Chef AJ’s Black Bean Soup

Name: Chef AJ's Black Bean Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 6 cups water or salt-free vegetable broth; 3 15-ounce cans salt-free black beans (or 4.5 cups freshly cooked); 16 ounce bag frozen corn; 4 cloves garlic; 1 cup red onion; 1 large sweet potato (peeled if not organic); 1 cup baby boc choy; 1 cup mushrooms; 1/2 cup oil-free (salt-free sun-dried tomatoes); 1 cup greens (kale, collard, mustard, chard, or combination); 1 tablespoon cumin; 1 table spoon oregano; 1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder; 1/2 cup lime juice; zest of 1 lime (optional)

ByTerri Edwards December 28, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

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Easy Black Bean Soup created by the one-and-only Chef AJ comes together quickly because it’s made with convenient canned black beans and loaded with wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes and onions and perfectly seasoned with warm spices. Everyone is going to love this vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian soup.

overhead shot of black bean soup in brown soup mug on colorful napkin with wooden spoon

Black beans are such an amazing legume that can be used to make so many recipes like this delicious soup as well as Black Bean Burgers, Brownies, and lots of other dishes like the ones on our Black Bean Recipes page. While you’re at it, check out this video of me on Chef AJ Live (this recipe author) demoing a recipe for black bean chili!

This black bean soup recipe is chock full of simple wholesome ingredients and versatile enough to be served as lunch or dinner for the family or to feed a whole crowd. Whoever you serve it to, it’s going to be a big hit!

Wooden bowls full of dry black beans on aged wooden table closeup.

Ingredients

One of the best things about this recipe is the crazy healthy ingredient list. Talk about fiber, protein, and phytonutrients!

Black beans- Take advantage of the convenience of salt-free canned black beans or make your own from scratch.
Vegetable broth- Water can be used in place of vegetable broth if desired.
Veggies- Fresh vegetables like corn, garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, greens, and mushrooms are on the list.
Spices- It’s warm spices that include cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and chipotle powder that really make this recipe.

The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.

How to make black bean soup

Start by gathering all of the ingredients. Believe it or not, there’s no need to cut any of the vegetables up because the soup will be blended once cooked.

If you’re using salt-free canned beans, it is not even necessary to rinse or drain them.

Place the water or vegetable broth in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the cooked beans, 1/2 of the frozen corn, garlic, onion, sweet potatoes, bok choy, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and greens.

Simmer uncovered for approximately 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to carefully blend. Be careful because the soup is going to be very hot. Wait for it to cool a little if needed.

black bean soup in stockpot with immersion blender

If you’re using a regular blender, process one or two cups at a time until pureed.

Stir in the cumin, oregano, chipotle powder, lime juice and zest, and the remaining corn. Combine well and serve. See toppings and serving suggestions.

close up of brown bowl with black bean soup topped with cilantro and pumpkin seeds

Recipe from the cookbook, “Unprocessed” (2022), by Chef AJ. Published here with permission. See the ‘About the Chef’ section below.

Topping ideas

These are some of my personal favorite soup topping options for this recipe.

Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Homemade 5-Minute Vegan Sour Cream
Chives
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Oil-Free Tortilla Chips
Avocado slices

What to pair with black bean soup

If you are wondering what goes well with black bean soup, take a look at these serving suggestions.

You might even try pairing this soup with Chef AJ’s Waldorf Salad.

vegan cornbread slice on silver plate with cast iron pan in background — Homemade Cornbread goes well with this black bean soup recipe.

Tips and Suggestions

Broth- To save money without losing any flavor, use 1/2 water and 1/2 vegetable stock.
Texture- To give more texture, set aside half of the beans and add to the soup at the end.
Make less- This makes a lot of soup, but the recipe can be cut in half.
Storing- Keeps in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It freezes well too.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!

If you try this recipe, please let us know how you like it by rating it and leaving a comment. We love to hear from you!

About the Chef

CHEF AJ is a chef, culinary instructor, and professional speaker, Chef AJ is well-known in the health and wellness community. Her successful daily YouTube broadcast, Chef AJ Live!, has 146,000 subscribers and 1,500 videos.

Chef AJ received her certification in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University. As Executive Pastry Chef at Sante Le Brea Restaurant in Los Angeles, she became famous for her desserts (free of gluten, sugar, oil, and salt) and has an upcoming release of these recipes. She is the creator of the Ultimate Weight Loss Program which has helped hundreds of people achieve optimal health through her delicious recipes and straightforward (while humorous) coaching style.

She co-authored with Glen Merzer The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss (2018) and Unprocessed (2010 & 2022) and contributed 75 recipes to Glen’s book Own Your Health (2021). She has been eating a plant-inclusive diet for over 43 years. For more information visit her website ChefAJ.com.

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