Vegan White Bean Soup

This Vegan White Bean Soup is creamy, comforting, and beautifully spiced. It has a secret ingredient that’s going to surprise you—and add some delicious new flavor to your soup repertoire.

During the cold months, I love to make a variety of bean soups, like my Jamaican Gungo Peas Soup and my Split Peas Soup. They each give their unique flavor using basic ingredients such as onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes.

However, I’ve been feeling like my usual recipes are getting a little stale, and it’s time to change things up a bit. That’s where this white bean vegetable soup comes in!

It includes plenty of white beans packed with fiber and protein. They’ll keep you feeling full for hours, so you won’t have any trouble satisfying your appetite with just this soup alone.

For this Vegan White Bean Soup, I added coconut milk for extra creaminess and a combination of herbs for a unique taste. This vegan bean soup has gusto and body, perfect for cold wintry days.

What Are White Beans?

White beans, which include cannellini beans, navy beans, “great northern” beans, and lima beans, are a type of legumes having white coverings and starchy insides.

The Phaseolus vulgaris plant produces great northern beans, navy beans, and cannellini beans, whereas the Phaseolus lunatus plant produces lima beans.

White beans are a high-protein, gluten-free food with plenty of complex carbs, potassium, and dietary fiber.

White beans, both canned and dry, are a non-perishable item that can be purchased in bulk when properly stored.

Why You’ll Love This Vegan White Bean Soup

I’m sure you’ll love this soup because:

• It’s an easy one-pot recipe! Whether you are using dried or canned beans, this soup is quite easy to prepare and can be made in one pot. It means you’ll have more time to enjoy the precious moments with your friends and family than cleaning up your kitchen.
• It’s so tasty and filling! Beans and vegetables will satisfy even the pickiest eaters. This herbs and spices blend provides a powerful flavor punch that everyone will love. You will be satisfied after this soup.
• It’s healthy and nourishing! This plant-based soup is made with healthy ingredients, high in protein and fiber to help you feel satiated for longer. Additionally, it is a good source of important vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients.
• A great way to eat more beans and veggies! This soup is an excellent way to add more plant-based goodness into your diet, and it’s a great option for meal prep because it stores well. You can reheat it as needed. Put it over boiled rice or pasta, or just eat it on its own!
• Budget-friendly! Beans are often referred to as “poor man’s meat” because they are an inexpensive, wholesome, and nutrient-dense alternative to meat. Additionally, the veggies used are low-cost, readily available, and nutrient-dense.
• It can be made ahead! It’s an excellent make-ahead dish because it tastes even better the next day and reheats well.
• It yields a lot of leftovers! This recipe yields plenty for 6-8 people, making it ideal for a small gathering. If you’re not serving that many people, you’ll be happy to have leftovers because they taste more delicious the next day.

“Creamy, comforting, versatile & perfect for cooler weather!”

Once you try it, you’ll want more!

Ingredients Needed

• White Beans – use navy, lima, cannellini, or Great Northern beans. I used dried beans, but you can use 3-4 cans of your favorite white beans or even chickpeas. Beans are highly nutritious, very economical, and high in antioxidants. They come in over a thousand varieties with so many different flavors, shapes, and sizes. They are so versatile, they make a great alternative to meat protein in the diet.
• Vegetable Broth – use an organic vegetable broth that’s also gluten-free. I love Swanson Organic Vegetable Broth.
• Onion and garlic – use fresh, frozen, or even garlic powder to flavor your soup to taste.
• Potato, carrot – you can substitute with other vegetables such as celery, sweet potato, or zucchini.
• Spices, Herbs – marjoram, paprika, parsley flakes, thyme, allspice, cayenne, bay leaf – the perfect combination of spices for the most amazing flavor.
• Coconut Milk – gives soups an amazing flavor and richness.
• Nutritional Yeast Flakes – added for flavor, but you can leave it out.

How To Make Vegan White Bean Soup

1. If you are using dried beans, prepare 8 oz. of dried beans by sorting and washing.
2. Soak in water to cover for 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse beans and cook in water until tender the following day.
3. Place beans, water, onion, garlic, potato, carrot, marjoram, paprika, coconut milk, parsley, thyme, allspice, salt, cayenne pepper, bay leaf in a large pot.
4. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer for 30 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. Add yeast flakes, check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

This soup is rich and hearty on its own, but you can stretch it even further by serving it with pasta, quinoa, or rice. I love to serve this soup with lime wedges.

Cornbread also pairs well with this soup. 

Recipe Tips

• I prefer to chop the vegetables into bite-sized pieces so that they soften nicely and absorb the aromas and spices of the soup.
• Make sure you’re using a good, flavorful vegetable broth, as this will significantly impact the flavor. I usually prepare my own vegetable broth at home by simmering saved vegetables scraps and herbs for around 5-10 minutes. I prefer to use vegan low-sodium vegetable broth or cubes instead in a hurry.
• Don’t skip onion and garlic; they’ll bring out and boost the flavor of your dish!
• The quantity of salt will determine the saltiness in your soup in the vegetable broth, so add the definitive amounts of salt at the end to avoid over-salting.
• Allow the beans and broth to cook together. Because the dry beans are already boiled, it may appear that adding them to your soup until at the end is good. They actually absorb all of the soup’s spices and soften to give the soup a creamy texture. So make sure to include them at the start with the rest of the ingredients.
• While the soup is simmering, keep stirring it. The soup thickens naturally because the white beans are already cooked and tender. However, gently stirring the soup and softly mashing the beans using a wooden spoon helps to break them down even further.
• I prefer to leave it chunky, more like a white bean stew. But if you like, you can use an immersion blender to puree all or some of the soup slightly. Put another way, add 50% of the bean mixture to a blender or food processor, return it to the pot with the other half, and stir well.
• This recipe may easily be doubled or half, and it freezes wonderfully!

Substitutions and Variations

• Use vegetable broth and or 1 cube of vegetable bouillon.
• Increase the number of vegetables you use. The versatility of this quick soup recipe is what makes it so appealing. Aside from onions, carrots, and potatoes, fresh or canned chopped tomatoes are popular additions to this recipe. The vegetable broth has a lovely color to it; therefore, I prefer to leave out the tomatoes. Zucchini, mushrooms, celery, and peas are other good additions.
• Try adding some extra seasoning, such as fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, or chili flakes.
• You may add sliced jalapeno or hot sauce to this soup for extra spiciness.
• Try adding additional flavor with a squeeze of lemon juice in addition to seasonings. For example, use 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning plus 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme for the herbs. Or increase cayenne pepper to 1/4 teaspoon.
• In addition to the cannellini beans, you can add other beans to the soup. For example, black beans, Great Northern Beans, or Kidney Beans would be nice additions.
• Stir in some cashew milk to make it extra creamy. This is optional, but it gives the soup a rich, creamy flavor while keeping it vegan.
• To make this recipe vegan and vegetarian, I used vegetable broth, but you can use chicken or beef broth. You can use water if you don’t have any broth on hand.

Storage Tips

Refrigerating Leftovers: After allowing the soup to cool, place it in an airtight container. It’s best to label the container with the date, and you can store it in the refrigerator for around 3-4 days.

Freezing for Later: If you intend to freeze the soup for future use, do so without adding the nutritional yeast. Portion the soup into airtight containers or freezer bags, and be sure to label them with the date. You can freeze the soup for 2-3 months.

Reheating: When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen soup, it’s best to thaw it in the fridge if it has been frozen. To reheat, you can choose to use either the stovetop or the microwave. After reheating, feel free to add nutritional yeast, adjust the seasoning to your liking, and serve it up.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve this soup with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, pesto, or even grated vegan cheese!

Need More Vegan Soups? Try These!

1. Potato Leek Carrot Soup
2. Vegan Zucchini Soup
3. Vegan Tomato Soup
4. Spinach Soup
5. Autumn Squash Soup

This simple and inexpensive white bean soup, in less than an hour, provides a healthy and delectable midweek family meal. It’s also gluten-free, vegan, and high in protein.

Recipe Variations

Note, if you think it needs more flavors, then there are a variety of options to try while making this soup the next time. The things I suggest are:

Other Vegan Soups To Try

1. Potato Leek Carrot Soup
2. Vegan Zucchini Soup
3. Vegan Tomato Soup
4. Spinach Soup
5. Autumn Squash Soup

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