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A warm, earthy black bean soup with garlic, cumin and cilantro and a touch of cayenne. Vegetarian, Vegan AND Gluten Free! Ready in 20 minutes!
Maybe it’s cold, rainy and you’re stuck inside. Or, you’re feeling under the weather, you need to eat, but don’t want to have something too complicated. MAYBE you just love homemade soup and you don’t want to wait all day for it to simmer? This recipe is absolutely delicious, you’ll make it in the middle of summer!
Sometimes, you just need some soup. And you need dinner in under 30 minutes, too. My entire family adores the flavors of this soup, and I love that I can serve it to anyone, since it is vegan and gluten free.
Whatever your need, mood, or circumstance, this gorgeous soup will take just 15 minutes (plus a little cooling time) thanks to canned beans, and it tastes like it cooked all day.
Spend the time drinking wine on your couch instead. You’re welcome!
I make big batches of this vegan black bean soup, as it freezes beautifully. I just pour it into an airtight container or 3 and stack them up.
I love having it there ready for whenever I need soup, but seriously, this takes 20 minutes, so it’s not like I am going to struggle to get this on the table on a weeknight anyway.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy. Seriously. Just a few basic ingredients, and a quick warm through and you’re done.
- Budget friendly. Commonly found ingredients you probably already have!
- Healthy. Black beans are awesome! I always have at least 1 can in my pantry, but I’ve been known to soak black beans overnight too, for exactly this purpose. They’re heart friendly, full of fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, folate AND Vitamin K.
I love to serve this soup with bread – perhaps you’d enjoy these Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls with them?
Kylee’s Notes & FAQs
For a thinner soup, use less broth.
Additions:
Add a dollop of sour cream swirled into the top before serving (not for vegans)
A little mild chili powder will amp up the heat (see below for how to REALLY amp it up!
Add a bay leaf for some savory flavor. Be sure to remove before blending. Bay leaves don’t taste good crunched up!
A little squeeze of lime juice before serving is awesome. You can serve each portion of the soup with lime wedges if you prefer.
Storage/Freezing:
Allow to cool completely then store in an airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, microwave until fully heated through and you have hot soup!
How to make Spicy Black Bean Soup:
Bump up the cayenne, or add red pepper flakes with the spices.
Add a can of chopped green chilies, or some canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce when you add the black beans.
Add hot sauce to your bowl at serving time.
Recommended Equipment/Tools
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Dutch Oven or large pot.
- Immersion Blender. A food processor will also work.
- Ladle
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities is found in the printable recipe card below.
- Olive oil. Any oil can be used. It’s just to soften up the onion and garlic
- Onions. Dice these finely. I use a small onion or two, you’ll need about a cup and a half.
- Garlic. Fresh minced garlic cloves are best!
- Cumin. Don’t leave this out, it provides the earthy, warm flavor.
- Black beans. I double this recipe and use 2 cans of black beans, that I drain and rinse. If you want to cook your own beans, that works too.
- Stock. I use vegetable broth or stock, but chicken broth or chicken stock can also be used.
- Water. You’ll need 1/2 cups of water.
- Salt, Pepper, Cayenne. Season it up to your tastes!
- Cilantro. This will provide a yummy bright flavor to the soup. You could also use green onions in a pinch.
How to make Black Bean Soup in 4 steps:
Scroll for Recipe
The full list of ingredients, quantities and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
STEP 1: Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Sauté the onions.
STEP 2: Add ground cumin and garlic and cook for a few minutes over medium heat.
STEP 3: Add beans, broth, water and seasonings, and simmer.
STEP 4: Blend with an immersion blender.
STEP 5: Serve the pureed soup in bowls, with a little sour cream and extra fresh cilantro if you’d like!
Love soup recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup – perfect for feeding the family, and your soul! Enjoy this delicious, rich and flavorful version of a classic.
- Lentil Soup – great as a starter to a main, or as a main itself, this nutritious soup sticks to your ribs and satisfies!
- Butternut Squash Soup (with apple) – my all-time favorite soup, it’s healthy AND low-fat!
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup – hearty and warming with just the right amount of spice, blended with cheese, topped off with jalapenos, cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips.
- African Peanut Soup. This Creamy African Peanut Soup is really rich, warmly flavored – it tastes like… nothing else on earth! Peanutty, curry-y, deliciousness!
- Avgolemono Soup (from Country Living)
- ALL SOUP RECIPES
If you have tried this recipe or any other recipe on Kylee Cooks, leave a comment and rating – I truly love to hear from you!
Find me on Pinterest, Facebook & Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Easy Black Bean Soup Recipe (just 20 minutes!)
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 small onions (diced finely (about 2 cups))
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 15 oz black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1.5 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- pinch cayenne
- 1/2 cup cilantro (chopped finely)
Directions
- Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onions and cook, stirring, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cumin, cook another minute.
- Add beans, broth, water, salt/pepper and cayenne.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
- Either use an immersion blender, regular blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add cilantro, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Leila says
Great
VW says
Oh My Goodness!!!! Emphasis on the Goodness!
I made this last night with just a couple modifications: more oil, more cumin and a little less liquid just to make it thicker. So good and quick. I said to my husband after I ate it ALL, I WANT MORE! I’m a vegetarian and black beans are my go to protein. So… now I have another recipe for my black beans! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Danielle Wolter says
Black beans are one of my favorite beans ever. This looks delicious!! Perfect for this cold rainy weather we’re having!
Kathy says
I always have plenty of canned black beans at home so I know I will be making this delicious soup soon and quite often. Simple yet so flavorful! Love the addition of cumin and cilantro. The fact that is vegetarian/vegan is a huge plus too!
Natalie says
This soup sounds so good. Warming and it’s so nutritious too. I know my family will love this. I’m making it this week.
Veena Azmanov says
Love this super-food – black beans are my favorite. I make it often and next time I’m going to try your soup. Sounds like the perfect comfort food for this weather.
April says
I could really go for a bowl of this bean soup. Spicy please!! This sounds so yummy and easy! I love to eat soup all year round. I can’t wait to try this recipe out but first I’ll need to buy an immersion blender.
That Girl says
We've been doing so much soup lately!