This Italian-style Instant Pot white bean soup is creamy and satisfying with no dairy needed! It's a quick and easy one-pot dinner.
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Creamy Instant Pot white bean soup is full of amazing flavors from aromatics, Italian seasoning and other dried spices, and it's packed with white beans. I love to serve it with crusty bread, drop biscuits, or savory scones for dipping!
The base for this soup is one of my favorite ways to make vegan Instant Pot soup. It starts with browning aromatics for the first layer of flavor. Then, you add in vegan chicken broth or veggie stock and lots of dried spices to amp up the flavor even more. Then, add white beans and fresh and frozen veggies for a quick, easy, flavorful soup.
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- creamy, flavor-packed soup
- versatile! Mix and match the fresh and frozen veggies you have to stay on budget
- simple, affordable ingredients
- 1-pot, 30-minute meal
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free with an easy oil-free option
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- olive oil - To sauté. You can broth fry for an oil-free version.
- aromatics - Onion, garlic, and hot green chili add so much amazing flavor! For less spicy, use about 3 tablespoons minced bell pepper instead of the chili or simply omit it.
- vegan chicken broth - I really like how vegan chicken broth adds so much great flavor to this Instant Pot white bean soup. It's just broth that uses the same herbs that chicken broth uses, but no chickens harmed. A good, flavorful vegetable broth will work instead, if needed.
- dried herbs and spices - Garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt up the flavor ante even more. I really love the flavor of this soup if you use Kashmiri chili powder, an Indian chili powder, in place of the paprika. You can also use smoked paprika, for a smoky flavor, if you like.
- white beans - You can use your favorite white beans like great Northern beans, butter beans, navy beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans, etc. We are using canned beans or pre-cooked to save time. You can also use half the white beans and add 10 ounces frozen vegan chicken instead.
- carrots - Adds color and a little sweetness.
- frozen veggies - Frozen peas and frozen spinach add more veggies and color with zero prep work.
- non-dairy yogurt - Makes the soup creamy. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free, if needed. Instead of the yogurt, you can use vegan sour cream or blend ½ cup soaked cashews with ½ cup water until completely smooth and use that to make the soup creamy instead. The cashew cream is what I use when we are out of yogurt.
- toppings - I like to top this with minced fresh herbs, like basil or parsley, and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free vegan parm, if needed, as well. This is also great topped with pickled onions and jalapeños, if you want a little more heat and tang!
🔪 How to Make Instant Pot White Bean Soup
See the recipe card Notes section below for stovetop directions.
Add the oil to your Instant Pot, and press the sauté button. When the oil is hot, add the onion, green chili, and garlic and a good dash of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic starts to brown. You can add splashes of water, as needed to prevent sticking as you sauté. Press the Cancel button.
Add the broth and spices, and give a little stir. Then, add the beans and veggies, but DO NOT STIR, as stirring them in can cause a burn warning as it cooks. Lock the lid, and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
Open the lid, stir in the yogurt, and add toppings of choice.
Serve with crusty bread, garlic bread, drop biscuits, or savory scones to dip. You can also serve over rice or quinoa.
💡 Helpful Tips
- Adding salt to the aromatics helps them release moisture, so they cook more quickly and brown more evenly.
- Instead of the yogurt, you can blend ½ cup soaked cashews with ½ cup water until completely smooth and use that to make the soup creamy instead. This is the way I do it if we are out of yogurt.
🫙 Storage Directions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days.
You can also freeze this soup! Transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 1 year. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for a few hours. Then, transfer to a pot to heat it up or warm it the rest of the way in the microwave.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Instant Pot White Bean Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot - or other electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ green chili such as jalapeno, Serrano, etc., sliced
- 2 cups vegan chicken broth or good vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika or hot paprika, smoked paprika, or Kashmiri chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 30 ounces canned white beans or 3 cups cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- ½ cup frozen peas or frozen corn or both
- 1 cup frozen spinach
- ½ cup plain non-dairy yogurt unsweetened. Use soy, almond, oat, etc. Vegan sour cream also works well.
Optional Toppings
- minced fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or green onion
- vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Add the oil to your Instant Pot, and press the sauté button. When the oil is hot, add the onion, green chili, and garlic and a good dash of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic starts to brown. You can add splashes of water, as needed to prevent sticking as you sauté. Press the Cancel button.
- Add the broth and spices, and give a little stir. Then, add the beans and veggies, but DO NOT STIR, as stirring them in can cause a burn warning as it cooks. Lock the lid, and cook at high pressure for 5 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
- Open the lid, stir in the yogurt, add toppings of choice, and serve with crusty bread, garlic bread, drop biscuits, or savory scones to dip. You can also serve over rice or quinoa.
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