Creamy, smoky, satisfying lemon white bean soup is packed with beans, veggie and such a vibrant, citrusy flavor! It's a perfect, easy weeknight dinner. (22g protein, 17g fiber per serving)
Table of Contents
I love how lemon makes any dish taste fresh and vibrant! Especially a creamy recipe, like this super easy lemon white bean soup.
You start this soup with sautéed garlic, then add a classic mirepoix: onion, carrot, and celery. This combination adds volume, flavor, and texture to the soup. Once the veggies are cooked, just add the remaining ingredients, and simmer to meld the flavors.
Finish it off with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest for tang and some non-dairy yogurt for creaminess, and you're ready to serve.
This soup is an easy weeknight dinner that's budget-friendly and uses simple ingredients. Serve it with crusty bread, crackers, or flatbread to dip, and you've got yourself a cozy meal.
💖 Why You'll Love this Lemon White Bean Soup
- creamy, smoky soup with vibrant, lemon flavor
- packed with beans and veggies for protein and fiber
- easy to make in 1 pot in 30 minutes
- gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- olive oil - To sauté. You can broth fry for oil-free, if you prefer.
- garlic - Adds a ton of umami!
- mirepoix - This is a combination of 2 parts onion to 1 part carrots and 1 part celery. It's a classic French soup base and adds so much depth of flavor and vibrant color to this lemon white bean soup!
- salt - Helps the onions cook faster and brings out all of the flavors in the soup.
- vegetable broth - For moisture and flavor.
- white beans - You can use any white beans you like such as great northern beans, cannellini beans, butter beans, navy beans, etc. Chickpeas will also work in this recipe.
- nutritional yeast - Ups the creaminess of the soup.
- spices - Garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika, and black pepper add tons of smoky, savory flavors to this soup!
- greens - You can use kale, baby kale, spinach, baby spinach, or frozen kale or frozen spinach for this recipe.
- vegan yogurt - Make sure this is unflavored and unsweetened. My Instant Pot soy yogurt works great in this recipe!
- lemon - We are using lemon juice and zest for maximum lemony flavor!
- toppings - I'm topping this bowl with fresh parsley, crushed pepper, and vegan parmesan. You can also add other fresh herbs, croutons, nuts or seeds, cashew bacon bits, or other crunchy/flavor elements on top, if you like.
🔪 How to Make Lemon White Bean Soup
Heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until it smells fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the remaining salt plus the broth, beans, and spices to the pan. If you are using frozen greens, add them now, as well. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavors. Add splashes of extra broth, if the soup is drying out.
If you used fresh greens, add them to the pot when the 10 minutes of simmering is up, so they can just wilt into the soup.
Switch off the heat. Add the yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the pan, and mix well. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor, if needed. It may need more salt, more smoky flavor from the chipotle or smoked paprika, or more yogurt for creamier.
Serve topped with the parsley, crushed pepper, and vegan parmesan with crusty bread, garlic bread, crackers, or flatbread on the side.
💡 Helpful Tips
- Salting the mirepoix when you add it to the pan helps the vegetables release moisture. This helps them cook faster and helps prevent sticking. It also prevents the garlic from burning.
- Depending on your beans, pan, and stove, you may need to add more broth as the soup is simmering. Keep an eye on it as it's cooking, and add splashes of broth, if needed.
🫙 Storage Directions
Leftovers will keep for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
📖 Recipe
Lemon White Bean Soup (1-pot, 30 minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup minced onion
- ½ cup minced carrots
- ½ cup minced celery
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or more, if needed
- 30 ounces white beans That's 2 15-ounce cans or 3 cups of homemade white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups baby kale or kale, spinach, or baby spinach. Or use ¾ cup to 1 cup frozen kale or frozen spinach.
- ½ cup vegan yogurt or cashew cream. Can use more for creamier.
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- fresh parsley for topping
- crushed pepper for topping
- vegan parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until it smells fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the onion, carrots, celery, and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the remaining salt plus the broth, beans, and spices to the pan. If you are using frozen greens, add them now, as well. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavors. Add splashes of extra broth, if the soup is drying out.
- If you used fresh greens, add them to the pot when the 10 minutes of simmering is up, so they can just wilt into the soup.
- Switch off the heat. Add the yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the pan, and mix well. Taste the soup and adjust the flavor, if needed. It may need more salt, more smoky flavor from the chipotle or smoked paprika, or more yogurt for creamier.
- Serve topped with the parsley, crushed pepper, and vegan parmesan with crusty bread, garlic bread, crackers, or flatbread on the side.
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