This healthy crock-pot black bean soup is packed with hearty plant-based protein, veggies, and spice and is oh-so-easy to make. It practically makes itself!
Brace yourself because I’m getting ready to say something that I don’t say very often…
Break out your crock-pot!!
Yep, dig out your crock-pot because you need it to make this healthy black bean soup recipe!
You may already know this, but I’m not a colossal crock-pot fan, so I don’t say that often. I love crock-pots for slow-cooking soups and the time savings of using them. However, the recipes I have made don’t always turn out right.
This healthy crock-pot black bean soup is packed with hearty plant-based protein, veggies, and spice. It’s so easy to make; it practically makes itself. It’s light on calories, high in fiber, and easy on your wallet. This a great recipe to try for Meatless Monday or any day of the week!
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Black Bean Soup
The main components of this soup are beans, veggies, spices, and liquid. You may already have many of these ingredients in your fridge and pantry. The recipe card at the end of this post lists the full ingredient list and measurements.
Veggies: garlic, onion, celery, and carrots.
Beans: You’ll need 1 pound of dried uncooked black beans.
Salsa: more deliciously spicy veggies make this soup so very flavorful. Use any brand of salsa you like. Homemade would be even better!
Herbs and Spices: chili powder, cumin, and Mexican oregano. I highly recommend using “Mexican Oregano” as it has a different flavor from regular oregano. (You can buy some HERE.)
Liquid: Vegetable broth makes this dish vegetarian for Meatless Monday. Water is needed to thin the soup a little more. And lime juice adds brightness and acidity to the savoriness of the beans.
Aren’t those beans gorgeous!?!
Many people judge black bean soup on its looks and think it is a bowl of mush. I’ll admit, it’s not much to look at, but we cannot forget the rainbow of fresh ingredients that go into the crock-pot from the start. That makes this soup naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free so that anyone can eat this soup.
Best of all, that rainbow of ingredients fills you up and warms your belly without expanding your waistline!
How To Make Healthy Black Bean Soup
This soup is easy to make because the crock-pot does most of the work for you. I’ll summarize the method here, but detailed instructions are provided in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Soak the Beans: soak the beans overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Combine: add all of the soup ingredients to the crock-pot. Set the heat high and forget the soup for 6-8 hours.
- Blend: when the soup has finished cooking, it will be chunky, so you may want to blend it.
To blend, use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender in batches; puree until smooth and creamy.
Pureeing the soup makes the soup thick and mushy. If the mushy look of the black bean soup bothers you, you can skip pureeing and serve the black bean soup as it is, with whole beans, chunks of vegetables, and broth. Another option is to go half and half and only puree half of the soup so that it’s thick and smooth but still has some texture. It’s up to you and what you like best.
Toppings For Your Soup
Jalapeno, fresh cilantro, avocado, sour cream, green onion, tortilla chips, cheese, and rice are all delicious additions to this soup. Use whatever combinations you like.
This soup is perfect for busy days. Just let the crock-pot do all the work. When ready to eat, blend up the soup and add your choice of toppings. You have a healthy meal in a bowl in just a few minutes.
So what are you waiting for? Break out your crock-pot and make this soup! If you try this soup, please let us know how it turns out by dropping a comment below. We love hearing your feedback.
Healthy Crock-Pot Black Bean Soup
Useful Equipment:
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 1 pound dried uncooked black beans
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- juice of one lime (divided)
Serving suggestions: jalapeno, fresh cilantro, avocado, sour cream, green onion, tortilla chips, cheese, rice
Instructions
- Rinse the dried beans inside a colander with cold water. Rinse well and pick out any tiny rocks or twigs that might be in with the beans. Pour the beans into a large bowl and cover with water to about 3 to 4 inches above the top of the beans. Soak 8 hours or overnight. Or, for a quick soak, add the beans to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, over high heat for one to two minutes. Turn off the heat, cover and let soak for one hour.
- Combine all the vegetables, spices, broth and water in a 5 to 7-quart crock-pot. Squeeze in the juice of only ½ the lime, reserving the other half for later. Stir well; cover with the lid and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.
- Once the beans are very soft, add the other half of the lime juice. Blend the soup* with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender in batches; puree until smooth and creamy. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm with fresh cilantro, jalapeno or any toppings of your choice.
Notes
To blend, use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender in batches; puree until smooth and creamy.
Pureeing the soup makes the soup thick and mushy. If the mushy look of the black bean soup bothers you, you can skip pureeing and serve the black bean soup as it is, with whole beans, chunks of vegetables, and broth. Another option is to go half and half and only puree half of the soup so that it’s thick and smooth but still has some texture. It’s up to you and what you like best.
Nutrition
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Diane says
I’ll have to try this. Just made a three bean salad today. Didn’t have any black beans so used, cut green beans, yellow wax beans and kidney beans. Doctor says I have to eat differently including NO RED MEATS, so beans are a great solution. Bet your soup is delicious!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Definitely, give this a try Diane. Good luck with your new diet. It isn’t as hard as you think! 😉
chef mimi says
So, you got that soup puréed with a hand immersion blender? I must not be patient enough, because I have to use my blender. A beautiful soup!
The Mountain Kitchen says
I actually don’t own a blender, so I have to be patient…lol! The beans were so tender the pureed up nicely. 🙂
chef mimi says
hahahahaha! well that explains a lot! Beautiful photos, by the way.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you Mimi! 🙂
Elizabeth Maness says
My daughter just gave me your Half Baked Harvest book for my birthday and then I realized I had pinned this one just a couple of weeks ago! Is it possible to make this on a stovetop as well?
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Elizabeth, I’m afraid you have me mixed up with someone else. I don’t currently have a recipe book available. However, you did pin my recipe and yes, you could absolutely make this black bean soup on the stovetop. Simply bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Just be sure to stir it every now and again to ensure there is no sticking. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Debbie says
My husband just loves black beans and we just happened to have a bag of dry black beans in the cupboard, so we fixed a batch and it was so good! The only change I made was I had some homemade Taco seasoning and I added that in. Had just a nice little kick. I put it in my food processor in batches and it was so good. We added some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Thanks for the recipe. Love those mountains in the background — I grew up in those WV mountains!!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Debbie! I’m so glad you liked the soup! I think taco seasoning sounds dreamy and will try that next time I make this. Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment. I love hearing from those who try our recipes!