This Black Bean and Chickpea Tortilla Soup can be made in a few simple steps with simple ingredients. It’s so tasty and takes so little effort to bring to your dinner table! Sometimes we just need those simple meals that warm the soul, especially during fall and winter. This spicy soup is packed with protein from black beans and chickpeas, plus it has veggies like onion, tomato, and jalapeño peppers. Try it when you need a cozy meal!

overhead shot of ingredients including onion, corn, jalapeno, lime, tomato paste, black beans, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, spices, and vegetable broth

Black Bean and Chickpea Tortilla Soup Ingredients

Onion & Garlic: The building blocks of pretty much any soup recipe is onion and garlic. They add a base of beautiful flavor to soup and perfectly caramelize in the pot to prepare it for the other ingredients. A sweet yellow onion is best but feel free to substitute for a red onion for a bit of a different flavor.

Jalapeno Peppers: Adding in chopped jalapeno peppers adds extra spice in addition to the cayenne pepper and chipotle peppers. Depending on how spicy you’d like your soup to be, you can choose to deseed the jalapeno as I instruct in the steps below, or you can choose to keep the seeds to make it extra spicy.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for this recipe include cumin, chili powder, oregano, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. These are some of the spices commonly found in chili recipes, which contributes to the smoky, chili-like flavors of the soup. You can adjust the spices to your liking, including adding cayenne pepper for more spice.

Diced Tomatoes: I like to use diced, fire-roasted tomatoes for this recipe. The main reason is that they add varied textures to the soup and make for a better overall bite.

Black Beans & Chickpeas: The two types of beans this soup calls for are black beans and chickpeas. Both are the protein source of the recipe and contribute to a chunky texture alongside the tomatoes. You can use other beans as a substitute for either including kidney beans or cannellini beans.

Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is the finishing touch that is mixed into the soup. I love pairing cilantro with spicy recipes because the contrast is so tasty. Be sure to save some extra cilantro to top off each soup both with, alongside any other topping you prefer such as extra jalapeno slices or sour cream.

vegetable broth being poured into pot with beans and veggies

2 bowls of tortilla soup topped with lime, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and tortilla crisps

Black Bean and Chickpea Tortilla Soup

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

5.0 from 4 votes

Servings

–

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced (about 3/4 cup)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
two 15- ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
15- ounces can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
15- ounces can corn, drained
15- ounces can diced tomatoes (I like fire-roasted tomatoes)
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (can substitute low-sodium chicken broth)
juice of 1 lime
roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for topping (optional)
optional for topping: tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips, sour cream or vegan sour cream, Greek yogurt, diced avocado

Directions

Mix together the chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until translucent and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the jalapeno, garlic, and spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir it into the vegetable mixture. Cook until the paste melts into the vegetables, about 2 minutes. Stir in the black beans, chickpeas, corn, and diced tomatoes and mix well.
Pour in the broth, plus 1 cup of water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, as the liquid thickens slightly.
Remove from the heat (or simmer on low until ready to serve) and stir in the lime juice. Divide the soup among four bowls and top each with chopped cilantro (if using) and toppings of choice.

Notes

Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat it: Microwave until warm, about 2 minutes or transfer to a saucepot and warm over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. As the soup sits, it will thicken. Add water as needed to thin out when reheating.
Make it creamy: Make this a creamy soup if you prefer! You can add 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk, light cream, blended cottage cheese, cream cheese, or even blended white beans. Add it in with the lime juice in step 5.