This Southwestern-style Easy Black Bean Soup is both hearty and healthy. Made with canned black beans, it becomes a quick, one-pot meal that you can serve chunky or puréed for a smooth, creamy soup.
Recipes that rely on pantry staples are some of my favorites because they make weeknight dinners easy. With good-quality broth, canned beans and a few fresh vegetables, you can have a nutritious, flavorful soup on the table fast—perfect for feeding a family or meal-prepping for the week.
Beyond being delicious, this soup is nutritious. Black beans are low in fat, high in fiber and protein, and provide important vitamins and minerals. The recipe is also naturally gluten-free, and it’s easy to make vegetarian or vegan by choosing vegetable broth.
How to Make it
This Southwestern black bean soup is straightforward and uses mostly pantry ingredients. Using canned beans keeps prep time short—this soup can be ready in under an hour, including prep and cooking.
Below is a concise overview of the ingredients and steps. The full recipe is included further down.
Ingredients Overview:
- Olive oil and butter
- Onion, celery, garlic, jalapeño and sweet red bell pepper
- Chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground coriander, sea salt and black pepper. Add cayenne or red pepper flakes if you want more heat.
- Canned black beans (drained)
- Stewed tomatoes (with juice)
- Broth (chicken or vegetable)
- Fresh lime juice and cilantro for finishing
Steps Overview:
- Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and celery and cook briefly, then add red pepper, jalapeño and garlic. Reduce heat and cook until the vegetables are softened.
- Stir in the spices, then add the black beans, stewed tomatoes with their juice and most of the broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15–20 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Just before serving, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice.
If you have leftover cooked chicken, shred it and stir it in at the end for a chicken-and-black-bean variation.
How to Make it Creamy
To make a creamy black bean soup, purée the soup in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender directly in the pot. You can purée the entire batch for a smooth texture or only a portion to keep some chunkiness. For extra brightness, blend in a couple of tablespoons of fresh cilantro with the puréed portion.
Either version is delicious—serve it the way you prefer.
Calories:
At about 244 calories per serving (without toppings), this flavorful black bean soup is light but satisfying, making it a healthy choice for weeknight dinners or meal prep.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is delicious topped with a variety of garnishes. Popular options include:
- Sour cream or a dairy-free alternative
- Shredded cheddar or a plant-based cheese
- Finely chopped red onion or green onion
- Diced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Crushed tortilla or corn chips
Serve the soup with warm bread, cornbread muffins or simple salads to round out the meal.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If the soup has thickened in the fridge, add a little water or broth to reach the desired consistency and simmer until heated through.
Enjoy!
More Delicious Soups
- Tomato Orzo Soup
- Lebanese Red Lentil Soup
- Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup
- Beef Barley Soup
Easy Black Bean Soup Recipe
15 mins
40 mins
1 hr 55 mins
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped (1–1½ cups)
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. jalapeño, finely chopped
- 1 sweet red pepper, finely diced
- 1½ tsp. chili powder
- 1½ tsp. ground cumin
- 1½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. sea salt (reduce if using salted broth)
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 4 cups canned black beans, drained
- 2 cups stewed tomatoes with juice
- 6 cups reduced-sodium broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice (more to taste)
- Optional toppings: finely chopped red onion, chopped avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro, corn chips, shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and celery and cook 2–3 minutes, then add the red pepper, jalapeño and garlic.
- Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 6–8 minutes.
- Add the spices, then stir in the drained black beans.
- Add the stewed tomatoes with their juices and 5 cups of broth; stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15–20 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
- To make the soup creamier, purée part or all of the soup in a blender and return it to the pot. If it becomes too thick, add the remaining cup of broth to thin it.
- Before serving, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
Optional toppings are not included in the nutrition calculation.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November 2016 and has been updated. The recipe remains unchanged.