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My Black Bean Soup is So Good!
I’ve been trying to work more beans into my meals lately, but—soaking dried beans the night before just isn’t happening most days. That’s why I love canned beans. They make recipes like this black bean soup so much easier to pull together, even when I haven’t planned ahead.
This soup is as simple as it gets but still satisfying. It’s got those Mexican-inspired flavors I love, plus onions, carrots, celery, veggie broth, and four whole cans of black beans. It’s basically a pantry meal that feels way more exciting than it should.
Since making this recipe, I’ve realized how versatile beans can be—especially in soups. This one’s packed with protein, loaded with veggies, and leaves me feeling full in the best way. Plus, it’s so easy to tweak with whatever you’ve got on hand. No fancy ingredients, no overthinking—just a good, solid soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive oil: You can use avocado, canola, or vegetable oil if that’s what you have.
- Onion, carrot, and celery: You want to cut them in even sized pieces.
- Minced garlic: If you have a garlic press, use it! You can also substitute 2 ½ teaspoons of garlic powder.
- Black beans: Any brand works! You can really use any type of bean you want in this recipe.
- Vegetable broth: I like to use low-sodium vegetable broth, but you can use regular vegetable stock or chicken stock.
- Spices: I’m only using cumin in this recipe to keep it simple with a short ingredient list. I think cumin adds the perfect flavor, but I’ve tested it with the addition of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce along with a bay leaf and would definitely recommend them.
Popular Additions
- Make it spicier. You can added a de-seeded (or not if you want more heat!) jalapeno pepper.
- Add more vegetables. Stir in a cup or two of chopped kale or spinach or frozen corn and let wilt or thaw in the soup.
- Add chicken. For more protein, I’ll add shredded rotisserie or leftover roast chicken.
- Add a grain. Stir in cooked quinoa or farro!
How to Make Black Bean Soup
My Best Canned Black Bean Soup Tips
- Drain and rinse the black beans. You want to remove the viscous liquid the canned black beans come in. I like to add the beans to a colander or fine mesh strainer and rinse them until any foaming/bubbles subside.
- Mash the beans mindfully. For this easy black bean soup, you want about half of the beans to be mashed and the other half to still be whole. This give you a creamy-yet-chunky texture!
- Don’t shortcut the simmering time. This is what will make the soup flavorful! I know 30 minutes can feel like a long time when you’re hungry, but it’ll be worth waiting for.
- Go easy with the salt and pepper to begin with. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it away! This will be especially true if you’re using full-sodium broth.
What to Serve
- Greek yogurt, lime wedges, chopped green onions, chopped parsley or cilantro
- Diced Avocado
- Corn Avocado Tomato Salad
- Easy Vegan Cornbread
Recipe Help & Common Questions
Kept in the fridge in an airtight container, this soup will last about 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (thawing it in the fridge overnight before reheating). I like to use a saucepan to reheat the soup because it heats more evenly this way!
You can! Because an immersion blender is more powerful than a potato masher, I would just be careful of overblending.
If this happens, you might’ve overblended the beans! I would just add a splash or two of broth or water to loosen up the soup, adding more as necessary.
More Bean Soup & Chili Recipes:
- Kale Soup
- Beef Chili
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- Mediterranean White Bean Soup
- Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
If you try this feel good Black Bean Soup recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper divided
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 4 (15-ounce) cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Lime for serving
- Greek yogurt for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the carrots, celery, and onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are softened and the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the black beans, vegetable broth, cumin, and remaining salt and pepper. Stir well and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Use a potato masher to mash some of the beans directly in the pot while keeping some whole.
- Serve warm with fresh lime juice and Greek yogurt.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
