Meet my favorite black bean soup! It takes advantage of canned black beans and comes together quickly. Yet the soup tastes remarkably fresh thanks to the carrots, celery and garlic.
Cumin and a little bit of sherry vinegar (or lime juice) add a Cuban flair that takes it over the top. This lightly creamy black bean soup is packed with flavor.
This homemade soup is a million times better than the store-bought variety. Read the comments if you don’t believe me just yet!
How to Make The Best Black Bean Soup
A few notes and tips before you get started:
You don’t need a long list of ingredients for complex flavor. Basic, fresh aromatics like onion, carrots and celery make all the difference. Just cook them until they’re nice and tender.
Briefly sauté the cumin, garlic and red pepper flakes to enhance their flavor. Then, add the remaining ingredients and gently simmer until the beans are tender and the flavors have melded.
To achieve the perfect soup texture, purée a portion of the soup in the blender until it’s super creamy. Then stir it back into the pot. Ta da! Now you have black bean soup with tender beans and a lightly creamy consistency, no cream required.
Black Bean Soup Storage Tips
I should mention that this recipe makes quite a lot of soup. Leftovers will keep well for four to five days, so it’s perfect for weekday lunches.
You can also freeze this soup. I always freeze my soup in pint-sized mason jars, leaving room for expansion at the top and waiting to screw on the lids until the soup has fully frozen. Then I just defrost it later.
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Rumor has it that this black bean soup turns out well in a slow cooker (Erin said she “basically just put it all in the crock at the same time and slow cooked it for about 6 hours”). If you give that a try, will you please let me know how it turns out?
Please let me know how this soup turns out for you in the comments! I’m always so eager for your feedback and hope my recipes turn out wonderfully for you.
Craving more hearty vegetarian soups? Don’t miss the following soup recipes on Cookie and Kate:
- Vegetarian Chili
- Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili
- Pinto Posole
- Mexican Quinoa Stew
- Best Lentil Soup
- Plus my cookbook has eight of my favorite soup recipes!
Watch How to Make Black Bean Soup
Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
This healthy black bean soup recipe is easy to make with canned beans. Thanks to some basic aromatics and Cuban spices, it’s incredibly flavorful and delicious. This soup is naturally vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. The recipe yields quite a bit of soup (6 to 8 servings)—it is easily halved, or you can freeze the leftovers.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 4 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (use ¼ teaspoon if you’re sensitive to spice)
- 4 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, to taste, or 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnishes: diced avocado, extra cilantro, thinly sliced radishes, tortilla chips…
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, celery and carrot and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetable are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the broth is flavorful and the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer about 4 cups of the soup to a stand blender, securely fasten the lid, and blend until smooth (never fill your blender past the maximum fill line, and beware the steam that escapes from the top of the blender, it’s very hot). Or, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup.
- Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the cilantro, vinegar/lime juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.
Suggested sides: Chunky avocado salsa, a little green salad, quesadillas or a grilled cheese sandwich.
Kathryn
Happy holidays/birthday! This soup looks just the thing to reset the body and mind after all that madness. Best wishes for 2014 Kathryne : )
Katrina @ WVS
I’m totally the same way. This morning I had to ask a lady working at the gym whether or not it was still the weekend!! lol Love this soup, friend!
Abby @ The Frosted V
Happy belated birthday, girl! I adore black bean soup, fresh and lovely!
Elaine
It looks like just the thing for detoxing after all that holiday food. Happy New Year!
Jamie @ Dishing Out
Yum! Sounds like the perfect soup for cooler weather. There is nothing more comforting than a hearty soup filled with aromatics and kick of spice in my opinion!
liz
Nice soup. Thank you. Happy New Year!
Angela@eatspinrunrpt
Happy belated birthday, Kate! It sounds like you had some fabulous celebrations. You’re totally speaking my language with this soup. I was just in California for a week and have returned to the snowy Canadian cold so I’m ALL about warm meals. Can’t wait to try it!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
Mmmm … this looks like the kind of soup that you can make a great big pot of and keep eating for lunches for ages. And then you feel all self-righteous because you’re eating effortlessly healthy lunches … for ages!
I especially like the idea of the optional garnishes … lovely! Thanks for the idea. Sounds like the perfect Jan 1 detox option.
Katie @ Produce on P
Loving all things black bean lately, so this will be perfect! Thanks for sharing! :)
Katie @ Veggie and t
This looks so tasty! Black bean soups are always so comforting. I love that you pureed just a portion of the soup so you’d get the smooth texture and the whole beans in every bite. Your photos are beautiful – and I know it’s tricky to make black bean soup look pretty :)
Brooke
Made this for dinner tonight and it turned out wonderfully. Thank you for your quality recipes!
Kate
Brooke, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the soup! Thank you for commenting!
Bev
The soup was tasty .My husband like it too
laurasmess
Aw, happy belated Birthday! 28 is an amazing year… I just turned 30 this year which was a bit more scary! Hope that you have a beautiful celebration tonight to say goodbye to the year that was. May 2014 bring even more wonderful things your way Kate! Thanks for this lovely recipe. Yum… I am starting to love black beans even though I only discovered them this year. So much goodness xxx
Penny
Your blog is simply wonderful! I look forward to reading it all the time. I made a recipe tonight that was on your blog back in February – West african peanut soup and it was amazing!! I can’t wait to try this soup too!
Happy belated birthday and I hope you a great new year! Best wishes!
Kate
Thank you, Penny! I’m sorry I didn’t thank you sooner. Glad you enjoyed the peanut soup and hope you loved this one, too!
Joanne
Happy belated birthday chica!! I hope you had a fabulous time. You deserve all the happiness!!
Tieghan Gerard
Happy belated birthday!! Hope you had a great few day to relax and enjoy your b-day + the holidays!
This soup looks like the perfect way to ease back into things!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Happy belated birthday! I must try this soup – you convinced me with cilantro and cumin!
Alice // Hip Foodie
Happy birthday! Birthdays are meant to indulge a little so sounded like you celebrated in style! Black bean soup is one of my faves. . definitely going to give this one a try!
Sophie
So perfect for a) current chilly, grey weather and b) eating well again after so many days (weeks?) of holiday indulgences. I love the sound of this! Yum. Happy 2014 to you and Cookie!
dixya
happy birthday..this is my idea of soup and love the garnishes :) happy new year.
Sarah B.
Happy Birthday week pretty girl! Love this soup! XOOOOO
Kate
Thank you, sweet Sarah B! Hope you’re well.
Sini
Congrats on turning 28, Kate! I love a bowl of good black bean soup and your vegan version looks great.
Grandbaby Cakes
This soup looks like absolute perfection! The flavor looks intense which I love!
Honey What's Cooking
oooh yum, this looks so good. I love me some traditional black bean soup.. I love Latin food so much! Shredded chicken would seal to the deal. Happy New Year Kate!
Lisa
Looks like a great vegetarian version! Mine started as a way to use up the leftover holiday ham! Gorgeous photography — as usual!
Katie
This soup is amazing! So easy to make and very tasty. The ingredients used are things that I usually have around my apartment so very convenient. To add more protein I used nonfat greek yogurt to stir before eating instead of sour cream!
Kate
Thanks, Katie! I’m really glad you loved the soup. Great idea to add Greek yogurt.
Amy
This recipe is SO GOOD!!! WOW! It’s absolutely delicious and SUPER easy to make (not to mention inexpensive). It made plenty to freeze too so it really makes a great meal for a large family or for people looking to stretch their meals out over a couple days. I’ll definitely be making this frequently! Thanks, Kate!
Kate
Thanks, Amy! I’m happy to hear that you love the soup! I froze my second batch since I was leaving town for the holidays and got to eat soup for a week when I got back. :)
Claire
After being told by my doctor to go off dairy, I’ve really been struggling with finding flavorful dinners that don’t have cheese, butter, or milk. This one hit it out of the park! Blending the soup gives it that creamy texture that I’ve been missing. Bravo!
Kate
Hooray! Glad you enjoyed the soup, Claire! If you like coconut milk, you might like my curried cauliflower soup. It’s a great non-dairy creamer.
Marcia
I’m a big fan of bean soups! I have never tried this soup with the lime juice and the cilantro. Sounds yumm! i know how you feel being in a swirl with birthdays around the holidays I have 3 of my children before xmas 12/13, 12/21 and 12/24 .Plus my granddaughter’s 12/23. We finish the birthday tour tomorrow with my last son’s birthday!…talk about not knowing what day it is!
Kate
Oh my, that is a lot of birthdays and holidays in quick succession! Happy birthday to all!
JJ - 84thand3rd
Oh black bean soup is one of my favourites, this sounds great. A belated Happy Birthday and Happy New Year!
Bonnie
Great recipe – I made this last night and turned out fantastic! – thanks for sharing!
Kathleen
Am making this soup for the second time- it’s definitely become a regular item on our winter menu. Thanks!
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for commenting, Kathleen.
Sheena Armstrong
AMAZING! We are obsessed with this soup. Hands down the best black bean soup ever. I’m making it for the second time tonight! :)
Kate
Hip hip hooray! Thanks, Sheena.
Marian
Made this and loved it! I even used some shortcuts for a recipe that I can always pull together from the pantry and it worked great! http://marianhd.com/2014/02/24/spicy-vegan-black-bean-soup/
Thanks for sharing!
Kate
Marian, so glad you loved the soup! Your version sounds great.
Bartek
This was great! Very rich and full of flavour. I added a whole sweet potato, cut into 1cm chunks and it added a nice flavour as well.
My only caveat is the soup is very brown (might try adding some paprika?), so my fiancee will be a bit hard to win over on that first impression :)
Kate
Glad you enjoyed the soup! A potato sounds like a tasty addition. I don’t know how to make a black bean soup not be brown!
Stephanie C
Love your website. Really hoping to try this recipe, but I have a hard time being at the stove with a clingy 10 month old. Is there any way I can do it all in the slow cooker, or will all be lost?
Kate
Stephanie, I’m sorry I didn’t answer your question sooner. I think this soup would be a great candidate for the slow cooker. For the best flavor, I recommend sautéeing the onions, carrots and celery before adding those to the slow cooker, but I’m pretty sure this soup would turn out well even if you just dumped all of the ingredients in the cooker and let it simmer away.
Tracy
I just finished making this and I think it tastes delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. I stumbled on it by accident and I am so glad I did. I will definitely be making this again in the future and will have to check out more of your recipes. I need all the help I can get!
Kate
Thank you for commenting, Tracy! I’m delighted that you loved the soup and hope you enjoy the other recipes, too.
Sara
This soup was perfect! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’m a picky vegan foodie who does a lot of cooking and admittedly doesn’t like a lot of other people’s recipes, but this one was spot-on. I’ve made it several times already.
Kate
Sara, I’m happy to hear that this soup meets your standards! :) Thank you for commenting.
Kirsti
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it all winter and I’m eating it still. It’s a very easy and tasty recipe to just stick in the crockpot and come home to at the end of a long day.
Kate
Thank you for commenting, Kirsti! I’m glad to hear that the soup turns out well in the crock pot. Thank you for letting me know.
Krystal
I LOVE this soup. Love it so much. I’ve gotten so attached to it that I served it at a housewarming party on an 80+ degree day — hot soup on an 80 degree day probably not the best choice but there were hardly any leftovers so I’m guessing everyone was getting as attached as I! The last time I made it I had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I used it as the insides of a burrito with your best salsa ever and one of your avocado/jalepeno/cilantro sauces (I think the one from the sweet potato tacos). It was great!!! Thank you!
Kate
Hi again! Which salsa recipe are you referring to? I want to try those burritos you made. :)
Krystal
Hooray! It was the Black Bean Salsa…yummmyyyyyy!
Ju
Hi, this soup or similar is a typical food in my country, but with variations like add eggs and white rice, is delicious, sometimes I agree lemon drops and the flavor is better! You can find “black soup of Costa Rica”
Kate
Hey Ju, thanks for letting me know about the origins of the recipe! I bet it is lovely with lemon and rice.
Paul S
Hi Kate. I’ve been eating a plant based diet since May and was looking for a good vegan black bean soup recipe. I just cooked the beans in a pressure cooker will finish making the soup tomorrow. . . can’t wait to eat it. Thank you!
Kate
Hey Paul, thanks for your comment! I hope you love the soup!
Paul S.
I did. . . and so did my coworkers! Round 2 tonight! :)
Kate
Yes!!
Amber
I absolutely love love love this soup!! I’m a married college student that works overnights at the hospital and this is something that I love to bring for my 3am “lunch”. I batch cook it (double it) and freeze it into individual servings. It freezes beautifully. I always serve with with lime juice squirted on it right before eating (but after reheating). YUM! Thank you for this one!
Lauren
Made this for dinner last night and it was delicious and super easy! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kate
That’s great to hear! Thanks, Lauren!
Julie
This soup is delicious! Very easy to make, too. The lime, cilantro, and avocado made it even more tasty! If you don’t have any of these things, it’s still very good. I will make this again. I also appreciate the comment above about making more and freezing it in lunch-sized portions. Thanks for this beautiful blog.
Kate
Thank you, Julie! I’m glad you’re enjoying the soup!
Jen
This dish is amazing. My whole family love it (including the little ones which is a bonus) and it is perfect for the cooler weather we are now getting. Thank you from the UK! x
Kate
That’s great to hear! Thank you, Jen! P.s. We have the same last name. :)
Dave
Added a small amount of coconut cream… Deliciouso
Kate
Good idea! Thanks, Dave!
Nicole
Came out good, but honestly….a bit too much of a carrot taste. I think I would forego the carrots/celery and maybe add peppers and possibly corn next time.
Amy
Hi, did you try this with peppers yet? I have some orange, red, and yellows that are about to go bad, so I was thinking of trying it, but wasn’t sure what it might do to the taste…
Kate
Hi Amy, I’m sorry for the delay. I think peppers would be a lovely addition.
Alex
This looks delicious! How long do you think this would last in the fridge before needing to be frozen? I’d love to make a pot and eat it for lunches for a week but am worrie about how long it stays fresh!
Kate
Hey Alex! I can’t say with absolute certainty, but I think the soup would be good for about four days. You might want to freeze a few individual portions in mason jars for later in the week! Just leave some room at the top of the jar for liquid expansion as the soup freezes and wait to screw on the lid until after the soup has frozen. That’s probably your safest bet!
Rebecca
This recipe was amazing and so simple. I’ve tried many black bean soup recipes looking for “the one” and this is the winner, hands down.
Mary
This is my go-to recipe for black bean soup. Delicious and perfect consistency! Thank you so much for posting
Alyssa
This was great! Not spicy enough for me; I added cayenne and hot sauce. But then again, I like it hot enough to burn my taste buds off. :) I’ll probably throw in a jalapeno next time. I also added more liquid than called for in the recipe, since I like my black bean soup on the thinner side. Very fast, very easy, and definitely going in my “make again” folder. I love the idea of garnishing with avocado–I’d never thought of doing that with black bean soup before. It was delicious! Thanks!
Gabrielle
Hi, Kate. Any substitutions for the cumin in this recipe? Unfortunately, even in small quantities my tastebuds do not like its flavor. Thank you!
Kate
Hi Gabrielle, I can’t think of any straight substitutions. I would just leave it out and play around with other spices if you feel like the soup is lacking in flavor. It should still be good without it!
Gabrielle
Thank you, Kate. Enjoy Austin.
Kathryn
As I’m sharing the link to this recipe for the umpteenth time, I had to comment and let you know how much this soup has become a weeknight staple for me. It is so simple, yet so absolutely rich and delicious! It has saved me from take-out on more than one occasion, and I make sure to always have four cans of black beans on hand “just in case”. Thanks!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you, Kathryn.
Anna
I’ve been feeling under the weather so I came home early today. I knew I wanted soup and this recipe was perfect! So fantastic! Thank you!
Kate
Thank you, Anna! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup.
Erin
Hi there! This soup looks and sounds amazing. Do you think it would ruin it to slow cook it in a crock pot?
Kate
I think this soup will do well in a slow cooker! Please let me know if you give it a try.
Erin
So I made it in the crock! This soup is AMAZING!!! It’s so good and has just the right amount of kick. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I basically just put it all in the crock at the same time and slow cooked it for about 6 hours…PERFECTION!!!!
Kate
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your technique, Erin. Glad to know this soup works well in a slow cooker.
Kristin
Hi, I’m just wondering if you put the slow cooker on low or high?
Erin
I think the way my crock pot is on the settings low is 8-10 hours and high would be 4-6 hours??? So I guess high. I use my crock pot all the time…I am at my best in the earlier half of the day. ;-) I would imagine though, that either setting would work out AMAZINGLY. Giving everything time to marinate all day. Super YUMMY!
Mary
This was a really good recipe, but I did make a few small changes recently – however – I think they really improve the flavour of this. I actually took my food chopper and grated 4 small carrots, rather than cut them into discs – this means they blended very well when you used your immersion blender. Next – I added 1 cup diced tomatoes and 2 small sweet potatoes – diced. I added the sweet potatoes last. I have made the original recipe before, but always felt it just lacked a little something. This really made a difference! Yummy.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Mary!
Raquel
This looks so good! Can I make it with dried beans that have been soaked overnight?
Pixie
This was wonderful! It has great flavor and I followed everything exactly as written. Used lime juice instead of vinegar. Yummy!!!!
Kate
Thanks, Pixie! Glad you enjoyed it!
Scott
I have made this a few times and it’s terrific. With a little experimentation I found that I prefer this by substituting out the chili flakes and using a chipotle pepper instead for the smokiness. I find it also goes great with cornbread. But it’s also good as set out in the recipe. I love flexible recipes you can play around with like this.
Kate
Thank you, Scott! Your version sounds great!
Michael
Kate great soup by following the letter of the recipe which I did the first time. I experimented with using my own home made chicken stock which really did not make a big difference and would be a non starter for the vegan crowd. Not recommended
What did make a difference which is a wonderful complimentary flavour to the beans and cumin was a diced green pepper.
My other suggestion is to puree the entire soup mixed holding back a cup or two of beans depending on texture preference and finishing with a dollop of sour cream, diced tomato, cilantro and as you suggest a squeeze of fresh lime to get to the next level.
It is a winning recipe when healthy and good for you can be so flavourful and satisfying
Michael
Getnaked Chef
Kate
Thank you for your feedback, Michael! I’m glad this one got your seal of approval. Great tips!
Deborah
Four cans of beans and only 4 cups of broth? Then purée four cups? Is that a misprint. It seems like one heck of a lot of beans and not a lot of soup. It looks delicious and I’m going to try, but I’m not sure about using so many beans.
Kate
Hi Deborah! No, it’s not a misprint. Pureeing the beans makes them more liquidy. It’s a hearty soup!
KD
Simple to make and tastes great!
Kate
Thank you, KD!
Angela W.
AWESOME!!
I made this today (Super Bowl 50) almost exactly as the recipe (no pepper flakes, used chicken bone broth for the broth and used the lime option).
My picky son had 2 helpings. I had 3.
We loved your Spicy Vegan Lentil Soup last weekend (without the tomatoes and pepper flakes).
We’re gluten free and dairy free and can’t wait to see what we can find next!!
Kate
Thank you, Angela! So glad you are both enjoying my soups!
manasa
Yum…Slow cooker would be convenient. I use dry black beans and soak them and put the soaked beans in the freezer and when I need to make the soup, I pressure cook it with some tomatoes, spices and onions..and voila quick and easy..i second the lime juice at the end…delicious and you can eat it with tortillas or rice. I think i will make this for tomorrow morning..
Debbie
Manasa – how did you use the pressure cooker for the soup. I just got an Instant Pot. Thank you.
Suzanne
I have made this several times now. I have added a sliced chicken apple sausage link to a bowl then added soup. Delicious.
Kate
Thank you, Suzanne!
Kathryn
I continue to love this soup every bit as much as I did the first time I made it. It’s still amazing to me that something so simple can taste so fabulous! Glad to see you’re giving it a bit of extra love on the blog so more readers can experience the deliciousness! :-)
Kate
Thank you so much, Kathryn!
Penny
Hi!
I am interested in the nutrition information for this recipe. I’ve just started Weight Watchers and having that info will help me know just how much I can have :)
Kate
Hi Penny, I’m sorry, I don’t offer nutrition details because home cooking can be so variable, and I don’t want to provide inaccurate information. Your best bet would be to run the recipe through a nutrition calculator like myfitnesspal.com.
lisa @ garlicandzest.com
Black bean soup is one of my favorites — and I think your photos are terrific! I’ll be making this soon!
Kate
Love this soup! Great for work lunch. I’ve made it so many times I practically know the recipe by heart. I add spinach for extra greens. :)
Kate
Yay, thanks Kate!
Susan
I was sold after seeing sherry vinegar in the ingredients!
Terri
I made this for Super Bowl Sunday and it was delicious and easy – both things that I love!!
Kate
Thank you, Terri! Glad to hear it!
Ann
Really good soup! Have made it twice, including tonight. Great on a cold night.
Kate
Thank you, Ann! :)
Catherine
I made this soup for dinner tonight and it’s delicious. Easy, flavourful and will definitely prepare it again for my family. Another fabulous recipe Katie! Thank you xxxx
Kate
Hooray, thanks Catherine!
youhavechad
Very tasty. I added a few ingredients: red and green bell pepper, two jalapeños, and some flax seed (for added nutrition.) I will cook this again.I also Facebooked your page. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
Thank you! Great additions, too.
Gaby Dalkin
Loveeee! Any recipe that can make enough for lunches for the week earns extra bonus points from me!
Debra
Awesome!! we have it either for dinner or lunch….
The only thing I did was added more black beans just our preference.
Kate
Thanks, Debra!
Kari
Black beans with avocado is one of my favorite food combos. Yum!
Allie
Yummmm! I’m such a black bean soup freak, definitely making this next week!
Thanks for sharing babe!
Yordanka Betancourt
Made this recipe yesterday…omg…it was beyond delicious. I’m from Cuba and I’m telling you this recipe is even better than my mom’s recipe. Thanks lots for sharing it. I’m a big fan of your recipes :-)
Kate
That’s quite a compliment! Thanks, Yordanka!
NolaCherie
I love a bit of grated orange peel in black beans. Give that a try!!
Rose
Made half a recipe, didn’t put carrots, added 1/2 of a green bell pepper and used 1/2 teaspoon oregano instead of cumin (for 1/2 recipe). It is so good, I didn’t put it in a blender, I liked it as it came out after 30 minutes, chunky and yummy!
Kate
Thanks, Rose!
Erin
I like this soup; my husband, not so much. He even had a hard time with the smell while it was cooking. However, he is not a fan of black beans nor the texture of homemade beans, which I used instead. I, on the other hand, love everything legume. I would make this again for my daughter and I but use canned beans instead; she’s not a fan of the homemade bean either. Geesh
Kate
Well, I’m glad you liked it! Thanks, Erin!
chelsea
I sauteed the carrot, onion, celery and then the garlic and spice blend per your instructions. Then everything was put in the slow cooker and 8hrs later it was blended and turned out fantastic. Thank you!
Kate
Awesome, glad to hear it! Thanks, Chelsea!
Irene
My husband and I loved it! Our’s didn’t turn out looking as dark as the pictures here, but that may have been to my using the immersion blender to blend the 4 cups of soup rather than my real blender. It tasted great!
Kate
Thanks, Irene! I think beans can vary a little in color, so that might be it, too.
Mike
Kate I guess I probably should not have attempted this recipe. My big problem is that I like my food to look as good as it tastes and although my wife and I followed the recipe and it tasted OK I just couldn’t get past the look of it and that’s on me.
When I look for new recipes the first thing I look at are the pictures and then the ingredients and if they are simple enough, because simple is my middle name I give it a go. I broke my rule this time because I have learned a great deal from you and I will continue to make your wonderful recipes but for me, this one just didn’t do it.
Cheers…Mike Germa
Angela W.
I knew my son would not eat it if I blended this so I blended approximately 1 cup and left the rest. He’s very picky and just asked if I could make it again today.
Kate
Mike, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. I can see why you wouldn’t, if you don’t like the color or flavor of black beans. Hope you’ll keep cooking my other soups that aren’t so bean-based!
Deepthi
This was excellent. I cooked the black beans instead of using canned and I believe it made the soup extra creamy and indulgent. Have you ever had Dal Makhani (indian lentil dish)? That’s what it tasted like, but WAY healthier.
Kate
Thank you, Deepthi! Yes, I have tried Dal Makhani, so good!
Carla
I made this soup and it is the best black bean soup I’ve ever had!
Kate
Thank you, Carla! Happy to hear it!
Simon
Can’t help but love Avocado! It makes a great addition to most meals and this looks fantastic.
kristy knight
This is the BOMB! I loved it.
Kate
Thanks, Kristy!
April
Yum! Delicious and easy. I cooked a pound bag of black beans first and then made the soup in the crockpot.
Kate
Thanks, April! Glad to hear that worked for you!
Mai
Hi, Kate. I recently discovered your blog which I love and have already made at least half a dozen delicious recipes in about 10 days – thank you! I don’t know what took me so long to find this. My husband and I loved your spicy black bean soup – the best we have had in a long while. We also made your tortilla pizzas, and tried one with some leftover black bean soup (since it is quite thick) and some mozzarella on top. Folded in half, it turned out to be a delicious quesadilla! Thank you again!
Leisureguy
It sounds good, but I do prefer to cook my beans from scratch rather than using canned. Do you have any idea of the amount of dried black beans I should start with? (One reason I like using dried beans is that I can use interesting heirloom varieties, like Black Valentine beans.)
Stella
I just made this! It´s truly delicious. Tho I couldn´t find any red pepper flakes, I live in Peru, I replaced it would some paprika I had left over from the Vegetarian Chili (which was delicious as well). I recently turned vegan and I´ve been dealing with not been able to make too make vegan-friendly meals because of being a full time student and part time Wheel.thrower. Anyways, thanks so much the recipe!!! Lunch for next few days is settled :)
Lesley Macdonald
Just made this soup. Wow, it is delicious. I had some mascapone cheese and heavy whipped cream in the fridge that needed using up so they went in to the soup as well. The cream made it a bit watery so I actually pulsed the soup a bit more with my stick blender. It still has texture though. Awesome, I will defintely kake this again.
donnerkbob
This was excellent. I have a non-stick pot so there was no need for the oil if any fok’ers were wondering. Thanks for posting this simple yet delicious recipe.
donnerkebab
This is my go to soup. Everyone who has tried it loves it. I recently substituted in 1ts of chili garlic sauce instead of the 1/2ts of crushed red pepper flakes and it was a hit. Little more heat and flavor! Thanks again for the recipe.
Kate
Sounds delicious! Thank you.
Marya
This recipe knocks the socks off anyone who eats it. I have utilized various modifications depending on my audience, like omitting the cumin and the pepper flakes, however, it always ends up amazing. My favorite modification is to add diced orange bell peppers and finely chopped cilantro during step one. This recipe is a KEEPER! It rivals your lentil soup recipe which I have made 50+ times! I am really looking forward to your cookbook.
Lena
I’m a slow cooker kind of cook, so I threw everything in the crock pot (plus I added a chipolte pepper and 1 can of plain tomato sauce) and it was delicious!!! Thanks for the idea, I live on black beans now!
Chandani
Hi! Just discovered your blog and loving it. Have you ever considered adding calories/nutritional information to your recipes? I want to try a lot of these, but am concerned about the nutritional value as I am trying to maintain a balanced diet. Thanks!
Kate
Hey Chandani! I have, but it’s actually super complicated since I offer variations, and I worry about offering inaccurate information to readers. I hope to find a good solution someday.
Faith
So soooo good, it turned out perfectly