This spicy black bean soup recipe is easy, creamy and huge on flavor with loads of black beans and just the right amount of spice, a perfect weeknight meal.
Black Bean Soup Recipe
Who is ready for some Black Bean Soup? I am! I'm a huge fan of black bean soup, with all those earthy flavors. Black beans don't seem to be as popular as other beans for soups, which is a shame, because they're huge on flavor.
This is a quick and easy soup recipe, as we're using canned black beans today. This makes for a simple weeknight dinner that can be on the table in 40 minutes or so. The majority of the cooking is softening up your vegetables in a pot. The rest is simmering and waiting.
Easy enough, right? You can serve your black bean soup either creamy or chunky. Or a combination of both! That's normally how I do it. I like this soup somewhat creamy, but still with chunks of black beans for a bit of tasty texture.
Either way, it's very easy to customize to your texture and flavor preferences, which I discuss in the recipe tips and notes section below.
Let's talk about how to make black bean soup, shall we? Homemade soup is the best!
Black Bean Soup Ingredients
- Olive Oil.
- Vegetables. Onion, carrots, bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, celery, garlic.
- Seasonings. Chili powder, cayenne, paprika, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.
- Black Beans. Use canned black beans for a quick and easy recipe.
- Chicken Broth. You can use vegetable broth.
- Lime Juice. For serving.
- For Garnish. Sliced peppers, spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley, crumbly white cheese, tortilla chips, or whatever else you prefer. Hot sauce!
How to Make Black Bean Soup - the Recipe Method
First, heat the olive oil in a large pot to medium heat. Add the peppers, onion, celery and carrot. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring a bit, or until the vegetables soften up. I use my Dutch oven for this, which works great.
Add the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes and a bit of salt and pepper. You can easily adjust your seasoning preferences here by using more or less, or swapping in your favorite seasoning blends.
Cook, stirring for 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the black beans and chicken (or vegetable) stock and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can simmer longer to develop more flavor if you'd like.
I usually cover and simmer at least 30 minutes or longer. If the soup thickens up too much, stir in a bit of water or extra stock or broth.
Optional, for a Creamier Soup: Transfer about half of the soup to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add back to the soup. You can also use an immersion blender for this. Use caution handling hot soup. You can easily serve this soup without blending for a chunkier soup, which I do sometimes.
Adjust with salt and pepper. Serve into bowls and swirl in some fresh lime juice. Garnish and enjoy!
Boom! Done! Such an easy recipe, right? Easy soup! Easy is a good thing. It always hits the spot. I love easy cooking. This will make you 4 good sized bowls of black bean soup. I hope you're hungry!
Heat Factor
Medium. You'll get a good level of heat from the jalapenos and the chosen seasonings. Omit the jalapeno peppers for a milder soup. Add hotter peppers for a spicier black bean soup, or use your favorite hot sauce!
The Seasonings. I like to really spice things up, so I use a good blend of chili powders here. You can easily swap out my combination for your own favorite blend. Toss in a bay leaf. Add chipotle chiles for a smokier version. So good! Try it with your own homemade Cajun seasoning blend or Creole seasoning blend. It's also super tasty with taco seasonings. Delicious! Great way to vary things up.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Chunky or Creamy Black Bean Soup. You can serve the soup as-is, with loads of chunky black beans, or you can use a blender or food processor to blend some or all of the soup for a creamier version. The choice is yours. You can also swirl in a bit of sour cream or crema for extra creamy. Heavy cream is good, too, but much higher in calories.
- Add a Protein. This is a vegetarian black bean soup (if you use vegetable stock or broth), but you can very easily add in a protein. Black bean soup is particularly good with cubes of tender chicken or slow cooked pork, though any ground meats are welcomed here. Try it with tofu or plant-based meats as well.
- Dried Beans. I used canned black beans for this recipe, though dried beans are perfect as well. Soak them overnight to soften them before cooking, per the bag instructions.
- Instant Pot. You can make this recipe with your pressure cooker or Instant Pot very easily. Simply saute the vegetables with some oil in the pot, then add all of the ingredients to your Instant pot, stir them up, and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes. Release the steam, stir it up and serve! Increase the time and liquid if you're using dried black beans.
- Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup. You can also make this recipe with your slow cooker or crock pot. Just follow the recipe by cooking down the vegetables in oil to soften, then add them along with the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 2-3 hours, until the flavors meld.
Storage & Leftovers
Store any leftover black bean soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Simply warm it up gently in a pot to enjoy again.
You can freeze black bean soup in vacuum sealed containers for 3 months or longer.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my Black Bean Soup recipe. It's just the right amount of spicy! Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Spicy Black Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped (I use a yellow onion)
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers chopped
- 1 celery rib chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon spicy red pepper flakes or more to taste!
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cans 15 ounces each black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken broth vegetable broth is good, too
- Juice from 1 small lime
- FOR GARNISH: Sliced peppers spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped parsley, crumbly white cheese, or whatever else you prefer
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Add the peppers, onion, celery and carrot. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring a bit, or until the vegetables soften up.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, paprika, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes and a bit of salt and pepper. Stir and cook 30 seconds, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the black beans and chicken (or vegetable) stock and stir. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. You can simmer longer to develop more flavor if you'd like.
- Optional, for a Creamier Soup: Transfer about half of the soup to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add back to the soup. You can also use an immersion blender for this. Use caution handling hot soup.
- Adjust with salt and pepper. Serve into bowls and swirl in some fresh lime juice. Garnish. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Dave says
Would you change anything if using a different type of bean?
Mike Hultquist says
Dave, no, you can just swap in other beans. Enjoy!
Julie Palucki says
Delicious soup! Does it freeze well?
Mike Hultquist says
It freezes perfectly!
Mendy says
I just made this! I left out the cayenne and red pepper flakes because these are some really hot jalapenos. It's now my favorite black bean soup (and I've tried many). It is SO good. Just wanted to say thanks!
Mike H. says
I appreciate your review, Mendy. Enjoy!
Prpockets says
Excellent black bean soup! I wanted a higher bean to vegetable ratio, so I added one more can of beans and one more cup of chicken broth. My jalapenos were fairly mild, so I might add a habanero next time to amp up the spice a bit. VERY yummy soup!
Mike Hultquist says
Yay!! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks! Add an extra habanero for me, too. =)