This easy, creamy black bean soup has only a few ingredients and comes together in less than 30 minutes, making it the perfect winter warmer!
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I originally wrote this post in January of 2014. It was what seemed like the never-ending winter in Chicago. They called it the Polar Vortex - I had never heard that term before and hope I never hear it again!! Since it was so cold, COLD, COLD it seemed like the perfect time for some soup, so I decided to post an easy soup recipe that was ready in less than 30 minutes.
Adding homemade soup to your weekly meal prep routine is a great way to have lunch on hand and it also makes a good option for a quick weeknight dinner. Generally, making soup from scratch is pretty easy and you usually end up with something much tastier than you would get from a can.
Contents:
Notes from the Kitchen
- Make it spicy! I like to make this soup a little spicy by adding a dash of chipotle pepper. It you like things extra spicy, add a bit more.
- Have fun with the toppings. You can get creative here with some fun things like a little greek yogurt, a big scoop of pico de Gallo, chuncks of avocado and some crushed tortilla chips.
- Double the recipe. This soup freezes well, so if you want to have extra you can make a double batch. I recommend freezing in 2-3 cup portions for easier defrosting.
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
- Canned black beans: I use canned beans for this soup. I actually often used canned beans. You can generally find them with no salt added, which is what you want to look for. Keeping a few cans on hand in your panty gives you lots of options for quick and easy meals.
- Vegetable broth: This soup is naturally vegetarian if you stick with veggie broth. If you're not worried about that you can substitute chicken broth.
- Lime juice: For the best flavor, I always recommend freshly squeezed lime juice.
- Spices: ground cumin, dried oregano, ground chipotle pepper, kosher salt, ground pepper
- Pantry staples: olive oil
Recommended Tools
Immersion Blender – In general, I prefer soups being a bit more creamy than chunky so I often use an immersion blender to partially, or fully, puree them. If you don't already have one I'd recommend thinking about adding this to your collection of kitchen tools. It's very useful for pureeing soups and has a number of other uses.
Handheld Juicer – This is now my favorite juicer! The design allows you to extract the juice from the citrus easily, and it works with both lemons and limes.
How to make this recipe
This soup is the ideal winter warmer for two and it comes together in just a few easy steps.
More soup recipes
I'm a big fan of making a pot of soup or two over the weekend and then having it on hand for the entire week. Many soups can be frozen too. If you are looking for some other good soup options check out this Easy Tomato Bisque or this Tuscan White Bean & Sausage Soup.
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Quick & Creamy Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ cup pico de gallo for topping
Instructions
- Saute the veggies. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add spices and cook until fragrant; about 1 minute.
- Cook the beans. Add broth and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil then add black beans. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Puree. Remove pan from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree until just slightly chunky. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
- Serve. Top with pico de gallo and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2014. It was updated in January 2025 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Ali @ Home & Plate
Such a simple ingredient list and bonus that it can be made in under 30 minutes. This looks delicious and healthy too.
Barbara @SpiritedCook
I love black bean soup and haven't made it in a long time -- thanks for the inspiration! And this comes together easy squeeze -- love that! Cheers!
Katerina @ Diethood
This sounds really, really good! I want to inhale the whole batch!
Jennifer Stewart
Black beam soup is one of my favorites! I love that I can fill up on something tasty and get all that protein! I love to eat mine with pickled onions and a half an avocado!!
Joy @ Joy Love Food
I love black bean soups, this sounds wonderful!
nibbles by nic
I'm in love with this vegetarian soup and my favorite party is no cream at all!!! WOW
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
Fantastic straight forward ingredients, simple enough procedures, this is a fantastic and delicious dish.
Kristina
we made a bean soup last weekend - I LOVE that soup season is here! this sounds amazing, I pinned to try soon!
pam
Black bean soup is one of my favorites also!
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing creamy black bean soup recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Freya
Such a delicious and hearty soup, full of flavour!