Spicy Black Bean Soup with Mexican Influences

Spicy black bean soup, a delicious and easy vegan recipe with Mexican influences that uses canned beans and gets its heat from chipotle paste.

It cooks in right around 30 minutes and can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 5 days if stored properly.

Simple and Quick Mexican Black Bean Soup

There ain't no finer way to fill yer belly on a cold winter's day than a hearty soup.

This spicy black bean soup is loosely based on a Mexican soup called sopa de frijol negro, and it is both delicious and easy.

Beans appear in an awful lot of my soup recipes.

Whether they are dried beans as I use in my slow cooker tomato and bean soup, or tinned beans as I use in my Hungarian babgulyas, chorizo and butter bean stew or cabbage and white bean soup, they are wonderful.

Here I use tinned black beans to create a quick sub-30-minute dish that is bursting with big flavours.

The spice comes from both chipotle paste and jalapeno pepper; the flavours are rounded out with plenty of garlic, some cumin and oregano.

Chipotle paste is glorious, and it stars in other recipes like my spicy sweetcorn soup, slow cooker chilli con carne and Mexican chicken stew!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use dried black beans?

Yes, this works exceptionally well with dried black beans. However, it does take an awful lot longer, even if you use a Pressure cooker to cook the beans!

Use 350ml (1¾) cups of the cooking liquid from the beans to form the liquid element of the soup.

Do I have to blend this into a smooth soup?

No, you can leave it chunky if you wish; however, you will need to blend the onion, tomato and jalapeno pepper.

Then gently mash the beans with the back of a fork or potato masher to get to the texture that you like.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, so long as it is stored in an airtight bag or tub, it will be fine in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How spicy is this soup?

Now that is an open question, how spicy something is very much depends on your tolerance to capsaicin. Use your taste buds, and if you are worried about the spice levels, start smaller and add more later!

Serving Suggestions

This Mexican-influenced black bean soup is either a starter or a light lunch for me.

It is perfect as a starter for my Mexican influenced chicken stew or something like these veggie burrito bowls.

I usually top this soup with a dollop of sour cream, some fresh coriander and some crispy tortilla strips.

If you are sticking with vegan, you could substitute the sour cream with vegan yoghurt with a squeeze of lime juice. You could even go with some coconut cream with a squeeze of lime.

I usually make my crispy tortilla strips in an air fryer. I just toss some corn tortillas in oil, then cook for 5-7 minutes, shaking regularly.

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/stovetop.
• 20cm or 8" saucepan.
• Colander or sieve.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Blender.
• A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.