A colorful blend of bell peppers and fragrant ground cumin give this black bean soup a Mexican flair. It’s an easy, one-pot recipe that cooks in about 30 minutes.
Canned Beans Make This Recipe *Super* Quick and Easy
High in fiber and protein, beans truly are a magical fruit and that’s why I love recipes that start with a can of beans. Whether it’s bean salad, bbq baked beans, or white bean stew, I’m all about meat-free dishes that go heavy on legumes.
Made with just 8 basic ingredients, plus a few dried herbs and spices, this black bean soup has been a recent obsession of ours during the transition from fall to winter.
It’s an accidentally vegetarian recipe that’s made in one pot in just 30 minutes. Bell peppers, cumin, and oregano give it a subtle Mexican flavor profile that you can amp up by topping your portion with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and shredded Mexican cheese.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Sauté the spices to deepen their flavor. After the onion and bell peppers have softened, add the ground cumin and oregano to the pot alongside the other aromatics. Spices are fat soluble, and their flavor really wakes up when they come into contact with the hot oil.
Add a pinch of sugar and a splash of vinegar. Black beans are naturally very earthy and rich in flavor, so you need a little sweetness and acidity to offset them.
Blend the soup if you want it thick and creamy. I prefer to blend just a portion of the soup so the batch as a whole stays fairly chunky.
The Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Canned black beans — Don’t drain the beans before stirring them into the soup. You’ll be using their canning liquid, too.
- Bell peppers — I used one red and one green bell pepper, but you can mix and match whatever colors you have on hand.
- Aromatics — Onion and garlic help build the flavor base of this soup.
- Herbs and spices — Ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and pepper are all you need to season the soup.
- Broth — Use chicken broth or vegetable broth, depending on whether you need to keep this recipe vegetarian.
- Vinegar — A splash of cider vinegar cuts through the richness of the beans.
- Sugar — Granulated sugar works just fine.
How to Make Black Bean Soup in 30 Minutes
- Sauté the veggies. The onion and bell peppers need just 5 minutes to soften in a little canola oil.
- Cook the aromatics until fragrant. You’ll need to stir the garlic and spices as they cook to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
- Stir in everything else, then simmer. About 20 to 25 minutes over low heat should do the trick.
Heidi’s Tip: I like to ladle about 1 cup of the soup into my blender and blend until smooth, then return the mixture to the pot. This makes for the creamiest black bean soup ever without having to add any heavy cream.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Black Bean Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
- (4) 15- ounce cans black beans
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish Ideas
- chopped fresh cilantro
- chopped avocado
- shredded Mexican cheese
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- chopped onion
- fresh lime
Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add 1 chopped yellow onion, 1 chopped green bell pepper, 1 chopped red bell pepper, and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the aromatics. Add 4 pressed garlic cloves, 1 ½ teaspoons cumin, and 1 ½ teaspoons oregano, stir well to coat the vegetables, and cook for 1-2 more minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in the broth and beans. Add 32 ounces of chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add 4 15-ounce cans black beans with their liquid, 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Blend if you like a thicker soup. Ladle 1 to 1 ½ cups of the soup into a blender or use an immersion blender to purée the mixture so it’s still somewhat chunky but mostly smooth. Stir back into the soup. Garnish with desired toppings and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve With Black Bean Soup
- Jalapeño Cornbread
- Mexican Slaw
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- Chipotle Chicken Taquitos
More Bean Soups and Stews
- Creamy Sausage and Bean Soup
- White Bean Stew
- White Bean Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker White Bean Sausage Soup
- Killer Beef and Three Bean Chili
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