Creamy, hearty black bean sweet potato soup with a coconut-ginger base is an easy, 1-pot dinner that's packed with flavor!
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A steamy pot of black bean sweet potato soup is a healthy comfort food dinner that all comes together in one pot with simple ingredients!
Hearty black beans and tender sweet potatoes cook up with onion, garlic, ginger, and spices in creamy coconut broth. It's an incredible combination of flavors and textures.
This makes a great meal with some crusty bread or garlic bread for dipping. Perfect for a chilly evening!
If you love black beans and sweet potato together, also check out my recipe for black bean sweet potato enchiladas!
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- black beans and sweet potatoes with aromatics and spices in ginger-coconut broth
- easy to make in 1 pan
- hearty, cozy, comforting meal
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free with oil-free option
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- olive oil - To sauté. You can broth fry for oil-free, if you like.
- whole spices - For a big flavor boost, we are using whole cumin and coriander seeds. If you don't have these, you can use the same amount of ground cumin and coriander, and add them with the ground spices.
- aromatics - Onion and garlic add so much umami! You can use red onion or yellow onions in this soup. You can also add some bell pepper, if you like.
- tomato paste - Tomato paste adds umami to the soup.
- stock - Adds moisture to cook the sweet potato. You can use vegetable broth, vegetable stock, or vegan chicken broth.
- sweet potato - Peel your sweet potato and cut it into ½" cubes. These smaller pieces will cook up more quickly. You can use frozen sweet potato cubes, if you prefer.
- black beans - Add protein and they just go so well with sweet potatoes! You can use kidney beans instead, if you prefer.
- ground spices - Ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and crushed pepper flakes add so much flavor! You can omit or reduce the pepper flakes for less heat, or add more for spicier.
- coconut milk - You can use light or full-fat coconut milk in this black bean soup recipe. Make sure you mix it well before adding, because it tends to separate in the can.
- garnishes - Garnish each bowl with some chopped fresh cilantro, green onion, and a squeeze of lime juice. You can also add a dollop of vegan sour cream or unsweetened non-dairy yogurt, if you like!
🔪 How to Make Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
Heat a soup pan over medium-high heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices, onion, garlic, and salt, and cook until the onion starts to brown on the edges. Stir often, so the garlic doesn't burn.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, except the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, and make sure that the tomato paste mixes in really well. Then, cover the pot, and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potato pieces are tender, checking in every 5 minutes. Add ½ cup splash of water, if the pan seems too dry.
Mix the coconut milk well, if it has separated in the can. Then, stir the coconut milk into the soup and turn off the heat.
Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and more crushed red pepper. If you want it a bit thicker, you can blend all or part of it using an immersion blender or upright blender. For an upright blender, let the soup cool before blending, so it doesn't explode!
Serve topped with cilantro, green onion, and a squeeze of lime juice.
💡 Helpful Tips
- Make sure that you dice the sweet potato to approximately ½" pieces, so it will cook through.
- We are adding the coconut milk at the end of cooking, because boiling it for so long can cause it the curdle or separate.
- Make sure you mix the coconut milk well before adding to the pot, because it tends to separate in the can.
- If you want your soup to be thicker, you can puree some of all of it in a blender or with an immersion blender. If you are going to puree in a regular blender, let the soup cool, then warm it back up in the pan after blending.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftover black bean sweet potato soup will keep for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stovetop or in the microwave.
📖 Recipe
Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1 teaspoon ground cumin, added with the other ground spices
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds or ½ teaspoon ground coriander, added with the other ground spices
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups cubed sweet potato peeled ½" cubes. Or use frozen sweet potato chunks.
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger or 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon crushed pepper flakes or more or less, depending on how spicy you want it
- 1 cup canned coconut milk full fat or light
For Garnish
- cilantro
- green onion
- lime juice
Instructions
- Heat a soup pan over medium-high heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the whole spices, onion, garlic, and salt, and cook until the onion starts to brown on the edges. Stir often, so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, except the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, and make sure that the tomato paste mixes in really well. Then, cover the pot, and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potato pieces are tender, checking in every 5 minutes. Add another ½ cup liquid, if the pan seems too dry.
- Mix the coconut milk well, if it has separated in the can. Then, stir the coconut milk into the soup and turn off the heat. If you want your soup to be thicker, you can puree some of all of it in a blender or with an immersion blender. If you are going to puree in a regular blender, let the soup cool, then warm it back up in the pan after blending.
- Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and more crushed red pepper. Serve topped with cilantro, green onion, and a squeeze of lime juice.
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