This vegan white bean soup with lemon and parsley is a simple, healthy, and delicious bowl of pure good stuff. Creamy, fragrant, and warming, it's also gluten-free and nut-free.
Whether you use cannellini beans, navy beans, or another variety of white bean, it's a simple case of cooking everything together and then bringing it to life with fresh citrus and herbs.
This soup keeps well in the fridge and freezer, so make a big batch and enjoy it for lunches or light meals throughout the week. For more pulse-based soups, check out my recipes for smoky butter bean soup, vegetable minestrone soup, and pinto bean soup with chilli and lime.
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- Bean types 🌿
- Nutrition 🌱
- Thickening 🥔
- Step by step 📷
- To serve 🍽️
- FAQ ❓
- Storage ❄️
- Recipe 👨🍳
What are the different types of white beans?
When it comes to white beans, there are a few varieties out there with different names depending on where you are in the world. Here's a quick overview:
- Cannellini beans – also known as white kidney beans, these are commonly found in Europe.
- Haricot beans – also known as navy beans, these are smaller than cannellini.
- Great Northern beans – these are larger than haricot beans and more common in the Americas.
- Butter beans – also known as lima beans, these are usually larger than the others and have a bit more texture.
There's not a great deal of difference between these varieties and you can usually use them interchangeably in cooking. If you want to level-up your legume knowledge, check out my Beginner's Guide to Pulses.
Is vegan white bean soup healthy?
This soup makes for an incredibly healthy meal. Low in fat and calories, it's packed full of plant-based protein and other nutrients including fibre, potassium, and iron.
How to thicken the soup
With this soup, I personally like the consistency of a thinner fragrant broth combined with the chunks of veg, beans, and potatoes.
If you want to thicken the soup, however, you can do so using a potato masher or blender. Just remember to remove the bay leaves before blending.
How to make vegan white bean soup
Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring now and then until the veg has started to soften.
Once the veg is soft, add the chopped garlic and cubed potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the drained beans, vegan stock, nutritional yeast, dried sage, bay leaves, and a touch more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, stir in the grated lemon zest and chopped parsley (leaves and stems). Cook for another 5 minutes or until the potato cubes are soft.
Once the potatoes are soft, adjust the seasoning and turn off the heat. Serve as it is, or thicken using a potato masher or hand blender (remove the bay leaves before blending).
Serving suggestions
I like this soup with chopped fresh parsley and a squeeze of juice from the lemon that I grated earlier in the recipe. You could also try adding homemade vegan parmesan or vegan cashew cream.
This recipe will serve four as it is, or more if served with sides such as fresh bread.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe suggests using tinned white beans (cannellini, navy, or Great Northern beans), but you could also use chickpeas or a different bean variety altogether. Just bear in mind that these may not be quite as creamy in the final soup.
If using dried beans, you'll want to soak and/or pre-cook these before adding them to the soup. The cooking time will vary depending on the size and age of the beans, so just make sure they're fully cooked through.
This soup is 100% gluten-free provided you use a vegan stock that is certified or labelled as such.
How to store this soup
You can store this bean and vegetable soup in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in a pan on low heat or in the microwave.
Can you freeze white bean soup?
This soup will freeze well for up to six months in resealable bags or airtight containers, so it's worth making a big batch and then defrosting for an easy light lunch or dinner.
Defrost for a few hours before reheating on the hob or in the microwave.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Vegan Butter Bean Stew
- Smoky Butter Bean Soup
- Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Vegan Scottish Barley Soup (Scotch Broth)
- Easy Vegan Pea & Mint Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Celeriac Soup with Apple, Lemon & Thyme
- Vegan Mushroom & Tarragon Soup
You can also check out my full list of vegan soup recipes.
Full recipe
Vegan White Bean Soup with Lemon & Parsley
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 medium potatoes, diced into 1 cm cubes
- 2x 14 oz (400 g) tins white beans, drained and rinsed (cannellini, navy, haricot, etc.)
- 6 cups (1.5 litres) vegan stock
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 3 bay leaves
- Handful of fresh parsley, chopped (save some leaves to serve)
- Grated zest of 1 lemon (save the juice to serve)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and add the onion, carrot, and celery. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring now and then until the veg has started to soften.
- Once the veg is soft, add the chopped garlic and cubed potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the drained beans, vegan stock, nutritional yeast, dried sage, bay leaves, and a touch more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir in the grated lemon zest and chopped parsley (leaves and stems). Cook for another 5 minutes or until the potato cubes are soft.
- Once the potatoes are soft, adjust the seasoning and turn off the heat. I like the soup as it is, however you could thicken it using a potato masher or hand blender (remove the bay leaves before blending).
- Serve with chopped parsley leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.📸 Recipe steps >📖 Table of contents >
Notes
- Lemony Butter Bean Stew
- Pinto Bean Soup with Chilli and Lime
- Vegan Scottish Barley Soup (Scotch Broth)
- Easy Vegan Pea & Mint Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Celeriac Soup with Apple, Lemon & Thyme
- Hearty Black Bean Soup
- Vegan Mushroom & Tarragon Soup
Nutrition
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Evie
Love this, perfect for this time of year!
The Pesky Vegan
Agreed - thanks for the review!