Hearty Black Bean Soup (Gluten-Free)

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.

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

Variations and tips for black bean soup

• Other beans: 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.
• Potatoes: These aren't necessary, but do help to make the soup more filling as a meal.
• Heat: Try adding fresh chilli or chilli powder for a bit of a kick.

Hey you – let me know what you think

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇

You can also find me and let me know on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook @thepeskyvegan 🌿

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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.