Hey Hey! If you’re looking for a delicious soup recipe that doesn’t require a lot of effort or hands on cooking, you’ve found a good one. Today I’m going to show you how to make an awesome vegan bean soup that’s loaded with so much flavor, and some good health benefits.
At its core, this vegan bean soup recipe is made from nourishing, healthy ingredients. The beans are a fantastic source of plant-based protein and fiber, plus the rest of the ingredients are delivering vitamins, minerals, and other fantastic nutrients as well.
And, if that’s not enough, this vegan soup is also naturally gluten free and allergy friendly, so it’s something you can share with a lot of people. And on that note, let’s get to work.
Warning: This is not a fast recipe. At least, not if you make it on the stove top like me. I just don’t want you looking for a good vegan dinner recipe, but you need it ready in like, 23 minutes before hockey practice….
Allergy Status
Free From: Wheat/Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Tree Nuts, Peanut, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, Top 9 Allergens, Apple, Avocado, Banana, Berries, Buckwheat, Cane/Refined Sugar, Cinnamon, Citrus, Coconut, Corn, Garlic, Lupin, Mushroom, Mustard, Oat, Pea & Pea Protein, Poultry, Red Meat, Rice, Seeds, Squash & Gourd, Stone Fruits, Strawberry, Sweet Potato & Yam, Tapioca/Cassava/Yuca/Manioc, Yeast
Friendly To: EOE, Vegan
Compatible With: Celery Free, Cruciferous Free, Top 14 Free
- Celery Free & Top 14 Free: See Ingredient Notes for swap.
- Cruciferous Free: Swap the chopped kale for a green of choice.
Tools Needed to Make This Tasty Vegan Bean Soup Recipe
You’ll only need a few items to make this easy recipe:
- Knife (this is my current fave knife series)
- Cutting Board
- Can Opener (get this one if you want the absolute most enjoyable can opener experience)
- Large Pot OR Soup Pot OR Large Dutch Oven
Ingredients for This Vegan Bean Soup Recipe
Part 1 Ingredients
- 8 TBSP Oil of Choice for Cooking (I use organic extra virgin olive oil)
- 200g Organic Celery (about 7.5 ounces, cut into large bite-sized pieces)
- 450g Organic Carrots (16 ounces/1 lb), cut into large bite-sized prices
- 470g Organic Yellow Onion (about 16.5 ounces), diced large
Part 2 Ingredients
- 850g Organic Cannellini Beans (30 ounces/2 regular US cans)
- 800g Organic Crushed Tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 400g Organic Potatoes (14 ounces), cut into large pieces
- 190g Organic Kale (7 ounces), ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 5 tsp Sea Salt (optionally divided, see directions)
- 1/2 tsp Organic Dried Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Organic Ground White Pepper
- 900mL Water (32 ounces/4 cups)
Ingredient Notes
Celery: If you have a celery allergy, you can use the stems/ribs from organic rainbow chard in place of the celery. The flavor is a bit different, but texture is pretty close. Don’t use the ribs from something like collard greens or kale, as it won’t have the same effect.
Onion: You can use white onion, sweet onion, or any other kind of onion you enjoy (except for green onions which are better for garnishing).
White Pepper: You can use organic black pepper if you’d prefer. Also, in case anyone reading this needs to know, pink peppercorns are cross reactive with cashews, so if you have a cashew allergy, skip pink peppercorns. The other colours are OK (white, black, and green).
Chopped Kale: This can be swapped for other chopped greens including fresh baby spinach, collard greens, chard, beet tops, and more.
Potatoes: You can use any variety of potatoes. If you want to use sweet potatoes, read over the Q&A answer.
White Beans
This is pretty much a vegan white bean soup, however, you can safely swap the cannellini beans for other canned beans you enjoy. You can also use a blend of beans. Personally, here are some combos I’d use:
- Cannellini Beans + Navy Beans
- Navy Beans + Black Beans
- Adzuki Beans (also called aduki) + Cannellini Beans
- Cannellini Beans + Great Northern Beans
- Black Beans + Pinto Beans (I might even take the soup in a more Mexican street corn direction if I used these beans)
- Cannellini Beans + Butter Beans
Based on my taste testers, I’d probably avoid lima beans, black eyed peas, garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), and red kidney beans.
Vegan Bean Soup Instructions
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes (might take longer if you’re slower on the cutting)
- Cook Time: 90 Minutes
First, prep your vegetables. If you’re like me and meal prep and ingredient prep is part of your regular routine, your veggies will probably already be done in advance.
Heat your soup pot on medium-high heat. If you’re using a large Dutch oven, heat it on medium heat. A Dutch oven will hold heat differently, and if you start on medium-high heat, you’re more likely to burn the vegetables.
With your pot hot, add the cooking oil and once it’s heated, add the Part 1 Ingredients (celery, carrot, onion). Optionally, you can sprinkle one teaspoon of salt here as well, and mix it into the vegetables for a better salt distribution. This is that optionally divided bit, so if you do this, use 4 teaspoons of salt later.
Allow the vegetables to brown some, and stir as necessary to prevent burning/sticking. Cook the vegetables for 20 minutes.
Now, add the remaining ingredients (Part 2 Ingredients). Once they’re all in, mix everything together very well. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then add a lid. Putter around the kitchen for a few minutes, then double check that you’re still at simmer (adding the lid can trap heat and you can go from a simmer to an aggressive simmer or even a lowkey boil if the heat it too high).
Simmer your soup for one hour, then remove the lid, stir well one last time, and you’re ready to serve.
Serving Ideas
So, you’ve made this delicious vegan bean soup recipe and now you’re ready to serve up a cozy bowl of goodness. Here are some suggestions if you want something a little extra.
- Serve alongside crusty bread (great for dunking).
- Make garlic toast and serve on the side (toast bread in a high quality oil, then rub fresh garlic cloves all over the top tor a tasty little side)
- Garnish with fresh herbs (chopped fresh parsley is my go to). If you use pungent herbs like fresh rosemary or fresh thyme, remember, a little goes a long way.
- Make this soup a side dish and add something else to the meal. I’m thinking a big protein statement piece….
- Serve with scoop chips, you know, the kind where they’re made for dunking. Could add a nice crunchy element to your meal.
Vegan Bean Soup Storage
Once your delicious vegan bean soup has cooled, you can transfer it to an airtight container and store in your fridge for a week. This soup tastes best hot, so be sure to reheat it each time you’d like to grab another bowl.
I’ve not tested this recipe in the freezer, but if you’d like to give it a go, transfer soup into a couple of small freezer-safe containers. Let the soup freeze sold, then thaw it a couple of days later to see how it holds up.
If you’re happy with the thawed texture, you can store more of the leftovers in your freezer for easy future meals. You could also use those soup cube things I’ve seen my friends talking about. I looked. It’s these silicone containers. One friend uses these to freeze soups and other dinners, then, she transfers the frozen items to freezer baggies so she can reuse the cubes. I think that’s a great way to get around buying way too many silicone molds.
More Delicious Vegan Soup Recipes
- Creamy Onion Soup Recipe with Ale (this soup has a great little back story)
- Carrot & Parsnip Soup Recipe
- Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
- Russian Inspired Dried Mushroom Soup Recipe
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How to Have Fun with This Vegan Bean Soup Recipe (and change things up)
Turn This Into a Creamy Soup (three different options)
There are a few ways to convert this easy white bean soup into something that’s closer to a creamy soup recipe. Let’s look at the different ways to pull this off.
Cook your soup as instructed, then, at the end of cooking, use an immersion blender to blend it up. The nice thing about using an immersion blender is that you can easily control the consistency of the blended soup. If you want chunks of soup, only blend some of the pot. If you want a smooth experience, blend it all.
You can also create a creamy white bean soup situation by using a high speed blender. Take several cups of the soup, transfer it to the blender, blend on high, then transfer it back to your soup pot. Stir everything together, and now you’ve got a nice creamy broth as the base of the soup.
Another way to make a creamy vegan white bean soup is to make this recipe more like a chowder. You’ll cook the Part 1 Ingredients as directed. Then, add several Tablespoons of a safe-for-you flour. Mix everything together, then add a milk of choice. Continue to mix until it thickens into a lovey creamy sauce. Now, add the rest of the ingredients, except for the water. When you stir everything together, you should still have a creamy base.
You’ll want to use at least 1.35L/48 ounces/6 US cups of the milk of choice alongside 6 – 10 Tablespoons of flour. The more flour you use, the thicker the final soup will be.
Make Spicy Black Bean Soup
You can take this easy white bean soup and quickly transform it into something new with a few key swaps. Trade the white beans for black beans, or a combination of black beans, pinto beans and pink beans (these are supposedly more meaty in nature).
Eliminate a cup of water from the recipe (225mL) and trade it for tomato paste and tomato sauce. Also add heat bringing spices such as chili powder and chipotle powder (or red pepper flakes in a pinch).
Also, add a can of sweet corn to your soup alongside some organic smoked paprika. Combined, this is going to create a delicious, next level soup that you’ll love tucking in to on a cold day.
Answering Your Questions About This Vegan Bean Soup Recipe
What’s a vegan version of ham hocks that I can add to this soup?
This is a great question. So, ham hocks can add loads of extra flavor, a distinct smoky flavor, and a nice salty punch. If I were to tackle that within the confines of this white bean soup recipe, I’d add:
- 3 TBSP Organic Mushroom Powder
- 1 – 2 TBSP Unfortified Nutritional Yeast
- 4 – 5 drops Liquid Smoke (this is the brand I use)
- 1 tsp Organic Smoked Paprika
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Organic Ground Cumin
Another little trick to amping up the flavour is to trade all of the salt in the recipe for smoked salt (here’s a brand I like).
This multi-pronged approach is going to deliver lots of flavor whilst keeping your soup vegan and vegetarian. If you try this, let me know what you think!
Is there a vegan chicken broth I can use for this recipe?
Vegetable broth is going to be the vegan equivalent of chicken broth. It’s usually made from simple ingredients, and these days, you can get it at pretty much every grocery store.
You can increase the flavour by adding a bay leaf to the soup pot when it’s time to simmer. You can also add several sprigs of fresh thyme or fresh rosemary. Just be sure to remove these items before serving your soup.
Also, note that this delicious vegan soup calls for water, salt, and flavor-bringing ingredients. If you swap the water for broth, it will be an unpleasant sodium bomb. Ideally, use two cups of broth and two cups water (450mL each), and also cut the salt down to 2 teaspoons to start. Towards the end of cooking, taste, and add a little more salt if you deem it necessary.
Would this vegan soup recipe taste good with dairy free Parmesan cheese?
I asked my tasters and they lean towards no. They feel that some of the ingredients might clash with Parmesan cheese. Personally, I’d say no because of the high sodium content.
Now, I’ll also add this. Taste is subjective. If you like cheese in your soup (something most of my taste testers aren’t super fond of), you should try it in a small amount and see what you think. Who knows, that combo might be your new cold weather favorite.
Can I make this vegan soup in my Instant Pot?
If you have an Instant Pot with the metal insert/liner like me, I’m going to lean towards no. I have personally found that making bean heavy recipes in my Instant Pot is one of the best ways to get the burn error and waste my time.
Now, if you have a pressure cooker with a black nonstick liner, I’ll say yes. That won’t produce the burn error with a bean soup mix like this one. In terms of the cooking time, start with 20 minutes on high pressure and see where that gets you.
Optionally, you can use a slow cooker and have a cozy soup waiting for you when you get home from work.
Does this soup recipe work with dry beans?
Yes, you should be able to use dried beans in place of the canned white beans. I’d suggest properly preparing and cooking your dried beans, then make this soup the next day. Whilst I haven’t done the dry bean rodeo, my understanding is that they can take a long time to cook.
When going this route, you can use any soup beans you enjoy.
Can I use sweet potatoes instead of the potatoes?
When you make this delicious vegan and vegetarian bean soup recipe, yes, you can use sweet potatoes in place of the nightshade potatoes. However, they can get mushy with such a long cook time. I’d suggest using Japanese yam, which is related to sweet potatoes, as it’s more firm and starchy.
Either way, you’ll want to oven roast your sweet potatoes or yam, and then add them to the soup bowl as you serve the soup. This method is a great way of ensuring you get the best flavor from your potatoes, and it doesn’t feel like you’re eating a big cozy bowl of baby food.
