you can still make this soup!

You can either:

Leave it unblended, OR
Mash it with a potato masher to give it some interesting texture

It won’t have the same creamy quality that a partially blended soup does, but it will still be so delicious.

Storage and re-heating

Storing: To store this soup in the refrigerator, allow it to cool and then transfer to an air tight container before moving to the fridge. Will keep for up to 5 days.

Reheating: This soup can easily be re-heated in the microwave or over low heat on the stove top.

Freezing: To freeze this soup, allow to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container. Freeze for up to 4 months. To thaw, move to the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stove top.

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