Pantry meals came into high demand in 2020 for obvious reasons, and one of the easiest yet tastiest pantry meals I made was this Vegan Instant Pot White Bean Stew. It’s incredibly easy to make, hearty and satiating, and very flavorful!
This stew a dump-and-go recipe, which means you can quite literally, dump all the ingredients into the Instant Pot, do no hands-on cooking, and come back to a warm, delicious dinner!
Unfortunately, a lot of dump-and-go recipes you’ll find online seem to lack creativity and flavor—think mixing canned beans and salsa on top of a chicken breast (blah). Luckily, I am a stickler for maximizing flavor, so your taste buds definitely won’t be bored with this recipe!
Why you’ll like this vegan white bean stew
Dump-and-go. See above. Dump and go = no hands-on cooking!
Weeknight-friendly. See above. You can have dinner on the table and all you need to do is 10ish minutes of chopping. Oh, and one-pot meals also mean minimal dishwashing! Bonus: the Instant Pot inner pot is dishwasher safe!
Hearty and satisfying. This is hearty yet healthy comfort food that satisfies your cravings and your hunger, and leaves you full for hours. Especially if you serve this stew with some crusty, whole grain bread.
Allergen-friendly and healthy. This stew is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, and nut-free so it is definitely allergen-friendly!
Flavorful. There are multiple levels of flavors in this dish, from the bouquet garni (more on that below) to the ground cumin and paprika to the fresh gremolata topping (my favorite part).
Ingredient Rundown
The aromatics. If you’re familiar with my savory recipes, you know that I usually like to start with some aromatics. This could be as simple as onions or garlic, but it always varies based on the flavor profile and cuisine. The aromatics I use in this recipe are shallots, celery, and garlic.
This recipe is a bit different than most of my savory recipes in that you don’t cook the aromatics in oil. That’s because there’s no hands-on cooking in this dump-and-go recipe. But don’t omit the aromatics – they still add a good amount of flavor.
Yukon Gold Potatoes. To naturally thicken the stew, I add one large Yukon Gold Potato. I grate it with a box grater (the side with the large holes). Why grate them? Because the potatoes practically melt into the stew. But if you don’t have a grater, just peel and finely dice the potatoes.
Dried white beans. The beauty of the Instant Pot is that it makes it much simpler to cook beans from scratch. No need to babysit the pot, wait for it to boil, or check to see if your beans are burning.
You do need to soak the beans for this recipe overnight or for 8 hours, so it does require a little advance planning. But as long as you can remember to soak the beans, the soaking step takes just 2 minutes.
As for bean variety, my go-to is cannellini beans (so creamy and rich). But great northern beans or navy beans work just fine too.
Crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Read up, this part is important! Thick ingredients like crushed tomatoes tend to burn in the Instant Pot.
To avoid the burn warning, add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste at the end and layer them on top of all of the other ingredients without mixing in. The tomatoes are less likely to mix into everything and sink to the bottom of the pot if you pour them as low and close to the pot as possible and not from high above.
Gremolata. An Italian word for a chopped herb condiment featuring lemon zest, garlic and parsley. I make the gremolata while the stew is cooking, and stir it into each bowl when ready to serve. I promise you it will take your stew from good to AHMAAZING. It adds an incredible amount of bright, lemony freshness that makes every bite sing!
Substitutes and Modifications for this Recipe
Using unsoaked dried beans. If you do forget to soak your beans, you can make this recipe with unsoaked beans, but a few notes
- the texture of soaked beans is much better IMO (you’ll end up with more split skins if you don’t soak the beans);
- You’ll need to add more liquid (about 4 3/4 to 5 cups of vegetable broth instead of 3 cups – that’s about 1.1-1.2 liters instead of 720 mL);
- You’ll need to increase the cook time from 12 minutes to something about 55 minutes.
Using canned white beans. Since the beans are already cooked, you don’t need to cook them for very long. I’d say 5 or 6 minutes using the pressure cook setting. IMO, dried beans are better in taste and texture, but if you don’t got ‘em and can’t get ‘em canned beans will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute this ingredient?
No Shallots? Try leeks or a sweet onion.
No Thyme? Try oregano, rosemary, or sage, but use less. Or, use dried thyme (1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons).
Is the gremolata necessary?
Yes! When making dump-and-go recipes, you’re missing out on some of the opportunities to build flavor during the sauté step. So, it’s important to find other ways to build flavor elsewhere.
What to serve with white bean stew?
A hunk of crusty bread is the best pairing! If you’re gluten-free, try serving this over a bed of millet or brown rice.
Can I freeze this white bean stew?
Yes! Freeze it without the gremolata in freezer-safe containers (affiliate link). Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
More Delicious White Bean Recipes to Try
- Try this community favorite Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale and Gremolata (another great use for gremolata).
- Pasta meets stew in this Vegan Italian White and Pasta Bean Stew. It is the perfect rustic Italian comfort food!
- For another easy Instant Pot recipe, check out this hearty Vegan White Bean and Quinoa Chili.
- Need a quick and healthy weeknight dinner? Try these Creamy White Beans with Kale and Wild Rice.
- Want to make the most of summertime produce? This Charred Corn Salad with White Beans is delightful.
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to tag me on Instagram with your recreations and please comment with your feedback below!
Vegan Instant Pot White Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340g) dried white beans, such as cannellini or great northern beans, soaked overnight*
- 3 medium shallots, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- 1 large or 2 small-to-medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and grated**
- 3 1/2 cups (840 mL) vegetable broth***
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (use 1.5 tsp if you love cumin like I do)
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
- Bouquet garni: 2 bay leaves + a few sprigs of flat-leaf parsley and thyme, tied tightly together with kitchen twine
- 1 ½ – 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 (14.5-ounce / 410g) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons (50g) tomato paste
Gremolata Topping
- 1 large handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stems
- 1 large garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 small organic lemon
- Coarse or flaky sea salt
- For serving (optional): fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and crusty whole-grain bread
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable broth into the Instant Pot. Add the soaked and drained white beans, shallots, garlic, celery, grated potatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, and the bouquet garni. Stir to combine.
- Pour the crushed tomatoes and scoop the tomato paste on top of the other ingredients, but do not stir, allowing the tomatoes to sit on top (this prevents the tomatoes from blocking the Instant Pot’s heat sensory and burning).
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 12 minutes.
- While the stew is cooking, prepare the Gremolata Topping. Roughly chop the parsley. Using a Microplane, grate the garlic directly over the parsley and zest the lemon on top of this mixture, taking care to not zest the white pith underneath the skin. Mix the garlic and lemon zest into the parsley and chop until everything is finely minced. Sprinkle with a bit of the coarse or flaky sea salt.
- Once the 12-minute timer has completed and beeps, allow a natural pressure release.
- Open the pot and taste for seasonings, adding more salt as needed. Transfer the stew to individual bowls, and top each with some gremolata. If desired, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, and serve with whole grain bread. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
I made this before collecting my son’s from the airport, using canned beans it cooked itself in the instant pot ready for our reunion dinner” I bought some crusty sourdough rolls and finished it off with the herbs before plating.
It was very delicious,very popular and a breeze to put together.
Many thanks for a fabulous easy tasty recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Kym!
I made a huge pot of this and I LOVE IT! The cannellini beans that I used held their form and were not mushy. The simple flavors mingle with each other well. I used sweet potatoes because that is what I had on-hand. The lemon at the finish adds a nice freshness. I liked that there were not too many spices–it tasted simple and clean. thank you Nisha for a delicious dish. I will definitely make this again.
Awesome, Katherine. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I followed the recipe exactly. I added the right amount of broth and left the tomatoes on top. I got a burn warning so I poured out the pot and scraped the bottom clean. I put the stew back in the Instant Pot, added another cup of broth and got the same burn warning. In the end, I just let it simmer on the stove.
It appears, in the long video, that you are adding the Gremolata to the Instant Pot. Should I do that, or add it to the bowl just before serving?
Hi Raleigh, the Gremolata is best added right before serving.
I’m an InstantPot newbie and have been a lover of your YouTube channel for a while! I tried to make this stew this weekend but kept getting the dreaded “food burn” message. I transferred the stew to another pot and scraped the first one clean, transferred it back, added more liquid, and tried to keep cooking but I kept getting the Food Burn message. I’m not sure what happened, as I put the tomatoes and tomato paste at the top as stated. Would I need to add more broth?
12 minutes was NOT enough for soaked white northern beans. Mine were still mostly hard and had wrinkled skin…. had to turn the instant pot on again for another round.
Way too salty and I only used half teaspoon of salt in the main recipe and didn’t add any in the Gremolata… Also, had to finish off cooking on the stove top as I kept getting ‘food burn’ message (I did add tomatoes and paste last, as advised, without stirring), although this, of course, is a criticism of the instant pot, not the chef…. I’ll try another of your recipes hopefully with better success….
Just made this much lower in carbs by switching the white potatoes for shredded kohlrabi. Was delicious, and next time will try parsnip. I used canned beans , pressure for 5 min, next time will add shredded carrots and do it for 6 min. I wanted the celery a drop softer.
I’ve had this recipe saved to make for awhile now, and finally decided to make it today. I soaked the beans for 8 hrs, did the pressure cook for the 12 minutes, and left it to naturally release pressure which took almost 40 minutes, and the texture of the beans were amazing! I didn’t have any fresh lemon, so I actually used orange zest to make the gremolata, and it was delicious, added a nice freshness to the dish. Looking forward to the leftovers for later this week as well.
I cannot wait to try this! My new fav of yours is the red lentil dal from your book. My daughter, who does not like lentils, ate practically the entire potful. Thanks so much for your recipes. I am a fan for life.
Holly in Nyack, NY
I made this tonight and it was delicious. My husband loved it too. I didn’t make the gremolata but I will give it a try for the leftovers.
Excellent! Easy to make and sooooo delicious! Husband loves it too ☺️
Making this for the second time and its definately a meal I want in the freezer at all times for those days I just want a hearty wholesome meal. I did add orange and green lentils to the mix instead of the potato, just for the extra protein hit. I look forward to trying more of your recipes :)
I made this stew for supper tonight and served it with garlic toast and it was so yummy! The grocery store in my area was out of fresh thyme so I had to use dried, but it was still good. I agree that you should definitely not skimp on the gremolata. It adds such a fresh flavour to the stew.
There is so much that I loved about this recipe. The ease of throwing everything into one pot. However, there are things that I would do differently. The beans were soaked overnight but they still turning out pretty crunchy. Some of the other vegetables remaining crunchy. That’s not a deal breaker. The crushed tomatoes and tomato paste were put on the top as per the recipe. However, when the slow release was ended, they were still in a blob on top of the stew, therefore not melding their flavors with the rest of the stew. Next time I would stir them in and if the burn signal came I, I would add more vegetable broth. The deal breaker for me was the cumin. It overpowers the rest of the flavors, with no benefit. I cut the flavor of the cumin by adding balsamic vinegar. I would not use smoked paprika as that is too overpowering as well. The gremolata is a nice feature but I did not have those ingredients so I just drizzled extra virgin olive oil on top of the soup bowl when serving. All of these negatives can be resolved. Cooking longer, stirring all of the ingredients, and leaving out the cumin.
I’d love to try this sometime this week but no instant pot. What changes would you make for just basic stove pot cooking method?
So I just made a stovetop version of this and it turned out amazing. Sauté the aromatics in a bit of olive oil, I then added the tomato paste and cooked that down a bit with the veg. Then add all of the rest of the stew ingredients (I can’t speak for the cook time because I diced the potatoes and used canned beans instead of dry. But with that I left it on a high simmer for about 30 -40 min, but use your own judgement.) I also added a bunch of lacinato kale at the end to pack in some greens. Topped with a drizzle of olive oil and the gremolata upon serving and it was *chef’s kiss* so so good!
This recipe is absolutely amazing! My boyfriend and I love this. Super easy and quick to make. Shredding the potato gives it the perfect texture. I love all your recipes that I’ve tried. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and heart, I appreciate you.
This recipe is a MUST MAKE! The stew tasted like the bean and barley stew I used to make with stew meat. It had this hardy flavor. My kids, who are not vegetarians, loved the stew and didn’t miss the meat. My husband, who is a pescatarian, enjoyed it so much he had seconds. I could make one meal for the whole family!
Woohoo, that’s awesome to hear, Carolyn! So glad this white bean stew reminded you of something you used to love. And always a success when the whole family enjoys the meal!
Wow! So flavorful and delicious! My husband is always cautious when I tell him something is vegan but I’m always positive he’ll love it when it is one of your recipes. This dish is incredible, complex flavors without an overly complex recipe!
Made this again and had to leave a comment! It’s so tasty and comforting. One of my favorite dishes! Thank, Nisha!