Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup is one of our favourite one-pot comfort foods. It's sweet, smoky, spicy and super flavorful. And it takes just 30 minutes to make.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Sweet Potatoes are a versatile vegetable and they're so good with southwestern flavors like the chipotle, cumin, lime and cilantro in this delicious, healthy soup. This hearty vegan recipe is almost more of a sweet potato and black bean stew than a soup.
Jump to:
WHY YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT
- The recipe uses simple ingredients that you likely have on hand.
- This delicious sweet potato soup recipe is hearty, filling, and packed with delicious flavor.
- It's so quick and easy to make this delicious soup. Only 30 minutes!
- Sweet potato black bean soup is super healthy. It's loaded with vitamins, (especially Vitamin A) and minerals. It's also high in fiber, protein, and folate.
- Leftovers are great! The soup tastes even better the next day. This easy black bean soup recipe is perfect for meal prep and freezes well.
- It's a vegan soup so it's dairy free, and it's also gluten free.
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Olive Oil Olive oil has a distinct flavor which compliments the recipe, but you can use any oil to sauté the vegetables.
- Onion I used a standard yellow onion, and you can also use a white onion. A medium onion equals about one cup of diced onion.
- Carrot One large carrot is about one cup chopped.
- Celery Two ribs of celery is about one cup chopped.
- Garlic Add another clove of garlic if you are a garlic fan. Or you can use pre-minced garlic cloves.
- Vegetable Broth Store bought broths contain a lot of sodium. I like to use low sodium or no salt added broths so I can control the saltiness of the soup
- Corn Frozen corn is perfect and there is no need to defrost it. You can use canned corn kernels, but if you are using canned, add them in the last couple minutes of cook time.
- Sweet Potato The star of the soup, sweet potatoes can vary greatly in size. I used 2 medium-large sweet potatoes (3 pounds) to get four cups
- Black Beans One 15 ounce can of black beans. This is a quick and easy recipe, so I don't use dry beans here. It is, however a great way to use leftover cooked dried beans.
- Chipotle Pepper & Adobo Sauce This is a magical ingredient! Chipotle peppers, which are smoked jalapenos, come in a delicious spicy, smoky sauce called adobo. You get two ingredients in one! You can find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican food section of your grocery store.
- Lime Juice
- Cumin
- Salt & Pepper
HOW TO MAKE IT
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic until they soften.
- Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender.
HELPFUL TIPS
- There is a bit of chopping required to make this tasty soup. You can make it easier by using a food processor. I love my mini chopper for this. (It also doubles as an immersion blender, perfect for creamy soups).
- Look for low sodium or salt free vegetable broth. Add salt to your taste instead.
- Chipotle pepper adds a delicious smoky heat. If you prefer less spice, remove the seeds before dicing the chipotle. On the other hand, if you want to add more heat, use another chipotle. (Just be sure to taste first)
- A six to seven ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce contains several peppers. The extra peppers and sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days. You can use them in other recipes, like Chipotle Cheeseburgers or Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas.
- Extra chipotle peppers can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Store leftover soup in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, cool completely. Portion the soup into freezer bags or freezer containers. Freeze for up to three months. When you want to use it, thaw over night in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or in a covered sauce pan on low heat.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve sweet potato black bean soup garnished with fresh cilantro, green onions or parsley. You can also add a dollop of vegan sour cream, sour cream, or Greek yogurt to each serving.
Other great toppings are avocado slices, grated cheese, tortilla strips, or Spiced Lemon Roasted Chickpeas.
And you can never go wrong with Gluten Free Cornbread on the side. Of course, lime wedges are a must.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Although hearty black beans do lend themselves so well to southwestern flavors, you can! White beans, such as navy beans or cannellini beans will be delicious, too.
If you prefer a thicker soup, you can puree a portion of it. Use a slotted spoon to remove half of the soup and use an immersion blender to puree it. Then add the pureed portion back to the pot. I recommend doing this before adding the corn.
MORE SWEET POTATO RECIPES
It's sweet potato season, and if you're looking for more delicious sweet potato recipes, try some of these:
- Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
- Miso Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Buckwheat Soup with Turkey, Sweet Potato & Kale
- Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup with Chickpeas
- Sweet Potato Scallop
- Sweet Potato Mushroom Skillet
And don't forget to check out all of our other soup recipes, too!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 can black beans 15 ounce drained
- 4 cups vegetable stock low sodium
- juice of one lime
- 2 orange-fleshed sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes (four cups)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 chipotle pepper seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery.
- Turn heat to medium-low and cook until vegetables are tender about 5 minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients except cilantro.
- Simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- There is a bit of chopping required to make this tasty soup. You can make it easier by using a food processor. I love my mini chopper for this. (It also doubles as an immersion blender, perfect for creamy soups).
- Look for low sodium or salt free vegetable broth. Add salt to your taste instead.
- Chipotle pepper adds a delicious smoky heat. If you prefer less spice, remove the seeds before dicing the chipotle. On the other hand, if you want to add more heat, use another chipotle. (Just be sure to taste first)
- A six to seven ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce contains several peppers. The extra peppers and sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to seven days. You can use them in other recipes, like Chipotle Cheeseburgers or Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas.
- Extra chipotle peppers can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Store leftover soup in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, cool completely. Portion the soup into freezer bags or freezer containers. Freeze for up to three months. When you want to use the soup, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or in a covered sauce pan on low heat.
Laura
This sounds incredible! But I can't get Chipotle peppers /adobo sauce in my area. Can I use smoked paprika or liquid smoke?
Colleen
Hi Laura, thanks for this question. You can use either of those to add the smoky flavor. My preference would be the smoked paprika. If you still want that bit of heat from the peppers, I would also add some slices of jalapeno, or a little bit of cayenne pepper as well. I would love for you to share how it went! Enjoy.
Anna
Can one make this in an instant pot? If so, how long do you pressure cook for?
Colleen
Hi Anna! Thanks for this question. I haven't tried this soup in an instant pot. However the longest cooking time needed would be the cubed sweet potatoes, which take about 10 minutes instant pot, if that's any help.
Terri
I love the kick from the adobo sauce and it's so healthy!
Colleen
Hi Terri, I think the adobo sauce is what makes the soup, too!
Sean
Chipotles in adobo ARE magic! They work so, SO well in a soup like this (and alongside beans, corn, and sweet potatoes in general). They're definitely a real difference-maker here. Great, healthy recipe, and thanks for all the helpful tips!
Colleen
You're welcome, Sean! Thanks for your feedback!