Instant Pot White Bean Soup Recipe

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Instant Pot White Bean Soup is a creamy (vegan!) white bean soup scented with garlic and rosemary. This Instant Pot soup is made with dried white beans and just a few ingredients.

Dried white beans, onion & garlic, olive oil and salt are really all you need to make this simple, affordable and lovely Instant Pot White Bean Soup.

Rosemary adds flavor and aroma, but you can choose to sub in another fresh herb like parsley, chives or oregano. Celery adds another layer of subtle flavor, but if you don't already have celery in your refrigerator, it's not absolutely necessary.

Cooking Instructions

You can make this bean soup in just a few easy steps:

Saute onion, garlic and celery
Add dried beans, water/broth and rosemary
Cook for 35 minutes at high pressure (natural release)

How Do You Thicken Broth in Bean Soup?

An easy to way to make vegan white bean soup creamy is pureeing the cooked ingredients. For this soup, I put a cup or two of cooked beans and broth into my blender and puree until silky smooth. You can also use an immersion blender.

You might choose to blend the entire soup, for a smooth, thick texture. I prefer to blend only part of the soup, so it has still has whole beans in the broth.

What to Serve with White Bean Soup

A crusty loaf of bread or garlic bread is a must with this soup! I also really like this simple soup with one or more sides or toppings. Such as:

Pesto, to spoon into the soup
Grated parmesan or Swiss cheese, to top each bowl of soup
A squeeze of lemon juice
Sausage (kielbasa, pre-cooked chicken sausage, vegetarian sausage, or whatever you like)
Sauteed greens, like kale or Swiss chard

What if the Beans Don't Cook Evenly?

Cooking white beans for 35 minutes should be enough time for the beans to become very soft and tender. However, beans can be unpredictable. Sometimes, most of the beans will be perfectly cooked and others will be floating around all hard and wrinkled. This can happen due to old beans, or if acidic ingredients are added like vinegar, lemon or tomatoes.

The good news is that you can simply re-seal the pressure cooker and re-program it to cook for 5 more minutes (with natural release). If the beans still aren't completely cooked after that, just program the beans to cook for a few minutes more.

Can I Make This Recipe with Canned Beans?

Yes, you can. However, you don't need to cook it as long. Using canned beans, you only need to cook the soup for 5 minutes at high pressure. Make sure to drain the beans before adding them to the pot.

You could also try this recipe for Instant Pot White Bean, Cabbage and Tomato Soup.

More Bean Soup Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions About Instant Pot White Beans

How Do I Cook White Beans in My Instant Pot?

For detailed instructions, read this recipe for Instant Pot White Beans.

Do I Need to Pre-Soak the Beans?

For pressure cooker white beans, pre-soaking is optional. Pressure cookers do an excellent job of cooking beans even if they haven't been soaked.

However, pre-soaking beans helps the beans cook faster and more evenly. It reduces the odds that you'll have undercooked beans in your pot. If you can remember to soak the beans the night before, there's no reason not to.

How Do I Pre-Soak Beans?

To soak beans, cover completely with water in a big bowl and soak for 6 to 12 hours before cooking. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the soaking water for every pound of beans for more flavor. Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.

There are also methods for quick-soaking beans, like this hot water method.

Does it Matter Which Type of White Bean I Use?

No, you can use any variety of white bean that you like. I used Great Northern for this recipe. All varieties of white beans (Great Northern, Cannellini, Navy) usually take between 25 to 35 minutes to cook in a pressure cooker.

What if the Beans Aren't Cooked Enough?

If the beans aren't soft enough for your liking after the cooking time and natural release have completed, just seal the lid back on the pressure cooker and cook the beans for 5 more minutes, with another natural release.

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot White Bean Soup

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★★★★★

4.8 from 9 reviews

Instant Pot White Bean Soup is a creamy white bean soup scented with garlic and rosemary. It's made with dried white beans and just a few ingredients.

Serving bread for dipping in the soup is a must! For other serving suggestions, read the blog post above.

Total Instant Pot Cooking Time: 15 minutes to reach pressure + 35 minute cooking time + natural release

Author: Jenny Meier | Kitchen Skip blog
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: Soup
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale

¼ cup olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 to 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped or thinly sliced
8 cups water or vegetable broth
1 pound dried white beans (a little over 2 cups)
2 sprigs rosemary (see notes below about rosemary amounts)

Ingredient Note: If you have a Parmesan rind with just a little bit of cheese left on it, throw the rind into the soup to add more flavor as it cooks

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in the Instant Pot. Press the Saute button to heat the pot.
Saute onion, celery and garlic for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and lightly browned.
Add water or broth, dried beans and rosemary. If using water, add 1 teaspoon salt. If using broth, wait to season the soup until after it’s cooked and you can taste it first.
Cook for 35 minutes at high pressure, by pressing the Manual button to program the Instant Pot.
Let the pressure release naturally when the cooking time is done.
Puree some of the soup to make it creamy. Scoop out 1 to 2 cups of beans and 1 to 2 cups of broth and puree in the blender until very smooth (be careful - start at very low speed because hot liquid will rise up and splatter). Or, you can use an immersion blender to blend the soup to a consistency that you like.
Add the pureed portion back to the soup. If you want the soup creamier, then puree even more beans and broth. It’s up to you!
Adjust flavor with salt and pepper.

Notes

Rosemary - The amount of rosemary added to the soup should be determined by how much you like rosemary. Two sprigs that are 2 - 3 inches long will add strong rosemary flavor. If you just want a hint of rosemary, use only 1 small sprig.

If you don't care for rosemary, use another fresh herb like parsley, chives or oregano.

You can use all water or all broth for this soup, or a combination of water and broth.

If you've soaked the beans overnight before cooking this soup, then try a cooking time of 20 minutes for soaked beans.

This recipe was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot

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