This vegan black bean soup is not only delicious but so easy to make. Use dry or canned beans for the perfect family meal!

We love beans, especially black beans, so it was very fitting to turn them into a soup for those cozy nights! Don't tell, but sometimes I just use this soup as a dip for my baked tortilla chips.
Black bean soup is one of those easy to customize simple soups. The base is essentially beans and broth, with veggies and seasonings for flavor, and don't forget to garnish with toppings for added texture and taste!
Ingredients
In order to make this filling vegan black bean soup, you'll need to gather the following items:
- Black beans
- Broth
- Red onion
- Red pepper
- Jalapeño pepper
- Garlic cloves
- Red wine
- Balsamic vinegar
- Seasonings
How to Make Vegan Black Bean Soup
This soup can be made in your slow cooker or pressure cooker, but it's so simple to make on the stovetop as well! Here's what to do:
- Sauté the veggies.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer.
- Blend half of the soup, leaving the other half chunky.
- Serve!
Serving suggestions
We love dressing up this soup with lots of toppings! Try any of the following as a garnish:
- Jalapeños
- Sour cream
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Avocado or guacamole
- Salsa
- Crushed tortilla chips
While this soup is substantial enough to be a meal all alone, it's also great paired with the following recipes:
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Coleslaw with Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Caesar Salad
- Taquitos (great for dipping!)
- Vegan Mexican Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Fajita Veggies
Tips and tricks
The following suggestions should help you make the best black bean soup ever!
- Dried or canned beans may be used.
- When using dried beans make sure to soak them overnight. If you don’t soak the beans, they will need to cook longer.
- For canned you can leave in the juices to help thicken the soup, or rinse and drain if you prefer.
- You can substitute the broth with water but it will not be as flavorful.
- Add in extras! Try corn, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, or spinach.
- An immersion blender is easiest to use. Or, a regular blender will work, just be very careful to not burn yourself.
- Blend more or less of the soup to reach you desired thickness and smoothness.
- Omit the jalapeños to keep this soup as mild as possible. Or, add more or use spicier peppers to increase the heat.
Common Questions
It depends on the recipe, but usually yes! Make sure to check the ingredients to ensure that vegetable broth is used.
Blending a portion of the beans will help to thicken the consistency. You can also stir in a mixture of cornstarch and water to thicken it even more.
It is good to soak dried black beans for a minimum of 6 hours, but best to soak them overnight.
Top the soup with jalapeños, avocados, cilantro, and sour cream. Serve with a side salad or chips for dipping!
More Vegan Soup Recipes
Warm up from the inside with any of these easy to make plant based soups:
- Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)
- Potato Leek Soup
- Tomato Chickpea Stew
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Pozole Verde
- Vegetable Minestrone
Simple Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped red pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper , chopped (optional for spice or you can use a mild pepper)
- 4 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- ½ cup red wine , sub for more broth if you don’t have or want
- Drizzle of oil or broth to sauté
- 6 cups cooked black beans , about four 15 ounce cans (see note for dried beans option)
- 5-6 cups broth , see note, depending how thick you want it
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 - 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt , depending on the salt in your beans
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Garnish:
- Jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Avocado
For cooking in the Instant Pot:
- Only use 4-5 cups broth , depending how thick you want it
For cooking in the crock pot:
- Up broth to 6-7 cups broth , depending how thick you want it
Instructions
- Sauté onion, pepper and garlic with drizzle of oil or broth until softened. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a rapid boil. About 5-10 minutes, depending on whether you use canned or dry beans. I use the whole can of beans, juices and all but you can rinse and drain if you prefer. The juices help thicken the soup more.
- Once it boils, cover, reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes (an hour if using dried beans). Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t lose all it’s liquid and burn, add more broth if needed. Check for desired done texture preference along the way.
- Using an immersion blender, or carefully put half the soup in a regular blender, puree about half leaving some chunky for texture.
- Serve with toppings of choice!
To cook in the Instant Pot:
- Use the sauté setting to sauté the onions, peppers and garlic with the wine and oil/broth, or sauté on the stove.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on manual with the valve on the seal setting for 5 minutes (30 minutes for dried beans).
- Do a quick release on valve by flicking it with a spoon or fork so you don’t get burned (allow pressure to naturally release for 15-20 minutes if using dried beans then turn the valve to vent to finish releasing pressure).
To cook in the crock pot:
- Sauté the onions, peppers and garlic with the wine and broth on the stove.
- Add them to the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for 5-7. Check at 3 or 6 hours for doneness and add more broth if needed. If using dried beans you will need 3-4 hours on high or on low for 6-8.
Notes
- If you want to use dried beans, use 1 pound and soak them overnight. If you don’t soak the beans, they will need to cook an extra 45-50 minutes on the stove, about 20-25 in the Instant Pot and towards the end of the range for the crock pot.
- You can sub water for the broth but the flavor won’t be as good.
- This makes about 6 cups. Servings size is about 1 ¼ cups.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Kathy
If cooking in the IP do you just soak the beans or do you cook the beans first and then cook the soup?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Kathy! However you make this, soaking the beans first will help cut down cooking time and help the beans be more digestible so it's up to you! You can either soak, then put the soaked beans into the IP to make it, or just add the dry beans in knowing it will take longer.
Sarah
Who knew such a simple soup could taste so good! These flavors were amazing, and I highly recommend pairing with some chips for dipping.