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This easy black bean soup recipe is so easy to make – it’s a Panera Copycat! It’s a cozy and comforting soup that is ready to serve in 30 minutes.

soup in blue bowl with corn on top.


I started making this soup when Panera discontinued its Black Bean Soup. It used to be my go-to and I was so sad when it wasn’t there! This black bean soup recipe is one of my favorites to make because it’s easy and is ready to go in less than an hour. Add a simple salad and crusty french bread on the side for a complete dinner that doesn’t take forever to make.

soup in pot with ladle.

Ingredient Notes

  • Vegetables: Onion, Garlic, Jalapeno, Peppers – be sure to finely chop them! Personally I like a smoother soup, so the smaller the better.
  • 2 cans Black Beans: You don’t need to drain them – their liquid is going to help thicken the soup.
  • Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock: Use a good quality stock. You can also use vegetable stock for a vegetarian recipe. I prefer low sodium chicken broth.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

How to make Black Bean Soup

  1. Sauté the vegetables with the oil in a large pot until they’ve softened. 
  2. Add the beans, seasonings and stock, cover and cook it all together for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Add the corn and once it’s warmed through the soup is ready to serve!
soup in blue bowl with corn on top.

Storing and Make Ahead Instructions

This soup is a great make-ahead recipe and keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator. In fact, allowing it to sit overnight just develops the flavors further so it’s even better the next day. Make it ahead and you have easy dinners and lunches for the week!

You can also freeze the soup in airtight containers. To reheat, I like to thaw it in the refrigerator and then simmer it on the stove to warm it up.

Expert Tips

  • Make Spicy Black Bean Soup by upping the spices – add some red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper, and use some of the seeds from the jalapeno.
  • Make this in the slow cooker by sauteeing all the vegetables on the stove as directed, then dumping all the ingredients into your crockpot and cooking on low for 6-8 hours.
Quick black bean soup

Black Bean Soup Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes
Easy Black Bean Soup is a 30 minute meal! This easy soup recipe is full of flavor and the perfect meal for a cold day. Black beans make a vegetarian soup the perfect dinner!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 6 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 medium red pepper finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cans 15 ounces each black beans
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place a 3 quart pan or stock pot over medium heat. Add the oil and heat.
  • Add the onion, red pepper, and jalapeno to the pan. Cook until they start to soften, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute.
  • Add the black beans with their liquid, the salt, pepper cumin and stock. Stir and cover. Bring to a boil and cook 15-20 minutes or until flavors are combined. Stir in corn and cook just until the corn is heated through.
  • Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cilantro.
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Recipe Notes

  • Top it with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and some shredded cheese.
  • For some crunch, add some tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips.
  • Add a dollop of sour cream with some sliced green onions or diced red onion.
  • Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice
  • Make Spicy Black Bean Soup by upping the spices – add some red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper, and use some of the seeds from the jalapeno.
  • Make this in the slow cooker by sauteeing all the vegetables on the stove as directed, then dumping all the ingredients into your crockpot and cooking on low for 6-8 hours.
 

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American

Serving Suggestions

What do you eat with black bean soup?

  • Top it with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro.
  • Some shredded cheese works well, too! Cheddar, Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese sprinkled on top is so good.
  • For some crunch, add some tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips.
  • Add a dollop of sour cream with some sliced green onions or diced red onion.
  • Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
  • This soup would go great with homemade dinner rolls!

Favorite Soup Recipes

Easy Black Bean Soup is a 30 minute meal! This easy soup recipe is full of flavor and the perfect meal for a cold day. Black beans make a vegetarian soup the perfect dinner!



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

4.50 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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4 Comments

  1. This soup is amazing! I only used 1/2 tsp. cumin, but other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. SO good!

  2. As a vegetarian, Iโ€™ve made soups similar to this but thought Iโ€™d give this one a try. Once I started to put it together I decided to decrease the amount of stock and add a can of Rotel – the black beans were just feeling heavy to me. And mine definitely didnโ€™t look like the pictures in the recipe (which I thought looked purรฉed, like it had been hit with an immersion blender). Mine was chunky and hearty, less of a purรฉe. Not sure what I did wrong but it tasted good served with jalapeรฑo cornbread.

  3. This sounds so yummy! I love black beans. I make lots of soups during the fall and winter and this will definitely be added to the mix.

  4. This looks so yummy!! Do you have a suggestion for the bell pepper if someone in the family HATES all peppers? LOL. A seasoning i could sneak in? Thanks. Jen