It only takes 30 minutes to make THE BEST Black Bean Soup recipe with tomatoes, coconut milk and delicious Southwest flavors! This soup is smoky, spicy and oh-so-delicious! It's easy to make, gluten free, vegan, and most importantly, incredibly flavorful!
Add the olive oil to a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat.
Add the diced onion, bell pepper, celery and carrots.
Cook for 5-6 minutes, add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the drained and rinsed cans of black beans.
Season with the southwest seasoning and hot sauce.
Pour the coconut milk and vegetable broth into the pot, along with the tomato paste and diced tomatoes.
Bring to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir in the fresh squeezed lime juice.
Serve in bowls and top with the optional toppings of your choice, like fresh chopped cilantro, sliced avocado or shredded cheddar cheese.
Notes
You’ll want to dice the onion, bell pepper, celery and carrots into a small dice for this recipe, so they’re the same size, or smaller, than the black beans, adding wonderful texture to the soup without overpowering it with large chunks of vegetables.
To make this recipe in a slow cooker, refer to the blog post above for instructions.
Using the ingredients listed above, this recipe is naturally gluten free and dairy free, without any toppings. If you want to keep it dairy-free (and vegetarian), I recommend adding avocado on top for creaminess, instead of cheese or sour cream.
This recipe has a medium-to-high spice level, depending on how sensitive you are to spice. To reduce the spice, reduce the hot sauce to one teaspoon, instead of one tablespoon. To omit almost all of the spice, do not add any hot sauce. The southwest seasoning will bring a mild spice level to the soup.
If you want to thicken the broth of the soup, I recommend adding a cornstarch slurry at the end. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water, or chicken broth. Pour this mixture into the soup after the cooking time, along with the lime juice, and stir to combine.
To double this recipe, simply click on the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update.
Store leftover black bean soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
The soup can be reheated in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through. You can also add the soup to a slow cooker and reheat on low for 1 hour. To reheat the soup in the microwave, place a single serving of black bean soup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until heated throughout.
You can also freeze leftover black bean soup for up to 4 months. After the soup is cooked, let it cool before moving it to the freezer. To allow it to cool safely, place it in the refrigerator first. Once cooled, transfer the soup to a freezer safe Ziplock bag. Flatten the soup in the freezer bag for quicker and easier defrosting. When it’s time to defrost the soup, I recommend placing it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours to thaw. After it’s thawed, place it in a slow cooker on low heat for 3-4 hours to reheat. You can also reheat the soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.