This easy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup is filled with healthy veggies, flavored with Mexican spices, and makes for a satisfying and delicious meatless meal!
Brothy with flavors that are similar to chili, this soup is super tasty with a mildly spicy kick that is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. It’s sure to become a favorite!
Soup season is finally here…Hooooray!!!
Now, truth be told, I love soup so much that I eat it all year long (yep, that’s me over here sweating while I eat bowl of hot soup in the middle of summer…and loving every minute of it!).
But when soup season arrives, it just gives me an excuse to make it lots more often.
And when it’s chilly (or downright freezing) outside, there’s nothing quite like a yummy bowl of soup to warm you up from the inside out.
I especially love soups like this black bean soup with sweet potatoes because it’s low-calorie and a great way to get some extra vegetables into your diet (it’s also got onions, celery, garlic, bell peppers, and tomatoes).
But you won’t even be thinking about any of that. You’ll just be thinking about how awesomely delicious it is!
The ingredients are simple, budget-friendly, and very possibly ones that you already keep on hand (which means you could whip up a batch any time).
Plus, it’s very easy to make, and it’ll be ready to enjoy in less than an hour!
Ingredients You Need:
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Olive oil
- Onions
- Celery
- Bell pepper (any color; I used green)
- Sweet potatoes
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- Canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (mild)
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Black beans (canned or home-cooked)
- Lime juice
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh cilantro (for garnish, optional)
- Green onions (for garnish, optional)
Note: The above video is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full printable recipe with detailed instructions.
Recipe Tips & Tidbits:
- If you’d like to cook your own beans instead of using canned, check out my recipe for Instant Pot Black Beans. It’s very easy and doesn’t require soaking the beans.
- Using mild diced tomatoes with green chiles, this recipe will give you a mildly spicy soup. If you want more heat, use the regular or extra hot version. You could also add some jalapeños or other spicy peppers (add with the bell peppers) or some cayenne pepper (add with the spices).
- If you don’t have fire-roasted diced tomatoes, use regular diced tomatoes.
- Different brands of chili powder can vary in their level of spiciness. Feel free to adjust the chili powder or any of the spices to suit your own tastes.
- I enjoy the flavor of chicken broth in this soup; however, you could use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian/vegan.
- If you feel like you want some more broth, go ahead and add it.
- Fresh lime juice is best, but bottled is fine too.
- If you wanted a thicker-style soup, you could purée a small portion – say about one-quarter of the total amount – and add it back to the soup.
- This soup would also be delicious using butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes.
Make-Ahead, Storing and Freezing:
- Make-Ahead: You can absolutely make this soup ahead of time (in fact, I think it’s even better the next day!). Once it’s cooled completely, store it covered (or transfer it to an airtight container) in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Storing: Once cooled, store leftovers covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. If you’ve made the soup ahead, make sure to take that time into consideration.
- Freezing: The texture of the sweet potatoes will change when frozen (they will get a bit mushy). For that reason, I don’t recommend freezing this soup. It’s best when enjoyed fresh or made ahead!
- If you don’t mind the texture change, you could freeze it. Once cooled, transfer to freezer bags or freezer containers and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw and reheat.
This soup is delicious on its own or simply garnished with a sprinkle of green onions and/or fresh cilantro.
BUT you could totally also kick it up by adding other toppings like sour cream, tortilla strips or corn chips, cheese, or sliced avocado. Super yummy!
And it would go great with cornbread muffins, flour tortillas, or cheese quesadillas or taquitos.
I hope you try this Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Soup Recipes You Might Like…
- Spicy Tomato Vegetable Soup
- Easy Low-Calorie Cabbage Soup
- Sausage, Potato and Kale Soup (Zuppa Toscana)
- Easy Manhattan Clam Chowder
- Instant Pot Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
And be sure to check out my soup recipes page for even more simple and delicious soups!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, regular or light-tasting (not extra virgin)
- 2 cups chopped onions, about ¼-inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped celery, about ¼-inch pieces
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers, any color (I used green), about ½-inch pieces
- 3 cups cubed peeled sweet potatoes, about ½-inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
- 1½ teaspoons cumin, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon coriander, or to taste
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or home-cooked black beans (about 3½ cups)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
- sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot (I use a 5-quart pot) over medium heat.
- Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, and sweet potatoes; season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onions, celery and peppers begin to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic; sauté, stirring constantly, for another minute.
- Add the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and some additional salt and pepper (when adding salt and pepper, keep in mind how salty your broth is); stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the black beans; stir to combine.
- Cover and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and add the lime juice; stir. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Top each bowl of soup with cilantro and/or green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Even better the next day!
- This recipe will give you a mildly spicy soup. If you want more heat, use the regular or extra hot version of the diced tomatoes with green chiles. Alternately, you could add chopped jalapeños or other hot peppers (add with the bell peppers) or some cayenne pepper (add with the spices).
- Regular diced tomatoes can be used instead of fire-roasted.
- Different brands of chili powder can vary in their level of spiciness. Feel free to adjust the chili powder or any of the spices to suit your own tastes.
- If you feel like you want more broth, go ahead and add it.
- Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make it vegetarian/vegan.
- Fresh lime juice is best, but bottled is just fine too.
- Store leftovers covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
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