An easy 30-minute Black Bean Soup made on the stovetop with canned beans and lots of fresh veggies. Two chipotle peppers and a spoonful of honey give it a sweet and smokey flavor profile that’s perfect for topping with avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

Black bean soup in a bowl.

This one-pot black bean soup is cozy and humble in all of the right ways.

In all honesty, it’s not the kind of recipe you crave and spend all day dreaming about (unless you’re me). It’s the kind of soup that you forget about completely until someone reminds you it exists, and suddenly you need a bowl.

Canned black beans are sautéed with lots of cilantro, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. From there, we’re adding some chipotle peppers and a spoonful of honey for a sweet and smokey flavor profile.

I’m always impressed by how beans become creamy when blended, so we’re running an immersion blender through the pot before serving to allow them to shine.

Topped with some sour cream, sliced avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, it’s really quite difficult to not love. Especially when the whole thing comes together in just 30 minutes.

If you’re into the whole bean soup thing, definitely give this Bisarra a try. It’s a Moroccan fava bean soup that’s ridiculously easy to make and oh so cozy.

Bowls of black beans, spices, oil, and more.

Ingredients

Here’s our grocery list for this soup:

  • olive oil
  • red onion, diced
  • green bell pepper, diced
  • garlic, minced
  • cilantro, minced
  • chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
  • paprika
  • cumin
  • pepper
  • canned black beans, drained & rinsed
  • vegetable broth
  • honey
  • lime
  • salt to taste
  • optional toppings: sour cream, avocado, cilantro

Find the full ingredient list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.

How to Make Black Bean Soup

Dried Beans? No Problem

If you’ve got dried black beans that you want to use instead, that’s no problem! Just keep in mind, the recipe will take longer when using dried vs. canned beans.

Directions:

  • You’ll need about 2 cups of dried black beans to replicate this recipe. Start by rinsing them to remove any unwanted debris.
  • Next, add to the pot where instructed above, but double the amount of broth (8 cups total).
  • Cook partially covered for 2 hours, checking to stir every 30 minutes, and adding additional water if the liquid reduces below the beans. 
Black bean soup in a bowl.

More Tasty Toppings

Truly, there are infinite combinations of toppings that work well with this black bean soup.

Here are just a few ideas:

  • Grated cheese – obviously!
  • Fresh pico de gallo
  • A drizzle of cilantro lime sauce
  • Diced or pickled red onion
  • Hot sauce or pique
  • A spoonful (or several) of rice
  • Tortilla chips

If I had the chance, I’d use every single one of these toppings, all at once. I’m a big fan of toppings.

Black bean soup in a bowl.

Perfect Soup Sides

If you’re keeping the toppings simple and looking for a side dish to go with this dish, here are some of my go-to’s:

Special Tools

The only special tool you need to make this soup is optional.

I like using an immersion blender to puree some of the soup once it’s fully cooked. This helps break up some of the beans, making the whole thing a bit creamier (the magic of beans, am I right?!)

If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could totally use a stand blender and just scoop a few cups of the soup into it, blend, then return them to the pot.

Or you could skip this step all together and opt for a simpler, chunkier soup.

Black bean soup in a bowl.

More Cozy Soups

Enjoy the soup,

Salima written in cursive
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Black bean soup in a bowl.

30-Minute Black Bean Soup (Sweet & Smokey)

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Soup, Entree, Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, Latin
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

An easy 30-minute Black Bean Soup made on the stovetop with canned beans and lots of fresh veggies. Two chipotle peppers and a spoonful of honey give it a sweet and smokey flavor profile that’s perfect for topping with avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 3 (15oz) cans black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 lime
  • salt to taste
  • optional toppings: sour cream, avocado, cilantro

Instructions

  1. Sauté oil & veggies in a pot. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add diced onion and bell pepper and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the garlic and cilantro and continue to sauté for another minute.
  2. Add chipotle peppers & spices. Add the minced chipotle peppers, paprika, cumin, and pepper, and mix everything together to toast the spices.
  3. Simmer broth & beans. Add the beans, broth, and honey to the pot, raising the heat and bringing everything to a boil. Lower the heat, bringing the broth to a low simmer. Simmer with the lid partially covering the pot for 20 minutes.
  4. (Optional) Blend the soup. Blend a few cups of the soup with an immersion blender or stand blender to make the soup creamier. Add a squeeze of lime juice and salt to taste before serving. Top with sour cream, avocado, or fresh cilantro.

Notes

If using dried beans: rinse 2 cups of dried black beans thoroughly, removing any rocks. Add to the pot where instructed above, but double the amount of broth (8 cups total). Cook partially covered for 2 hours, checking to stir every 30 minutes, and adding additional water if the liquid reduces below the beans.