Filling and flavorful Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup made with canned black beans and a creamy cashew base! Loaded with veggies, plant protein and fiber, this nourishing soup is rich with southwestern spices without being spicy. Get cozy with this one pot wonder for your next weeknight meal!
Black bean soup recipes are a dime a dozen...but! What sets this splendid soup apart is that it has a brothy meets creamy base (versus your standard spiced tomato broth situation).
Like my Cashew Cream of Mushroom Soup and Vegan Tortilla Soup with black beans, there is something about a touch of creaminess in soup that makes me crave it like, ten times more.
The healthy fats in the cashew cream also add a satiating factor that makes this feel more meal-worthy, ya know? (My husband is positive that soup is not a meal...)
Grab your favorite soup pot and let's do this!
Ingredients
- Onion: We're building flavor staring with flavorful onion sautéed in olive oil.
- Celery: Another hit of veggie flavor to create a robust broth. You can omit it if you're a celery hater.
- Bell pepper: I love the bright pop of color and sweetness that pepper adds. I use red but yellow or orange also work great.
- Garlic: The more the merrier!
- Sweet potatoes: Two good-size sweet potatoes or just under 4 cups cubed. No need to peel, unless you want to.
- Black beans: Use low-sodium if you prefer, and be sure to give them a good rinse in a fine mesh sieve to help digest them easier.
- Cashews: The key to making creamy vegan soups! I prefer raw for the most neutral flavor, but raw work in a pinch. We'll soak them in water for easy blending.
- Vegetable broth: Better Than Bouillon is my go-to. Affordable, lasts forever, and tastes amazing,
- Spices: Cumin, coriander and a pinch of cayenne add amazing flavor notes. Omit the cayenne for zero heat, or double for extra heat! You could also use a small pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Lime juice: A little squeeze adds delightful brightness.
Substitute and customize
Making my recipes your your own is always encouraged!
- Amp up the veggies: Use whatever you love! Cauliflower, carrots or corn would be great here. You could also stir in a handful of spinach at the end.
- Make it spicy: Add a diced, seeded jalapeño pepper for extra heat.
- Make it cheesy: Stir in ½ to 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese for a more rich soup.
- Nut free: Omit cashews and stir in ½ cup half and half or heavy cream at the end.
How to make (step by step)
Sauté onion, celery, and pepper. Add garlic and spices and cook for 1 more minute.
Remove soup from heat. Stir in cashew cream and lime juice and add salt to taste. Done!
Add beans, sweet potatoes, and broth. Simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, blend cashews and water.
Storing soup (and freezing)
This soup gets even more flavorful as it sits, hooray! Enjoy leftovers for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze any extras in a freezer baggie for up to 3 months (lay flat for ideal storage).
I hope you're as obsessed with this soup as I am!
I'd be super grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a quick star rating and review below. Comments mean the world to me and your honest feedback helps me to continue to share recipes you'll crave!
Creamy Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup (Dairy Free!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Southwestern
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Filling and flavorful Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup made with canned black beans and a creamy cashew base! Loaded with veggies, plant protein and fiber, this nourishing soup is rich with southwestern spices without being spicy. Get cozy with this one pot wonder for your next weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp coriander
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped (about 3 ½ cups)
- 4 cups vegetabe broth
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Place cashews in a small bowl. Cover with water and set aside.
- Chop veggies and sweet potatoes. Warm oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, celery, bell pepper, salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add garlic, cumin, coriander, and cayenne and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add drained beans, sweet potatoes, and broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, drain cashews and blend with 1 cup water until very smooth (I use my Nutribullet).
- Remove soup from heat. Stir in cashew cream and lime juice and add salt to taste until the flavors pop (I added ¼ tsp more). For a thicker soup, you can continue to simmer the soup.
Maureen Tovey says
Great recipe
Alexis Joseph says
That means so much, thank you Maureen!
Tiffanie says
Yum!!! What a perfect recipe for a cold, rainy day. Added spinach and made it extra thick (reduced the broth, increased the cashews, and boiled it a bit longer) and served it over rice. So satisfying.
Alexis Joseph says
Ok YUM!! So good to see your name Tiffanie 🙂 I hope you and the fam are doing amazing!
Dylan says
This is perfect for lunches! I made last week and loved it! It’s flavourful, creamy, and packed with veggies! This comment was left by a close supporter of Alexis Joseph, owner operator of Hummusapien LLC
Alexis Joseph says
Beautiful, thanks so much Dylan!