This 30-Minute Black Bean Soup is vegan, easy to make, and so delicious you won’t believe it’s healthy. Top it off with fresh avocado salsa!

A bowl of black bean soup topped with avocado salsa, tortilla chips and a lime wedge

Coming to you live with another Kyle’s Favorites recipe. Really considering making the Kyle’s Favorites section a thing. Kyle’s Korner? The Kyle Kove? Official SEO-approved name remains to be seen. Anyway.

I never thought that a LITERAL POT OF BEANS would be one of Kyle’s favorite recipes of mine, but here we are. He asks for it constantly, lovingly referring to it as “that bean sh*t.” As in, “can you make that bean sh*t again? It’s really good. It gives me energy.”

The ingredients for black bean soup: onion, bell pepper, celery and lots of black beans

Black bean soup before blending: lots of veggies and beans in spicy broth

So, dear reader, I now present that bean sh*t to you. It’s quick, easy, and dead simple, requiring a short list of basic ingredients that pack a wallop of flavor. If you’re feeling fancy, stir together a quick avocado salsa for garnish and texture. Or, if you’re Kyle, schlap a ladle-ful into a bowl and eat it unceremoniously over the counter. The beauty of this recipe is that it really is good in either scenario.

And that avocado salsa? Well, that’s just the cherry on top. (Or uh, the salsa on top, if you will.) It’s punchy and limey and creamy and perfectly twangy to balance out the spice of the soup.

A bowl of fresh avocado salsa with tomato, onion and cilantro

I’m sure you’re ready to make it yourself, but before you head to the kitchen, let me share some of my tried-and-true tips for making the perfect bowl of black bean soup.

Tips to make the best black bean soup:

Chop your vegetables as finely as you can. The very best black bean soups, in my opinion, are smooth and creamy with just a few chunks of beans and veggies throughout. You can even use a food processor to chop your onion, bell pepper and celery if you’d like. But as a general rule, smaller bits = smoother soup.
Blend, blend, blend. The thing that makes this soup great is its texture. I use an immersion blender at the end to get that perfect puree, but if you don’t have one of those, you can use your regular blender instead. Just transfer most (or all) of the mixture to the blender before serving to get it nice and smooooooth.
Don’t be afraid of salt. This is perhaps my most important tip. A lot of home cooks go too easy on the salt, but that’s your best tool to bring out all the flavor! Especially when you’re making a plant-based recipe like this one, you should lean heavily on seasonings to make it taste great. If you feel like you’re being heavy-handed with the salt, you’ve probably added just the right amount. Taste and season as you go!

More vegan recipes you’ll love:
Coconut Curry Lentils
Bruschetta Avocado Toast
Curried Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below, then share a photo on Instagram and tag me @emily.eats.things!

30-Minute Black Bean Soup

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This 30-Minute Black Bean Soup is vegan, easy to make, and so delicious you won’t believe it’s healthy. Top it off with fresh avocado salsa!

Author: Emily Hanka
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced and divided
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 medium stalks celery, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
3 15–ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon lime juice, from 1 large lime
Kosher salt and black pepper

For the avocado salsa:

1 large avocado, diced
2 small tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons finely diced onion, reserved from soup
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
½ tablespoon lime juice, from ½ large lime
Kosher salt and black pepper

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Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion (reserve about 2 tablespoons) for the avocado salsa), bell pepper, and celery. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent.
Add garlic, cumin, and oregano, and sauté for an additional minute or until fragrant.
Add chipotle chiles, black beans, and vegetable stock. Season with another pinch of salt and pepper, then increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, partially covered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the soup is simmering, stir together the ingredients for the avocado salsa in a small bowl. Set aside.
Transfer about two-thirds of the soup carefully into a blender. Make sure the lid is vented and covered with a towel, then blend for 30 to 60 seconds, or until smooth. Alternatively, you could use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, or leave it as-is for a brothier version. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot and stir in the lime juice. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed, and serve topped with a spoonful of avocado salsa.