Warm your soul with this creamy Mexican Bean Soup. This pinto bean soup offers a flavorful taste of Latin comfort.
This creamy Mexican Bean Soup is a delightful blend of hearty pinto beans and rich, aromatic spices, perfect for warming your soul. It’s a versatile dish that brings the vibrant flavors of Latin cuisine to your kitchen.
With basic ingredients, you can create a comforting and wholesome meal. Plus, it’s easy to customize with your favorite toppings and variations, ensuring that each bowl is just as exciting as the last. Serve it with fresh salsa, diced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, or a squeeze of lime for added flavor and texture.
Table of Contents
Reasons to Love This Mexican Bean Soup
- This dish is perfect for meal prepping, batch cooking, and leftovers.
- Mexican Bean Soup is easy to make, even for beginners.
- This soup recipe uses simple, wholesome ingredients.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Cumin: This spice offers a warm, earthy taste.
- Yellow Onion: Diced yellow onions provide a sweet and savory depth.
- Ground Cayenne Pepper: Adds a subtle heat and spice to the soup.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Garnish Options: Top your Mexican Bean Soup with diced avocado, sour cream, fresh salsa, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, or shredded cheese. These add color, texture, and extra flavor that will enhance the soup.
- Spicy Kick: For a spicier Mexican Bean Soup, add extra cayenne pepper or include diced jalapenos during the sautéing step. You can also sprinkle in some red pepper flakes, and chili powder, or add a splash of hot sauce to kick up the heat.
- Broth Alternatives: For a vegan pinto bean soup, swap a vegan alternative or use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
How to Make Mexican Bean Soup
Step #1: Sort through the beans to remove any debris, then rinse them under running tap water. Place the rinsed beans in a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven or other lidded pot and add 7 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Let simmer for 90 minutes.
Step #2: When the beans are done cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes, until browned and softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for 60 seconds. Add the cooked beans and any remaining liquid from the bean pot into the skillet.
Step #3: Pour the chicken broth into the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the liquid reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Taste and add salt as needed. If the soup seems too thin for you, continue cooking it uncovered until it reduces to your desired thickness.
Step #4: Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, and avocado.
Expert Tips
- Alternative Blending: If an immersion blender is not available, you can blend the soup in batches using a regular blender. Be sure to let the soup cool slightly, blend carefully to avoid spills, and stir well before serving.
- Use Time-Saving Tool: Save time with this 3-in-1 avocado peeler, slicer, and pitter tool. It makes preparing avocados quick and easy.
- Onion Caramelization: Let the onions caramelize slightly while sautéing. This deepens the flavor of the soup and adds a hint of sweetness that complements the spices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can substitute pinto beans with other beans such as black beans, kidney beans, or navy beans.
You can add a variety of veggies such as bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, or corn to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of the soup. Simply dice and add them during the sautéing step.
You can add fresh cilantro, oregano, smoked paprika, or a squeeze of lime juice for extra flavor. For a smoky depth, try chipotle pepper, green chiles, or a splash of adobo sauce. Adjust the spices to your taste.
Storage Info
Store Mexican Bean Soup in an airtight container or mason jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, place the cooled soup in freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months.
Reheat the soup on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through, or microwave it in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water or broth if the soup has thickened too much during storage.
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Mexican Bean Soup Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
- 7 cups water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 cups diced yellow onion - about 2 large onions
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Sour Cream - Avocado, and Fresh Salsa for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Sort through the beans to remove any debris, then rinse them under running tap water. Place the rinsed beans in a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven or other lidded pot and add 7 cups of water. Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot. Let simmer for 90 minutes.
- When the beans are done cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 10 minutes, until browned and softened. Add the garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Sauté for 60 seconds. Add the cooked beans and any remaining liquid from the bean pot into the skillet.
- Pour the chicken broth into the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the liquid reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Taste and add salt as needed. If the soup seems too thin for you, continue cooking it uncovered until it reduces to your desired thickness.
- Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, and avocado.
NOTES
Nutrition
I’ve been cooking (and eating!) pinto beans for some 60 years, and I’ve never once thought of turning the cooked beans into a soup! So thank you for the idea — I’ll try it this week; I always have a good stash of beans in my freezer.
However, rather than put the cooked beans in a mason jar or other solid container, I scoop them into quart-size freezer bags, pat them into nice flat packets, expelling any air and sealing them securely. Then into the freezer they go; I can stack many packets of beans into the space of a single Mason jar. They can be thawed and heated in the bag in the microwave just before serving, or removed from the bag either frozen or thawed and transferred to another pan or other vessel as part of another dish.
Pinto beans are not only cheap and delicious, they are also wonderfully nutritious, being particularly low in fat and high in protein, fiber, iron and potassium!
Thanks again for the soup inspiration!
My husband no longer accompanies me to the grocery store for the very reasons you described. He always *promises* to be patient, but it’s just not in him to meander the aisles. It’s better for our marriage if he stays home 🙂 Anyway, this looks like the perfect lunch soup!
This soup sounds really good! Perfect for a cold day! : D
Thank you so much, Crystal!
Pinto Bean Soup is an exceptionally hearty meal and pretty easy for me to make now; it took a few tries. I like it for my Meatless Mondays and it’s not too carby.
Thanks, Reginia! It’s one of my favorites, too 🙂
After all this cold weather soup is what I need!! And it looks amazing!!
Thanks, Gaby! You are too sweet 🙂