Creamy white bean soup - this easy, comforting vegan cannellini and butter bean soup is incredibly rich and creamy, but doesn't use any cream!
Blended white beans provide all the creaminess you need and the delicious soup is flavoured with aromatic garlic, herbs and olive oil.
This creamy white bean soup is the perfect hearty, comforting Autumnal meal.
It is easy to make but tastes amazing, with plenty of garlic, herbs and a touch of chilli.
The texture is velvety and creamy, but there is no need to add any kind of cream! This is simply achieved by blending a third of the cooked soup and stirring it back into the pan.
The blended white beans provide a wonderful texture, without the added fat!
What Do I Need To Make This Soup?:
Tinned beans: I use half cannellini beans and half butter beans - two tins of each. You can use all of one or the other, and haricot beans (navy beans) will also work. Basically any kind of creamy textured tinned white bean is fine.
Olive oil: This really adds to the flavour so don't swap it for another kind of oil (except maaybe vegan butter).
Potato: A floury variety rather than a waxy one will help give you that creamy texture. Floury potato varieties include Maris Piper, King Edward and Desiree.
Onion: Either brown or red will work, I use brown.
Garlic: Plenty of it! Feel free to add even more if you want it super garlicky.
Herbs: I use thyme and rosemary but feel free to switch these up. I like fresh thyme best but dried is also fine.
Stock: Use a good quality vegetable bouillon if you can. I like Marigold.
Chilli flakes: Optional but recommended.
How To Make Creamy White Bean Soup:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel the potato and cut it into 1.5-2cm chunks, peel and crush the garlic.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion, potato and garlic and cook gently, stirring very frequently, for 15 minutes.
Add the drained cannellini and butter beans, the thyme, rosemary, chilli flakes and stock.
Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes until the potato is soft.
Transfer ⅓rd of the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth.
Pour it back into the pan along with a generous grinding of black pepper and a good pinch of sea salt.
Stir and add more salt/pepper as needed.
Top Tips:
Try adding a thinly sliced leek or a sliced carrot along with the potatoes.
This soup would be amazing topped with sliced cooked (vegan) sausage.
Don't omit/reduce the olive oil. It really adds to the flavour.
Either fresh or dried herbs work well and feel free to switch them up if you like. A teaspoon or so of Italian mixed dried herbs would work well in place of the thyme and rosemary. A dash of oregano would also be great.
The creamy white bean soup is extra delicious served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Extra virgin olive oil drizzled crusty bread is the perfect accompaniment.
How To Store It:
This soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
It also freezes well. Allow to defrost in the fridge then reheat until piping hot to serve.
More Vegan Soup Recipes:
- Creamy vegetable chickpea soup
- Spinach, lentil and butter bean soup
- Vegan corn chowder
- Spiced carrot and pumpkin soup
- Quick black-eyed bean soup
- Vegan sausage stew with lentils and farro
- Vegetable and pearl barley stew with herby dumplings
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Creamy White Bean Soup (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 small/medium onion
- 1 large potato (about 400g/14oz)
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- two 400 g (14 oz) tins cannellini beans drained
- two 400 g (14 oz) tins butter beans drained
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock (I make mine with 4 teaspoons Marigold bouillon)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel and finely chop the onion, peel the potato and cut it into 1.5-2cm chunks, peel and crush the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the onion, potato and garlic and cook gently, stirring very frequently, for 15 minutes.
- Add the drained cannellini and butter beans, the thyme, rosemary, chilli flakes and stock.
- Bring the soup up to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the potato is soft.
- Transfer a third of the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour it back into the pan along with a generous grinding of black pepper and a good pinch of sea salt.
- Stir to combine, taste and add more salt/pepper as needed.
Notes
Victoria
I made this White bean soup today and it was unbelievable, so creamy and tasty. I'm taking the rest to work tomorrow for lunch. Thanks for the recipe
B Jones
This was wonderful! Used Cannellini beans and Great Northern Instead of butter beans everything else by recipe.
Kristen
Made it in the instant pot! Sautéed onion and garlic, added the rest of the ingredients (also added riced cauliflower) and pressure cooked for 3 min, blended 1/3 and then added a can of sweet corn. Great on a dark winter evening!!
Colleen Shannon
Wow, this was really good...Thank You! I did it in the instant pot as suggested in the comment section. I did not add the rosemary, thyme, and chili flakes, instead, I only added 1 tsp chipotle chili powder at the end with the salt I just love that seasoning. It adds a subtle flavor. Once it was finished cooking, I used a blending stick to blend it completely smooth. It can also be made with just water which I discovered when I did not have vegetable broth on hand the next time, I went to make it. I did not taste any difference between the one made with vegetable broth and the one made without it. So, I will continue to make it with water. Besides my supermarket doesn't always have the vegetable broth I like in stock; it’s made Imagine. I did increase to salt to 1 teaspoon since when you use the water it does not have salt in it like the vegetable broth does. I left out the oil when I first made it and tasted it. Then I added the oil and you were right about the oil being needed for flavor. I do try to not use oil when cooking but I figure since this is such a nice creamy, healthy soup made without adding a ton of oil and with no nuts or coconut cream I can justify using the recommended amount, you say to use.
Lately, I have replaced salt in recipes with miso since it’s been proven to reduce high blood pressure instead of increasing it like salt (a problem my husband has) I think I will try that next time I make this recipe. I’m also trying to eat foods with probiotics and miso is the only food source I like.
Martina
Delicious
Keke
Came out soooo well! I added more potatoes and some miso paste and it’s DELICIOUS and was ready in 30min which is awesome for a last minute meal! Would make again!
Dorothy
One of the simplest bean soup recipes I’ve ever made and it is one of the best! Elegant in its simplicity. Thank you!
Christina
This was remarkably creamy. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly as it was written, But used a Japanese sweet potato since to me they taste like vanilla pudding and are irresistible. I also blended the majority of the soup instead of 1/3 of it will be a staple for me. Thank you so much!
rachel
would have never expected such a seemingly simple soup to be so delicious! fantastic (I omitted the blending for the sake of less dishes/time and cut the potatoes smaller so that they would cook down faster to lend the creaminess to the dish).