Ever turned your hand to black bean soup? Packed full of nutritious plants and with a couple of spuds to thicken it up, this is a healthy and delicious recipe that's dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, high in protein, and very filling.
Blend it until smooth or mash it for a chunkier texture – either way you'll have yourself a hearty meal that's great for batch-cooking and stores well in the freezer.
If you like legumes in your soups, take a gander at these recipes for smoky butter bean soup and pinto bean soup with chilli and lime.
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Is black bean soup healthy?
This easy soup makes for a healthy meal that's low in calories, low in fat, and high in plant-based protein, with the black beans offering a great source of nutrients such as iron, zinc, and copper.
One serving of this recipe provides:
- Calories: 268 kcal
- Protein: 15 grams (30% of RDA)
- Fibre: 15 grams (63% of RDA)
- Iron: 4 mg (22% of RDA)
(Amounts based on a third-party nutrition calculator)
For more healthy dishes involving black beans, see these recipes for creamy black bean curry and sweet potato and black bean chilli.
Tinned vs. dried beans
I use tinned black beans for convenience, but you could use dried and cook these separately until tender before adding to the soup. To do so, soak them overnight, simmer in fresh water for 60-90 minutes, then drain and use in this recipe.
For more info, see this beginner's guide to pulses.
How to thicken the soup
Once blended, dairy-free soups like this tend to become fairly thick due to the texture of the beans. To help make it even thicker, this recipe includes a couple of medium-sized potatoes.
If you're making this soup and don't want to blend it at the end, you could thicken it with a little cornflour. Combine two tablespoons of cornflour with a similar amount of cold water in a mug or bowl, mix to remove any lumps, then add this to the pan.
What you'll need
This healthy recipe is full of whole plant ingredients and delicious flavours. You'll need:
- Black beans (I use canned for convenience)
- Mixed veg for a flavourful base
- Potatoes to help thicken and make it a hearty meal
- Seasoning including sage, cumin, smoked paprika, and ground coriander
How to make vegan black bean soup
Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and soften for 6-8 minutes, stirring now and then (1). Season with salt and pepper.
Once the veg has started to soften, stir in the garlic and potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes (2).
After a few minutes, add the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, sage, and tomato puree (3).
Stir everything well and cook for another minute (4).
Next, add the drained black beans (5), followed by the vegan stock, bay leaves, and nutritional yeast (6).
Mix well, bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes or until the potatoes have softened.
Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves (7).
Blitz using a hand blender or transfer to a larger, more powerful blender, working in batches if necessary (8).
For a chunkier texture, simply mash the soup with a potato masher.
Adjust the seasoning and serve.
Serving suggestions
Top your bowl off with simple garnishes such as sliced spring onions, coriander leaves, lime wedges, or fresh chilli. Other suggestions include:
- Smoky tofu pancetta
- Crushed tortilla chips
- A drizzle of homemade cashew cream
- Grated vegan cheese
- A spoonful of pico de gallo
Recipe FAQ
You could use pretty much any beans you like here. As long as it's a variety that's canned in water, you can follow the same recipe steps as written below.
To ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a vegan stock that is certified or labelled as such. You may also want to check that any additional toppings or sides are gluten-free.
Once cooled, store this soup in the fridge for up to four days.
Store this black bean soup in the freezer for up to six months.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
- Pinto Bean Soup with Chilli and Lime
- Smoky Butter Bean Soup
- Vegan Scotch Broth (Scottish Barley Soup)
- White Bean Soup with Lemon and Parsley
- Red Lentil and Pepper Soup
- Creamy Black Bean Curry
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli
You can also check out my full selection of vegan soup recipes.
Hearty Black Bean Soup (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and diced
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 3 tablespoons tomato puree
- 3x 14 oz (400 g) tins black beans, drained
- 4-5 cups (1-1.2 litres) vegan stock (plus more if necessary)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and soften for 6-8 minutes, stirring now and then. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once the veg has started to soften, stir in the garlic and potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- After a few minutes, add the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, sage, and tomato puree. Stir everything well and cook for another minute.
- Next, add the drained black beans, vegan stock, bay leaves, and nutritional yeast. Mix well, bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat and cook on a low heat for around 15 minutes or until the potatoes have softened.
- Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves. Blitz using a hand blender or transfer to a larger, more powerful blender, working in batches if necessary. For a chunkier texture, simply mash the soup with a potato masher.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve with sliced spring onions, fresh coriander, tofu pancetta, cashew cream, or pico de gallo.
Notes
- Crispy Roasted Black Beans
- Creamy Black Bean Curry
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chilli
- Jackfruit and Black Bean Tacos
- Pinto Bean Soup with Chilli and Lime
- Smoky Butter Bean Soup
- Vegan Scotch Broth (Scottish Barley Soup)
- Red Lentil and Pepper Soup
Nutrition
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