Creamy Black Bean Soup
This creamy black bean soup is delicious, hearty, packed full of comforting flavors and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. It’s an easy black bean soup recipe that you can make from canned black beans or entirely from scratch (which I recommend for the most flavor). No matter what you choose to use, just remember – Don’t skip the toppings!! They make this delicious soup even better by adding nice colors, flavors, and fun!
Want to make this soup with beans from scratch? My Vegan Black Beans Recipe is what I use. It makes enough for this soup, and PLENTY MORE to use in other recipes and other meals. It’s a must try!
Caldinho de Feijão – Brazilian creamy black bean soup
Oi Gente!
I am a huge fan of beans, and if you take a look through my recipe archives you’ll confirm that. We have Brazilian Black Beans Recipe (one of the blog’s most popular recipes and also a great option to use in this soup), Instant Pot Pinto Beans, and even a whole post teaching you all the deets of How to Cook Dry Beans from scratch. Clearly, beans are my favorite thing!!
But, it’s not JUST me! Beans are literally a part of the Brazilian DNA and our cooking routines. I mean it, you will always find beans in a Brazilian home, whether it’s a freshly cooked batch, or leftovers in the freezer. And yes, you can make this soup with canned beans, but making it with leftover homemade beans is waaaaay better! Trust me!
I grew up eating this soup, and it’s been one of my favorite bean dishes since I was a kid. But, this creamy black bean soup, or caldinho de feijão how we call it in Portuguese, is such a popular dish that it’s also a common appetizer in bars and at winter parties, where it’s often served in mugs or little shooter glasses.
Speaking of shooter glasses, caldinho de feijão pairs awesome with a classic Brazilian cachaça rum, or even a caipirinha cocktail! And speaking of cachaça, if you happen to have too much of it, we also believe this easy black bean soup is a great remedy to cure a bad hangover. Do I know this to be true personally? I’ll never tell… ahah!
What really matter is, this caldinho de feijão recipe is a true Brazilian classic, that’s great in many occasions, from easy mid-week dinners to happy hour with friends – especially when topped with crispy bacon, or torresminho, Brazilian chicharrones!
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Bom Apetite!
Black Bean Soup Ingredients
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This simple black bean soup uses just a handful of common and easy to find ingredients.
- Black beans. Can’t have black bean soup without black beans! You’ll need about 3 cups of cooked beans, or 2 cans.
- Garlic. Or use your bestie Brazilian sofrito!
- Spices, seasonings & flavorings. In addition to the garlic, we’ll use a combination of onions, Worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar, and smoked paprika. If you’re gonna be using canned beans, I also suggest you use a bay leaf, and a pinch of cumin to boost up the flavor. If you’re starting from any of my beans recipes, you don’t need to because my beans are already pretty bomb!
- Bacon. The crispy bacon is an optional topping, but if you use it, it’s also a great way to use that bacon fat to add even more flavor to the soup, too!
More Topping & Garnish Ideas
- Limes
- Red pepper flakes
- Sliced jalapenos
- Hot sauce
- Parsley or Cilantro
- Chicharrones
- More olive oil
You’ll also need
How to make black bean soup
Step 1. Cook the bacon (if using), then remove it from the pan and set aside on plate lined with paper towels.
Step 2. Cook the onions in the bacon fat (or olive oil for a vegetarian option) for a few minutes and then add in the garlic.
Step 3. Add in your cooked black beans, water and all of the other ingredients (except for the garnishes). Bring to a gently boil, boil for a minute or two and then turn off the heat.
Step 4. Let the soup cool for a little bit, say 5 minutes give or take, and then blend it to get it creamy.
Step 5. Serve with with a drizzle of olive oil, crispy bacon and all your other favorite toppings.
Can you freeze homemade black bean soup?
Absolutely! After your soup has cooled, portion it out into plastic bags or freezable containers and it can last in the freezer for several weeks. Just thaw and reheat!
How long does black bean soup last?
Around here? Not long! Haha! But, if you keep your soup well covered and in the fridge, you can get it to last about a week.
Should I drain canned black beans for soup?
Not for this recipe. Here we want that liquid (which is the liquid the beans were cooked in, and tends to be just water and salt) to help us make the soup. Just make sure you’re using a brand of canned beans you like and trust.
Other Beans Recipes you’ll Love
More Brazilian Soups to Try
- Caldo Verde – Portuguese Green Soup
- Canja de Galinha Recipe – Brazilian Chicken and Rice Soup
- Brazilian Sweet Corn Chowder Recipe
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Creamy Black Beans Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups of cooked beans with liquid or 2x 15oz cans with liquid
- 2-3 Tbsp Brazilian sofrito or 5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small onion diced
- 1-2 Tbsp Olive oil more for drizzling at the end
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp White wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 3-4 strips Thick cut bacon, diced (optional)
Topping & Garnish Ideas (Optional)
- Lime wedges
- Parseley or Cilantro leaves
- Your favorite hot sauce
- Sliced jalapeno, or any other hot pepper of your choice
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, heat up 1-2 Tbsps of olive oil.
- Add in the bacon (if using) and fry until crispy.
- Remove the bacon from the pan, place them in a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
- To that fat, add in the onion and saute until transparent, 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the beans plus 2 cups of water, the white wine vinegar, the smoked paprika, and the worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a gentle boil, boil a few minutes and turn off the heat.
- Let the soup cool a few minutes, then, blend it until creamy with a blender, or immersion blender.
- Serve in mugs or bowls, and top it with the crispy bacon, a drizzle of olive oil, and more of your favorite toppings!!
I noticed it had some spicy ingredients. Is it super spicy bc I can’t take the heat.
Hi Lauren! Nahhh – this soup isn’t spicy at all!! The jalapenos, red pepper flakes and hot sauce are all topping ideas, and are optional! 🙂
This is a similar dish in my country excepts that we don’t puree the beans. I like all the ingredients in this recipe and i think it’s a dish worth trying.
I love black beans so I loved this soup!!
Oh, that was fabulous!
This soup is so delicious and easy to make, and I love that everyone can customize it with their own toppings. Thanks for this great recipe!
You’re welcome, Colleen!! So happy you liked it!
I really do love having a good soup but never tried to make a black bean soup ever in my life. This was delicious!!! Thanks for sharing.
I had all the stuff to make this while sheltering in place and it was amazing! Thanks so much!
Yes – so glad you enjoyed it!!
I love black beans but never made soup with them. I actually have a lot of them in my pantry now, so I think I’ll try this recipe this weekend!
What a great in-shelter recipe! I love that is uses basic pantry items and produces such a delicious recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
It is such a timely recipe – I have beans and I think all other ingredients, too. So 100% ready to make this recipe. And I won’t skip the toppings – that’s for sure!
This soup is so perfect!!
This soup is so easy to make and perfectly comforting. Thanks for sharing!
How much onion?
Oops!! Sorry about that, Wandy! It’s 1 small onion (or 1/2 a large) diced. I’m updating the recipe card now. Thanks for letting me know!!
I love how versatile this dish is and it’s a great pantry recipe. Great dish to make for the family! Mine loved it!!! Thank you!
This black bean soup is so comforting and easy to make. I love that I can keep most of the ingredients at home so I can have whenever I want it.
I love a good soup, and I love black beans! So this is the perfect soup to batch prep and freeze! It’s also a great side when we’re looking for something a little different!
I made this a few days ago and it was delicious. I did do a few things differently:
1. I halved the recipe and used just 1 can of black beans.
2. I rinsed the canned beans.
3. I pureed the beans after rinsing (I did not have an immersion blender and wasn’t sure the blender would take hot liquids–I wasn’t at home).
4. I added low sodium chicken broth instead of water.
5. After sautéing the onion and garlic I added it to the blender with the beans and pureed it.
6. Cooked the puree and followed the directions on the recipe.
I absolutely love black beans, but I’ve never thought to puree my black bean soup! Genius!
Never thought about pureeing, but this was 100% delicious. Cannot wait to make again.
Ooohhh this was so creamy! I love black bean soup!!
Hi,
If I make your black beans from scratch in the instapot and use those for this recipe, it seems all I would then have to do is add Worcestershire sauce, and smoked paprika and blend. Does that sound about right? TY!
Hi, Laura!!
You should still follow the recipe as written even of you use my black beans recipe 🙂 You’ll be adding water to make the soup which dilutes the flavors so you want to re-season for sure. Beijos xx
What a creamy and delicious black bean soup. definitely a keeper.
I LOVE Black Bean soup! This recipe was phenomenal.