If you're into Mexican food then this recipe is for you! This easy Mexican Bean Soup is a warming, hearty soup that's packed with Mexican flavors. It features tender beans simmered in a savory broth along with plenty of fresh vegetables and spices.
This one-pot soup is also vegan, gluten-free and low in fat and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare!
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Whether you're looking for a comforting weeknight meal or a crowd-pleasing party dish, this Mexican bean soup recipe is sure to hit the spot.
It's a flavorful and nutritious soup that's packed with protein and fiber from the beans, as well as a variety of veggies and spices that give it a zesty kick. Best of all, it's super easy to make and budget-friendly.
For more soup recipes see Vegetarian Potato Soup, Vegetarian Lentil Soup or Healthy Mushroom Soup.
For more recipes inspired by Mexican cuisine see Vegetarian Birria Tacos, Vegan TVP Tacos or Vegetarian Chili con Carne.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's a nutritious yet delicious and hearty dish.
- It contains plant-based protein!
- It's gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free and high in fiber!
- It's ready in less than 30 minutes- the perfect weeknight meal.
- It's meal prep and freezer friendly!
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Onion: Both red and white onion work in this recipe.
- Red & Green Bell Pepper: Instead of the red you could also use a yellow bell pepper. However, I wouldn't replace the green one since both the red and yellow peppers are quite sweet which could make the dish taste sweeter as well.
- Chili Pepper (optional): Adds some nice spiciness to this soup. Can be omitted or replaced by green chiles.
- Vegetable Broth: I use store-bought veggie broth powder but homemade vegetable broth works just as fine. If you don't need this recipe to be vegetarian you could also use chicken broth.
- Kidney Beans: This recipe calls for kidney beans but you could easily replace them with black beans, pinto beans or navy beans.
- Spices: This recipe includes thyme, cumin powder, and sweet and smoked paprika powder. They are to crucial to creating a flavorful soup. Feel free to add some spicy condiments as well such as cayenne pepper or chili powder.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make mexican bean soup
This hearty soup is an easy one-pot meal that's quick and easy to make. It requires a couple of simple ingredients and is ready in 25 minutes!
STEP 1: Fry onion, garlic and celery. Heat oil in a large pan or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic, chili (optional) and celery stalk.
Sauté until onion is translucent while constantly stirring.
STEP 2: Spices. Next, add spices (smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cumin, thyme).
Fry for another 30 seconds- this will allow the spices to develop their flavors.
STEP 3: Add veggies, broth and beans. Add bell peppers, and beans and deglaze with the veggie stock. Season with salt then bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer with a lid on for about 15 minutes.
STEP 4: Blend. Transfer about ¼ of the mix to a blender. Blend until creamy. Alternatively, you could use a handheld immersion blender to puree about ⅓ of the soup.
STEP 5: Combine. Then add the mix back to the remaining soup. Add in sweetcorn. Give the soup a good stir and serve with toppings of choice.
Katie's tips
- Celery: Chop celery into very small pieces to ensure that it's soft and cooked after 15 minutes.
- Adjust texture: For a thicker soup, blend bigger parts, for a thinner consistency, blend less.
Variations
- Type of beans: This recipe calls for kidney beans but you could use any beans of choice such as canned black beans, white beans or pinto beans.
Optional add-ins
- Spices: Add some chili flakes, black pepper or red pepper flakes to create a spicy Mexican bean soup.
- Feta: Add a handful of crumbled feta to add some additional delicious flavors. Choose a vegan feta to keep this soup vegan.
Topping ideas
- Guacamole: You can use store-bought guacamole but there's nothing better than homemade guacamole. You can easily prepare it while the soup is simmering.
- Avocado: If you're not a fan of guacamole, feel free to add whole chunks of fresh avocado on top.
- Tortilla Chips: My second favorite topping for this soup. Make sure to add a handful of tortilla chips just before serving so that they stay crunchy.
- Yogurt: A scoop of natural yogurt adds creaminess as well as some extra taste. You could use any yogurt of your choice such as Greek yogurt (not vegan) or soy yogurt. Alternatively, could also use sour cream.
- Grated Cheddar: Grated cheese makes a delicious addition to this soup. I like using strongly flavored cheese such as cheddar. Simply use vegan cheese, to keep this recipe vegan.
- Salsa: Try our Cucumber Pico de Gallo or our Mango Habanero Salsa as a topping!
- Lime Juice: Drizzle on some lime juice for some tangy flavors.
- Fresh herbs: Top with herbs such as fresh coriander or fresh cilantro.
Pairings and serving suggestions
- Potato Wedges/ Baked Potatoes: 9 out of 10 times I serve this soup with a big bowl of potato wedges or Baked Potatoes on the side.
- Mashed Potatoes: You can also serve this soup over some Mashed Potatoes.
- (Toasted) Bread: Would also make a great side dish. I prefer using flatbread such as pita or Naan.
Meal prep options
To save even more time, you could prepare parts of this soup ahead of time. I would recommend following the steps until the blender step.
In that case, your veggie stock-kidney bean mix would be all ready. Store in the fridge overnight. All you would need to do the next day is to blend some of the soup and add some sweet corn & guacamole on top.
Storage
- To store: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.
- To freeze: This soup is freezer friendly. Simply store it in a mason jar or an airtight container with a lid that's freezer-friendly. Let it thaw in the fridge or on the counter overnight.
- To reheat: Gently reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. You might need to add a splash of veggie stock/ water.
FAQs
Theoretically, you could, but I don't see the need of a pressure cooker here since this recipe uses cooked beans (canned). This means that the cooking process for only the veggies is very short.
You could use a handheld immersion blender instead. I do not recommend using a food processor because this won't result in a creamy but rather chunky soup.
More vegan soup recipes
📖 Recipe
Mexican Bean Soup (quick + easy)
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tablespoon olive oil *or other oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped (into very small pieces)
- 1 chili (omit if you don't like it spicy) chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder *see notes
- ½ red bell pepper chopped & deseeded
- ½ green bell pepper chopped & deseeded
- 3 cups (690 ml) veggie stock
- 2 cans (14 oz) (2 cans (400g)) kidney beans *or other type of beans
- ½ teaspoon salt *depending on how salty your broth is
- 1 can (8 oz) (1 can (225g)) sweetcorn
- fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley) and black pepper as a topping *optional
- guacamole & other toppings of choice (see above for suggestions)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or skillet over medium heat.2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add onion, garlic, celery and chili (optional) and sauté until onion is translucent and golden brown.1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 celery stalk
- Add spices (thyme, sweet paprika powder, smoked paprika powder, cumin) and fry for 30 seconds.1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon paprika powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- Add bell peppers , vegetable stock, beans and a pinch of salt.½ red bell pepper, ½ green bell pepper, 3 cups veggie stock, 2 cans (14 oz) kidney beans, ½ teaspoon salt
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer covered with a lid over low heat for about 15 min or until celery is soft.
- Take out about ¼ of the mix and put it into a blender. Make sure to scoop out enough liquid too or it won't blend. Alternatively, you could use an immersion blender.
- Blend until creamy, then add the mix back to the soup.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Then add sweet corn and give it a good stir.1 can (8 oz) sweetcorn
- Add toppings of choice (see suggestions below) and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Smoked Paprika Powder: I highly recommend not skipping this spice, it's crucial for this soup's flavor.
- Topping Ideas: Homemade guacamole, tortilla chips, yogurt or sour cream, grated cheese, Cucumber Pico de Gallo, Mango Habanero Salsa, fresh herbs... for more details see "toppings" sections above.
- Meal Prep Option: To save even more time, you could prepare parts of this soup ahead of time. I would recommend following the steps until the blender step. In that case, your veggie stock-kidney bean mix would be all ready. Store in the fridge overnight. All you would need to do the next day is to blend some of the soup and add some sweet corn & guacamole on top.
- To store: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.
- To freeze: This soup is freezer friendly. Store in a freezer-friendly jar with a lid up to 3 weeks and let thaw in the fridge or on the counter overnight.
Beverly says
The photo looks delicious - but it would seem that you have omitted the process of the red kidney beans in the instructions.
Katie says
Just checked and you're right, I somehow completely forgot about to mention them in the card. Thanks so much for pointing that out!