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.
🥣 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.
Recipe FAQs
The red pepper flakes add a little bit of spice. It’s not overwhelming heat. So if you like it really hot, then I suggest adding more red pepper flakes.
To get even more heat, chop up some jalapeños and cook them in the soup too. Don’t hesitate to adjust the flavors and temperature to your liking.
Just keep in mind if you do add some extra red pepper flakes or jalapeños, it will be next to impossible to cool it back down, so start small and work your way up.
Yes, this black bean soup is very healthy! You will not only be filling up on a warm, comforting meal, but you will also get nutrient-rich ingredients that your body needs. Here is a breakdown of some of the ingredients and what they offer.
Black Beans – You will get lots of protein when you eat black beans, not to mention zinc, calcium, fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, vitamin K, phosphorus, and so much more. They are so good for you.
Onions – I love adding onions to many of my recipes, not just because they taste good but because they are healthy. They are low fat, low in calories, and have fiber, water, and protein. Who knew?
Bell Pepper – It doesn’t matter which color of bell pepper you use, they have vitamin E, potassium, folate, vitamin A, and more.
As you can see, that is just a small breakdown of a few of the ingredients and what they bring to the table! When you add additional ingredients like cilantro, avocado, salsa, and other fresh foods, you will get even more healthy food.
No, you don’t have to use canned black beans. I like to use them because they are convenient and I don’t always have time to rehydrate dried ones, even though they are less expensive. Use your favorite recipe for dried beans and add them to the crockpot. No matter what you use, it will taste the same, so it’s all about what is convenient for you.
It’s best to reheat the black bean soup in a saucepan on the stovetop if you have time. It takes a little longer to warm up, but I have found it to be the best. You can also cover the soup with a paper towel and heat it in the microwave. Stir it every minute or so until it’s hot. Be careful, because the beans can make your microwave a bit of a mess. That’s why it’s important not to skip the paper towel. Don’t ask me how I know that!
Typically, homemade black bean soup will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to allow the soup to cool down, then pour it into a plastic or glass container with a lid.
Additionally, you can freeze black bean soup for up to six months! Again, you will want to let it cool all the way and put it in a freezer-safe storage container. I like to put my soups in freezer bags. Then once they are frozen, I can easily move them to make more room in the freezer. As an added bonus, you can download my free editable freezer label to stick on the bag.
Related Recipes
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Crockpot Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz Black Beans cans, undrained
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- ½ tbsp Dried Oregano
- ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Mix well. Cover. Cook on high for 2 to 2.5 hours.
- Remove bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to blend soup to desired consistency. Mix well. Serve over rice with sour cream, if desired.
Notes
To get even more heat, chop up some jalapeños and cook them in the soup too. Don’t hesitate to adjust the flavors and temperature to your liking.
Just keep in mind if you do add some extra red pepper flakes or jalapeños, it will be next to impossible to cool it back down, so start small and work your way up. Substituting dry beans- You don’t have to use canned black beans. I like to use them because they are convenient and I don’t always have time to rehydrate dried ones, even though they are less expensive. Use your favorite recipe for dried beans and add them to the crockpot. No matter what you use, it will taste the same, so it’s all about what is convenient for you. Reheating- It’s best to reheat the black bean soup in a saucepan on the stovetop if you have time. It takes a little longer to warm up, but I have found it to be the best. You can also cover the soup with a paper towel and heat it in the microwave. Stir it every minute or so until it’s hot. Be careful, because the beans can make your microwave a bit of a mess. That’s why it’s important not to skip the paper towel. Don’t ask me how I know that! Black Bean Soup will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze this for up to 6 months in a freezer safe bag or container. Use our free downloadable Freezer Labels here if you want to use a bag.
Nutrition
This was great! I added a few of the additions suggested (ham and diced tomatoes), along with more seasoning than the recipe called for because of my family’s preferences.
Those are great additions! I love that you adapted for your family, Kailey!! Thanks for stopping by! Ginny
How did you get your nutrition facts??? They are way off..
Hi there! We are in the process of moving all the old recipes from using the to the WP Recipe Maker which has incredible calorie and nutritional content! We were bothered by that as well and don’t want to lead others down the wrong path. You should see corrections soon! Thanks for helping us out! Cheers!
Hey there! Recipe caloric count updated! Thanks again!
I have got to make this black bean soup and stir in the sour cream as you mentioned! It looks fabulous!