Skip to Content

Spicy Black Bean Soup with Mexican Influences

Spicy black bean soup, a delicious & 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.

Spicy vegan black bean soup with Mexican influences.

Simple & 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 like I use in my slow cooker tomato and bean soup, or tinned beans like 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!

Overhead spicy vegan black bean soup with Mexican influences.

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 box 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 in 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!

Close-up spicy vegan black bean soup with Mexican influences.

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.

Overhead spicy vegan black bean soup topped with crispy tortillas and fresh coriander.

Equipment Used

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

  • Stovetop.
  • 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
  • Colander or sieve.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Blender.
Spicy Mexican black bean soup topped with crispy tortillas, sour cream and fresh coriander.
Yield: 4 Servings

Spicy Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This delicious vegan spicy black bean soup is loosely based on a Mexican dish called sopa de frijol negro, it is delicious, quick and really easy!

Ingredients

  • 2 x 400g (14oz) Tins Black Beans
  • 1 Medium (150g) Onion
  • 1 Medium (125g) Tomato
  • 1 Jalapeno Pepper
  • 6 Garlic Cloves
  • 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil (I use rapeseed or canola oil)
  • 1 Tsp Chipotle Chilli Paste
  • 1 Tsp Oregano
  • 175ml-250ml (¾-1 Cup) Cold Water
  • 175ml (¾ Cup) Liquid from Tinned beans

Instructions

  1. Drain the beans into a sieve or colander reserving the liquid and then run them under cold water for a couple of minutes.
  2. Peel the onion and cut it into 8 wedges.
  3. Cut the tomato into quarters.
  4. Cut the stem off of the jalapeno pepper.
  5. Bash the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and then peel off the papery outer layer.
  6. Heat the oil in a medium (20cm or 8") saucepan over a high heat and add the onion, tomato and jalapeno pepper and cook until they start to char and darken up, this will take around 8-10 minutes.
  7. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then remove from the heat.
  8. Stir in the chipotle chilli paste, ground cumin and oregano until everything is coated then transfer to a blender.
  9. Add the black beans, including 175ml of liquid from the tin to the blender along with the cold water and blend until very smooth. You can also pulse this soup and leave it chunky if you prefer.
  10. Return the soup to the pan place on a low heat on the stovetop and simmer for 10 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 540Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 662mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 21gSugar: 8gProtein: 30g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love.

Friday 9th of September 2016

Who's ready for soup season? This girl. Definitely adding this to my fall/winter rotation because Mexican flavors are my jam!

Brian Jones

Monday 12th of September 2016

I'm always ready for soup and it is always in season for me although others seem to disagree ;)

Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe

Wednesday 7th of September 2016

I love spicy Black Bean Soup - and I TOTALLY love your red pepper addition! We won't have cool weather for a little while here, but this soup is definitely going on my must make list when we start seeing low temps :)

Brian Jones

Friday 9th of September 2016

Good stuff I hope you enjoy it!

Jennifer

Monday 29th of August 2016

haha! I love your logic for cooling down on a hot day. And a big bowl of spicy goodness like this soup sounds like it would do the trick just nicely. I love spicy Mexican (any) food and this is something that I will definitely need to add to the list for making soon!

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of September 2016

It's my excuse and I am sticking to it, I use reverse logic in winter to justify my love of spicy food then too ;)

Emily

Friday 26th of August 2016

I'm not usually a soup kinda person but this looks absolutely delicious, love it!

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of September 2016

Noooo, surely everyone is a soup person ;)

Diana

Friday 26th of August 2016

Bean soup is one of my favourite soups ever! And who doesn't love Mexican food!

Brian Jones

Friday 2nd of September 2016

Totally with you on that Diana :)

Skip to Recipe