This Mexican-inspired pinto bean soup is creamy, full of flavor, and hearty enough to eat! Bonus: It’s super easy to make and cooks in one pot in about 35 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight meals.
Pinto beans don’t get nearly enough love, if you ask me. Everyone makes such a fuss about black beans and chickpeas, but I’ve never heard anyone fuss about pinto beans.
Well, you know what? As a girl whose favorite takeout growing up was Taco Bell bean burritos (and who eventually created a recipe for vegan 7 layer burritos), I’m here to tell you that pinto beans rule. They are delicious, smoky and they are deliciously creamy.
So today I’m celebrating the humble pinto bean with some Mexican-inspired soup. Is this stuff authentically Mexican, you ask? No, probably not. Unless it happened by accident. I originally made this soup with my favorite bean burrito filling as inspiration.
But this pinto bean soup is so much better than anything from the takeout window. And it’s almost as easy, hearty enough to eat, and perfect for a cold day.
Jump:
Ingredients you will need
- Olive oil. You can substitute your favorite neutral-high heat oil if you like. Vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil will all work.
- onion
- garlic
- spices. You’ll need ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, and ancho chili powder, all of which can be found in the spice aisle of most supermarkets.
- Vegetable broth.
- Canned pinto beans. We are using canned beans since they are pre-cooked and allow the recipe to come together quickly and easily. If you want to soak and cook your beans from scratch, go ahead. You will need about 5 ½ cups of beans.
- Fire roasted tomatoes. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a delicious smoky flavor to the soup, but regular canned diced tomatoes can be substituted if that’s all available.
- Lemonade.
- Salt and pepper.
- accompanying While not strictly necessary, I really like to pile the toppings on my pinto bean soup. Try hot sauce, guacamole, shredded vegan cheese, avocado slices, chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, or tortilla chips or strips!
How is it made?
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. If you want to skip the recipe, scroll all the way down!
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with some oil and heat. Add chopped onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring it often, until it begins to soften.
- Add minced garlic and your spices. Fry everything briefly. Be sure to stir the mixture and keep an eye on it – the spices can burn quickly!
- Stir in broth, beans and tomatoes. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to just simmer. It only needs to be cooked for about 20 minutes!
- Remove the pot from the burner and add about half of the soup mixture. I’m using an immersion hand blender (a tool I love!), but you can always transfer it to a food processor or blender. Always use extreme caution when mixing hot liquids.
Tip: Adjust the amount of soup you blend to achieve your desired consistency. For creamier soup, mix the whole batch. For brothy soup, mix in less than half of that.
- Season your soup with a little lime juice, salt and pepper. You can thin it out with some broth or water at this point, although I like my soup nice and thick!
- Scoop it into bowls and pile on the toppings. Enjoy!
Remaining and storage
Leftover pinto bean soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
The soup can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove. It may thicken during storage. Thin with a little water or broth when reheating if necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is it!
It is spicy, but not too hot. In fact, the ancho chili powder is the only ingredient that adds heat. If you’re nervous about the heat level, add it at the end (after blending) for flavor. If you want extra heat, add some cayenne pepper or some hot sauce.
Probably, though the taste and texture will be a little different. Black beans, navy beans, kidney beans and cannellini beans should all work just fine.
More bean soup recipes
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Mexican pinto bean soup
This Mexican-inspired pinto bean soup is creamy, full of flavor, and hearty enough to eat! Bonus: It’s super easy to make and cooks in one pot in about 35 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight meals.
material
-
1
table spoon
olive oil -
1
medium onion,
to cut -
4
garlic cloves,
minced meat -
1
table spoon
cumin -
1
teaspoon
Smoked paprika -
1
teaspoon
Dried oregano -
1
teaspoon
Ancho chile powder -
2
the cup
vegetable broth,
Plus more as needed -
3
(14 oz or 400 g) can
pinto beans,
drained and rinsed -
1
(14 ounces or 400 grams) can
Fire roasted tomatoes -
1
table spoon
Lemon juice -
salt and pepper,
to test
instructions
-
Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place over medium heat.
-
When the oil is hot, add onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
-
Stir in garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and ancho chili powder. Cook everything for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until very fragrant.
-
Stir in broth, beans and tomatoes. Increase the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
-
Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the liquid is too low.
-
Remove pot from heat. Use an immersion blender to blend about half of the soup (or make it as smooth or chunky as you like). Alternatively, transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor, blend and return to the pot. (See note.)
-
Thin the soup with water or extra broth if desired, then place on the burner for a few minutes to reheat if necessary.
-
Stir in the lime juice and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Divide into bowls and top with toppings of choice. serve
Recipe notes
If you like it creamier, you can mix more than half (or even all) of the soup. Blend less than half for a brothy soup.
nutrients
Mexican pinto bean soup
Amount per serving (1.5 cups)
calories 377
55 calories from fat
% Daily Value*
thick 6.1 grams9%
1 gram of saturated fat5%
Sodium 848 mg35%
potassium 1233 mg35%
carbohydrates 59.2 grams20%
19.5 grams of fiber78%
4.5 grams of sugar5%
protein 21.3 grams43%
calcium 100 mg10%
iron 5.9 mg33%
* Percent Daily Value is based on a 2000 calorie diet.