Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe (Oil-free) (2024)

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This Easy Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe is Oil-free, just 8 simple ingredients and ready in less than an hour! It is not your ordinary bland black bean soup, but loaded with flavor and the perfect texture!

EASY VEGAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

No more bland black bean soup my friends. I’ve had some of those and nope, this one has so much flavor and the perfect texture. It’s not too runny and not too thick. Seriously, have you had a black bean soup where it’s like paste? I have a little trick for this one, I puree 2 cups of the soup and then mix it back into the soup and it creates the perfect texture.

This easy vegan black bean soup is also oil-free and super simple to make, like with all of my recipes. I love to share How to Cook and Bake Without Oil! Bonus, it is both hubby and kid-approved! If you love beans in your soup, then you must try my Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup!

INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

You only need 8 easy ingredients (+salt & water):

cooked black beans
medium-heat salsa
red onion
garlic
tomato paste
smoked paprika
ground cumin
dried oregano

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

STEP 1

Cook the red onion and garlic until soft.

STEP 2

Add the remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.

STEP 3

You will remove about 2 cups of the soup and puree in a food processor into a somewhat smooth consistency similar to applesauce.

STEP 4

Return it back to the soup and mix in. This creates the best texture, as it thickens up the soup, while still having remaining liquid and whole beans in tact.

Add the black bean soup serving bowls and top with sliced avocado, chopped cilantro and fresh limes, if desired. Although the soup is absolutely delicious on it’s own, the toppings take it up a notch for presentation and extra flavor!

LOTS OF FLAVOR IN THIS BLACK BEAN SOUP

What makes this oil-free black bean soup so unbelievably delicious is the added smoked paprika and dried oregano, not something typically in a black bean soup, but it adds another dimension of flavor. I also added tomato paste for extra depth and keep it from being a boring, bland one-note black bean flavor. That with the salsa, cumin and lots of garlic and it truly even won over my husband!

I hope you all really love this Easy Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe!

MORE VEGAN SOUP RECIPES TO TRY:

Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
Low-fat Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup
Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
Lazy Red Lentil Curry Soup
Lazy Day Tomato Bisque
Easy Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup
Tomato Rice Vegetable Soup

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!

Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe (Oil-free)

Brandi Doming

5 from 36 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Yields 3

Ingredients

Two 15oz cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed (OR 3 cups cooked, 510g)
1 packed cup (160g) finely diced red onion
5 extra large garlic cloves, minced (12g) (Don't be shy, lots of flavor in garlic)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (this may vary depending on your beans)
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup (240g) medium-heat smooth salsa (IF your salsa is rather chunky, PUREE it first into a smooth consistency similar to applesauce, as you need and want the liquid and flavor to spread out into the soup)
3 tablespoons (45g) tomato paste

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

sliced avocado
lime wedges
freshly chopped cilantro
oil-free tortilla strips SEE DIRECTIONS

Instructions

Please follow these steps and the order of cooking and you will end up with an amazing soup. Have all of your ingredients ready to go, as the soup comes together rather quickly.
To a large pot, add the onion and 6 tablespoons (90g) water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, and then add the garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes until softened. If the water runs out, add just a tiny amount to keep the garlic from burning.
Add the cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and stir around for about 30 seconds until aromatic and the spices absorb the liquid.
Quickly add the 2 1/2 cups water, salsa, tomato paste and beans and stir well until smooth.
Turn the heat back to high and bring to a boil, once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if needed if it's starting to stick at the bottom, as you don't want to cook the soup away. This will vary depending on your stove top.
Remove from the heat. Scoop out about 2 scant cups of the bean soup and puree (as pictured) in a food processor. Add this back to the soup and stir in. This creates the best texture, as it thickens up the soup, while still having remaining liquid and whole beans in tact. At this point, taste it. Since I used low-sodium beans, mine needed more salt and I added another 1/4 teaspoon of salt and it was perfect. Depending on your beans and salsa, yours may vary.
Add to bowls and top with avocado, cilantro and lime wedges if desired.
If desired, you can also top with oil-free tortilla strips. Preheat an oven to 400°F and line a pan with parchment paper. Cut a few yellow corn tortillas into 1/2 inch thick strips. Lightly brush with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Bake until crispy and starting to turn golden brown, 5-8 minutes. Top over the soup and serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition stats are based off of 3 servings, with a serving being 2 cups each.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups per servingCalories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 11.1gFat: 1.2gPotassium: 927mgFiber: 10.4gSugar: 8.3gCalcium: 177mgIron: 6mg

Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!

Reader Interactions

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Comments

Shelly
October 18, 2019 at 6:06 pm

As someone who is never super confident in the kitchen, I love turning to your step by step (with pictures) recipes! Second soup of yours that I’ve made this week. Thanks heaps, it’s delish!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  October 19, 2019 at 7:24 pm
  This means so much to me, thank you Shelly!
  Reply
Ashley
February 21, 2020 at 9:57 pm

LOVE THIS! Just found this and your site today! Made it for lunch and cannot stop consuming it! Question: has anyone tried freezing portions of this? Incidentally, I’m doing a few make ahead meals in anticipation of an upcoming procedure. This would be delicious IF I can freeze a few servings and reheat without sacrificing much. Thank you so much!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  February 22, 2020 at 4:38 am
  That is so wonderful to hear, Ashley! So happy you loved this soup! I have not tried freezing this personally, but soups usually freeze really well, so I’d think it would freeze fine!
  Reply
Lynette Ohalleron
March 15, 2020 at 2:37 am

Wonderful oil free soup! I have made it several times, I add frozen corn the last five minutes of cooking. Thank you!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  March 15, 2020 at 6:56 am
  So happy you love it, thank you Lynette!
  Reply
Faye
May 16, 2020 at 2:30 am

This is so delicious!!! I also like the fact that it’s very easy to adjust the taste or the depth of the flavours by varying the spices. I had left overs and added more tomatoes and accidentally too much cumin and black pepper, which left it tasting more like a curry.
Love this recipe and this is definitely a keeper. Thank you!!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  May 16, 2020 at 6:34 am
  So happy to hear this Faye, thank you for the review!
  Reply
Laurel
August 26, 2020 at 12:21 am

I have used this recipe for delicious dehydrated backpacking meals. The only step I have to add for dehydrating is to mash the beans a little before I add them to the pot, so they rehydrate easier. It is so much healthier than the freeze dried meals for backpacking. It makes a big difference to have a delicious meal after hiking all day and setting up camp in the wilderness.
Reply
Stefany Hofmann
January 12, 2021 at 3:19 am
See Also
Cauliflower Muffins Recipe - Just 5 Ingredients!

Delicious and super easy! I added a can of corn and ate with corn tortillas. I’m on the 21 day Daniel Fast and this was some much needed weight in my stomach. Thank you!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  January 12, 2021 at 7:53 am
  Woohoo, that is amazing to hear, thank you Stefany!
  Reply
Kristen
March 20, 2021 at 11:35 pm

WOW!!!!
This is delicious!! I actually made this to save for later and when I was putting it in my jars, I was scraping the bottom of the pan to eat spoonfuls of it!
Reply
Brenda
August 29, 2021 at 1:48 am
Hi, I know it’s vegan, but how would I cut the sodium down? That’s to much for me. Thank you
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  August 29, 2021 at 6:30 am
  Just omit the salt and add to taste to your individual bowl!
  Reply
Andrea
August 31, 2021 at 6:52 am

This is the first black bean soup I made that I actually like. Thank you so much for this recipe. Nobody was able to tell that it’s oil free! And it’s super quick to make.
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  August 31, 2021 at 9:15 am
  That thrills me to hear, thank you Andrea!!
  Reply
Burt Rosen
October 14, 2021 at 4:15 am

This soup is great! So easy and so flavorful. I added a little cayene and a little more salt and it was perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  October 14, 2021 at 5:58 am
  Awesome to hear that Burt!!
  Reply
Judy
February 24, 2022 at 6:55 pm
This is delicious!! Great recipe. We used spicy salsa as we appreciate heat and it was a winner and will be a staple now since making it last week.
A question: making it for the kids this time so I’m going to mix the onion with the salsa so there’s less “what’s this?!” While they eat 😁 should I still cook the onion until soft before added to salsa or just do it raw? Thank you
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  February 24, 2022 at 8:16 pm
  Awesome! Yes, definitely cook the onion first or it’ll have an overbearing flavor!
  Reply
Sandra McSeveney
April 27, 2022 at 7:13 pm
Hi Brandi!
I’m cooking the black beans from scratch for the Black Bean soup, and when the beans are cooked, should I drain the cooking liquid off of them, or should I use some of it or all of it?
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  April 27, 2022 at 9:18 pm
  Hi Sandra! Yes, drain them first!
  Reply
Elaine McMullen
June 3, 2022 at 12:58 am

I made this soup! It was wonderful! So tasty! My family loved it! Thank you!
Reply
M.A.
December 8, 2022 at 2:09 am

Fantastic recipe, delicious, easy, and fast. It smells so good in here right now!
Reply
Joyce
January 23, 2023 at 1:41 am
This recipe is so good and simple. I did add spinach at the end and some extra ground red pepper. Loved it. Thanks!
Reply
Lynne
April 1, 2023 at 8:28 pm

Loved this! I’m in Houston and used H‑E‑B’s organic thick and chunky salsa, medium, which was pretty spicy. For guests, I’ll double recipe and use a mild and a medium salsa. The recipe is so good, I made it a second time after finishing the first batch. I like to get grains with my protein, so I added some red quinoa (counts as a grain though technically a seed) after blending the soup with the stick blender. I bake corn tortillas til crispy then breakup after crisped. The chips and avocado and cilantro at serving made it perfect!
Reply
Valerie
September 20, 2023 at 12:20 am

This is my new favorite black bean soup! I love how easy and quick it is to make. Flavor is on point!
Reply
Lisa
September 29, 2023 at 4:28 am
Very tasty! I had a bunch of sprouted black beans I cooked up in my Instant Pot. I used 3 cups in this recipe. Delish! I don’t think I used as much smoked paprika as the recipe called for. I was at the end of my jar. Didn’t matter. Lots of flavor. I’m buying more smoked paprika tomorrow and using the rest of my beans. Yum!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  September 29, 2023 at 10:33 pm
  So happy you loved it Lisa!!
  Reply
Cami
December 10, 2023 at 5:24 am

I never review recipes online but this one was so good that I just had to! My family and I have recently switched to a more plant-based diet and we’ve been shocked at how much we don’t miss meat when eating meals like this one. Thank you!!!
Reply
Andraya
February 12, 2024 at 6:58 pm

I love this recipe! I will be making this again and again!
Reply
- brandi.doming@yahoo.com
  February 13, 2024 at 6:49 am
  Really lovely to hear that Andraya!
  Reply

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Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe (Oil-free) (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken black bean soup? ›

Pureeing or mashing one can of the black beans in this recipe helps thicken the soup's texture. If you would like your soup even thicker, you can remove some of the soup into a separate bowl and whisk in a little flour or cornstarch. Return the mixture to the pot of soup and stir to thicken.

See Details ›

Do you need to soak black beans before making soup? ›

In the course of his testing, Yonan found that soaking only cut down cooking time by 25 to 30%, and it also had real drawbacks. "You lose a lot of flavors when you soak them," Yonan says. "I've never had a pot of black beans as good soaking as when I don't soak them.

Learn More Now ›

How do you make black bean soup less bitter? ›

Sometimes black beans can come out tasting bitter. To prevent this, be sure to use an appropriate amount of salt. This recipe calls for a tablespoon, but don't forget to taste for salt when your soup is finished and add more if desired; it will depend on how salty your bacon is, too.

Discover More ›

How to make bean soup thicker without cornstarch? ›

Blend Your Soup

This works especially well with soups that contain starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, or even beans. Simply take a cup or two of the soup, chunks and all, and puree it until it's creamy and smooth. Return it to the pot and stir.

Learn More ›

What is the best thickener for soup? ›

Cornstarch is a great option as it is a natural thickening agent, but you'll want to be careful about how much you use. Start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked together with cold water to create a slurry. Then, gradually add the slurry to the soup, letting it boil for one to two minutes before adding more.

Keep Reading ›

What happens if you don't soak black beans? ›

What happens if you don't soak the beans before cooking? Short answer: They take longer to cook. Long answer: Many people claim that soaking beans is not necessary. The argument for this method is while it does take longer to cook, unsoaked beans end up having better flavor.

Get More Info ›

Do I drain canned black beans for soup? ›

"It's fine to add the bean liquid to many recipes, but if you want to reduce the amount of sodium, it's best to drain and rinse canned beans," the website states. "A 2009 study conducted at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, showed that draining beans removes, on average, 36 percent of the sodium in canned beans.

See Details ›

What happens if you don't rinse black beans? ›

"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.

Read On ›

Are black beans healthier than regular beans? ›

As you can see from the nutrient breakdown chart of black beans vs. pinto beans, they are almost the same with only very slight nutritional differences. They both have 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber per cup.

Find Out More ›

Can I use cannellini beans instead of black beans? ›

Cannellini beans - These white beans have a mild flavor and a creamy texture, and can work well as a substitute for black beans in recipes like soups and stews.

Tell Me More ›

How do you reduce gas in bean soup? ›

Soaking overnight and then discarding the soaking water leaches out sugars in beans that are responsible for gas production. But if you don't have time for a traditional overnight soak, a quick soak is just as beneficial. Rinse the beans and then place them in a pot with three cups of water for each cup of dried beans.

How do you thicken watery black beans? ›

Either drain off some of the excess liquid, add a thickener such as a starch slurry, or simply cook the beans longer until the liquid reduces out.