Vegetarian Crockpot Black Bean Soup

This vegetarian Crockpot Black Bean Soup is an EASY slow cooker dinner idea that’s simple, tasty, and perfect for the fall and winter weather. It only requires 11 ingredients!

This soup is the perfect thing to serve as the weather cools down. It’s super easy to make, just chop an onion, bell pepper and pour all of the ingredients in a slow cooker!

To make this soup nice and creamy, use an immersion blender before serving to blend it all up. I left about ⅓ of the soup unblended to give it a bit of texture and chunkiness.

Why This Recipe Works

It’s made in your slow cooker. You don’t have to put in much effort because the crockpot does all the work for you. It is almost 100% Dump-and-Go!

There are only 74 calories. Imagine eating this incredible soup and realizing it’s low in calories.

Filled with nutrients. Each serving has protein, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium, and iron.

It’s freezer friendly. Saving this soup is so simple and you can have it on hand for quick dinner or lunch.

Meal prep friendly. Turn this soup into a meal prep recipe by making it all with the idea it is all going into the freezer in portion sizes for emergency dinners or lunches for work.

🥣 Ingredients

Black bean soup is so easy to make in your slow cooker, you’ll be wishing you had been making it this way for years and years.

Now, let’s talk about some of the ingredients.

Black Beans: Of course, black beans are the most important ingredient in this soup. I recommend using canned black beans. It saves a lot of time!

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: These add a little kick of flavor to the soup. If you like your soup a little bit spicier, you can always add more red pepper flakes or even a dash of cayenne pepper.

Vegetable broth: Adding broth is very important to achieve the best flavor. Swap the vegetable broth for chicken or beef if you’d rather, but you would no longer have it vegetarian.

🥄 Instructions

This incredible soup only requires two steps. It can’t get much easier than that.

Step One: Add the beans (don’t drain them), olive oil, onions, bell pepper, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, vegetable broth, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to the crockpot. Mix well and cook on high for 2 – 2 ½ hours.

Step Two: Remove the bay leaves from the slow cooker and blend the soup with an immersion blender. Mix well and top with sour cream.

📌 Expert Tips

• Use an immersion blender to create a creamy texture before serving the soup.
• This black bean soup does have a hint of heat thanks to the small amount of crushed red pepper flakes. Adjust based on your taste buds.
• This goes great with rice, sour cream, and green onions.
• If you want to make this even more hands-off, use frozen chopped onions and peppers so this is a pure dump-and-go recipe.

I love mixing some sour cream into the soup after serving it up. It definitely takes the flavor and creaminess to a new level. It kind of reminds me of frijoles, so I HIGHLY recommend adding a little sour cream to yours.

🍲 Meal Prep

Prepare the soup as directed and save it in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Grab, defrost, reheat and enjoy whenever you need a quick meal.

To freeze, scoop a single serving into a quart sized freezer-safe Ziploc bag. Label it and lay it flat in the freezer.

🥘 Variations

There are tons of things you can do to make it your style. The flavors are perfect together as it is, but if you’re like me, it’s always fun to add some extra things here and there. Try some of these ideas:

• Avocado – After the black bean soup has cooked and you have mixed it, add some chopped avocado on top. It’s super creamy and tastes lovely with the beans. 
• Tomatoes – Cook some diced tomatoes in the soup for some extra flavor. I love the way the tomatoes taste in the soup, and they don’t take over the other flavors. 
• Cilantro – Sprinkle on some cilantro after the soup is cooked. Trust me, it’s incredible!
• Salsa – Add a dollop or two of salsa to the top of the soup. You can go with a hot or mild version depending on what you like the best. 
• Onions – Add some fresh cut onions on top of the soup right before serving for some fresh crunchiness. Yummy!
• Ham – Dice up a few pieces of ham and toss it into the soup. It will add a little extra chunky flavor as well as some added protein. Plus, it will be like a Mexican flair on ham and beans!
• Carrots – Chop some carrots and toss them into the soup. They add a subtle sweetness and some color. 
• Celery – Add 1 or 2 stalks and chop them. Sprinkle them into the soup at the end of the cook, and they will enhance the flavor too. 

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