Recipes » Soups

White Bean Soup

Yumna Jawad

Updated Sep 15, 2026

4.99 from 4759 votes

Easy white bean soup made with any type of canned white beans, vegetables, and broth. A simple, filling soup you can make in one pot in about 30 minutes.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

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This white bean soup is one of the most popular soup recipes on my site, and in my house, too. It’s seriously, soo good! I make it A LOT during the colder months, so much so that my kids eventually get sick of it (but that’s okay because it just means more lunch for me). I do tend to improvise with this white bean soup recipe.

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I start with white beans, of course, and broth, then add whatever vegetables I have around, which is why this ends up being a soup recipe I make when the fridge is looking a little random. It’s simple, vegetarian (but easy to add protein too if you’d like), and very hard to mess up.

 Recipe testing notes

For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe multiple times before sharing it! These notes give you a peek into my process of developing and testing.

Since this is a vegetarian white bean soup, the vegetables and herbs are doing a lot of the work flavoring the broth. I don’t rush the onions, carrots, and celery, and I let the thyme and oregano cook with them for another minute before adding the broth. I’ve made this soup enough times to know I can taste the difference when I rush that part.

I also mash some of the white beans right in the pot. Just press a few against the side with a spoon and stir them back in. It gives the broth a little more thickness without needing cream or anything extra.

The spinach goes in last because it really only needs a minute or two. I’ve added it too early before and it just gets kind of sad by the time the soup is done. Then I taste the broth, add more salt if it needs it, and that’s it.

Happy Cooking!
– Yumna

Mediterranean White Bean Soup Ingredients

• White beans: Canned cannellini, Great Northern, or navy beans all work here. Drain and rinse them well. Since the beans are already cooked, they only need to simmer long enough to warm through and soften a little more. If you want to use pre-cooked dried beans, here’s a tutorial on how to cook dried beans. To equal 3 cans of beans, I recommend cooking 2 ¼ cups of dried white beans.
• Soup base: Olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery start the soup. Check out my tutorials on how to chop an onion, how to mince garlic, how to chop carrots, and how to chop celery. Yellow or white onion both work. Chop the carrots and celery fairly small and about the same size so they soften at the same rate. If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder in this white bean soup recipe.
• Broth and seasoning: I use low-sodium vegetable broth so I can control the amount of salt in the soup, especially since I like to finish the soup with Parmesan. Dried thyme, oregano, salt, and black pepper are the only spices you need.
• Spinach: I prefer fresh spinach, but you can use thawed, frozen spinach too. If you go the frozen route, it may water the soup down, so make sure you adjust the seasonings to taste. You can also use kale if that’s what you have on hand.
• For serving: Grated Parmesan is optional, but I like adding some to each bowl rather than stirring it into the whole pot.

How to Make White Bean Soup

These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make creamy white bean soup and what everything should look like along the way. For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Mediterranean White Bean Soup Recipe

1. Sauté the vegetables & Seasonings

Cook the onion in olive oil until it turns translucent. Stir in the garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking just until the vegetables begin to soften.

2. Add the white beans & broth

Pour in the vegetable broth and stir in the drained and rinsed white beans. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer so the vegetables continue to soften and the beans warm through.

3. Add the spinach

Pile the baby spinach over the soup. It may look like too much at first, but it will cook down considerably once it hits the hot broth.

4. Simmer the White Bean Soup

Stir the spinach into the broth and continue simmering until the leaves are completely wilted. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper before serving with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Recipe Video Tutorial

Full Mediterranean White Bean Soup Recipe

White Bean Soup Recipe

Author: Yumna Jawad

4.99 from 4759 votes

Vegetarian white bean soup made with white beans, carrots, celery, spinach, and broth. It comes together in about 30 minutes and keeps well for leftovers.

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Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings6 servings

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 large onion chopped
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 3 large carrots chopped
• ▢ 3 celery stalks chopped
• ▢ 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
• ▢ 3 (15-ounces) can white beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 5 ounces baby spinach
• ▢ Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

• In a large pot or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes.
• Add vegetable broth and beans, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to combine all of the flavors together.
• Stir in the spinach and continue to simmer until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes
• Remove from heat, taste, add any extra salt or seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve immediately.

Equipment

• Garlic Press
• Non-Stick Dutch Oven Pot
• Measuring Cups and Spoons

Notes

My Top Tip: Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down. A hard boil can cause the beans to break apart more than necessary.

Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last 4–5 days in the fridge. The beans will continue absorbing some of the broth, so add a splash of vegetable broth or water when reheating if needed.

Freezing: Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little broth if it has thickened.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 436mg, Potassium: 1282mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 7334IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 212mg, Iron: 8mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

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Recipe Variations

• Add potatoes: Bulk up the soup with 1 to 2 cups of diced Yukon gold or red potatoes.
• Add pasta: Make the soup more filling with 1–1½ cups of cooked pasta like ditalini or orzo.
• Add tomatoes: Stir in one 14.5-ounce can of drained diced tomatoes with the vegetable broth and beans.
• Make it extra creamy: Blend about 2 cups of the finished soup until smooth, then stir it back into the pot. This makes a creamy white bean soup without adding cream. Or, stir in 1 cup of unsweetened cashew milk after the soup finishes simmering, then warm it through gently before adding the spinach.

Recipe Tips

1. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down. A hard boil can cause the beans to break apart more than necessary.
2. Adjust the consistency before serving. The white bean soup will thicken slightly as it simmers and even more as it sits. If it gets thicker than preferred, stir in a little extra vegetable broth until it reaches the desired consistency.
3. Wait until the end to make the final seasoning adjustment. The broth reduces slightly while the soup simmers, and Parmesan adds saltiness when serving, so taste once everything has cooked before adding more salt.

Serving Ideas

• Serve with bread: I like having something for dipping when I make white bean soup. Try my homemade pita bread, garlic and herb skillet dinner rolls, or garlic cheese bread.
• Pair it with a sandwich: If I’m making the soup for lunch, I’ll add a sandwich like my avocado sandwich, hummus sandwich, or egg salad sandwich.
• Add a salad: I like a crunchy salad with the softer beans and vegetables in the soup! Try my classic Caesar salad, fresh garden salad, or chopped green goddess salad.

Troubleshooting

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