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Packed with hearty plant based protein, vegetables and spices, this quick and easy Vegan Black Bean Soup is perfect for a cozy weeknight meal. Kid and husband approved. Ready in just 30 minutes!
If you’re anything like me, you are busy with little time to think about what’s for dinner, let alone time to actually make it!
But, that doesn’t mean you need to head to the drive-thru!
I have a whole collection of 30 minutes (or less!) recipes that are sure to satisfy.
This delicious hearty soup makes a great weeknight meal paired with a salad or some crusty bread. It’s made all in one pot with ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
Try this easy Vegan Black Bean Soup tonight and get dinner on the table in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Black beans ~ Canned black beans are always in my pantry. They’re inexpensive and convenient. Be sure to drain them and rinse them well before adding to the soup.
Learn more about black beans and get even more black bean recipes here.
Vegetables ~ Besides the aromatics, onion and garlic, the only other vegetable I use is a red bell pepper. This recipe is meant to be kept simple. You can certainly bulk up the nutrient content by adding a few more veggies if you like. Corn, diced sweet potato, zucchini, or even leafy greens, like kale or spinach, would all be great options.
Diced tomatoes ~ Canned diced tomatoes are a pantry staple and so convenient in this soup. I like the chunky texture of the diced tomatoes, but crushed tomatoes or tomato purée would also work.
Vegetable broth ~ I almost always opt for low-sodium vegetable broth. This allows more control over the salt content of the dish.
Spices ~ Cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano are always my go-to spices for anything southwest flavored. Chili powder, bay leaves, thyme, or coriander would all be good choices as well.
Extras ~ I like to keep the soup fairly simple and set out several garnishes so everyone can customize their own bowl to their tastes. You can, however, add some of these to the soup itself.
If you like it spicy, try adding a can of diced green chiles, a diced jalapeño pepper, or several shakes of hot sauce.
Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the pot after simmering.
Add cooked rice or noodles to the finished soup. I usually serve this soup to my kids over a bowl of macaroni noodles and they love it!
How to make the recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
There’s just a few simple steps to make this Vegan Black Bean Soup. It’s all done in one pot in just 30 minutes!
Sauté the onions and garlic in a little water (you can use oil if you like, or vegetable broth) until soft and translucent (1). Add the bell pepper and sauté until starting to soften (2).
Add the spices (3) and mix well (4). Continue to sauté for a minute or two until the spices are fragrant.
Add the black beans, tomatoes, and broth and stir to combine (4). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes (5).
I like to purée about half of this soup to make it thick and creamy (6), but if you prefer it more broth-y, you don’t need to do this.
Use toppings to customize individual bowls: avocado slices, sliced green onion, chopped tomato, a few dashes of hot sauce, vegan sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, squeeze of lime juice, etc. Anything your heart desires. Make it your own and enjoy!
Pro tips and tricks
~ Drain and rinse the canned beans well to reduce sodium content and gas-producing components.
~ Use spices that are still fresh. Spices that have been sitting in your pantry for over 6 months aren’t going to be as flavorful. If they’re getting old, replace them!
~ Sauté the spices for a minute or two until fragrant before adding the broth, tomatoes and beans. This will allow the oils from the spices to release and they’ll be more flavorful.
~ Purée half of the soup to make it thick and creamy while still leaving lots of texture.
~ Garnish the soup to customize your bowl – try diced avocado, diced red onion, diced green onions, splash of hot sauce, or sprinkle of crushed tortilla chips.
~ This black bean soup recipe is so versatile, too. Add rice or quinoa for a hearty stick-to-your-ribs meal, purée the whole thing and use it a dip for tortilla chips, as a topping for a baked potato, or add some macaroni noodles and eat it like a chili mac (<- this is my kids favorite way to eat it).
FAQs
Technically, you don’t have to drain the beans, but I always recommend it. Draining and rinsing the beans reduces the amount of sodium and may also remove some of the components that cause gas.
This vegan black bean soup is dairy free, gluten free and oil free. It is also packed with protein, fiber, folate, B vitamins, vitamin C and iron. That’s a lot of nutrition in a 30 minute meal!
I really love the convenience of using canned black beans, but if you prefer to make yours from scratch, see this post All About Black Beans for methods, soaking and cook times.
I like to purée about half of the soup with an immersion blender to thicken it up. Alternately, you can carefully transfer half of the soup to a blender, purée, and then transfer back to the soup pot and mix well. Using a potato masher to mash up some of the beans will also work.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Vegan Black Bean Soup
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 3 cans (15-ounces each) black beans rinsed and drained (or about 4 cups cooked black beans)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 3-4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
Toppings (optional), use what you like:
- Diced avocado
- Sliced green onion
- Chopped tomato
- Fresh lime juice
- Hot sauce
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Vegan sour cream
Instructions
- In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in ¼ cup water until soft and translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the red bell pepper and sauté 2 to 3 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika and salt and sauté another minute or two until the spices are fragrant.
- Add the black beans, tomatoes and vegetable broth. (Start with 3 cups of broth, you can add more later if you like a thinner soup). Increase heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender, purée as much as the soup as you like (I do about ½). Alternately, you can carefully transfer ½ of the soup to a blender, purée, and add back to the pot. Add the other cup of broth if you like a thinner soup.
- Serve hot with the toppings of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Ann Richmond says
LOVE this recipe! First time I made it I only had 2 cans of black beans, so I subbed in a can of white northern. No cumin so I subbed in Coriander. Today I am out of black beans, so guess what? 3 cans of white northern. I’ve added spinach once and left out the bell pepper before too. Point being is that this is such a fabulous basic recipe, if you follow the general portions and guidelines, it’s hard to mess up. I also love that it requires no oil! I usually sub water for oil anyway, but I really liked that this recipe leaves the oil out to begin with!
I follow a plant based diet, but my husband eats a regular diet … AND he LOVES this soup no matter what ingredients it’s had. This recipe is a KEEPER!
I have also made it with an immersion blender and with a traditional blender. While the results were the same, I won’t make it again unless I have my immersion blender at hand because of the mess.
Thank you for providing such an amazing recipe!
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m so glad you both love it, Ann! And I love that you’ve been able to make it using what you have on hand…that’s how I like to cook, too! Thanks for your comment!
Tina says
Very tasty soup! I mistakenly didn’t drain & rinse the beans and used 3 cups of veg broth and even after using the immersion blender, my soup was still pretty brothy and not as thick as I would have liked. I added another can of beans + a can of refried beans and that did the trick. (But now I have soup for the entire neighborhood!) Next time I’ll follow the directions!
Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to trying some of your others!
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m glad you like it, Tina! Now you don’t have to cook for the rest of the week!
Bethany says
Just made this and love it!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Thank you, Bethany! I’m so glad you loved it!
Bill says
I wish, in the area you describe how to make this, you put a note to scroll down for ingredient amounts, I winged it and winged it too spicy. Saying jump to recipe is not enough
Jenn Sebestyen says
Sorry for the confusion, Bill. There is a recipe card in every post with the full ingredients and instructions concisely laid out. The text in the post is for extra detail. I will try to add a note going forward in the How to Make the Recipe section that clearly states to scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions. Thank you for your feedback.
Anne says
Great, easy recipe that my whole family enjoys, picky eaters included. I found this blog thanks to picking up a copy of your cookbook. I made two recipes from it the first week I had the book, and got so many compliments from my family. Was so happy to find this blog with more tasty recipes that my kids (and husband) will happily eat without complaints. Thank you from a vegan mom in a omnivorous household.
Jenn Sebestyen says
Thank you for this wonderful feedback, Anne! I’m thrilled that you and your family are loving the recipes.
Carly says
This was so good & easy to make! I subbed a half tub of fresh salsa for the diced tomatoes- yum!! I didn’t have paprika, but I did add cayenne. It was spicy and perfect. I will definitely make this again.
Jenn Sebestyen says
I love the idea of adding salsa instead of diced tomatoes! YUM! So glad you liked it, Carly. Thanks!
Samantha says
Could I use an ingredient instead of tomatoes, ( an allergy) any thoughts? Thanks 😀
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Samantha. You can leave the tomatoes out. Add a little more broth, if needed, and a squeeze of lime juice for acidity. If you want, you can add a finely diced carrot for extra veg if you want. Enjoy!
Heidi says
Just made this (eating as I type!) and it is *delicious*. The consistency is perfect with only 3 cups of broth, great call. It’s yummy and super easy to make. Thank you!
Jenn Sebestyen says
Wonderful! I’m so happy you love it, Heidi! Thank you!
Matt says
I’m eating this soup right now and I love it. It’s so simple but the flavor is really complex. This is definitely going in my list of soups I make regularly.
Jenn Sebestyen says
Wonderful! I’m so happy you love it, Matt!