Looking for a refreshing and zesty vegan soup? Try our vegan white bean soup, made with a creamy roux base and packed with veggies. With a lemony taste and freshly chopped parsley, this soup is the perfect comfort food. Trust us; this is not your average bean soup recipe!
Are you in love with soups? Me too. So does our whole family. We make lots of soups, from light and refreshing ones to rich and filling ones. If you like veggie-packed soup recipes with beans, try vegan minestrone soup, vegetarian goulash, escarole soup, vegan dumpling soup, or vegan chicken noodle soup. For more soup recipes, visit our vegan soup recipes gallery.
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What to expect?
This vegan white bean soup recipe promises a deliciously comforting and zesty soup that is perfect for any time of the year. The soup is made with a creamy roux base (one of the 20 ways to thicken a soup), which is prepared by caramelizing root veggies in oil and then adding flour and milk.
This method ensures that the sweetness from the carrots is enhanced and adds an extra layer of depth to the soup. We use this same cooking technique to make our carrot pasta sauce recipe.
The addition of white beans makes the soup protein-rich and filling, while the veggies add a burst of flavor and color to the dish.
The soup has a refreshing and lemony taste, thanks to the addition of freshly chopped parsley and lemon juice. This zesty flavor profile makes the soup perfect for those who are looking for a light and refreshing meal.
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Ingredients
To make this fresh, lemony vegan white bean soup, you only need a handful of ingredients.
- White beans – We used lima beans, also known as butter beans, but you can use cannellini beans, navy beans, or Great Northern beans.
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Parsnip
- Onion
- Celery stalk
- Fresh parsley
- White rice flour – You can use all-purpose flour, but we try to make our recipes gluten-free by default.
- Dairy-free milk – We usually use homemade cashew milk, oat milk, or almond milk, but use any unsweetened plant-based milk you like.
- Vegetable broth
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Vegan butter or olive oil
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Preparing the ingredients
- Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes.
- Wash, peel, and slice carrot, and parsnip.
- Wash and chop the celery stalk.
- If you use canned white beans, drain the liquid. If you use dry beans, precook them separately.
- Squeeze some lemon juice and chop fresh parsley.
- Peel onion, but no need to chop it as it will be added whole.
Making vegan white bean soup
- Heat your stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add both vegan butter and oil. When warm, add sliced carrots and parsnip. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well and let it caramelize for a couple of minutes. They will not turn brown, but release some color and a sweet aroma.
- Add freshly chopped parsley and ¼ cup of water. Stir and cook for approx. 5 minutes until most of the water evaporates.
- Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of flour. Mix well and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add dairy-free milk (unsweetened, unflavored) and stir until combined. You will have a thick, creamy sauce, which is actually called a roux.
- When the roux is ready, add veggie broth and stir until combined.
- Add chopped celery stalk and peeled onion in whole. Cook until root veggies are soft to the touch, but still hard if you bite on them.
- Add chopped potatoes and simmer the soup for approx. 10 minutes.
- When potatoes and carrots are tender and cooked, add white beans, and lemon juice, and adjust the seasoning by adding salt and black pepper if needed. Bring to a boil, and your lemony vegan white bean soup is ready to be served. Absolutely delicious!
Cooking tips
- Chop vegetables evenly – Try to slice carrots and parsnips to the same size so that they are cooked and ready simultaneously. The same goes for potatoes. Try to make them even as much as possible.
- Dried vs canned legumes – If you’d like to use dried beans, cook them separately and add them to the soup once soft to eat. The reason behind this is when you cook legumes, they release things that form a foam at the top of the cooking water. It does not look nice on top of a soup. It is applicable to all types of bean soup recipes.
- Why don’t we chop the onion? – We like adding whole peeled onions for 2 reasons: 1) the soup will be a creamy base plus veggies, so there will be no small pieces. My daughters surely love soup like that. 2) If you leave it like that, the cooked onion is absolutely sweet. We love eating it like that.
Variations
- Add other vegetables: You may add other root vegetables (like turnip, kohlrabi, rutabaga, or celeriac), even spinach or kale. But if you add veggies like zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, sweet potato, or butternut squash, they will change the texture and the taste of the soup too much.
- Adding other white beans: Navy beans are small and cook quickly. However, they may get lost among other ingredients. Great Northern beans are slightly larger and hold their shape well. They are a popular choice and can be easily found canned. Cannellini beans are the most common white beans and have a neutral taste, making them perfect for this vegan white bean soup recipe.
- Adding other legumes: If you choose other legumes like black beans or even lentils, they will significantly change the color of the soup. They have a stronger flavor, which may not pair with the light, lemony, zesty taste we tried to go for.
Serving ideas
It is a one-pot, hearty soup, which already has potatoes and beans. However, it is so satisfying to dunk your crusty bread, cornbread, or garlic bread into this lovely vegan white bean soup.
You can also add breadsticks, croutons, crackers, or these vegan bacon bits on top.
If you like your soups a bit fiery, sprinkle it, with some red pepper flakes. Let us know in the comments, which garnish was the perfect choice for you.
Storing tips
White bean soup should be cooled to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. It also freezes well so that you can store it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To prevent freezer burn, store white bean soup in airtight containers or freezer bags, removing as much air as possible before sealing.
When reheating white bean soup, do so slowly over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching or sticking. But definitely bring it to a boil.
FAQs
The classic method would be to add more flour or starch and bring it to a boil to activate them. You can always repeat this step later on. Take some soup in a separate bowl and mix the flour or starch in it before adding the so-called slurry back to the hot soup.
The most common types of white beans are navy beans, Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, and lima beans, also known as butter beans. You can use all types to make white bean soup. We prefer lima beans or butter beans since they are larger and give character and a distinct taste to the soup.
More vegan soup recipes
You can browse through our vegan soups or check out
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Lemony Vegan White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Vegan butter
- 2-3 Carrot
- 1 Parsnip
- ¼ cup Parsley (fresh) or 1 tsp dried parsley
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 Tbsp White rice flour or all-purpose flour if you don’t need to eat gluten-free
- 1 cup Dairy-free milk we used homemade cashew milk
- 4 cup Veggie broth
- 1 Celery stalk
- 1 Onion (small)
- 2 Potato (large)
- 2 can (14 oz) White beans
- 3 tsp Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes. Wash, peel, and slice carrot, and parsnip. Wash and chop the celery stalk. We used canned white beans, and drain the liquid. Squeeze some lemon juice and chop fresh parsley. Peel onion, but no need to chop it, as it will be added whole.
- Heat your stockpot or Dutch oven to low/medium heat and add vegan butter and olive oil.
- When warm, add sliced carrots and parsnip. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well and let it caramelize for a couple of minutes. They will not turn brown, but will have some color and a sweet aroma.
- Add freshly chopped parsley and water. Stir and cook for approx. 5 minutes until most of the water evaporates.
- Sprinkle it with white rice flour. Mix well and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add dairy-free milk (unsweetened, unflavored) and stir until combined. It will be a thick sauce, which is called a roux.
- When the roux is ready, add veggie broth and stir until combined.
- Add chopped celery stalk and peeled onion in whole. Cook until root veggies are soft to the touch, but still hard if you bite on them.
- Add chopped potatoes and cook for approx. 10 minutes.
- When potatoes and carrots are tender and cooked, add canned white beans, lemon juice, and adjust seasoning by adding salt and black pepper if needed. Bring to a boil, and your lemony vegan white bean soup is ready to be served.
Notes
- Chop vegetables evenly – Try to slice carrots and parsnips to the same size so that they are cooked and ready at the same time. The same goes for potatoes. Try to make them even as much as possible.
- Dry vs canned legumes – If you’d like to use dry beans, you should cook them separately and only add them to the soup once soft and ready to eat.
- Why don’t we chop the onion? – We like adding whole peeled onions for 2 reasons: 1) the soup will be a creamy base plus veggies, so there will be no small pieces. My daughters surely love soup like that. 2) If you leave it like that, the cooked onion is absolutely sweet. We love eating it like that.
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