Black Bean Soup Recipe

You only need 10 minutes of prep for this healthy Black Bean Soup recipe that’s made in the Crock Pot! The hearty and satisfying vegan soup is a Panera Bread copycat, so pair it with a crusty baguette and your favorite toppings for a delicious vegetarian meal!

The vegetarian black bean soup from Panera has been one of my favorite options ever since that restaurant opened when I was in college. Imagine my delight when I created a homemade black bean soup from scratch that tastes exactly like the restaurant’s recipe! It’s thick, creamy, nutritious — and it can be prepared in my slow cooker. Hooray!

How to make a healthy Black Bean Soup recipe:

Finding a filling meal that is easy to prepare in advance, pleases a crowd of differing palates, and caters to most allergy and dietary restrictions can be HARD. After all, whatever you serve still has to taste good!

I love that I can put together this very affordable pot of soup in about 10 minutes, and then I can let my Crock Pot do the rest of the work!

Ingredients for Black Bean Soup:

• Dried black beans
• Vegetable broth
• Onion
• Carrot
• Celery
• Bay leaf
• Cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Liquid smoke (optional)

First, place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on LOW for about 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4-5 hours. Once the beans are tender, discard the bay leaf and use a handheld immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree the soup until it reaches the desired consistency.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with all of your favorite toppings!

What do you serve with Black Bean Soup?

Set out a variety of toppings and allow your guests to dress up their own bowls. Here are some good options:

• Tortilla strips or tortilla chips
• Diced avocado
• Sour cream
• Sliced green onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh lime wedges

I also like to pair the soup with a piece of crusty French baguette (just like they offer at Panera), which is a great vehicle for dipping!

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• This recipe makes a relatively small batch of soup (about 5 cups total). If you’re feeding a larger crowd, double all of the ingredients. The cooking instructions remain the same.
• Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. It can be completely smooth, or you can puree about half of the soup so that some beans and a chunky texture remain.
• Panera’s black bean soup recipe includes red bell pepper. You can add the bell pepper to this recipe as well! Just include a diced red bell pepper in the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients.
• Panera’s version also has a bit of “kick” to it. If you like a spicy black bean soup, add cayenne pepper to taste!
• Try adding a can of drained corn kernels to your soup after you puree some of it.
• For a creamy black bean soup, reduce the vegetable broth to 3 1/2 cups. At the end of cooking, puree the soup and then stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
• If you’re not trying to keep the soup vegetarian, you can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. Try making the black bean soup with sausage, too! You can stir in diced smoked sausage that has been browned in a skillet, or browned ground sausage of your choice.
• Leftovers of this black bean soup recipe will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Can I freeze Black Bean Soup? Absolutely! Packaged in an airtight container, this soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• How long to soak black beans? You don’t need to soak the black beans at all for this slow cooker recipe! Just add the rinsed dried beans to the Crock Pot and they will be tender by the end of the day.

More easy soup recipes that you might enjoy:

• Tortilla Soup
• Lentil Soup
• Minestrone
• Taco Soup
• Tomato Soup

Black Bean Soup Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 8 hours

0 minutes

Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Servings 5 cups

Calories 157.1 kcal

You only need 10 minutes of prep for this healthy Black Bean Soup recipe that's made in the Crock Pot!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ lb. dried black beans, rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 ¼ teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• Optional, for garnish: lime slices, sliced green onion, tortilla strips or chips, grated cheese, diced avocado, sour cream, fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook until beans are tender – approximately 8 hours on LOW or 4-5 hours on HIGH.
• Discard bay leaf.
• Use a handheld immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree the soup until it reaches desired consistency. You can puree all of the soup to make it smooth, or only puree about half of the soup if you like a chunkier texture. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with desired toppings.

Notes

• This recipe makes a relatively small batch of soup (about 5 cups total). If you're feeding a larger crowd, double all of the ingredients. The cooking instructions remain the same.
• Puree the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. It can be completely smooth, or you can puree about half of the soup so that some beans and a chunky texture remain.
• Panera's black bean soup recipe includes red bell pepper. You can add the bell pepper to this recipe as well! Just include a diced red bell pepper in the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients.
• Panera's version also has a bit of "kick" to it. If you like a spicy black bean soup, add cayenne pepper to taste!
• Try adding a can of drained corn kernels to your soup after you puree some of it.
• For a creamy black bean soup, reduce the vegetable broth to 3 1/2 cups. At the end of cooking, puree the soup and then stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
• If you're not trying to keep the soup vegetarian, you can use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. Try making the black bean soup with sausage, too! You can stir in diced smoked sausage that has been browned in a skillet, or browned ground sausage of your choice.
• Leftovers of this black bean soup recipe will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Can I freeze Black Bean Soup? Absolutely! Packaged in an airtight container, this soup will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• How long to soak black beans? You don't need to soak the black beans at all for this slow cooker recipe! Just add the rinsed dried beans to the Crock Pot and they will be tender by the end of the day.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 157.1kcalCarbohydrates: 34.5gProtein: 9.5gFat: 0.7gSodium: 367.5mgPotassium: 791.1mgFiber: 8.3gSugar: 4.6gVitamin A: 2315IUVitamin C: 7.8mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 2.7mg

Keyword: black bean soup, black bean soup recipe, Slow Cooker Soup

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in September, 2015. It was updated in December, 2019.