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Today’s recipe is a show-stopping vegan black bean soup with a creamy texture and bold flavor, sure to satisfy even the most die-hard meat-lovers in your life.
It’s also easy to make, healthy and economical. Just like all my bean recipes!
First off, let’s talk about the star ingredient of this dish: black beans. Not only are they versatile and delicious, but they’re also a nutritional powerhouse with tons of fiber, protein, and a host of vitamins and minerals.
Now, you might be thinking, “But don’t I have to soak and cook black beans for hours?” Nope! This recipe calls for canned black beans, which are ready to use and just as nutritious as their dried counterparts, but infinitely more convenient.
But let’s get back to the recipe itself.
We start with a mirepoix made with onion, celery and carrot. When cooked together, these aromatic vegetables release their natural sugars and flavors, creating a flavor base for the soup.
Secondly, we blend part of the beans to make the soup thicker and we add a blend of smoky paprika, earthy cumin, and a kick of cayenne pepper. That’s why this vegan bean soup is bursting with flavor and has a velvety, luscious texture.
And since it’s vegan, it’s also totally cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat.
But just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it’s boring and you’re more than welcome to top it with all your favorite fixings, like avocado, crispy tortilla, cilantro, or even vegan sour cream or cheese.
So there you have it. A vegan black bean soup recipe that’s full of flavor, economical, and healthy. Whip up a batch tonight and enjoy!
List of the ingredients
- Canned black beans
- Carrot, celery, onion (soffritto)
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Spices & oregano
- Vegetable broth
- Salt & pepper
How to make vegan black bean soup
(Note: this is simply a quick explanation, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Firstly, blend 1 can of black beans until smooth and set aside.
- Saute’ onion, carrot, celery in olive oil for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
- Transfer the pureed beans + 2 cans of drained beans to the pot.
- Stir in the broth, spices, and herbs.
- Cook for 20 minutes, taste, and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve with lime or lemon juice, fresh cilantro, toasted tortilla, diced avocado. Also some delicious Italian crusty bread, focaccia or croutons would be wonderful. Enjoy!
Recipe notes
Vegan black bean soup ingredients
Black beans: to eliminate the need for soaking and long cooking times, I used canned beans here. They also contain a high concentration of starch which can help to thicken the soup.
Soffritto: the flavor base made with onion, carrot, celery, and garlic makes the soup more colorful and flavorful, but you can skip carrot and celery if you don’t have them on hand and use only onion and garlic.
Broth: I use low-sodium vegetable broth to make a soup that is 100% vegan. However, make sure to adjust the seasoning at the end, especially if you use a broth that tastes salty on its own.
Spices & herbs: cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper are all spices that can add depth and complexity of flavor while oregano adds a slightly herbaceous note to balance out the other spices.
Olive oil: its distinct flavor enhances the taste of this soup.
Salt & pepper: to taste.
How to serve this easy black bean soup?
A squeeze of lime juice (or lemon juice) and fresh cilantro brighten up your rich black bean soup and give a pop of freshness, don’t skip them.
But there are other delicious toppings that can enhance this soup like some diced avocado for its creamy texture, jalapeño peppers for a touch of heat, crispy tortilla strips for a satisfying crunch, vegan sour cream, and more!
Cook a big batch and store it for later!
This vegan or vegetarian black bean soup keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days or you can portion it out into individual servings and freeze them. Cooking a big batch of soup and storing it for later is a great way to save time, money, reduce food waste and you always have an easy meal to heat it up and enjoy it whenever you want!
More vegan soup recipes?
I’ve got you covered with this collection of 30+ vegan soup recipes, below a few of our favorites:
- Lebanese red lentil soup
- Vegan lentil soup
- Vegan celeriac soup
- Tomato soup with potatoes
- Vegan split pea soup
- Bean and kale soup
- Vegan sweet potato soup
- Mediterranean lentil soup
- Vegan spinach soup
If you make this terrific vegan black bean soup, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you! x
Vegan Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cans (14oz/400 grams each) black beans
- 2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth, use more if you prefer a thinner consistency
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili flakes, plus more if to taste
- salt & pepper, to taste
To serve
- 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Drain 2 cans of black beans and set aside, then pour 1 can of black beans with their liquid into a blender and puree until smooth (if it's too thick, add a touch of water). Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven, add the onion, carrot, celery, and sauté over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Stir in the garlic cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
- Add the drained beans to the pot along with pureed beans, pour in the broth, add the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, a little bit of salt and pepper (I added scant ¾ tsp of fine salt and ⅛ tsp of black pepper, but it's a good idea to add less salt at the beginning and to adjust the seasoning at the end).
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat off and taste to make sure you're happy with the seasoning and the consistency, you might want to add more salt, cayenne pepper or a touch of broth to make it thinner.
- You can stir in the chopped cilantro and lime or lemon juice to taste, or you can ladle the soup into 4 bowls and top each bowl with some chopped cilantro and serve with a lime wedge. Enjoy with tortilla, crispy bread or diced avocado. Yum.
Notes
- Seasoning: adding salt at the beginning of cooking can result in over-salted soup, so if you use a vegetable broth that tastes quite salty on its own, it’s important to adjust the seasoning at the end and not at the beginning as you never really know how strong the salt from the broth is.
- Leftover: this vegan black bean soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It’s also freezable: divide among airtight containers (leaving 1-inch space at the top), and freeze up to 1 month.
- Texture: this soup can gets thick, especially after some rest. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more broth and reheat it again.
- Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are for one portion and are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.
Rae Aflatooni
Love a good bean recipe!