This black bean sweet potato soup is hearty, a little spicy and totally delicious! With some simple ingredients and about 30 minutes, this budget friendly soup will satisfy your taste buds and warm your belly! Top with an avocado lime crema for one extra special treat!
This black bean sweet potato soup was originally posted in January 2017, but has been updated with small recipe tweaks, new recipe details and fresh new pictures.
Hey friends!
Today I’m sharing one of my favourite bean soup recipes – spicy black bean and sweet potato soup!
There’s nothing fancy here, far from it.
It’s made with mostly (budget friendly) pantry ingredients and comes together in about 30 minutes or so, which makes it a fabulous soup for easy meal prep.
There’s some smoky heat here from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, as well as fresh jalapeño. I don’t know about you, but I love a little spice. We always have canned chipotle peppers on hand because they add so much flavour to dishes.
When I’m feeling a little extra hungry, I love to enjoy a big bowl with a hunk of cheesy cornbread for dunkin’!
How to Make This Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
Full details on how to make this black bean and sweet potato soup are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics –
- Cook onion in a little olive oil until softened.
- Add garlic, chipotle, jalapeño, chili powder and oregano and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in beans, sweet potato, salt and pepper.
- Pour in veggie broth, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until sweet potato is fork tender.
- Next, remove about 2 cups of soup and blitz with an immersion blender.
- Pour creamy mixture back into soup, stirring in.
- Stir in corn and warm through.
- Stir in some fresh lime juice and enjoy!
Do I Have to Blitz The Soup?
The blitzed up soup adds a little creaminess and body to the soup.
However, if you want to skip this, that’s ok.
If you don’t have an immersion blender and you still want to blitz some of the soup, no worries!
Simply remove some beans/sweet potato and mash with a potato masher before adding back to the pot.
Avocado Lime Crema
This avocado crema is basically yogurt (or sour cream), lime, cilantro, avocado, salt and pepper.
It’s refreshing and delicious. Plus, its adds a lovely creaminess and cooling effect to the heat from the soup.
This soup, on its own, is dairy free. If you don’t want to garnish with crema, that’s a-ok too!
Other Yummy Garnish Options
- Jalapeno
- Green onion
- Cilantro
- Crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco
- Homemade tortilla chips from Budget Bytes
Tips + Variations
Opt for ‘unsalted’ black beans to keep sodium levels down. Whatever beans you use, always rinse and drain before using.
For less spice, reduce the chipotle peppers and/or omit the jalapeño pepper.
Use store-bought veggie broth or make your own homemade veggie broth!
Frozen, canned or fresh corn works in this recipe. If opting for fresh, you may have to cook a little longer.
Speaking of corn, add more than a cup, if you wish, for an extra hearty soup.
If you don’t want to mess around making crema, you can simply dollop your soup with yogurt, sour cream or coconut yogurt.
Other Vegetarian Soup Recipes You May Enjoy
- Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas & Kale – With hearty chickpeas and lentils and a creamy coconut milk base, this soup is warming and delicious!
- Mung Bean Soup – This soup is chock full of mung beans and veggies. Plus, it comes together in the slow cooker for easy preparation and clean up!
- Creamy (dairy free) Vegetable Rice Soup – Creamy, delicious and loaded with taste, this soup is always a favourite!
Hope you love this easy black bean soup recipe as much as we do!
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon,
~Dawn
P.S. If you think this black bean and sweet potato soup will make your belly happy, please be sure to hit that little Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO
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Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup {seriously delicious!}
Ingredients
Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion -diced
- 4 cloves garlic -minced
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce -chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper -minced
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 540 ml cans unsalted black beans -rinsed and drained
- 2 sweet potatoes -peeled and cut into small cubes, about 4 cups
- 1.25 tsp salt -see recipe 'Recipe Notes' below
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups unsalted vegetable broth
- 1 heaping cup frozen or canned corn
- 1/2 lime -juiced
Avocado Cilantro Crema
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 small bunch cilantro -about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 avocado
- 1 lime -juiced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
- 2 tbsp milk or almond milk -approximately
Instructions
Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
- In a pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil.
- Once oil is shimmering, add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, chipotle peppers, jalapeno, chili powder and oregano. Cook 2 minutes.
- Stir in beans, sweet potato, salt and pepper.
- Pour in broth, bring to a simmer, reduce to a medium simmer and cover. Cook 10 – 12 minutes or until sweet potato is tender.
- Remove about 2 cups of soup and place in a heat safe dish large enough to hold. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and pour back into pot of soup, stirring in.
- Stir in corn and warm through, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in lime juice. Garnish (if desired) and enjoy! Serves 4 large servings or 6 smaller side servings.
Avocado Lime Crema
- Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor (except milk). Blend until combined. If you want a looser consistency, blend in some milk until you've reached your desired consistency. Dollop over black bean sweet potato soup.
Notes
- Should you use a ‘low sodium’ or regular broth, instead of ‘unsalted’, you may want to use less salt. Just add to taste.
- Opt for ‘unsalted’ black beans to keep sodium levels down. Whatever beans you use, always rinse and drain before using.
- For less spice, reduce the chipotle peppers and/or omit the jalapeno pepper.
- Use store-bought veggie broth or make your own homemade veggie broth!
- Frozen, canned or fresh corn works in this recipe. If opting for fresh, you may have to cook a little longer.
- Speaking of corn, add more than a cup, if you wish, for an extra hearty soup.
- If you don’t want to mess around making crema, you can simply dollop your soup with yogurt, sour cream or coconut yogurt.
- Nutrition information (estimate only) based on 6 servings.
Nutrition (estimate only)
I happen to have a huge bag of sweet potatoes sitting in pantry (thank you Costco), and, now, a reason to use some! Bingo! Thanks, friend! This looks amazing!! XO
Yay! Thanks Annie! Hope you love this one as much as we do 🙂 XO
This is just a big bowl of comfort! I love anything with sweet potatoes so I know I’d adore this. I can’t wait to try it!
Totally! Thank you Kelsie! Hope you enjoy 🙂
Would be a total hit at our house Dawn. A meal in a bowl. Love the sweet potatoes. I’m always trying to add them to recipes, so I’ll need to make a pot soon! Pinned!
Woo hoo! Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy 🙂
Oh my! Looks like this soup is the answer to my cold. How I wish I can have some right now. 🙂
Thanks so much! Hope you feel better soon 🙂
This is one of the greatest soups I have tried, Dawn! I could eat it every day!
That just made my day, Agness! So happy to hear! Thanks so very much 🙂
This soup looks like my kind of comfort food! Perfect for these chilly winter evenings!
Definitely! Thanks so much, Jessica, for stopping by 🙂
Ahh I’ve been on such a big sweet potato kick lately – so this soup comes at the most perfect time! That avocado cilantro crema, um HELLO. can I smother that on everything please?!
Yay! Thanks Michelle! I can’t blame ya….that avocado cilantro crema would probably be delicious on a shoe, lol 😀
Storm chips = never heard it but I instantly understood and loved it. I also love this recipe!! All of the things I love in the winter, all in one delicious bowl!
Thanks so much for the kind words and for stopping by! Hope you have a great week 🙂
No more snowstorms for us now that we’ve moved to Florida but I’d still make your delicious sounding soup. 🙂
Thanks Karen….storm or no storm, it’s delicious 😉 Have a wonderful weekend!
Winter storms are awesome on the weekend when there’s nothing to do but eating and drink and play video games! lol! I know those storm chips because J got me a bag of them 2 Christmases ago when he went up north to visit a client. They are so good and I even wrote about them in a blog post. You gotta find a bag of them for yourself and also grab a bag (or two) for me. I’ll send you a FedEx mailing label. Thanks bestie 😉
Now about this soup. Yes to black beans and sweet potatoes. Yes to avocado cilantro crema. Yes to extra thai chilies and chipotles!!!!!! Keeping this recipe an making next week 🙂
So so true!! The best 😀 I remember you talking about the ‘storm’ chips and now around here it has evolved so that every time we have a storm, it’s not just that brand…any kind of chip or cheezie goes. The local news station even had people sending in pics of their storm food, lol!! Crazy, isn’t it?? I will happily send you some chips, but you could always visit and there will be lots here waiting for ya 😉 Thanks bestie! Hope you like the soup! XOXO
This is just the best advice I ever read on how to prepare for a storm – chocolate, wine and chips, I will remember this or better, stock up right now just in case 🙂 Cold days are just calling for comfort food and I love everything with beans and avocado – this recipe is just right up my alley!
Isn’t it, though? You better, indeed, stock up ’cause you wouldn’t want to run out, especially wine, lol 😀 Thanks so much, Miriam!
Chips, chocolate, and wine for me too, yay! Especially on a stormy night. But also give me bowls of pure comfort food like this one! Black beans are my favorite, sweet potato is another favorite and that avocado cilantro crema on top? So so yummy! Pinned it!
Food like this almost makes me wish that there was more snow on the way….almost 😉 Thanks so much for the sweet comment and Pin, Nicoletta….appreciate it 🙂 !!
Like Rachel said, San Diego has been pelted with hail and rains for several weeks now and it’s great. Though I do not enjoy the repairs to my fence and a leak found in a guest room window where I shoot videos. Alas, coming in from the cold to eat this would suit me just fine! Love that avocado crema action! Looks amazing to me. 🙂
We have freezing rain in the forecast for tonight/tomorrow so that will be lovely on top of all the snow #notreally. Oh, well, winter, right? Unfortunate about your damage 🙁 Hopefully, you’ll get it repaired quickly! Thanks, Kevin, for the kind words!
This looks amazing, and your plating skills are just awesome! Seriously making me hungry! Thanks for sharing! <3
Thanks for the lovely comment and for stopping by, Gingi 🙂 !
We’ve been having stormy weather too and this soup looks like the perfect thing to warm me right up! Looks so delicious, especially with that swirl of cilantro crema on top!
Thanks so much, Rachel! At least the stormy weather forces us to stay inside in the cozy warm, right 😉 ? Hope you’re having a great week!
I actually love a good storm when we are cozy and warm inside, makes things a bit romantic not being able to get out… We had that two weeks ago as well, there was so much snow, which is still lingering and getting dirtier every day now (not that romantic anymore 🙂 ). This is a perfect dish for a snowy and cold day, it gets you warm from inside.
So true, Adina! I totally know what you mean! Thanks for the kind words. Hope you’re having a wonderful week 🙂
We just finished a big ol rain storm here and I could have totally used some of this soup, especially with that avocado crema!
Yours sounds like a super cozy weekend. I mean, chip, chocolate, and wine make everything more tolerable, don’t they? 😉
Haha! Dude, chips, chocolate and wine is how I like to tackle storms, too. We had a bunch of ice/snow overnight, and now we have a couple of huge branches down in the yard. I’m dragging my feet to go out and shovel and clear those branches out. Maybe I’ll have some chocolate and chips (and wine!) as a way of delaying. And then maybe I’ll have some of this soup when I come back inside….because you know I’ll need something to warm me up! I love sweet potatoes in soup, and this one sounds amazing, Dawn! 🙂
That sounds like a plan 😉 Good luck with those branches…and you’ll probably burn a lot of calories moving them out of the way so you may need to eat a little more chocolate for good measure…hehehe! Thanks David!
Mmm this is the perfect storm food! Along with the chips and wine, of course!! Cookies are a storm food must, too 🙂
Definitely!! With all those goodies, doesn’t matter if it’s a storm outside, right 😉 ? Thanks Sues!
I love everything about this soup Dawn! The sweet potato black bean combo sounds awesome! And that avocado crema? YES please! I’ll have to get this on the menu when I hear a storm is heading my way! Thanks for sharing! XO
Yay! Thanks Mary Ann! The avocado cilantro crema definitely is one of my favourite parts. Thanks so much, my friend! XO
There’s nothing like a good storm to cause a little panic! I’m glad you stocked up with all the “basics” You can survive just about anything with wine and chocolate! This soup would help too. I love the combination of black beans and sweet potatoes!
Yes, gotta have those ‘basics’ 😉 Then, bring on the snow, lol 😀 Thanks so much, Kathy!
Glad you got a storm that was an excuse to stay in and curl up! I’m with you on the stocking up nonsense… everyone else is going for bread and I’m all like, I just need to make sure I’ve got enough bourbon in case we get snowed in. ??? Storm chips too – that sounds like a good plan 😉 And storm brownies maybe?! But definitely soup – warms you right up and feels oh so cozy! Love this black bean and sweet potato version – one of my fave combos! Pinned! XO
Yes! Bourbon! I like the way you think, girl 🙂 And storm brownies? You’re on a roll 😉 Thanks so much for the kind words and Pin-hope you have a wonderful week! XO
Storm chips. I do love that idea 🙂 And this soup! Looks amazing. We’re huge fans of chipotle in adobo sauce. And that avocado cilantro crema – I would go drizzle crazy on that for sure. We got these squeeze bottles from the dollar store and lemme tell you our meals have not looked the same lol! We didn’t have any storm out here though the whole weekend there was this horror-movie style fog everywhere I’m not even exaggerating! It’s kind of lifted now, still gloomy though, storm chips still appropriate I think haha. Happy Monday Dawn!
Hahaha! Those squeeze bottles are the best, aren’t they? Love ’em 😀 Oh, the little things! I think storm or no storm, it’s always a good time for chips 😉 Thanks Jolina!
Storm chips?! Are you kidding me?! I am all about it! Especially if I can munch between enjoying big bowls of this beautiful soup! You guys have taken comfort to a whole new level!! Keep these soups coming! They’re predicting 4 – 9 inches of snow in CNY tonight…better run out for chips and chipotles! Have a great week, my friend! Stay warm! XOXO
Thanks Annie! It sure doesn’t hurt to have lots of yummy eats when it’s all warm and cozy inside and snowing outside, does it? You stay warm too, my friend! XOXO
I love the idea of storm chips! I’m glad y’all were safe during the storm.
I’m also diggin this pretty soup. I am all about the spicy comfort food….it literally warms you up from the inside out. That’s pretty sweet in my book.
Thanks Annie! I could eat spicy food (and soup) every day. Hope you have a wonderful week 🙂
Dawn! best storm food ever!! Chips and soup!! Oh my! I am glad you guys are ok and had a super fun storm!! loving this crema!! I am in!
Totally! Thanks so much Gaila! Happy Monday 🙂
I’m glad you guys were safe during the storm, but sucks you ran out of eggs! Those are my go-to for sure. And, ummm, STORM CHIPS?! My ears (eerr eye balls?) perked up when I read that! Best Idea EVER! I mean, nachos during a storm? Yes please! AND THIS SOUP during a storm! Heck yes! Loving the flavors, Dawn! And I loooove that you added chipotles for a bit of smoky heat! And that crema!! Drool! So much deliciousness going on here!! Cheers, sweets!
Thanks so much, Cheyanne! Despite running out of eggs, we did have lots of stuff in the fridge and pantry….almost too much for two people, lol 😀 And it didn’t hurt to have those chips! Thanks, my friend! Cheers to a fab week!
Hahahaha! I loved that pic you sent me! It sounds like you had an awesome and cozy weekend drinking wine and eating this delicious soup!
I thought you would 😉 We definitely had a cozy weekend and now looking forward to the next one 🙂 Thanks Rachelle! XO
It’s so funny how people just have to run to the grocery store when any kind of a storm is coming. Like, do they not keep any kind of food in their house? And will it really prevent you from going out for DAYS? I’m definitely not one of those people who does that, in fact, I avoid the stores as often as I can haha. Glad it wasn’t too bad for you though, Dawn! And it’s the best when it happens on the weekend and you can stay in and just relax. Sounds like you were armed with some delicious foods, too! This soup looks amazing! I’ve been testing black bean soup recipes, and I’m loving the sweet potatoes in here, too! And yay for avocado cilatro crema, YUM! What a perfect dish for the winter! Pinned, of course! Hope your Monday is off to a great start!
I know, right? I do enjoy going to the grocery store, but definitely not when there’s a crowd. I ended up going on Sunday morning (to get the eggs, lol) and it was hardly anyone there so that was perfect! Thanks so much for the sweet comment and Pin. Have a fantastic week, Gayle!
Who needs eggs when you have chips, chocolate and wine eh? 🙂 Peeps go cray cray over here in Atlanta when a dusting of snow is in the forecast – emptying shelves off bread and milk – and we are not even an island!
It hasn’t been that cold here but I’ve been craving soup too – especially ones with ALL the beans – so I know I’d enjoy every last drop of this one – especially with that avocado crema! Your topping game is definitely en point!
Hahaha! So true, Shashi! Thanks so much! Happy Monday to ya 🙂