Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

My husband thought it was a bit too spicy, but I loved it. If you are using dry beans, make sure to boil them first on the stovetop and then add them to the slower cooker. Dry beans do not get as tender in a slow cooker even if you soak them overnight.

I'm giving this 4 stars, not because it wasn't good, but because I did make additions to it. I'm sure the basic recipe is very good just as written. I did not soak my bean, but put them in a pan with the chicken broth and brought it to a full, rolling boil and then transferred it to the slow cooker. The beans turned out tender and perfect. I also added 2 big sprigs of epazote, which is an herb traditionally cooked with black beans, as well as 2 bay leaves. Along with the other spices I tossed in 2 packets of Goya Sazon. The addition of a can of tomatoes w/green chiles as other suggested sounded like a good idea, so that went in too along with 2 boneless, thin-cut pork chops! I left it on med-high in the slow cooker overnight (about 15 hours total). I do not feel this soup was too thin. I only mashed some of the beans against the side of the kettle with the back of a spatula.I just had a big bowl with a dollop of crema....yum!

This recipe is awesome. I have made it several times, and it is really, really good. If you are pressed for time just use the canned black beans, toss the rest of the stuff into a slow cooker, (I also added a can of diced tomatoes) and when you get home, dinner! I just pureed about 1/2 the soup for a more authentic look, and served it with chopped green onion, sour cream, cheddar cheese and homemade guacamole. Also, although I am not a huge fan of spice, I found this just right with the amount of cayenne recommended and two minced jalopenos. They really mellow out in the soup and it won't be that spicy, just the right amount. YUM!

I am giving this 4 stars because I changed it up a bit. This is a good base recipe. I used 4 cans black beans(drained) and only 3 cups of broth. I added 1 can spicy diced tomatoes, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 small diced yellow onion. I also doubled the cayenne, jalapeno, and cumin....we really like it spicy. I also added some chopped cilantro and a tbsp fresh lime juice. An hour before serving I put half of the soup in the blender and returned to crock pot. This made it thicker. I served with sour cream and shredded cheese on top. It was spicy....yummy and gone in a heartbeat! Will make it again.

Made this soup today. I cut the spices in half...still too spicy for me, but I'm kinda wimpy on the heat level. I like spicy, but not hot, which, I know, is completely subjective. I added a can of Amy's Vegetarian Organic Refried [Black] Beans. Now just right for me. (November 2007)Help me understand why reviewers lower the rating when they don't follow the recipe? The logic escapes me.

YUM!!.. This soup turned out really good!! I have made Black Bean soup in the past, but they did not compare to this one. I followed the other reviewers advice and added green pepper, onion and a can of diced tomatoes. I also made sure to soak the beans overnight. I wanted a slightly creamier soup and ended up pureeing half of the soup. It turned out perfect, spicy but not too spicy! I have added this one to my favorites.

I love to eat black beans and rice and this is a great recipe for this. I like my food spicy so I added in a whole fresh Jalepeno with seeds and a chopped onion. I doubled the hot sauce also. Instead of soaking the beans overnight, I put them in the Crock Pot before I went to bed and let them cook all night (don't tell my mother or she will yell at me for leaving an appliance on while I slept). However, the beans are harder this way. I'd soak them if I wanted them softer.

Instead of the jalapeno peppers, I use a chopped green pepper and a small can of diced green chiles. I also add a chopped onion, a can of diced tomatoes (reducing the amount of broth), and sometimes some cooked, diced chicken breasts. It is a great recipe, there are many things you can add or change to make it a bit different every time!

I doubled the spices, added fresh cilantro, 2 chopped red & green peppers, 1 good-sized jalapeno pepper, 1 sweet onion, 1 can of green chiles, 1 can of rotel, a shot of worcestershire and about 1 cup of salsa. (basically gazpacho ingred w/out the cukes) Lot more work, but everyone loved it. Served over rice.

This is an excellent recipe for black bean soup. I was afraid it would be too spicy, but decided to try it without adjusting the spices. When done, I blended approximately 2 cups of the recipe and returned it to the slow cooker. Turned out great!!

Instead of "soaking" the beans overnight, just wash the beans; add the chicken broth (or whatever liquid you want to use); bring to rolling boil for 10 min., cover and let set for 2 hrs. Easy, and a "no fail" way to soften any bean you want.

What can I say? Simply delicious! My husband, who doesn't normally care for black beans, went back for seconds -- I think that says it all! My changes: I added one chopped onion, a few cloves of minced garlic and two roasted/seeded/diced Anaheim chiles to the crockpot. After the beans were tender, I added one 15 oz can of diced tomatoes. After tasting, I ended up adding about 1 tsp more cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder to give it more oomph. I used an immersion blender to blend about 1/2 of the soup before serving topped with fresh chopped tomato and grated cheddar. This one will be going in my recipe book!

Very tasty, but a little too spicy. I didn't even use the hot sauce. I'm from the South and love spice, but too much can take away the other flavors and the enjoyment of the dish. I will make again and scale back on the cayenne.

This has become a regular; I probably make it every two or three weeks. I was surprised at how rich and flavorful this soup is! I've started adding fresh green pepper and onion, and usually try to use organic black beans as they are only slightly more in cost but taste amazing in this soup. I also like to add chunks of smoked ham and through in sour cream at the end to make it more creamy. Also, to make it less soupy I usually use only 4 or 5 cups of chicken broth, 6 tends to make it too watery. The best part of this dish is that I can throw it in the crock pot in the morning and eat it 12 hours later. It's one of those few dishes that the longer you cook, the better it tastes!

This is good, I dont know if I think of it as soup though, I'm eating over rice and its delicious. I did 2 tsps granulated garlic - I love garlic! 1 jalapeno with some of the seeds/membranes, about 1/2 tsp cayenne and no black pepper - the rest of the spices I kept the same. I also added some chopped green pepper. I love these kinds of meals as you can change it up and serve it different ways, and beans freeze well. It does smell more flavorful than it actually is, but its easy to add stuff to get the taste you want. I love that its inexpensive and can be done in the crockpot or on the stove. OH - mine is not too spicy - but it all depends on the heat of your peppers and types of chili powders/hot sauce. I used the tabasco chipotle sauce - you can always leave out the cayenne and hot sauce and add to taste when the beans are done. OK - I had to come back and change my rating to 5 stars...I've still got my beans cooking and added a bit of flour as I want it to thicken up a bit, but the flavor has just gotten better and I keep eating bites out of the crockpot - I'm going to keep cooking longer to let it thicken, but this is really good!

Soup was decent after being doctored up with onions, green peppers and tomatoes..plus extra spices...but still a little bland. Can't imagine that it would have any flavor without those additions.

Good base recipe. Here are the changes I made: - Puree half the beans after slow cooking - Mix one tablespoon corn starch in a 1/4 cup of cooled soup - One small can tomato paste (helps soup thickness) - 2 tbsp worthesire(sp?) sauce Serve topped with diced cilantro, tortilla chips and sour cream.

I joined the site just to rate this recipie. It was amazing and with the help of other reviwes it came out perfect. I did make some changes and do to a lack of time cooked it on the stove for 2 hours. We also like flavor so we doubled the spices. This is what i did. 4 cans black beans with juice 2 jalapenos with seeds, diced 4 cups chicken broth 1 green pepper diced 1 onion diced 1 can rotel diced tomatoes with hot green chilies (14.5oz) 5 cloves garlic minced 2T chili powder 2t cumin ½ T black pepper 4-6 T worcestershire sauce Some salt ½ t hot sauce to taste or 1 t cayenne pepper Cilantro Juice of 1 large lime Combine everything but cilantro, lime,and hot sauce in pot, bring to boil, reduce heat, let simmer 2 hours, add in cilantro and lime at end, finish with hot sauce to taste, serve with sour cream and garnish of cilantro and lime.

This is very good! I cut the black pepper in half and added just a pinch of the cayenne and left the hot pepper sauce altogether, for the sake of the 6 little ones in the house. :) Hubby and I added a generous amount of Tabasco at the table. I made some yellow rice and served it in the bowl with the soup, with freshly cut homegrown tomatoes on top, with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. YUMMY! Will be on my regular menu plan!

I made this recipe last night and it is delicious. I added smoked diced kielbasa sausage. I would cut the cayenne in half. i used fresh serrano chilis instead of jalapeno. I also started with dried black beans that i boiled for 3 mins then started cooking in crockpot. i cooked in crockpot for 6 hours on high then overnight on low. I also pureed about 1 cup of the beans with my hand blender to thicken it.

Good base to make soup. After making changes and additions, it was wonderful. Cut spices in half. blended about half of the beans to help thicken. Added can of drained diced tomatoes, drained can corn, cilantro, chopped green onion, lime juice and the end result was 5 star. Served with crushed tortillas, cheese and sour cream.

My beans were a little firm in the crock pot. I should have boiled them first.

This is a very simple, easy recipe with tons of flavor. I made some additions based on other reviews. I added a can of Rotel, 1/4 c chopped cilantro, a quarter of an onion (chopped), and the juice of a small lime. I brought the beans to a boil on the stovetop for about 5 minutes before starting them in the crockpot. Before serving the soup, I put 3 cups of the soup in the blender and blended it well, then put it back in the soup. That really made into a soup and not just beans, for me. The only thing is that the soup was a little thin for me. My husband didn't mind at all though, he ate almost the whole pot!!!

What a great recipe! Nice and spicy and full of flavor - the house smelled wonderful all day. I used fresh jalapenos and added a little extra cumin. I like a mix of creaminess and whole beans, so I blended half of it and mixed the two parts together again. I served it garnished with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of cilantro. I will DEFINITELY be making wonderful soup again - thanks for sending it in!

This was an excellent recipe you may want to make extra; I'm making it a 2nd time in 2 weeks! The only adjustment I made was to use sweet bell peppers instead of the jalapenos because I was serving it to daycare children. I also cooked it for an extra day in the crock pot on low heat to have a softer bean, and that was only as a matter of preference.

I enjoyed this recipe very much. I followed the advise from some of the other reviewers and added a can of diced tomatoes, chopped onions, and minced garlic. I used canned black beans and vegetable broth. Cooked on high for about 1 1/2 hours and low for about 2 hours. This is something I will be making again and again. Thanks!

We really enjoyed the flavor of this soup- I did decrease the jalapenos. The only problem is the texture of the beans- we don't think the slow cooker gets them soft enough, even after soaking. I agree with the review that says to boil them first on the stovetop, if you are expecting a soft bean.

WOW. This was fantastic, and I'll be making it many more times. After spooning into bowls, I loaded it w/ chips, sour cream, cilantro and mild cheddar. Yum!

I'm going to give this 5 stars, as I think it's a great base recipe. I thought the spice level was perfect, it had that kind of heat I look for in a comfort soup, something perfect on a cold day, etc. I chose the option of blending parts of my soup, also added cornstarch to make it creamier. I added a can of diced tomatoes. It's a good base everyone can take and then add the things they like. Yum!

I was surprised - it was very, very good. I added smoked ham hocks and I didn't have a jalapeno pepper or chili sauce when I threw it in the crockpot. I planned to buy it early enough to be able to add it, but didn't get around to it. I thought it would turn out bland or lacking, but the cayenne and chili powder really added a lot of great taste. An hour before it was finished, I blended some of the beans and it thickened the soup perfectly. We had leftovers for two days and it was just as delicious. This is a keeper!

I cooked the beejezus out of this soup (probably 18 hours in a slowcooker after beans soaking for 12) to get it nice and thick, but oh man it was worth it. Also, pureed half in a blender about 12 hours in. My parents found it too spicy- i blame the jalapeno juices. Boyfriend and I inhaled it. What a simple, spicy delight. Will definitely make again, despite long cook time. It just sits in a crockpot while I go about my day and eventually I have awesome soup!

Wonderful recipe! My husband enjoyed it as well. I made a few modifications based on the other reviews -- added onion, diced tomatoes with jalepenos, diced kielbasa, and a little chili seasoning. Served with green onions and melted cheese on top. Absolutely wonderful!!

Got endless compliments on this. It helped that I did boil the dry beans before adding them to the slow cooker. It made a world of difference. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I'll use it again!

fantastic! the only changes we made were adding two chopped bell peppers, using real garlic (two-three cloves)instead of garlic powder, and adding onions (one-two med. size). and we served it over rice. easy and tasty!

Pretty good but a little watery. Do NOT increase liquid- if anything decrease it a little bit. I also took some out and blended it up to make it a little thicker. Pretty good soup.

I only used the cumin and chili powder and it came out great!!! I also added a ham hock to it. When it was done, diced the meat and put it all over a bed of rice. Fantastic!!

The whole family enjoyed this tasty soup. Ours thickened up over night and we used it for burritos the next day! Loved it!

Sauteed garlic, onion, carrot, celery and mushroomsin a little olive oil. Used canned beans and chicken stock. Put it through food processor. Found it plenty spicy enough without hot pepper sauce. Enjoyed it with ribbons of spinach and a dollop of sour cream.

Added a lot of extras to this dish because we had them on hand, but the base was great as is.

This recipe was so good, and very good for you! Did not need meat or anything. I like it with a big spoonful of sour cream in each bowl! Thanks a bunch!

Simple and easy to make with ingredients I already had in the pantry. The cumin added a nice zesty twist that livened up the bland taste that black means usually have and it also heightened the chili powder taste. I used less chicken broth and cooked in the crock pot and served on rice instead of like a soup.

This was delicious. Modifications: 3 cans beans, 1 can diced tomato, 1 can chicken broth, 1 pkg taco seasoning, 1/2 lb ground beef, 1 chopped onion, 1 can diced green chilies, 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper. Added all to crockpot. Followed the hint to blend 1/2 the soup to make creamier. Topped with sprinkling of cheddar. Will definitely make this again and wasn't too spicy.

I am going to try to make this again, but I made it with canned black beans, and it needed more than I put in. Regardless, the soup was very tasty, but a bit too spicy for my taste. I will tone that down next time.

I have made this several times, although I have gradually changed more and more. First, it has far too much chicken broth for my taste. 2-4 cups is plenty. I did not like it with only the jalapenos, but it is great with a can of tomatoes with jalapenos. I also add in an onion and extra garlic powder. With these changes it has become a staple in my house. I usually make it once every couple months.

Excellent! Everyone went back for seconds (a few had thirds). I noticed some reviewers didn't soak their beans, but I soaked mine overnight. I used fresh garlic in place of garlic powder and added diced onion. Before serving, I pureed some of the beans with a little bit of the liquid then added it all back to the soup to thicken it. Outstanding!!

giving the starts because it sounds like it will be amazing, but haven't actually tried it yet! can't wait to try this. Does anyone know if it can just be done on low for entire day (while at work), rather than high, then low?

Really tasty, good basic recipe that can be adjusted any number of ways. I added a half pound of chopped smoked ham, a heaping tablespoon of minced onion, and a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies. I also used two whole jalapenos chopped finely rather than 2 teaspoons. If you don't blend or mash the beans, you can remove them with a slotted spoon, and serve them as, well...beans. (The blended, thickened version is good too.) As I'm typing this review, I'm making this recipe for the third time--this has become a regular meal at our house.

This is the best of black bean soups! I doubled the dry spices rather than use the jalapeno and it had just the right amount of kick. I like using dry beans instead of canned beans. This soup is better than the black bean soup you'll find in most restaurants. I have already shared it with all four of my daughters. Great job! (Easy to make a nice vegetarian version, too, simply by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.)

I thought this was great. I followed the idea of adding Rotel - because how could that be bad. Plus, I didn't have any jalapenos on hand, so figured that would add some spice. I cut back a little on the cayenne and boosted the hot sauce a bit. Then used the immersion blender to give it a little smoothness. Mmmm - can't wait for dinner!

I have been looking for a spicy black bean soup recipe for years! They all seem to have ham/ham hock in them and are meatier rather than spicy. This was great! Very spicy and I even left out the hot sauce, figuring that I could add it later (my husband is a baby!). Thanks!

Wow! I added a few more jalapenos and Habanero hot sauce, and this was indeed fiery. Brava, Lynn! I'm often disappointed with slow cooker recipes beacuse of their blandness, but I had no such problem here. Also, I added a tomato, onion, freshgarlic instead of garlic powder, and a bell pepper, and I served it with sour cream on the side. Make a big batch--I did, and it worked well tripled (often not the case with slow cookers) and stayed wonderful for lunch and dinner afterward.

This was a great tasteing dish, we loved it. The kids thought it was to spicey.I added a pound of kilbasa at the end of the cook time,and it made a great dish evan better!

I love this recipe. I double the beans to make it thicker. I cut the jalapeno by half. Still gives enough spice. After it cooks, I will take about half and swirl in the blender to help thicken. Excellent soup!

Incredibly easy and tasty. It wasn't as spicy as I thought it might be, but since tastes differ in our house, we put the tobasco on the table. Served with brown rice it makes the perfect lunch or dinner on a cold day.

I've been on the hunt for a good black bean soup recipe for months now. This was the third recipe I've tried, and I'm so happy I found it! I will admit that I messed up the consistency - my bad, not the recipe's fault - but we ended up using the finished product as burrito filler, chicken topping, etc. The flavors were delicious! It had the perfect amount of kick to it to please me and my boyfriend, who loves it spicy. I'm excited to try this again and fix what I did last time to make the perfect soup. A couple things I did differently: I tried one reviewer's method of bringing the dry black beans and chicken stock to a rolling boil, then adding to the crock pot; they were more tender than beans I've had soak overnight! I didn't have any cayenne, so I threw in some hot sauce and Cajun seasoning I had on hand. Other than that, this recipe is excellent as is!

I love the flavor here and I'll be using this recipe (with changes) a lot. As is, this is ridiculously watery, but since practically everyone else has mentioned that, I feel kinda silly for not reducing the liquid to 4 c on the first try. I did mash up the beans by hand a bit at the end. Anyone who thinks this is lacking flavor might want to check the freshness of their spices or quality of their chicken stock.

Wow my family loved this soup! I made it exactly as described (we don't mind a bit of heat). I can see topping this off with onions, cilantro, salsa, a bit of cheese, and/or tortilla strips and I think it might even be better. I had some left over and so I stored it overnight. What I noticed was that the beans soaked up more of the soup so it was not as soupy the second day but it still tasted great!

Sorry but this soup just didnt work for me and the taste was terrible. I soaked my beans overnight and boiled them and still after cooking in the crockpot for 5 hours, it was just broth with semi-hard beans floating in it. Also, it didnt have much flavor. I love spicy food and this wasnt even near spicy enough for me. I put a whole chopped Jalapeno in it too. I ended up having to puree the whole batch, thinking I could save it. It looked like bad baby food and tasted even worse. So I ended up throwing a whole crock pot of beans away. I will try another black bean soup recipe next time.

I really loved this soup, but made quite a few changes (mostly to use up some leftovers). I used some extra bouillon to make the chicken broth stronger than normal. I also added four frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs. I added a medium chopped onion, 6 small diced tomatoes, and used a heaping tsp of fresh minced garlic instead of the powder. I decreased the amount of jalapeno and cayenne for picky guests, and omitted the hot pepper sauce, but I used about 2 heaping table spoons of chili powder, and 3 tbs of cumin. I cooked it on low for 16 hours, and then served with sour cream. My guests LOVED it. I think this will be a go-to meal in the future when I need to use up leftover chicken or veggies. It's a great canvas for experimenting, and you can't beat the price of dried black beans...

Excellent! I have made this many times and also taken it to the Moose and to work on Bring A Dish To Share Day and the raves were lavish. Only complaint was the spiciness from some of the Whooses but they still liked it as they complained! I add a Smoked Pork Joint which make a big difference. Also green pepper, tomatoes with chilis and sometimes onion.

Nice and spicy!! I used fresh chopped garlic rather than the powder and I also added fresh chopped onion. I substitued several spoonfuls of brine from the jalepenos for the Tabasco, as my husband doesn't care for the vinegar taste in Tabasco. We also added a ham bone which gave it an additional depth of flavor. I cooked for 6 hrs on high and then for another hour on low before blending some of the beans/broth to thicken. It was very good. Thanks.

This soup was so good! I made it for dinner for my meat and potatoes loving boyfriend and even he ate a second bowl. I must admit, I made several alterations though since I didn’t have the night before to prepare and had some substitutes in my pantry. I used 4 cans of black beans instead of dry and a can of chunky rotel instead of the diced jalapeno. I’m veggie, so I opted for 4 cups (the whole container) of vegetable broth instead of chicken. I left the hot pepper sauce out and added 2 handfuls of chopped fresh cilantro. I took others suggestions and about an hour before serving I blending half the soup and then returned it and also served the final bowl with a dollop of Greek yogurt, yum!

Super spicy & good. I soaked my beans over night and then rinsed and brought them to a boil. then transferred them to a crockpot with the chicken broth and spices etc... I used jarred sliced jalapenos and not four teaspoons - and I didn't measure the hot sauce...just several shakes! Wowser! I did use my smart stick to puree most of it. I also threw in a can of tomatoes with diced chilis at the last second. I served with chopped onion & shredded cheese as toppers. Excellent. Will definitely make again and again!

was ok. accidently dropped in too much chili powder, but wasn't exceptionally flavorful.

This was delicious! I soaked the beans overnight but also boiled them before adding them to the slowcooker. I also pureed about half the soup for a somewhat smoother consistency (but still chunky). It was SPICY! We loved it but for company I might tone it down a notch.

As I cooked this in the slow cooker I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it, but by the end, I pureed (with a hand blender), part of the soup to give it a creamier texture without being all creamed. Served with a lime crema (just mix fresh lime juice with sour cream- yum!) and it's beyond delicious!

I will no longer doubt a recipe when "spicy" is in the title. I thought this would have a little kick to it, but it had a big kick. I even left out the hot pepper sauce and it was still way too spicy. I finished my bowl, but my husband could not. :) Next time I make this I will use less jalapenos and less cayenne pepper. I pureed half of the batch in the blender and then mixed it back in. Really great consistency. Will definitely make again.

Added all ingredients in the crock pot the night prior and left in fridge while the beans soaked overnight. I used fresh jalepeno, cilantro, and red onion and added everything else as instructed. Due to the advise of another I added 2 packets of sazon which really enhanced the flavor. I opted also not to puree half the soup (my blender is broken). The soup came out perfect and not hot at all - the entire family loved it. I will make this again.

Perfect and tons of flavor! I made a little pico to go on top and it was great! Thanks!

Fantastic recipe. I make some changes based on our tastes. We add the can of rotel, pork chops, and onions based on other reviews, and we substitute chipotle powder for cayenne pepper. We leave out the jalapenos so that the children will be able to eat it better. Otherwise we make it as-is. Definitely a family favorite.

Loved this. I followed all the comments and added rotel tomatoes & chilies, onion, celery, bell pepper, ham hock, and fresh garlic. Fantastic!

Great recipe, I added chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped poblano pepper, and 2 boneless pork chops for flavor. Will make again and again.

This was so good, I can't believe I actually made it. I added a can of diced tomatos and a handful of rice. Next time, I'm going to try adding some spicy sausage, reducing the beans slightly and putting in a little more rice. The spiciness was perfect.

I was nervous about trying this because the ratings were so divided. But I'm happy to announce this rating is positive! I soaked my dry beans from 6pm until 12pm the next day. I only used 4 cups of broth, and I added a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and a diced Jalapeno pepper. Per another reader's suggestion, I also added one packet of Goya Sazon. When it was done I blended half of it, and served with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I will make this again.

very good recipe! I added half a large onion chopped up. I used 6 cups of beef broth instead of chicken. I also put about 1/4 of it in a blender at the end and pureed it. I also added the jalepeno pepper to the blender and I only used half a pepper. Very yummy with a little mexican cheese and sour cream on top.

For our tastes, this recipe needed a lot of help to become flavorful. I didn't have jalapenos but love spicy so used the hot sauce and cayenne pepper. I used low sodium chicken broth b/c I like to control the amount of sodium. I addeda little onion powder and left beans cooking on high when I left for work. Returning home at lunch the house smelled delicious but the beans were incredibly BLAND.....I added salt, 3 heaping tablespoons of sofrito (bottled tomato based flavoring with green peppers, onions, garlic) and two drained cans of garlic and olive oil petite diced tomatoes. Left cooking on high for another 2 hours then low for an hour to meld flavors....still had the spice but the additions really added flavor which for us was necessary served with rice and grilled chicken breasts.

We were so impressed with this recipe! I had 2 cups of beef broth left over from another recipe so I used that plus 4 cups (one box) chicken broth and this was delicious. I also put some in the blender to thicken it up a little. I left the hot sauce out and added like a garnish. This is a spicy recipe and so full of flavor. We topped it with cheddar cheese, sour cream and fresh cilantro. Thank you for such a great recipe!!

Didn't have any cayenne pepper or jalapenos so I sauteed an onion and added a tiny can of tomato paste for flavor. Came out great!! Instead of soaking the dry beans overnight, bring beans & water to a rolling boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat & let sit an hour. Rinse & drain and then begin the soup recipe.

I made this soup for my husband and his dad. I used 4 cans of black beans instead of the dry. They RAVED at the flavorful broth and spicy kick! Since then, I have experimented with adding italian sausage. It is a keeper in our house!!

Very good. I omitted the cayenne since I don't have any at the moment. I did not presoak or preboil the beans (I never do for the slow cooker), and they were just fine after five hours on high in the crockpot. I let the soup cool a bit and pureed about a third of it, then added it back to the rest of it. Served with sour cream on top to help mellow the spicy. All in all, very good.

I thought this was a very good recipe. I served it over brown rice. I ended up decreasing the spice because I was concerned it would be too spicy. However, I found that didn't make it spicy enough. Next time I will follow the recipe exactly. I will definitely make this again!

One of my favorite soups by far! So yummy with a dollop of sour cream on top. I just toss it all in the slow cooker and let it go. Quick, Easy, and YUM!

I pureed part of the soup and then added rice. Superb!

Delicious! and easy! I soaked the beans for about 6hrs and had no problem with hard beans. I cooked for like 7hrs on low with maybe the 1st 1/2 hr on high. I added 1/2 red onion, ham, and couple leftover slices of pepperoni. I pureed 1/2 of the soup as others suggested and aded 3tbsp sour cream to the pureed mix before mixing it all back together. It's awesome.

Allow more time to cook for tender beans. Didn't add jalapenos and cut the chili powder quantity down to 2 tsp instead of the 1 tbsp. Added 2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chili's. Excellent recipe!

The flaors in this soup were very nice. I did what others sugessted and blended 1/2 of the bean mixture about an hour before I served it and it was a nicer thick consistancy - more like a stew/chili. We served it over rice with cheese and green onions - yummy! AND, the next day I had leftovers on nachos and used some as dip - very useful in a number of ways!

This was wonderful! I used only 3-4 cups chicken broth & processed the black beans because I like a thick black bean soup. This is quite spicy, so I'd add spices by taste so you don't get too much. By others' suggestion, I added garlic, onion, cilantro & lime juice. I will make this over & over again!!!

This is a great recipe base. I am a vegetarian so I swapped the chicken broth for vegetable broth. I prefer spicy food so I tripled the spices. I served it over brown rice with grilled tofu. I will make this again!

Delicious! I added green pepper, onion and a can of diced tomatoes. Cooked 11 hours on low and it was perfect! Next time I will do a cup less broth as it wasn't as thick as we would have liked.

I didn't add the jalepenos, as I didn't have any (plus, I figured my son wouldn't eat it so spicy). It was spicy even leaving those out! I also added a can of diced tomatoes and a pound of kielbasa. I soaked the beans overnight AND cooked them on high for 9 hours, and they still could have used more time to soften. Topped with sour cream and cheddar cheese, this soup was yummy!

I wish there was a 4.5 star rating for this recipe. I had to make it without the jalepenos, since I did not have any on hand. On tasting the soup, I was glad I had omitted them. This soup is quite spicy - you have been warned! My teen age daughter was unable to eat her "heartburn soup", my 6 year old wouldn't touch it. My husband, teen age son and I thought it was good and liked the "zing". It was quick and easy to throw in the crock pot and the underlying flavor was very good. (And we love black bean soup with some crusty bread!) I used a potato masher when the soup was done to mash up about 1/2 of the beans and thicken it a bit. I will make it again, but next time I will use minced garlic rather than powder, add a chopped onion and a can of diced tomatoes. I will definitely cut the cayenne and the hot pepper sauce in half if I am serving it to the kids (or company).

Very easy, very delicious. Like everyone else, I made additions (onions, green and red peppers). This base recipe is great.

Excellent simple soup - did some thickening with a stick blender directly into the crock 30 minutes before serving. Was not too hot for anyone, but I used seeded, diced fresh jalepenos instead of canned. Served with homemade tortilla chips and rice cooked with onion and olive oil for a little extra flavor. Couldn't have been simpler to make!

Soup came out delicious! I only threw in one jalepeno but next time I'll definitely use 2. A nice twist to the traditional soup

My husband and I thought this recipe was great! We only made a few modifications. First, for those who thought the beans were too bland, there should always be some sort of fat added to dry beans when cooking. It's very important to the texture and flavor. I added four slices of smoked, thick-cut bacon and then fished them out before using my immersion blender to blend up some of the beans just before serving. I also added about a teaspoon of mustard powder, a tablespoon of onion flakes, and a half-teaspoon of paprika. I didn't have any fresh jalepenos, so I used pickled (hot), and they turned out great! It was somewhat spicy, which we enjoy, but I imagine cutting back the cayenne and jalepenos would remedy that. I also added about a half-cup of sour cream when blending (just slightly, for texture and consistency) at the end. Serve with buttermilk cornbread, some shredded jack, and pico de gallo, and it's WAY better than chili! This recipe is a definite keeper at our house!

Very good and very easy! No more buying canned black beans.

Loved it!!! Just the right level of spicy for my family. Served it with Southwestern Egg Rolls from this site.

My husband thought this was very good. It is very spicy, so beware. I'm a mild to medium salsa kinda gal and found this far too hot for me.

Excellent! I added coursely chopped celery, tomatoes, & carrots, and sauteed finely chopped onion & garlic. The carrots were especially delicious! Really great - I was expecting to be disappointed, to be honest. I omitted the cayenne pepper since I didn't have any on hand, and I think it was just hot enough.