Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale

If a healthy, veggie-packed soup could achieve celebrity status, this Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale would be dodging paparazzi—its 500+ five star reviews confirm that this one is knock-your-socks-off good.

And it has earned the hype: it’s easy (one-pot and meal prep friendly!), wholesome (20g fiber + 17g protein!), and boasts a creamy texture, all without using dairy, coconut milk, or cashews.

And despite being so good for you, this soup doesn’t skimp on flavor. The soup is layered with lots of herby flavor thanks to a bouquet garni and a bright gremolata stirred in at the end. 

The result? A luxurious, wholesome, A-list soup.

Good for the body (and the tastebuds)

I’m on a lifelong quest to develop recipes that do good things for your body and even better things for your taste buds.

Which is why this soup is something of a personal triumph—it’s one of my most wholesome recipes (veggie-packed, protein- and fiber-rich) but it goes down like comfort food, thanks to:

• A creamy texture courtesy of protein-packed white beans and potatoes which, when partially blended, naturally thicken the soup (see my Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup and Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup for more soups creamified by beans);
• Layers of robust flavor (a bouquet garni adds depth as the soup simmers);
• Gourmet vibes (shoutout to the gremolata and olive oil drizzle to finish!)

Oh, and did I mention this is a one-pot wonder? Add the fact that it’s allergen-friendly (free of nuts, soy, gluten, and dairy), meal prep friendly, and can be made in the Instant Pot (instructions in the FAQ section)…honestly, why am I still typing? Just go make this soup and thank me later.

🎥 Watch me make this soup!

Creamy white bean & kale soup | cozy one-pot vegan dinner

With 1.6 million views on YouTube, this soup was a HUGE hit with my community. Click play to watch me walk through this soup from start to finish.

Ingredient notes

Fresh herbs

To make the bouquet garni, I use fresh sage and rosemary, plus dried bay leaves. All three pair really well with white beans.

Substitute: You can replace sage or rosemary with fresh thyme. While dried herbs can be used in a pinch, they simply do not add the same punch of flavor.

Cannellini beans

AKA white kidney beans. These are some of the creamiest beans out there. They’re also what make this Instant Pot Wild Rice Mushroom Soup stick-to-your-ribs comforting.  

Substitute: If you can’t find them, use another white bean.

Yukon gold potatoes

When cooked down, potatoes naturally thicken this soup. I use just one medium Yukon gold potato, but if potatoes are your jam, feel free to add some more (you might want to add a bit more vegetable broth to compensate).

Substitute: If you only have sweet potatoes on hand, add a small sweet potato for a different flavor profile. 

Lacinato kale

Also known as dino kale or Tuscan kale. This soup feels like it comes from the hills of Tuscany, so lacinato kale is the preferred option! 

Substitute: Curly kale works but may take a few extra minutes to become tender. Baby spinach is fine too, but will add a softer texture. 

Lemons

Lemon zest is a key element in gremolata and gives this soup its punchy finish. To prepare lemons for zesting, remove any produce stickers from the outside and scrub the peel very well before using. I prefer to use organic lemons for zesting.

Extra virgin olive oil

Because this soup is naturally low in fat, the olive oil at the end really takes it over the top, adding a rich and luxurious mouthfeel that’s often missing in plant-based soups.

Step-by-step instructions

Saute the vegetables. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until soft.

Next, add the garlic and red pepper flakes (you can leave these out if you don’t want the kick).

Deglaze the pot. Pour the vegetable broth into the pot and scrape up any stuck browned bits on the bottom. 

Stir in the salt, pepper, bouquet garni, potatoes, cannellini beans, and artichokes.

Simmer the soup. Bring the soup up to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the gremolata. Finely chop the parsley and basil. Grate the garlic over the herbs, then zest the lemon on top. Stir the garlic and lemon into the herbs. Chop the herbs once more until they’re finely minced. Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt.

Blend the soup. Once the potatoes are tender, turn off the heat and remove the bouquet garni. 

Use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend half of the soup (or transfer half of the soup to a stand blender and blend until smooth, and stir the blended soup back into the pot). 

Add the chopped kale to the soup and simmer until tender. Adjust the seasonings.

Serve. Ladle the white bean kale soup into individual bowls. Sprinkle a generous amount of the gremolata on top and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

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Tips for making this recipe

Watch the lemon pith

The white pith underneath the lemon peel is quite bitter. Be sure to not zest too deeply, or you’ll end up with pith in your gremolata. A microplane like this (or like this) is the best tool for getting the zest but not the pith. 

No kitchen twine for the herb bouquet?

You have a few options to make your bouquet garni if you don’t have kitchen twine:

1. Add the herb sprigs into the pot and use tongs to remove them after cooking; or
2. MacGyver it: tie the herbs using a leftover scallion or the string from a tea bag; or
3. Chop the herbs (not the bay leaves) and sauté them when you add the garlic.

Blend the soup partially (not fully)

Make sure to not blend the entire batch. Blending half of the soup before adding the kale creamifies the soup yet it retains a good amount of texture.

One-pot option: Run an immersion blender until roughly half of the soup is pureed.

Stand blender: For the creamiest texture, transfer roughly half of the soup to your stand blender. Remove the center cap and cover the blender with a dish towel to allow steam to vent. Blend until pureed.

Deglaze with wine for a flavor boost

If you have an open bottle of dry white wine (think Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, etc.), feel free to deglaze the pot with 1/4 to 1/3 cup for an extra depth of flavor.

The toppings are non-negotiable

In a veggie-packed soup, we need a bit of indulgence. The drizzle of extra virgin olive oil at the end is not optional IMO. It adds much needed-mouthfeel and richness. 

The gremolata, too, shouldn’t be skipped, as it adds lots of bright, fun flavor and helps this soup stand out. 

But feel free to add extra toppings 

Feel free to garnish this soup with croutons or crunchy roasted chickpeas (see my recipe on page 236 of Big Vegan Flavor), a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese, or homemade cashew parmesan. 

We love serving it with slabs of seeded whole grain bread for a balanced, wholesome meal.

Use these flavor techniques elsewhere. 

Tuck a bouquet garni into your next pot of beans, or try it with my Mediterranean Lentil Soup. 

Gremolata is a lovely topping for crostini, roasted or grilled vegetables, pizza, and pasta, like my Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad.

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Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale

By Nisha Vora

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4

5 from 616 votes

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This nourishing Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale will fuel and delight you in equal measure. Surprisingly creamy and with a few easy flavor boosters, this soup is luxurious, wholesome (20g fiber + 17g protein!), and perfect for meal prep—a win-win-win!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion (or leek), diced
• ▢ 3 sticks of celery, diced
• ▢ 3 medium carrots, diced
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 3 ½ cups (840 mL) vegetable broth (see Note 2)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• ▢ 1 medium (~6 oz or 170g) Yukon gold potato, peeled and finely diced
• ▢ 2 (15-ounce/425g) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (or 3 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans)
• ▢ 1 (14 ounce/400g) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped finely (optional)
• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• ▢ Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + 1 large sprig of sage + 1 large or 2 small sprigs rosemary, tied tightly together with kitchen twine (see Note 3)
• ▢ 1 small head of lacinato kale, center rib removed and shredded (about 1 small bunch)
• ▢ 1 to 2 tbsp Good-quality extra virgin olive oil (for finishing)

Gremolata

• ▢ 1 loosely packed cup (12g) flat-leaf parsley leaves
• ▢ ½ loosely packed cup (8g) fresh basil leaves
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, left whole and peeled
• ▢ 2 medium lemons (I prefer organic since we're using the peel)
• ▢ Flaky sea salt

Instructions 

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots, along with a pinch or two of salt. Cook until the vegetables are softened and starting to just turn brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until very fragrant.
• Pour in a splash of vegetable broth to deglaze the pot as needed, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the remaining broth, potatoes, cannellini beans, and artichokes (if using), several cracks of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt (1/4 tsp sea salt or table salt). Stir well. Nestle the bouquet garni into the soup.
• Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
• While the soup is simmering, make the Gremolata.

  Finely chop the parsley and basil. Using a microplane, grate the garlic directly over the parsley and basil. Then zest the lemons on top of this mixture, taking care to not zest the white pith underneath the skin.

  Mix the garlic and lemon zest into the herbs and chop the herbs until they’re finely minced. Sprinkle with a bit of the coarse or flaky sea salt.
• When the soup is done simmering, remove the bouquet garni.

  Transfer half of the soup to a stand blender and blend until thick and smooth. Then return this pureed soup back to the pot and stir to incorporate.

  OR, for a one-pot option, use an immersion blender throughout half of the soup, but be sure to not blend it all – you want to retain some texture.
• Add the kale to the soup and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the kale is tender but still bright green. Taste for seasonings, adding salt to taste and a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
• Serve the soup in bowls and sprinkle a generous amount of the Gremolata over each bowl and a drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil.

  If storing leftovers, add the gremolata to a jar, drizzle some olive oil in there, and refrigerate. Spoon this over leftover soup.

Video

Notes

1. Instant Pot instructions can be found in the first FAQ in the blog post. 
2. Use 3 1/2 cups of broth (840 mL) if you want the soup to be very thicker; use 4 cups (960 mL) of broth for a slightly thinner but still chunky texture. If using low-sodium vegetable broth, you will need to use considerably more salt in step 3.
3. Don’t have kitchen twine? You can do the following:
   1. Just add the herb sprigs into the pot and use tongs to remove them after cooking; or
   2. MacGyver it: tie the herbs using a leftover scallion, a long sturdy stem of parsley, or the string from a tea bag; or
   3. Chop the herbs (not the bay leaves) and sauté them when you add the garlic

 

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8.3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 987mg | Potassium: 1503mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 11429IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 282mg | Iron: 8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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