This is the best homemade, from-scratch black bean soup with ham recipe! It is even better than anything you’ll have at a restaurant!
Table of Contents
Let’s face it: a lot of black bean soup is bland, lackluster, and even mysterious in color. But not this Black Bean Soup recipe from my friends at America’s Test Kitchen! It has bold, robust flavors and deep, dark colors (no purples or greys).
I highly recommend this Black Bean Soup recipe. It takes a while, but making it from scratch is worth it. It even tastes better than any restaurant’s black bean soup!
There are lots of veggies in the soup, which add to the vibrant flavor. The lime juice at the end brings it all together. This hearty, flavorful, and satisfying soup will quickly become one of your favorites.
Ingredients and Estimated Cost
Per Serving Cost: $0.92
Recipe Cost: $5.53
- 1 pound dried black beans – $1.14
- 4 ounces ham steak rind – $0.15
- 2 bay leaves – $0.06
- 5 cups + 2 Tablespoons water – $0.00
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda – $0.01
- 1 teaspoon table salt – $0.01
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil – $0.42
- 2 large onions – $0.75
- 1 large carrot – $0.20
- 3 ribs celery – $0.18
- ½ teaspoon table salt – $0.03
- 6 medium garlic cloves – $0.25
- 1 ½ Tablespoons ground cumin – $0.15
- 2 Tablespoons chipotle sauce – $0.12
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock – $1.86
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch – $0.06
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice – $0.14
NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.
How To Make Black Bean Soup
- First, soak the beans and remove ham steak cubes and bay leaves when finished.
- Next, saute the veggies and add in seasonings. Stir in the cooked beans and remaining ingredients and boil.
- Let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour 3 ½ cups of soup into a food processor and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the soup and slowly add in cornstarch and water. Bring the soup to a boil to thicken.
- Finally, stir in lime juice and reserved ham. Top with garnishes and serve immediately.
Recipe Notes and Variations
- You can find ham steaks with other meat like bacon.
- When cooking the beans, the ham steak will darken to the color of the beans. This is normal, so don’t freak out!
- The baking soda added to the beans helps keep their black color without turning purple or grey.
Storage Tips
SERVE: Top with garnishes and serve immediately. You can keep the soup out for two hours before you need to cover and store the soup.
STORE: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
FREEZE: Place the soup in a freeze-safe container and freeze for 2-3 months.
THAW & RE-HEAT: Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 6-7 hours. Place the soup in a pot and heat over medium heat until heated through, about 10-15 minutes.
Cook’s Tools
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Food processor
- Ladle
- Large saucepan
- Large pot
Black Bean & Ham Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, a dash of hot sauce, or a diced jalapeño for some heat.
Yes, add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
This soup is delicious served with crusty bread, sour cream cornbread, or a side salad.
Yes, omit the ham and add extra vegetables or a vegetarian protein source like lentils or chickpeas.
More Soups or Stews
- Tomato Soup with Basil
- Chicken Barley Soup
- Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- Feijoada (Brazilian black bean and sausage stew)
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Black Bean Soup
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- liquid measuring cup
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- food processor
- ladle
- large saucepan
- large pot
Ingredients
For the Beans:
- 1 pound dried black beans rinsed and picked over
- 4 ounces ham steak rind trimmed
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups water
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon table salt
For the Soup:
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions minced (about 3 cups)
- 1 large carrot minced (about ½ cup)
- 3 ribs celery chopped fine (about 1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 5 – 6 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Garnishes:
- Lime wedges
- Minced fresh cilantro leaves
- Red onion finely diced
- Avocado diced
- Sour cream
Instructions
For the Beans:
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat add the beans, ham, bay leaves, water, and baking soda. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer briskly until beans are tender, 75 to 90 minutes (if necessary, add another 1 cup water and continue to simmer until beans are tender). Do not drain beans.
- Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove ham steak, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, and set aside.
For the Soup:
- Over medium-high heat, add oil to a large heavy-bottomed pot until shimmering but not smoking.
- Add onions, carrot, celery, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic and cumin; constantly stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in cooked beans, bean cooking liquid, chipotle sauce, and chicken stock. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 30 minutes.
To Finish:
- Ladle 3 ½ cups of soup into food processor or blender, process until smooth, and return to pot.
- Stir together cornstarch and water in small bowl until combined. Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture into soup.
- Bring the soup to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to fully thicken.
- Off heat, stir in lime juice and reserved ham.
- Top with garnishes and serve immediately.
Nutrition
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This black bean soup is such a delicious warm and comforting meal, packed full of flavour. I love the range of veg included.
This black bean soup looks so so good! I love all those flavors and the minimal prep. Such a comforting meal.
I love black bean soup, and now that the weather is getting colder I’m always looking for new soup recipes. Can’t wait to try it out!
Ive been looking for the perfect black bean soup recipe and I finally found it! This is the closest to my favorite restaurant and I actually think it’s better!
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try this one!
I love a good black bean soup when done right! This one is full of flavor and has a great texture!
I have had a bag of black beans in the pantry for eons. This was the perfect recipe to use them for! It’s flavorful and so comforting on a cold day. Thanks for a delicious soup!
Great soup recipe! The chipotle really gives it a good flavor.
This black bean soup is delicious! So much better than any restaurant one I’ve had. I paired the soup with some cornbread and it was amazing! I will definitely be making it again!
I just had black been soup at a local Mexican Restaurant the other day. Now, I will just make it at home. This recipe is so simple and delicious.
I love this idea! I’m a huge fan of beans so I am sure I will love this soup.
This soup looks incredible and I LOVE your pictures (and those jars, adorable!) well done 🙂
Thanks Ashley! I love the jars, too. I got them a while back from Anthro.
There is no better season than this one to consume tons of soup. This is definitely one I would devour!
Oh black bean soup, it’s been too long since I have made your acquaintance. I am needing to make this asap.
This sounds like the perfect bowl of soup, and I especially love your tips! Baking soda to help the beans keep their color? Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Baking soda also helps broccoli retain it’s color, too!
This looks super yummy. All warm and comforting! I adore soups, and Mexican flavors are my favorites. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Love black beans and agree, made from scratch offers so much more flavor!
OMG, that looks great, I love black beans!
I know what you mean about that can of chipotle. I opened one and only used less than a tablespoon at a time. Every thing Chipotle for quite a while! Thanks for those tips! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Love your soups. Great title because your black bean soup does look restaurant quality.