Spicy Black Bean Soup

Name: Spicy Black Bean Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Vegan
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 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use 1/4 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; 1/4 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…

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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