This sweet potato black bean soup is made with hearty black beans and tender sweet potatoes simmered in a thick broth infused with zesty spices. It's incredibly satisfying and loaded with flavor. A big bowl of this totally hits the spot on chilly fall evenings!
Who would have guessed that the humble, basic little black bean and one of the sweetest veggies out there could make such an amazing team? It's one of my favorite pairings, and I use it repeatedly with no regrets! Whether it's my sweet potato black bean enchiladas, sweet potato black bean burgers, or black bean sweet potato tostadas, recipes using this combination are always a hit. Today I'm using it again, but keeping things super simple. This sweet potato black bean soup only requires a handful of ingredients and less than an hour of (mostly hands-off!) time, but boy is it good!
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This soup is really easy to make, and the payoff is big! It starts with zesty Southwestern spices. Broth, sweet potato, and beans go in next, and after a bit of simmering you'll blend half the soup for a bowl that's got the perfect balance of thick, rich broth and chunky goodness. Pile some toppings on your bowl if you wish, then dig in! It's a comforting, meal-worthy soup you'll want to make again and again.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. Feel free to swap this out with another cooking oil, such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Tomato paste.
- Spices. You'll need ground cumin, smoked paprika, and dried oregano.
- Vegetable broth.
- Black beans. We're using canned black beans to make life easy. If you'd like to use dried beans, make sure you soak and fully cook them first. You'll need about 3 ½ cups of cooked beans.
- Sweet potato. I used a red sweet potato, but I see no reason you couldn't use an orange, white, or even purple one (as long as you don't mind purple soup!).
- Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed lime juice for the best flavor.
- Salt and pepper.
- Fresh cilantro. This is an optional topping, but the flavor is perfect for this soup. Feel free to skip it if you prefer.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the onion. Heat your oil in a large pot, then add diced onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, making sure to give it an occasional stir, until it softens a bit.
Step 2: Add garlic, spices, and tomato paste. Stir in minced garlic, tomato paste, and all of your spices. Sauté the mixture briefly, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
Step 3: Simmer. Add the broth, beans, and sweet potato. Turn up the heat and bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce it and let it simmer until the sweet potato is tender.
Step 4: Blend. Just blend about half. An immersion blender is the easiest way to do this, but you could also transfer half of the soup to a regular blender, then return it to the pot.
Step 5: Finish the soup. Take the pot off of heat and add some lime juice, along with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 6: Serve. Your sweet potato black bean soup is done! Ladle it into bowls and optionally sprinkle each with cilantro. Feel free to pile on any additional toppings you like as well!
Variations
- Stir-ins. After blending, stir in some greens and simmer the soup until they wilt, or add thawed frozen veggies (corn is great!).
- Heat it up. Add a minced jalapeño or some cayenne pepper at the same time as the garlic and spices, or season the finished soup with hot sauce to taste.
- Top it. Top your bowls with sliced avocado, shredded vegan cheese, tortilla strips or chips, vegan sour cream or cashew cream. Or get creative and use what you like!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just make sure your vegetable broth is gluten-free.
It's very mild. See the "Variations" section above if you'd like to add a little heat.
Nope! But you're welcome to do so if you prefer.
Beans and sweet potatoes are both starchy, so they can make for a very thick soup, and the thickness of your batch will vary depending on the brand of beans, the size of your sweet potato, and the heat level you simmer the soup at. If it seems too thick, just thin it with a bit of water.
Leftover sweet potato black bean soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 (15 ounce/425 gram) cans black beans, drained and lightly rinsed
- 1 medium sweet potato (about 1 pound), diced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh cilantro, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, beans, and sweet potato. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let the soup cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are very tender.
- Remove the pot from heat and blend about half of the soup, either using an immersion blender or by carefully transferring it to a conventional blender. Always use caution when blending hot liquids. You can thin the soup with some water if it seems too thick.
- Stir in the lime juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and top each one with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on ingredients, brands, portion sizes, and preparation methods.
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