Smoky Vegan Black Bean Soup Recipe

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Smoky Vegan Black Bean Soup recipe from scratch with earthy comforting tones from smoked paprika, carrots, celery and bay leaves. A simple plant based soup or stew, no ham, no bones, no bacon, totally cruelty free made with only clean, meatless and wholesome ingredients. Simply the Best!

Best Black Bean Soup Recipe

To enjoy this soup to the max make sure to bring out that big bag of tortilla chips or bake a loaf of crusty bread to go with it. Take a minute to dice up some fresh tomatoes, onion and avocado and toss with fresh lime juice or garnish with this pretty Italian tomato salsa.

How to Make Vegan Black Bean Soup from Scratch

  1. Start by soaking dry beans for 6 hours.
  2. Sautee your aromatics until they start to caramelize.
  3. Simmer the soaked beans together with aromatics and spices until tender.
  4. Season to taste with smoked sea salt in the last few minutes of cooking. This prevents the beans from hardening up and yields a creamy texture.
  5. Serve with cilantro, lime, avocado, fresh tomato salsa and some potato flatbread.

How long do we soak the beans?

Because you just never know how old the beans might be, It is crucial that you soak the beans in water for 5 to 6 hours and up to 8 before cooking. Please do not skip this step! This process will yield the creamiest bean texture without turning into mush and also exponentially cuts down on the cooking time. I’m not a fan of soaking beans overnight as that could mean 12 hours sometimes which I feel totally interferes with texture.

How to Thicken Bean Soup

Since this soup is made from scratch using dry beans, it is naturally thick and creamy. To thicken it even more you can continue cooking it down or carefully transfer about a third of it to a powerful blender and process until silky smooth then mix in with the rest of the soup. This will give you a nice balance between creamy and rustic textures but if you take a look at the photos you can see how nice and thick it turned out for me without pureeing anything.

On Storage

This recipe makes a big pot of beans and I am proud to say none of it ever goes to waste. It is best stored in glass containers with a lid and refrigerated for 5 to 6 days. Alternatively it can be frozen (after it has cooled down completely) in freezer proof mason jars or containers up to 6 months.

Add Ins Ideas

  • Golden or sweet potatoes added in the last 15 minutes of cooking
  • Lacinato kale, escarole or baby spinach
  • Cooked brown rice, barley or quinoa
  • Grilled corn + red lentils
  • Diced pumpkin or butternut squash.
  • Roasted broccoli.

Why You’ll Love It:

  • one pot wonder
  • made without broth, just pure water for ultimate flavor
  • healthy, gluten and oil-free
  • super easy to make from scratch
  • packed with clean protein, vitamins & micronutrients
  • naturally thick & creamy + a little spicy
  • good for you, good for the heart.
  • pure vegetarian – no dairy!

More Bean Recipes

smoky vegan black bean soup

Healthy Vegan Black Bean Soup from Scratch
5 from 5 votes

Smoky Vegan Black Bean Soup

Healthy and smoky vegan black bean soup recipe from scratch with earthy comforting tones from smoked paprika, carrots, celery and bay leaves. A simple soup or stew, no ham, no bones, no bacon, totally cruelty-free made with only clean and wholesome ingredients.
Print Recipe
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:1 hour 20 minutes
Soaking Time::6 hours
Total Time:7 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Rinse and soak your black beans for six hours. Drain.
    2.5 cups dry black beans
  • Preheat your large heavy bottom cast iron pot over medium low heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and red pepper flakes and sautee in a drizzle of olive oil until softened and the veggies start to get a little color around the edges. (Use a splash of water instead of oil for WFPB + Plantricious compliance). Stir in the smoked paprika, onion and garlic powder, give everything a good stir.
    1 yellow onion, 2 carrots, 2 ribs celery, 2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Add the soaked beans to the pot together with the water and bay (+ Kombu if using) and bring to a simmer. Add liquid smoke if using. Cover with a tight lid and cook on medium heat for about one hour - make sure the pot is at a constant bubble. Stir a few times during cooking to make sure nothing sticks and check your beans at the 45 minute mark.
    2.5 cups dry black beans, 3 leaves bay, 5-6 cups water, 2 tsp liquid smoke, 1 piece Kombu seaweed (3x3 inch piece)
  • Once the texture of the beans is perfectly soft and creamy but the beans still hold their shape add the nutritional yeast. Season to taste with the smoked applewood sea salt at this point and extra red pepper flakes for heat.
    smoked applewood sea salt taste, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Remove the lid and continue simmering if you like to reduce the soup at this point. Or If you prefer a thinner soup at this point feel free to add a little bit more water or veggie broth but not too much. (Also keep in mind that sometimes beans take longer sometimes less time to achieve that perfect texture so it's important to keep an eye on them).
  • Serve hot garnished with fresh tomato salsa, cilantro, avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime. Pairs well with a chunk of crusty bread, potato flatbread or crispy tortilla chips.
    1 pinch red pepper flakes, 2 limes for serving, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro for garnish

WFPB + Plantricious

  • To make your beans compliant just make sure to saute your veggies in water or veggie broth and omit all oil. Alternatively you can dump all the ingredients in one pot and cook away until done.
    Certified Plantricious Recipe

Slow Cooker Method

  • Literally throw everything but the salt into your crock and cook on low for 6 hours. Season to taste with the smoked sea salt and enjoy!

Notes

  • Storage: this soups stores well in glass containers with a lid and refrigerated for up to 6 days. Alternatively it can be frozen (after it has cooled down completely) in freezer proof mason jars or containers up to 6 months. 
  • Thicken: to thicken this soup even more you can continue cooking it down or carefully transfer about a third of it to a powerful blender and process until silky smooth then mix in with the rest of the bean soup. 
  • Kombu - This dried seaweed has been used for centuries to add both umami flavor and Iodine to dishes, so it is highly recommend to use a strip or 3x3 inch square here if available. Discard at the end of cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 41mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3554IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Latin
Keyword: black bean soup, vegan,, wfpb
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 135kcal
Author: Florentina

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10 Comments

  1. This recipe is very delicious, I had to add a little more water because I wanted my soup thinner and it was perfect. Now I have a use for all that smoked paprika I ordered in bulk. Thanks for sharing your recipes with us. 🙏🏼

  2. The flavors of these beans are so good, I just let mine simmer until thickened to more of a stew consistency and they taste amazing, I’m literally in love with black beans now. Thanks for sharing!

  3. This soup is absolutely wonderful. I made my beans ahead of time (for another recipe) and adjusted the cooking time and it all worked out. The smoked applewood salt added amazing flavor! I will be making this soup again!

    1. I’m so happy you enjoyed this Bethany, I love this bean soup so much I make it weekly ~ Florentina Xo’s

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