Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
Please don’t skip the lime juice in this Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup; this is a vegetarian soup that’s loaded with flavor! And see below for a lower-carb option for this tasty soup.
PIN Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup!
My sister Valerie thinks the week between Christmas and New Year’s is the best part of the holiday season. She loves it when the rush of Christmas is over but kids are home from school and there’s extra time to hang out with the family. I enjoyed Christmas day at her house, watching the kids open their gifts and indulging in quite a bit of holiday food.
Now it’s back-to-reality for me, and for people who are avoiding meat and don’t mind a few carbs, this Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup seems perfect after a few days of indulgent eating. It’s light enough to help you recover from holiday food overload, easy enough that you don’t need much time in the kitchen, and still warm and comforting if you’re in a part of the world where the weather is cold.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- onion
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- ground coriander (affiliate link)
- ground Cumin (affiliate link)
- ground fennel (affiliate link)
- black pepper
- sweet potatoes
- black beans
- vegetable stock
- salt
- lime juice
Are they yams or sweet potatoes?
Even though they are often mistakenly called yams in U.S. grocery stores, the vegetables used to make this soup are orange-fleshed sweet potatoes! But your store may call them yams or sweet yams.
Want a version of this soup that’s still vegetarian but lower in carbs?
Soup with black beans and sweet potatoes is never going to be super low in carbs. But if you want a lower-carb version for this tasty soup, switch out one can of black beans for a low-carb vegetable like frozen cauliflower rice or chopped red bell pepper. That will definitely make it lower in carbs.
How to Make Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- Heat olive oil in a heavy soup pot, then cook onions for 6 minutes, or until they’re just starting to brown. Then add minced garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground fennel, and black pepper and saute about 1-2 minutes more.
- Rinse 2 cans black beans until no more foam appears, then let the beans drain.
- While onions are cooking, chop up two medium sweet potato into pieces.
- When onions and spices have been cooked long enough, add vegetable stock, black beans, and sweet potatoes to the soup pot, along with salt to taste.
- Let cook about 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are falling-apart tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove 3 cups of sweet potatoes and beans.
- Then use aImmersion Blender (affiliate link) or regular blender to puree the remaining soup. (Be very careful if you do this in a regular blender!)
- Add the reserved beans and sweet potatoes back into the soup and simmer about 15 minutes more.
- Taste to see if you want more salt, then add the lime juice and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve hot, with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt or sour cream if desired.
More Vegetarian Recipes with Black Beans:
Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro
Black Bean and Rice Soup
Black Bean and Pepper Salad
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup is flavored with lime juice, and this tastes great when you need some comfort food! And this is a tasty meatless soup that's loaded with flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced small
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 3/4 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp. ground fennel
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 cups vegetable stock (see notes)
- salt to taste
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in heavy soup pot, add diced onion and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until onions are just starting to brown.
- Add minced garlic, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground fennel and fresh-ground black pepper and saute 1-2 minutes more, or until spices are becoming fragrant.
- While onions are cooking, peel and dice sweet potato and rinse beans until no more foam appears, then drain.
- After onions and spice mixture have been sauteed, add the diced sweet potatoes, black beans, and vegetable or chicken stock to the soup pot, along with salt to taste.
- Let soup simmer on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are falling-apart tender. (There will be some foam from the beans that rises to the top during cooking; just skim off with a large spoon or stock skimmer.)
- When sweet potatoes are tender, use a slotted spoon to remove 3 cups of beans and sweet potatoes; then use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the remaining soup. (Be very careful with the hot soup if using a regular blender; fill the blender container only about 3/4 full and hold the lid on the blender with a towel or hot pad draped over the lid.)
- Add the reserved sweet potatoes and beans back into the soup and simmer about 15 minutes more.
- Taste to see if you want to add more salt; then add the lime juice and simmer about 5 minutes more.
- Serve hot, with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt or light sour cream if desired.
- If desired you can serve with lime wedges so people who want to can squeeze more lime juice into their soup.
Notes
If you're using vegetable broth in a can, use 3 cans broth and just freeze the extra.
This recipe adapted from Black Bean Soup with Sweet Potatoes found in Fine Cooking Soups and Stews.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 264Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 558mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 14gSugar: 5gProtein: 14g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup would be approved for only phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet, due to the sweet potatoes. This soup is too high in carbs for a low-carb diet plan but see tips in the post for making a more carb-conscious (and lower-GI version.)
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2010. It was last updated with more information and a lower-carb option in 2021.
55 Comments on “Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup”
Made it this evening, it was awesome! I made mine vegetarian all the way and it was filling and satisfying.
Cheers, will keep this one on hand.
Robin, great idea to use the food processor; glad you liked it!
I just finished the soup using my food processor and it worked fine to puree. It is delicious, thank you for posting. I try to follow my own version of WW, South Beach healthy eating and this works in both of those areas. My husband is a big soup fan as well and he loves this, it will become one I use in the future, so easy to get to the table!
I love soup all year round, but especially at this time of year and this is a real humdinger. Can't wait to try it 🙂
Very nice soup, perfect for the kind of weather we've been having. I also thought about using butternut squash instead of sweet potato. I have to start using the squashes in my stash. I am glad you had a nice Christmas.
This is wonderful to include vegetarian options! This week is def soup weather!
Joanne and Shirley, thanks and happy holidays to you both!
This soup looks wonderful, Kalyn! I even have all the ingredients. 🙂 My immersion blender just died over the holidays though. I tried using a regular blender and it did not go well, so this recipe will get me to the store sooner than later. 😉
So glad you had a great Christmas! I used to dislike the time after Christmas, but now find I enjoy it, too. Have a wonderful New Year, Kalyn!
Shirley
I'm so happy to hear that you had a lovely Christmas Kalyn!
I definitely need some detox food at the moment and this looks just perfect! Sweet potatoes being one of my most favorite foods on this earth, of course!
Thanks for the nice comments about my timing. I do *try* to post things when they'll be most appreciated. Glad people are liking this one.
Looks great and sounds so hearty! I love that time in between holidays too … it's so nice to still see everyone and wind down a little!
This sounds perfect after all excess of sweets that I've been consuming!
Lime makes black bean soup come alive. This soup sounds perfect for the New Year. Wishing you a bright and peaceful New Year 2011, Kalyn- xox!
I also thought about substituting squash for the sweet potatoes. I have still lots. This is a very tasty looking soup my family would love to eat.
Hi Kalyn,
Hope you enjoyed your holidays. This soup sounds delicious. We must have been on the same wavelength as I just made a turkey black bean chili with sweet potatoes, inspired by chili recipes by you and other food bloggers.
I agree about your timing, Kalyn! I always find something yummy, nutritious and inspirational on your blog! This soup looks perfect. Happy New Year!
Your timing is perfect! I was just searching your site last night for THIS soup! I wanted something light, yet spicy… using what I had on-hand. I made up my own black bean + sweet potato soup (a favorite combination of mine). I just mashed mine a bit by hand, but will try the immersion blender next time.
I love your site – thanks for the healthy inspirations!
Nikki, I think butternut squash would be just fine as a substitute for the sweet potatoes. Please report back if you try it.
Lydia, I did like the combination of textures here, and with the immersion blender it was easy to do.
I make a version of this soup often, but I've never tried blending part of it to achieve a different texture. Thanks for the idea; I'll do that next time!
Sounds fantastic. How do you think it would do with Butternut Squash? I've got two hanging around I need to do something with!