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.
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
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.
Kristen
I love sweet potato in soup and this recipe did not disappoint. It was so flavourful. I love the smokiness. It was so good, the kids devoured it and that’s a win in our house! Thanks for sharing.
Colleen
Hi Kristen! I love hearing that you and your family love this soup. Thanks for your feedback!
Bernice
This is such a useful and tasty recipe. When I don't know what to make for dinner (and everything is in the freezer) I make soup. This one was incredibly tasty and filling. We don't miss the meat at all.
Colleen
Hey Bernice! I do the same thing, soup is my fall back in the fall and winter. I'm so glad this sweet potato soup was a hit. Thanks for commenting!
Kristina
Wonderful recipe with wonderful flavor. I used slightly less cumin (not a huge fan) but there was still tons of flavor from everything else that it made no difference. My family loved it, and I plan to try it in the pressure cooker next. Oh, and use the food processor to chop everything up- prep time is much quicker that way.
Colleen
Hi Kristina, I'm very glad that your family loved this delicious soup! Thanks for sharing your tweaks.
Vanessa
Such a flavorful and filling soup! It's perfect for my lunch meal prep.
Colleen
Hi Vanessa! I'm so glad to hear this. Enjoy!
Mary
I love a soup that tastes better the next day. I am so into soups and stews right now and this one made the cut. Delicious.
Colleen
Hi Mary. Don't you just love soup season? I'm so happy to hear that this sweet potato soup made the cut. Thanks for commenting!
Marie B
I'm always on the lookout for main meal soups like this! Looks filled with healthy ingredients and the colors are irresistible!
Colleen
Hi Marie. I hope you give this sweet potato soup a try!
Ava M
I don’t like thick soups, so this recipe is perfect for me. It has texture, bold flavors, corn, AND chipotle! Yummy!
Colleen
Hi Ava, I'm happy to hear that this soup was perfect. Thanks for commenting!
veenaazmanov
Bursting with flavors and all the healthy veggies. This Bowl is so perfect for Dinner. A total filler too.
Colleen
Hi Veena, I agree! Sweet potato black bean soup is hearty enough for dinner. I'm so happy that it was perfect!
Tayler
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was incredible! My whole family loved it and it will be on our regular rotation!
Colleen
It's awesome to hear this, Tayler. Thank you for your feedback!
Dannii
Now this is my kind of comfort food. I love the combination of sweet potatoes and black beans.
Colleen
So glad you love it, Dannii! Thanks for commenting!
Nikki
This is a hearty, comforting and flavorful soup. Really like the chipotle, cumin and lime in it.
Justine @ JustineCelina.com
Yum! I'm a sweet potato fanatic and this soup looks like an amazing addition to my sweet potato roster. Great recipe!
Colleen
Thanks Justine! I love sweet potatoes too, and always looking for new ways to use them 🙂
Nicole
This looks like a big bowl of comfort! I love the flavors you used, I'm a big fan of anything smoky, especially when sweet potato is involved.
Colleen
Thanks Nicole! I agree, sweet potatoes love the smoky flavour! 🙂
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
We love soups so much that tonight is soup night -again!- at our house 🙂 . Such great flavors in your soup! Sweet potato, black beans, corn, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce! Wow! Like Loreto would say, you have the taste buds dancing! 😉
Colleen
Nicoletta, we love soups, too. Thank you, this soup is one of the all time favourites at our house. Definitely a taste bud dancing soup 🙂
Elaine @ Flavour and Savour
So pretty! And so healthy. I love anything with chipotle in it, so I'm pinning this one for later!
Colleen
Thanks so much Elaine!