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
DELICOUS, and the texture is so good due to the thickness from the grated potatoes. I was too lazy to make the gremolata topping, and it was still good. 12 minutes was perfect for soaked beans. I used half an onion instead of shallots. I ended up with 9.5 cups of stew, and I calculated 160 calories/cup (for anyone who cares about that!)
Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
I’d probably add a little more salt + maybe some diced jalapeños but this recipe turned out delicious.
Forgot to soak my beans overnight so I flash-softened them on the stove (bring water and beans to a boil for 1 min. Take off heat and let sit for 1hr. Then voila!). Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Christian!
I did not like it the way I hoped I would. To me the taste was too bitter and sharp and beans were undercooked (I soaked them for more than 10 hours). I had some doubts regarding the outcome even before closing the lid of the instant pot. Adding tomato sauce to so many raw vegetables can prevent them from cooking properly. Next time I’ll try to sauté onions and garlic with a tablespoon of (vegan) butter or oil first, swap the celery with carrots and maybe pre-cook the beans or just sauté them, too.
All in all, I think it is a nice and simple recipe, just needs some love and warmth.
Hi Kamila, we are sorry to hear the recipe didn’t turn out as you thought it would! Could the beans potentially have been a bit old? Older beans take longer to cook.
I honestly had low expectations because it’s a bean focused dish but it’s so flavorful!! It’s delicious even with the gremolata at first! Thanks for a delicious recipe.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Tina!
I do not have an Instant Pot, but I do have a crockpot… Can this be made with canned beans in a crockpot (i.e. without pressure)? Or would it be better to simmer it on the stove?
Thanks!
From Nisha: “Hi, I don’t own a crockpot so I’ve never tried it myself, but based on similar types of recipes online, I’d guess cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Just be sure to soak your beans in advance. If you use canned beans, they’ll likely come out too mushy.”
Thanks for this lovely recipe. Every recipe I cook of yours is a success! To this, I added peas and carrots, and kept of few of the potato pieces cubed vs grated.. it was a perfect winter’s meal. Think we got about 4 dinners out of it and didn’t get tired of it. It actually tasted better as the week went on. I look forward to making it again :) thanks Nisha, you’re the best
Thanks for sharing, Sam! So wonderful to hear you enjoyed the stew :)
This is absolutely delicious. I used canned black beans and set instant pot at 8 minutes, which turned out fine. Highly recommend!
Thanks for sharing, Megan!
Delicious! Turned out great. Thank you!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Mike!
Hi :)
Can I use canned bean instead? If so, how much would you use? I saw in a comment that 340g of dry beans came to 700 g. Would you go with that number?
Thanks soooo much for all you wonderful recipes!
Marilyne
Hi there Marilyne, since the beans are already cooked, you don’t need to cook them for very long. We’d say 5 or 6 minutes using the pressure cook setting. In our opinion, dried beans are better in taste and texture, but if you don’t got ‘em and can’t get ‘em canned beans will work.
Hi :) great recipe. A question: 340gr of beans you measured before soaking? Because after soaking they will turn out around 700gr. Thanks
Hi Bora! The recipe card calls for ingredient measurements before the soaking/cooking process happens. So 340g of dried beans before they’ve been soaked!
Hi there! This looks delicious! Can I double the recipe if I am using an 8Qt instant pot?
Thanks!
Hi there Kathryn! Glad you think so :) That should be fine, just as long as the ingredients don’t go past the max fill line!
Why use only 12 oz of beans when the bags of beans come in 1 lb bags? This recipe looks so good and I plan on making it for dinner tonight. I’m soaking the whole 1 lb bag of beans and will add a bit more broth to the mix. I’ll let you know how it turns out. I can’t wait!
Hi there Genny, beans triple in size when cooked so you’ll have an incredible amount of beans if you use the full pound. How’d it turn out?
It was delicious! This was the first time I have ever tried a gremolata, but I really like it! This recipe will definitely be in my rotation. Thank you!!!
Awesome, Genny. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I enjoyed making this recipe. It was delicious — especially when the fresh gremolata was added to it. HOWEVER, it gave me “the Irish winds” something fierce. Gas so bad it pealed the paint off the walls. I don’t think my dog will ever speak to me again.
While I like this recipe, I can’t make it again as it destroys the ozone where I am.
Ahh, so sorry to hear that. Did you soak the beans overnight and rinse them the next day? Glad you liked the flavor of the stew otherwise, GR!
Excellent. Followed the recipe to the letter and was well pleased. Might tone down the celery from three to two next time. Gremolata was a real touch of flavour 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
Glad you loved the stew, Mac! Thanks for the lovely review, we hope you get the recipe just how you like it next time!
Hi Nisha, I would love to make this stew but I don’t have an instant pot. Is there a way to make this recipe stove top? Thank you so much!
Really good! I just made this and it’s got so much flavour.
I loved that the cooking time gave me time to make the “topping” and wash up. It was also not too complicated and the instructions were perfect.
I shall go and have a look at your book. Will definitely make this again.
Andrew, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
So flavorful. I used 16 ounces of great northern beans so I increased the vegetable broth to 4 cups/32 ounces and used a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes. Also had a big carrot left over from another recipe and threw that into the pot.
The Gremolata topping was easy to prepare and delicious.
Thanks for sharing, Patricia!
Excellent recipe. Minimal prep, delicious result. Creamy texture, full of flavour. Potential to vary spices makes this a good base recipe. Also, thanks for the tip on using tomatoes in the Instant Pot.
That’s so great to hear, Brian! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
What is an insant pot cooker?
Hi there, Instant Pot is a brand of multicookers. The multicookers are electronically controlled, combined pressure cookers and slow cookers. The original cookers are marketed as 6-in-1 or more appliances designed to consolidate the cooking and preparing of food to one device.
Where do I find the Instant Pot cooker? A friend just sent this to me.
Hi there, here’s a link to the Instant Pot we use!