Really Good White Bean Soup

Name: Really Good White Bean Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 85 min
Total time: 105 min
Ingredients: 1 pound (454g) dried white beans, (such as cannellini or great northern (see Note 1)); 1 ½ tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt ((see Note 2)); 2 teaspoons baking soda; 4 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, (divided); 1 large yellow onion, (diced (~ 2 cups)); 3 medium carrots, (diced (1 to 1 ½ cup)); 3 celery ribs, (diced (~ 1 cup)); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes ((1 tsp for spicy)); 6 to 7 cups (1.5 to 1.7 L) filtered water ((see Note 3)); 1 large or 2 small rosemary sprigs ((or 8 to 10 thyme sprigs)); 1 large or 2 small sage sprigs; 2 bay leaves; 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon “no chicken” base ((see Note 4)); 2 medium heads of garlic; 1 tablespoon white miso; 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley (chopped (optional)); Crusty bread to serve 4 to 8

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I’ll be the first to admit that a white bean soup might not sound that exciting, but I promise you that this super savory, hearty white bean soup is no ordinary bean soup.

A mixture of dried white beans, fresh herbs, and miso elevates this soup, while garlic (braised inside the soup!) and extra virgin olive oil add lots of rich flavor.

Cozy up to this nourishing yet indulgent white bean soup this winter, make it as part of your meal prep, or freeze leftovers for an emergency meal.

Table of Contents
1. Why you’ll love this recipe
2. Ingredient notes
3. Step-by-step instructions
4. Tips for making this recipe
5. Variations
6. Frequently asked questions
7. Recipe card with notes

ladle digging into a green dutch oven with white bean soup on wooden table.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Simple ingredients, big flavor

Some of my favorite recipes are ones that feature relatively simple ingredient lists but surprise you with their big, bold flavors. Think my Tomato-Fennel Braised Chickpeas, Vegan Broccoli Salad, or Lemony Chickpea Soup.

And this soup is a great example of that in action. The primary ingredients are a simple mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery), dried white beans, fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In other words, budget-friendly, plant-based staples you can find in nearly any grocery store.

But the deep savoriness and woodsy, herby flavors will blow you away. Thanks to a little miso and Better than Bouillon plus two heads of garlic, the result is a soup that’s perfectly salty and savory with a surprising depth of flavor.

RPL recipe tester Callie says it has “chicken noodle soup vibes” (no chickens required!).

Nourishing but indulgent

Beans are arguably the cheapest and most accessible superfood in the world and they come with a whole host of health benefits, including lots of heart-protective fiber, plant protein, and minerals like potassium, iron and magnesium.

Combined with vitamin-rich carrots as well as antioxidant-rich garlic and fresh herbs, there’s a lot to love about this soup.

Despite the nourishing ingredients, this soup is cozy and even rich. That’s because the beans are lovingly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and whole garlic braises inside the soup, lending a rich mouthfeel that’ll delight your taste buds.

Great for meal prep

With 1 pound of dried beans, this soup makes a generous quantity so you’ll have lunch or dinner set for several days. Or, you can freeze half the soup for 3 to 6 months. That way, you’ll have a few emergency meals ready in the freezer when you have a busy week.

And while the cook time is on the longer side because we’re using dried beans, after the first 20ish minutes, the soup cooks completely hands off in the oven. So use that time to do whatever else you love: hanging with the fam, exercising, having a glass of wine with your number one, taking a walk…whatever you like!

a ladle scooping up white bean soup from a green dutch oven on a wooden table.

Ingredient Notes

ingredients for white bean soup on a wooden table with ingredients labeled.

Dried White Beans

While I am a fan of using canned beans in soup for convenience, as in my Vegan Potato Leek Soup, in recipes where beans are the main attraction, I prefer to use dried beans because it really makes a big difference.

Cooking beans from scratch dramatically improves the flavor and texture of the beans (and it’s simpler than you think).

For this soup, any dried white bean works, such as Great Northern Beans or cannellini beans, or even smaller navy beans. And don’t worry, you don’t need to cook the beans separately. They cook in the soup at the same time as everything else.

Note: You do need to soak the beans in advance in order for them to cook through in the soup without the soup taking 2 to 3 hours to finish.

Don’t have time for a full soak? Check out the FAQ for instructions on how to quickly soak beans.

Mirepoix

This is the French term for a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery, lightly cooked or sauteed in oil or butter. It’s used as the aromatic flavor base for so many dishes, including soups.

For tips on varying this soup with different flavors, check out the Variations section.

Fresh herbs

If you’ve made any of my soup recipes by now, you’re probably already familiar with a bouquet garni. Another French term, and it simply means a bundle of herbs tied together.

In this recipe, I use a mixture of rosemary, sage, and bay leaves, but you can mix things up based on what you have on hand (again, see the Variations section).

Tips for buying: Some grocery stores will send a package of herbs called “poultry herbs.” The exact mix varies, but it may include a mix of thyme, rosemary, or sage. Feel free to buy one of those packages if you don’t want to buy individual rosemary and sage.

Garlic

Instead of mincing sautéed garlic as is customary in soups, this recipe uses whole garlic that gets sneakily braised inside of the soup.

This technique (and this recipe in general) is adapted from the recipe in my cookbook Big Vegan Flavor for “A Really Good Pot of Saucy Beans,” and once I started cooking beans that way, I’ve never turned back.

Instead of peeling and chopping garlic, all you do is slice off the top layer of each head of garlic to expose the cloves, add it to the soup, and drizzle with olive oil.

The result is a savory-sweet, mellow and not too intense garlicky flavor that infuses the entire soup. And yes, it tastes as good as it sounds.

Extra virgin olive oil

Again, whenever I cook beans from scratch, I always add some olive oil to the beans before they cook and at the end. It significantly improves the mouthfeel and makes me actually crave beans.

In this soup, olive oil is really the only source of fat and it makes a huge difference, so don’t skip it!

White miso

Miso is a fermented soybean paste and thanks to the fermentation process, it has a wonderful savory depth of flavor with a subtle sweetness. The miso is whisked into hot broth at the end to make it easier to blend into the soup, taking this humble soup over the top.

Tips for buying: Look for white miso or similarly mild forms of miso, such as shiro miso or yellow miso (affiliate link). Darker varieties of miso (e.g., red or brown) are much stronger in flavor and will overwhelm this soup.

Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Base

While I typically use a store-bought organic vegetable broth for soups, when I need a little extra oomph, I turn to Better than Bouillon’s vegan No-Chicken Broth Base (affiliate link). It gives this soup a chicken noodle soup flavor profile and a richness that broth alone can’t bring.

Unlike salt or bouillon cubes, Better than is more like a seriously savory condiment, almost akin to soy sauce.

Tips for buying: My local Whole Foods sells this, but you may need to purchase it online. You can also try the Better than Bouillon’s vegetable base. Or, an alternative brand like this (which is sold at my local Sprouts).

Substitute: If you don’t want to buy a seasoned broth base, omit and use low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water.

brothy white bean soup in a green bowl on a linen towel on a wooden table.

Step-by-step instructions

Sauté the mirepoix in an oven-safe soup pot or Dutch oven for about 10 minutes, or until softened.

Add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.

diced onions, carrots, and celery being sauteed in a dutch oven.

wooden spatula stirring diced carrots, onions, and celery with red pepper flakes in a dutch oven.

Pour in the water and scrape up any browned bits. Add the soaked dried beans plus a bit of salt and pepper.

Stir to combine and bring to a boil (cover the pot to speed this up).

pouring water into a dutch oven with onions, carrots, and celery sauteing.

dried white beans and water in a dutch oven with carrots, celery, and onions.

wooden spatula stirring dried white beans in broth for a soup.

light blue dutch oven on a wooden table with lid partially covered.

While the soup comes to a boil, prepare the herbs and garlic.

Tie the herbs together to make a bouquet garni. Remove the papery outer layers of the garlic heads and slice of the top to expose the cloves.

When the soup has come to a boil, add the Better than Bouillon.

two heads of garlic with tops sliced off and a bouquet garni on a small wooden cutting board.

woman's hands holding a jar of Better than Bouillon over a pot of simmering soup.

Stir well to dissolve the Better than Bouillon.

Add the bouquet garni and the garlic heads to the soup. Pour a glug of extra virgin olive oil on top of the beans.

Cover the soup and transfer to the oven at 350ºF (175ºC). Bake until the beans are tender, about 1 hour, depending on size and freshness of beans.

wooden spatula stirring a white bean soup with carrots, before beans are cooked.

drizzling olive oil on top of whole garlic heads sitting on top of a soup in a dutch oven.

When the beans are tender, scoop out the bouquet garni (discard) and garlic heads (keep).

Scoop out a ladle or two of hot broth into a glass. Add in the miso and whisk well to dissolve the miso.

pot of white bean soup, with ladle to the side pouring broth into a glass.

pot of white bean soup, with woman's hands whisking jar of broth.

Pour the miso broth back into the soup and stir to combine.

Once cool enough to touch, squeeze the garlic cloves into the soup. Add a drizzle of good-quality olive oil and stir well.

pouring miso broth from a jar into a pot of white bean soup.

woman's hands squeezing roasted garlic cloves into a pot of white bean soup.

Taste, adding more salt or pepper or extra virgin olive oil for richness. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

green dutch oven filled with white bean soup with carrots, ladle dug in.

Tips for making this recipe

Don’t use those dusty old beans!

If you’ve had a bag of beans lying around in your pantry for years, I’m afraid it’s time to dump those.

I know, I know…food waste, but luckily dried beans are one of the cheapest grocery store items. And you’ll save yourself some time. Old beans never soften fully, or they take forever to soften, and constantly checking the beans for doneness without success will annoy you greatly.

Tip: If using a standard-sized white bean like Great Northern Beans, provided the beans aren’t too old, the soup should be done in about 1 hour. If using smaller beans like navy beans, check at 45 minutes.

The baking soda and salt help soften the beans.

You might be wondering why I soak the beans in a mixture of water with baking soda and salt.

Contrary to myths proclaiming that adding salt to beans before they’re done cooking prevents them from softening, in reality, soaking beans in a salty solution actually tenderizes them and improves their texture (read more at Serious Eats).

And baking soda helps soften them a bit more quickly (this is why I add baking soda to my chickpeas in my homemade hummus recipe).

Don’t skip the flavor boosters

In this otherwise simple soup, three ingredients play a big role: extra virgin olive oil, miso, and Better than Bouillon.

If you need to omit the Better than Bouillon, use low-sodium vegetable broth instead of water.

If you don’t have access to miso, you can add 1 to 2 teaspoons of soy sauce or tamari instead (no need to dissolve them in hot water like the miso).

white bean soup in two green bowls on a wooden table with dutch oven in the back.

Variations on this recipe

Mirepoix

While a classic mirepoix consists of onions, carrots, and celery, you could easily replace the celery with 1 bulb of thinly sliced fennel, the onion with two finely chopped leeks, or the carrots with 2 medium diced red bell peppers.

Dried beans

If you’re a specialty bean fan, feel free to branch out into other bean varieties.

I’ve made this soup with Rancho Gordo’s mayocoba beans (technically a yellow bean) and I’m sure it’d be fantastic with their cassoulet beans, flageolet beans, or ayocote blanco beans.

If you’re wondering “are Rancho Gordo beans worth the hype,” check out this YouTube video where I blind taste tested five types of dishes made with (a) canned beans, (b) dried beans, and (c) specialty dried beans from Rancho Gordo.

Spoiler alert: The Rancho Gordo beans won in pretty much every category, so much so that there are several comments accusing me of posting sponsored content on behalf of Rancho Gordo without disclosing it (it was not a sponsored video!).

Fresh herbs

Feel free to replace either the rosemary or sage with fresh thyme. And, if you love oregano, add ½ to 1 teaspoon of dried oregano when you add the red pepper flakes.

Other variations

For extra veggie action, stir in some finely chopped lacinato kale during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking. Or after the soup is done, stir in a few handfuls of chopped baby spinach or baby kale, and simmer the soup briefly until wilted.

For a fun spin on chicken noodle soup, when the soup is done, stir in some cooked small-sized pasta, such as orecchiette or macaroni. If using this option, use 7 cups (1.7 liters of water), and add more freshly boiled water after adding the pasta as needed.

Flavor variation

For a more Middle Eastern-inspired flavor profile, instead of red pepper flakes, use Aleppo pepper. And add 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, and a tablespoon or two of harissa paste or sauce at the same time.

a green dutch oven and green bowl with white bean soup on a linen towel.

Frequently asked questions

I don’t have time to soak the beans for 8 hours or overnight. What can I do instead?

You can quick soak the beans instead. Just follow the instructions in this post from the Food Network. It will take ~1 hour.

You do need to soak the beans in some capacity though so don’t skip this entirely. Otherwise, the beans won’t cook through in the time allotted in the recipe card. It could take 2 to 3 hours, and the garlic & vegetables might soften too much during that time, plus you’ll need to add more water to prevent the soup from drying out.

Can I make this soup in the Instant Pot?

Yes, though you’ll end up with more split beans.

Make these changes.

1) Soak the beans using the instructions in step 1 (or the quick soak method listed in the previous FAQ).

2) Use the Sauté method on the Instant Pot for step 3 (sauteing the mirepoix). It will take 10 to 12 minutes.

3) Stir 2 to 3 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon into 1 cup (240 mL) boiling water. Set aside.

3) Add the soaked and drained beans, Better than Bouillon broth, 5 to 6 cups (1.2 to 1.5 L) water, salt, pepper, and Better than Bouillon, stirring very well to dissolve the latter. Add the prepared garlic and bouquet garni. Pour a glug of olive oil on top (~ 2 tablespoons) of the garlic and beans.

5) Seal the Instant Pot and select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure for 12 minutes (9 to 10 minutes for smaller beans like navy beans).

6) Allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.

7) Follow the instructions for adding the miso and roasted garlic, as written in steps 9 and 10.

Can I use canned beans instead of dried beans?

While the soup will be the best with dried beans, both flavor- and texture-wise, you can use canned beans.

Make these changes:

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Remove the outer papery layers of the garlic heads and then slice off a thin layer off the top to expose the skin of the cloves. Rub the exposed cloves with a few drizzles of olive oil. Wrap each head individually in foil and roast on the oven rack for 35 to 40 minutes, or until soft and tender and lightly golden.

2) Follow step 3 as written in the recipe card.

3) In step 4, add 4 cups (960 mL) water, ½ tsp kosher salt, and lots of black pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the Better than Bouillon and stir well to thoroughly dissolve.

4) Now add in 4 (15 oz / 425g) canned white beans and the bouquet garni, submerging them in the liquid. If the liquid appears low, add a bit more water or broth. Pour a glug of olive oil on top (~ 2 tablespoons) of the beans.

5) Cover the soup and simmer on the stove for 20 minutes, or until the flavors have developed and the soup has thickened a bit. Discard the bouquet garni.

6) Scoop a ladle of hot broth into a glass. Add the miso to the hot broth; whisk well until miso is dissolved. Pour this back into the soup and stir well.

7) When the garlic is roasted and cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves into the soup and stir well. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of good-quality olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

I don’t have / I don’t want to use Better than Bouillon. What should I use instead?

Skip it and instead of using water to cook the soup/beans, use low-sodium vegetable broth. Imagine Organic is our favorite store-bought broth (affiliate link).

The soup won’t have the same savory depth of flavor, so after you add the miso, taste, and add more salt (or miso) as desired.

I don’t have kitchen twine. What else can I use for the fresh herbs?

Kitchen twine is sold at most grocery stores, hardware and craft stores, kitchen stores, or online.

You can sub with a long stem of parsley (leaves removed); plain, unwaxed dental floss; or cheesecloth.

If you don’t have any of these options, chop the fresh sage and rosemary and sauté them with the red pepper flakes. Add the bay leaves to the soup when you add the beans, and scoop them out before serving.

Can I use dried herbs instead?

In a soup with relatively simple ingredients, fresh herbs make a big difference so I’d try to seek them out. And certain dried herbs like sage are a bit bitter, so I don’t like using them.

If you can’t get fresh herbs, I’d use ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary and thyme.

How do I store leftovers? Can I freeze this white bean soup?

Leftover soup will stay good in the fridge in a covered container for about five days.

Or, you can freeze this soup for 3 to 6 months. I like using these Souper Cubes to freeze individual portions, as they defrost very quickly (affiliate link).

When reheating the soup, add a few splashes of water or broth if the soup is too thick.

brothy white bean soup in a green bowl on a linen towel.

If you loved this White Bean Soup, please give the recipe a rating and review below! And of course, tag me with your remakes on Instagram!

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9 comments on Really Good White Bean Soup

English

10 seconds ago

I followed the recipe exactly and this was such an amazing soup. Thick, creamy, savory, comforting. The bouquet garni and garlic preparation created magic! Perfect for these winter nights. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow.

LAURIE Brown

4 hours ago

What a terrific soup. The flavor had so much depth!!

Steph

6 hours ago

Excellent! We really enjoyed. Used fewer beans and water given there’s only 2 of use.

Elaine

10 hours ago

This looks delicious! Does it really just make 6 servings? A full pound of dried beans cooked makes so much!

Nisha

2 hours ago

Hi Elaine, serving sizes are very individual and it depends on what you serve it with. I am a big bowl of soup kind of gal, so 6 servings seemed accurate to me, but of course everyone has different preferences and appetites. If you serve it with a big hunk of bread, it will serve more. If you want to stretch out the soup more, you can add more water or broth to the soup. Hope that makes sense.

Janet

21 hours ago

beautifully laid out and clearly written – never thought one could describe a recipe as “a good read”. Recipe writing as a “food writing genre”…hmmm, well done..

Leigh Krauss

16 hours ago

5 stars without trying the recipe?

Bekah

23 hours ago

I made this and it’s delicious! I liked the braised garlic pieces in the stew too. I didn’t have better than bouillon and used veggie stock instead, I do want to try it with the better than bouillon too. :)

Really Good White Bean Soup