This White Bean Soup is incredibly creamy, nourishing and so easy to to make. It’s a simple one-pot meal you can throw together in about 30 minutes. Naturally dairy and gluten free!
For more creamy soup recipes, check out my Easy Potato Soup, Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup, and Mushroom Soup with Wild Rice while you’re here!
This well-seasoned and extra cozy White Bean Soup is a comfort food game-changer. Protein-packed white beans, Italian seasonings, leafy greens, and a vegetable medley simmer together in a rich and creamy broth, leaving you with an indulgent but surprisingly good-for-you meal. A chunk of crusty bread on the side is a must for dunking!
For another fabulous soup featuring beans, check out my Italian Chickpea Soup.
Why you’ll love this white bean soup
- Nourishing – Protein-packed beans, vitamin-rich greens, and a vegetable medley make this vegan bean soup recipe wholesome and healthy.
- So flavorful – Simple, wholesome ingredients and seasonings give this white bean kale soup recipe layers of gourmet restaurant-quality flavors.
- Perfect for meal prep – Pack the soup into containers and enjoy it as a healthy and protein-rich lunch! You can even freeze the batch, then reheat it whenever a comfort food craving hits.
How to make white bean soup
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery, and cook until soft and fragrant.
Next, stir in the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Heat the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer.
Transfer some of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth OR use an immersion blender in the pot and blend a few times to create a creamier texture.
Pour the soup back into the pot and thin it with more vegetable broth if needed. Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and simmer until the leaves wilt.
To finish, stir in the lemon juice. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor as desired (more salt and pepper to round out the flavors or red pepper flakes for a balanced heat).
Serve in bowls with grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (I like Violife dairy free parmesan) and crusty bread on the side for dunking. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Canned cannellini beans are the best because their soft, buttery texture helps them melt into the soup. If you can’t find cannellini beans, use Great Northern beans, white navy beans, or butter beans as a substitute. Even chickpeas will work.
A thick and creamy white bean soup is best, in my opinion! After all, this is a cold weather meal, and the more luxurious and creamy it is, the better.
Want it even thicker? Give it a stew-like consistency by starting with 3.5 to 4 cups of broth and/or blending 2 to 3 cups of the soup.
For a thinner soup, use the full 5 cups of broth (plus more if needed) and/or only blend 1 cup of the soup.
I haven’t tested it but a crockpot should be fine to use. To do so, sauté the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in a pot on the stove before dumping the mixture into a slow cooker along with the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Place the lid on top and cook on High for 2 to 3 hours or on Low for 4 to 5 hours.
Blend and thin out the soup as normal. Pour it back into the crockpot, stir in the kale, and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Add the lemon juice and adjust the flavor as needed, then serve and enjoy.
Use sauté mode to cook the veggie mixture, then pour in the cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper, and salt. Seal the lid on top and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure before blending the soup. Turn sauté mode back on, stir in the greens, and cook until they wilt. Turn off sauté mode, stir in the lemon juice and additional seasonings, and then serve.
Once cool, you can store the leftover white bean soup in airtight containers in the fridge for about 4 or 5 days. It also freezes well for 2 months.
White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced into coins
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 15-ounce cans cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 4-5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more to taste
- 3 cups chopped kale or baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- optional shredded parmesan I used Violife
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for about 4-5 minutes.
- Now add the drained and rinsed cannellini beans, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes, black pepper and salt. Stir well.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.
- Transfer about 2 cups of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the blended soup back to the pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender and blend a few times to create a creamier texture.
- Stir well. If the soup is too thick, add a bit more broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Stir in the chopped kale or spinach and let simmer for a few minutes until wilted (kale will take a few extra minutes to soften).
- Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, pepper or red chili flakes as desired.
- Serve warm, perhaps with a side of crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan in each bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add some fresh herbs – Add 1 tablespoon of either fresh chopped rosemary or thyme. You can lower the amount of Italian seasoning if you do this, to maybe 1-2 teaspoons.
- Optional – Sprinkle some parmesan on top (I use Violife dairy free parmesan).
- Any white beans will work here – white navy beans, great northern beans, or even garbanzo beans if you want.
- You can make this thick like a stew or as thin as you like. I prefer it somewhere in the middle, but adjust the broth amount to your own preferences.
I made this for the first time tonight. I halved it which worked out perfect.
This is absolutely delicious, I will make this a lot!
I ran out of Italian seasonings so I used sumac with some sage.
Thank you for the excellent, simple and healthy recipe.
Can I make this the day before or will it get to soft. Looks yummy
This soup is fine made ahead! It’s perfect to pack into containers for lunches! You can even freeze the batch, then reheat it whenever a comfort food craving hits. Enjoy, and happy cooking!
This recipe is excellent! I didn’t have kale or spinach, so I boiled some broccoli and added that right before I blended the entire batch with an immersion blender. I also used green hatch chili flakes and included a 1/2 parm directly into the soup. It turned out perfectly and everyone was happy. Served with homemade bread turned into crostini for dipping.
I love your recipe addition ideas! Thanks for sharing your awesome review and feedback! I’m so glad you loved the soup! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I made this soup tonight and oh my goodness!! absolutely delicious 😋
I was in a crunch for time and came together in 30 minutes!!
I didn’t have an immersion blender, so I used a potato masher in the pot and it worked great.
Great for lunch or dinner an a cold day, truly comfort food!
Hi Maria. Thanks for sharing your great feedback and recipe experience! This is a cozy, cold day soup for sure! Happy cooking!
So, so, so good! The red chili flakes gave it just the right amount of kick.
Hi Sarah. I’m thrilled you loved the soup! Thanks for your wonderful review!
I crave this soup and make it regularly. So good and satisfying. I never feel like I over ate, but I feel full. Left overs are even better as the flavors seem to really marinade. BE WARNED it’s true what they say about beans beans the magical fruit! 🫘 🥣 💨
Hi Val. I’m thrilled you are loving the soup! Thanks for your terrific review, and wise feedback! 🥰 Wishing you happy cooking!
This was so easy and delicious!! Made it on Sunday and eating it all week long!
I’m thrilled you are loving the soup! Aren’t leftovers great? I appreciate you taking time to share your wonderful review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I’ve been trying to get back into the routine of cooking during the week and this was perfect. Easy to make and delicious! I added some pearl couscous to the leftovers and it worked great.
Hi Parker. I love your couscous idea! Thanks for sharing your fabulous review and feedback. Easy and delicious recipes are where it’s at! Happy cooking!
This soup is super tasty and satisfying. Wonderful if you’re aiming for a great weight loss soup. I added a little bit of soy milk at the end to make it a tad more creamy. I also subbed the vegan parmesan by simply sprinkling nooch (nutritional yeast) on my bowls. Will definitely be making this recipe again 🙂
So quick , easy and full of flavour .
Honestly my favourite soup ever! Such a winter warmer, is so hearty and nourishing!
Made it tonight without the kale and a combo of fava and great northern beans—delicious! Thank you for the recipe, Nora.
You bet, Ann! I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thanks for your awesome feedback and review!
There are only 2 of us. Can I freeze the leftovers and for how long?
Yes, the leftovers freeze well for around 3 months.
Sounds delicious! Looking for an easy and healthy soup recipe while my spouse and I are recovering from the flu. Not ready to venture to the grocery store yet, so I needed a recipe using ingredients I have on hand. This fits the bill — I’ll use 2 cans canellini and 2 cans garbanzo beans and frozen kale, but it should work. Perfect!
Hi Ann. Wishing you and your husband a speedy recovery! Enjoy the soup, it will be delicious! Thank you for using my recipes, and happy cooking!
My husband rolled his eyes at my Meatless Monday dinner offering and honestly this is the first vegan recipe that I’ve made. It didn’t take a trip to 3 stores and it was super easy to make. It was delicious and filling and I’ll be making it again!!!
I made this soup OMG it’s amazing thank you🌟🌟
Delish!! I added some turkey meatballs too!!