Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

This hearty black bean and sweet potato soup makes the perfect cozy dinner for game day or a busy weeknight meal. It's a vegetarian-friendly recipe filling enough that you won't even miss the meat!

While we're not a vegetarian household, I like having a few hearty meatless dinner recipes that my family still enjoys. It saves a little on the grocery bill and adds variety to our weekly menu.

This soup has a lot of chili attributes, but since the jury is still out whether or not chili should have beans it, I'm sticking with calling this a soup!

Jump to:

• Ingredient Notes
• How To Make Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
• Serving Tips
• Recipe Variations & Easy Swaps
• Storage & Reheating Tips
• Other Comfort Food Recipes You'll Love
• 📖 Recipe

Ingredient Notes

Here are a few helpful tips on some of the ingredients. For a full list, check out the recipe card below.

• Sweet potatoes - How many you'll need will depend on their size. You want about 3 cups of potatoes that are diced into one inch pieces. Orange-fleshed have a creamier texture and sweeter flavor than white ones.
• Black beans - Canned is the quickest, and some of the liquid is going to help thicken the soup. You could also cook your own dried beans, but the soup will be a thinner texture.
• Fire-roasted tomatoes - Adds a smoky punch of flavor to the soup.
• Vegetable broth - Keeps this a vegetarian soup. If you're not set on meatless recipe, chicken or beef broth also works.

How To Make Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté for another minute.

2. Add cubed sweet potatoes along with seasonings (chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt). Sauté 3-4 minutes until potatoes just start to soften.

3. Stir in undrained black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.

4. Remove cover and cook another 10-15 minutes until soup has thickened.

Slow Cooker Version: Saute onion and garlic as in stovetop version. Then add everything to the crockpot and cook on Low 5-6 hours or High 2-3 hours. An easy weeknight soup to make when you want dinner waiting for you! Cut the sweet potatoes a little larger when using the slow cooker so they don't get mushy during the longer cooking time.

Serving Tips

Top your black bean and sweet potato soup with:

• Crunchy tortilla chips or crusty bread for dipping
• A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Fresh cilantro
• A squeeze of lime juice - it brightens the flavor!

Recipe Variations & Easy Swaps

• Beans: Pinto or kidney beans will work just fine.
• Veggies: Add spinach or corn during the last few minutes of cooking.
• Spice: Use chipotle powder or a hot chili powder to give the soup some kick.
• Frozen shortcut: Frozen sweet potato chunks will cook faster.
• Protein: Add in shredded chicken or sausage pieces.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Refrigerator: Store in airtight containers 3-4 days. Perfect for meal prep lunches!

Freezer: Cool completely, then freeze in containers up to 3 months. Freeze in smaller containers for easy meals on the go.

Quick Tip: Freeze soup in quart-size freezer bags laid flat, so they stack easily and thaw faster.

Reheating: Warm on the stove until simmering, or microwave in intervals until heated through.

Other Comfort Food Recipes You'll Love

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📖 Recipe