Smoky Black Bean Soup

    I hope you guys don’t ever get sick of all my soup recipes because they’re some of my favorite budget-friendly meals to make! This simple Black Bean Soup is definitely one of my faves because it’s so fast, super thick, and hearty, and leaves the door open for tons of fun toppings. It’s kind of like tacos but in soup form! I think you’re going to love this smoky, rich, just-happens-to-be-vegan soup!

    Overhead view of a bowl of black bean soup, topped with jalapeno slices, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

    “I made this last night and was so surprised at how flavorful a simple recipe can turn out! I followed the recipe to the letter and made a side of white rice. I will definitely make this again!”

    Jackie

    Easy Recipe for Black Bean Soup

    If you have a family with different dietary needs, then this easy soup is a great place to start. In its base form, this hearty black bean soup is naturally vegan and gluten-free, but you can add several things to accommodate other dietary preferences. You can add shredded rotisserie chicken or quickly sautéed shrimp to feed those who want a little meat, stir in a dollop of sour cream or cheddar cheese for those who like dairy, or add any of the toppings listed below!

    Overhead view of a bowl of black bean soup, topped with jalapeno slices, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
    Print

    Black Bean Soup

    This super fast and easy Black Bean Soup is rich, filling, flavorful, and waiting to be piled high with fun toppings! An easy vegan weeknight dinner.
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup
    Cuisine American, Southwest
    Total Cost $5.42 recipe / $1.35 serving
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings 4 about 1.5 cups each
    Calories 394kcal
    Author Beth Moncel

    Equipment

    • Medium Soup Pot
    • Large Blender

    Ingredients

    • 1 yellow onion (about ½ cup when diced) $0.70
    • 2 cloves garlic $0.08
    • 1 jalapeño, optional $0.15
    • 2 Tbsp olive oil $0.22
    • 3 15 oz. cans black beans, with liquid* $2.64
    • 1 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes, with juices $1.25
    • 1 tsp ground cumin $0.10
    • ½ tsp dried oregano $0.05
    • ½ tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder** $0.05
    • salt to taste $0.02

    Instructions

    • Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeño, then dice the remaining jalapeño flesh. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and olive oil to a soup pot and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
    • While the onion, garlic, and jalapeño are sautèing, use a blender to purée two of the three cans of black beans (with liquid from the can). If the beans are too thick to purée, add just enough water to make them blend.
    • Add all three cans of black beans to the soup pot (one can of whole beans with liquid, two puréed), along with the can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juices), the cumin, oregano, and smoked paprika. Stir to combine.
    • Place a lid on the pot and allow the soup to come up to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. After simmering for 15 minutes, taste and add salt to taste (I added 1/2 tsp). Serve hot with your choice of toppings.

    See how we calculate recipe costs here.

    Notes

    *The liquid in the canned beans (aquafaba) helps to create a super thick and hearty soup. Go for low-sodium black beans if you’re watching your salt intake. I haven’t tried dried beans, but if you want to you can try using 4.5 cups of soaked and cooked dried black beans in place. Blend 3 cups (which is roughly equivalent to 2 15 oz. cans, minus the liquid) of the prepped black beans with 1 cup of water. Add more water as needed to thin out the puree if it’s too thick, then continue with the recipe as directed, adding the remaining 1.5 cups of prepped dried black beans to the pot with another cup of water. 
    **For a mild soup, skip the jalapeño and use smoked paprika. For a spicy soup, add the jalapeño and use chipotle powder in place of, or in addition to, smoked paprika.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 1401mg | Fiber: 24g

    How to Make Black Bean Soup Step-by-Step Photos

    The ingredients for black bean soup.

    Gather all of your ingredients.

    Diced onions, jalapeno, and minced garlic in a soup pot.

    Sauté the veggies: Start by dicing 1 yellow onion and mincing 2 cloves of garlic. Next, cut off the stem, remove the seeds, and finely dice 1 jalapeño. Add the prepped onion, garlic, and jalapeño to a soup pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté them over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

    Black beans in a blender.

    Blend the black beans: As you wait for your veggies to sauté, add two 15 oz. cans of black beans (with liquid) to a blender. Set the third can of black beans to one side for now, as we want to keep them whole. Blend the black beans until smooth. Add a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup) if they’re too thick to blend.

    Pureed black beans being poured into a soup pot with diced veggies in.

    Make the soup: Add the remaining 15 oz. can of whole black beans (with liquid) to the sautéed veggies. Now, pour the pureed black beans into the soup pot.

    A can of fire roasted tomatoes added to a pot of black bean soup.

    Pour 1 15 oz. can of fire-roasted tomatoes (with juices) into the soup pot.

    Seasonings added to a pot of homemade black bean soup.

    Finally, add 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp dried oregano, and ½ tsp of either smoked paprika or chipotle powder to the soup. Stir to combine and distribute the spices.

    A bubbling black bean soup in a soup pot which has come to a boil.

    Place a lid on the soup pot and bring it up to a simmer. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes, stirring often. After it’s been simmering for 15 minutes, taste the soup and add salt as needed (I added ½ tsp). Serve it hot with all your favorite toppings!

    Overhead view of a spoon taking some black bean soup from a bowl, which is topped with jalapeno slices, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

    Recipe Success Tips

    1. This soup can be as spicy or as mild as you like. The spicy ingredients in this soup are the jalapeño and chipotle powder. If you prefer a mild soup, skip the jalapeño and use smoked paprika in place of chipotle powder. Or you can do any combination of those ingredients to adjust the heat to your liking. 😊
    2. Blend the tomatoes, if preferred. I know some people don’t love the texture of canned diced tomatoes, so feel free to blend them with your black beans first. You’ll still get the smoky tomato flavor but without the added texture.

    Storage & Reheating

    While this is a fairly small batch recipe, you absolutely can freeze the leftovers. As with freezing all other food, I suggest dividing the soup into single servings just after cooking, then refrigerating until completely cooled before transferring it to the freezer for long-term storage. The soup can be kept in the freezer for about three months. It can also be kept in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

    To reheat, either use the defrost function on your microwave, transfer to the refrigerator the day before you plan to reheat, or reheat straight from the freezer in a sauce pot with a lid over low heat, stirring often.

    serving suggestions

    There are just so many options for fun toppings with this soup! Not only is adding toppings to soup like this fun, but it’s a great way to use up leftovers in your refrigerator. I like cornbread, shredded cheddar, sour cream, green onion, fresh jalapeño, avocado, pickled red onions, crushed tortilla chips, or pico de gallo.

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    Our Smoky Black Bean Soup recipe was originally published 11/20/19. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 3/31/25.

    The post Smoky Black Bean Soup appeared first on Budget Bytes.

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