Southwestern Black Bean Soup

This 10 minute southwestern black bean soup is the perfect lunch or dinner recipe! So easy to make, this healthy recipe is packed with flavor and will leave you feeling full for hours! Naturally low in fat and gluten free, this vegan black bean soup is the perfect way to warm up on a cold day!

Why you will love this recipe

• So easy to make – This southwestern black bean soup is ready in just 10 minutes with minimal steps. Simply saute the onions, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. This is a great beginner cook meal!
• Super simple ingredients – this black bean soup with southwestern flavors is made with pantry ingredients! You likely always have these ingredients on hand and you can easily find them in any grocery store.
• Great for meal prep – you can easily double or triple this recipe to enjoy all week for meal prep or to serve a large group of family or friends.

Ingredients

• Red onion – red onions help build the base of flavor for this dish, as they cook they add a slightly sweet flavor that pairs perfectly with the spices. You can also use white or yellow onions if needed.
• Black beans – I prefer to use organic black beans when possible as I find they are easier to digest. Use whatever you have on hand though. This vegan black bean soup is made with canned black beans to help it come together in just minutes. If you have dried black beans, check out the instructions below on how to cook them in the instant pot.
• Crushed fire roasted tomatoes – the char from the fire roasted tomatoes really helps to add a depth of flavor to this dish. Crushed tomatoes are best because they help create the perfect texture for the soup. If you can only find diced tomatoes, that is ok too!
• Vegetable broth – vegetable broth is my secret ingredient in quick cooking meals. It adds a depth of flavor and helps make the soup taste like it’s been cooking all day long. If you are not vegan or vegetarian, you can use chicken broth or stock or even bone broth for more protein.
• Spices: Chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt – these spices really help to create that southwestern flavor. The chili powder adds a deep rich flavor, garlic powder adds umami and a slight garlic flavor, cumin adds a smokiness to the soup and the salt is required to elevate all the flavors.

How to make southwestern black bean soup

• Preheat the pot over medium heat. When hot, spray the pan with olive oil spray and add the red onions. Cook for 2 minutes
• Add the rest of the ingredients and cover the pot. Cook for about 6 minutes.
• Take ¼ of the soup and blend it in the blender or use your immersion blender and lightly blend some of the soup. As the black beans break down it will naturally thicken the soup.
• Serve hot with your favorite toppings!

Top tips

• This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, just be sure to use a large enough pot. Note: the soup may take a few more minutes to heat through since there will be more liquid in the pot.
• If you want to make this soup more filling, add about 1 cup of cooked rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice to the pot after blending. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.
• To add more veggies (zucchini, squash, bell peppers), sauté them with the onions 4-5 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Other ingredients you can add

• Smoked paprika
• Chipotle powder or 1 or 2 chipotle in adobo blended with the soup at the end.
• Smoked sea salt – only a pinch
• Lime juice – this will really add a fresh pop of flavor. Add the lime juice at the end right before serving.
• Red wine vinegar (just a splash) – this has the same impact to the soup as the lime juice. Add it right at the end.
• Jalapenos (canned or fresh)
• Vegetables: Add sliced zucchini, squash, thinly sliced bell peppers, cauliflower rice to the dish by sautéing them with the onions before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Rice or quinoa – add cooked rice or quinoa (about 1 cup) to the soup after blending to make this soup more filling.

Toppings to add to vegan black bean soup

• Cilantro
• Avocado slices
• Green onion
• Hot sauce
• Chili flakes
• Crushed tortilla chips
• Vegan sour cream or yogurt

Common questions

Can you make this black bean soup with dried beans?

This recipe for southwestern black bean soup is written to be ready in just 10 minutes. The only way that will happen is if you have pre-cooked beans. If you only have dried black beans, you can prep them in advance.

The easiest way to cook dried black beans is to add them to the instant pot and cook on high pressure for about 30 minutes. I usually make 1 pound of dried beans with 6 cups of water. This will take some time to come up to pressure, so this is a step you will want to do in advance. If you want to make dried black beans faster, be sure to soak them first. Be sure to check out my post on how to cook black beans in the instant pot for all of my tips.

Can you make this vegan bean soup with other beans?

Yes! You can use white beans (cannellini beans, great northern white beans, navy beans or even butter beans), kidney beans or pinto beans in place of black beans in this recipe. I would not recommend chickpeas though since they have a thicker skin which creates a different texture.

Storing leftovers

• Fridge: Store leftover black bean soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. The flavor will be even better the next day.
• Reheating leftover soup: Add the soup to a pot and cook over medium heat, covered for 4-6 minutes until warmed through. Note that you may want to add a few tablespoons of water as the soup does thicken as it sits in the fridge.
• Freezer: Freeze leftover soup in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. I like to use Soupercubes for this, as you can freeze the soup into an individual block, which can then be easily transferred to a freezer safe bag.
  • Defrost the soup in the fridge and follow the reheating instructions above or simply put the frozen soup directly in the pot and cook over medium-low to medium heat, covered until warmed through (10-15 minutes).

Substitutions

• Red onion – use yellow or white onions in place of the red onion if needed. If you don’t have onions on hand, simply omit this ingredient.
• Black beans – use whatever cooked beans you have on hand in place of the black beans. However I don’t recommend chickpeas as they will have a different texture.
• Fire roasted tomatoes – you can use crushed or diced fire roasted tomatoes for this recipe. If you can’t find fire roasted tomatoes, you can use regular tomatoes (crushed or diced) in it’s place.
• Vegetable broth – vegetable broth really helps to add so much flavor to this dish. If you don’t have vegetable broth, you can use a vegetable bouillon cube and water or chicken broth, stock or bone broth if you are not vegan or vegetarian.
• Spices – Check out the other additions section above for ideas on other spices you can use.

If you loved this recipe, you should try

• 3 Ingredient Black Bean Dip
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Nachos
• Mexican Cauliflower White Bean Soup
• Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

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Southwestern Black Bean Soup

$3.09 Recipe/$1.55 Serving

Southwestern black bean soup is the perfect easy lunch or dinner recipe! Ready in 10 minutes, this healthy recipe is packed with flavor and will fill you up for hours! Naturally low fat and gluten free!

5 from 11 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: easy black bean soup, southwestern black bean soup, vegan black bean soup

Prep Time: 1 minute min

Cook Time: 9 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Servings: 2 servings

Author: Samantha Rowland

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp chopped red onion - $0.08
• 1 can organic black beans (rinsed and drained) - $0.99
• 1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes crushed - $1.29
• 1 cup vegetable broth - $0.50
• 1 tsp chili powder - $0.10
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder - $0.05
• 1/2 tsp cumin - $0.05
• 1/2 tsp salt - $0.03

Instructions

• Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat as you chop the red onion.
• Spray the sauce pan with non-stick spray (or add 1 tsp. avocado oil) and add the onion. Allow the onion to cook 2 minutes.
• As the onion is cooking, rinse and drain the black beans. 
• After 2 minutes, add the rest of the ingredients and put a lid on the sauce pan. Turn the heat up to medium high. 
• Cook for 5-6 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and use the immersion blender to blend up 1/4 of the soup in the pan (about 4 quick pulses of the blender). Or transfer 1/4 of the soup to a blender and blend on high. Add the blended soup back to the pot. Stir well
• Serve hot with your favorite toppings

Notes

Top tips

• This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled, just be sure to use a large enough pot. Note: the soup may take a few more minutes to heat through since there will be more liquid in the pot.
• If you want to make this soup more filling, add about 1 cup of cooked rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice to the pot after blending. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.
• To add more veggies (zucchini, squash, bell peppers), saute them with the onions 4-5 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Other additions

• Smoked paprika
• Chipotle powder or 1 or 2 chipotle in adobo blended with the soup at the end.
• Smoked sea salt – only a pinch
• Lime juice – this will really add a fresh pop of flavor. Add the lime juice at the end right before serving.
• Red wine vinegar (just a splash) – this has the same impact to the soup as the lime juice. Add it right at the end.
• Jalapenos (canned or fresh)
• Vegetables: Add sliced zucchini, squash, thinly sliced bell peppers, cauliflower rice to the dish by sautéing them with the onions before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Rice or quinoa – add cooked rice or quinoa (about 1 cup) to the soup after blending to make this soup more filling.

See how I calculate food cost.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

279

Fat

 

1

g

Carbohydrates

 

49

g

Fiber

 

17

g

Sugar

 

7

g

Protein

 

17

g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.

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