This Tuscan White Bean Soup takes just 30 minutes to prepare and is filled with healthy vegetables, tender potato, white beans, and herbs. You'll love this creamy and flavorful soup for both lunch and dinner. This Tuscan soup is vegan and nut-free with gluten-free and oil-free options.
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Why You'll Love It
Classic Tuscan white bean soup recipes are usually fairly similar and made with ingredients like onion, carrot, celery, and kale, but many also include sausage, parmesan, and cream.
So I wanted to share this fully plant-based version that we've really been enjoying lately. The soup begins with a simple sauté of onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and dried herbs. Then a bit of flour and non-dairy milk add creaminess.
This white bean soup is easy to love because it's:
- creamy yet light
- colorful and nutritious
- satisfying
- great for meal prep
- made in 1 pot...
- with easy-to-find ingredients
- nut-free and coconut-free
- And so comforting!
Aside from washing and chopping the vegetables, this soup really is a breeze to prepare. If you're new to cooking, there's no reason at all to be intimidated!
Before you know it you'll have a pot full of beautiful white bean soup to share with friends or to enjoy throughout the week.
I'll walk you through the basic steps in the photos below.
What You'll Need
- White Beans - Cannellini beans are my favorite but Navy or Great Northern are also great.
- Vegetables - the veggies build wonderful flavor and are really the stars of this soup. You'll need celery, onion, carrot, garlic, kale, and red or gold potato
- Vegetable Broth - your favorite quality broth, whether homemade or store-bought.
- Dried Herbs - thyme, parsley, and oregano
- Flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works best, but for a whole-grain option white whole-wheat is also good. For gluten-free I recommend rice or chickpea flour or a GF 1-to-1 blend.
- Non-Dairy Milk - as long as it's purely unflavored and unsweetened, any type of plant milk you like is fine. Just watch out for refrigerated milks that claim to be unflavored and unsweetened but actually have a slightly sweet flavor. If you're not sure, taste the milk first. Shelf-stable, boxed soy milk made with only soybeans and water is a safe bet.
- Lemon Juice - added at the end of cooking, lemon juice adds a brightness to the soup. Definitely don't skip it!
How to Make White Bean Soup
This is just a summary to help you visualize the cooking process. Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe.
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- Begin by sautéing the onion, celery, and carrot for a few minutes.
- Add the dried herbs and garlic.
- Sprinkle the flour into the pot, and stir to distribute.
- Add non-dairy milk, and whisk to dissolve the flour.
- Cook until the milk/flour mixture has thickened.
- Add water, broth, and potato, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the beans, kale, and liquid smoke (optional). Cook until the potatoes are tender. Stir in lemon juice.
And that's it! Time to dig in.
Serve this Tuscan white bean soup with crusty bread and a side salad for a wholesome meal everyone will enjoy.
Tips
Not in the mood for a creamy soup? Simply omit the flour and enjoy the broth-y goodness.
Like most soups, this one tastes even better after a night in the fridge, making it a favorite of ours for weekly meal prep.
How to Store
Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This soup also freezes well. Just make sure it has cooled completely, and leave a bit of space in the top of your freezer-safe container for the soup to expand in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop.
More Soup Recipes
- Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup
- The BEST Vegan Chili
- Cream of Kale Soup
- Ultimate Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Spicy Chorizo & Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
I hope you enjoy this creamy Tuscan white bean soup as much as we do! Be sure to comment below with a star rating if you give it a try.
If you're on instagram tag a photo of your yummy soup with @myquietkitchen. I always love to see what you're cooking!
Recipe
Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup (Vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil, optional - Omit for oil-free; use broth or water as needed during saute.
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour *See Notes - Sub white whole-wheat for a whole-grain option. For GF omit or sub rice or garbanzo flour.
- 1 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk - I used soy.
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 large red potato, chopped
- 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (about 3.5 cups cooked beans)
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, chopped
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke, optional
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
Instructions
- Preheat a soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil, if using. Saute the onion for 2 to 3 minutes or until barely translucent. Add the celery and carrot, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, thyme, parsley, oregano, red pepper, black pepper, and salt. Stirring frequently, cook for about 1 minute. Sprinkle flour into the pot, and stir to distribute.
- Add the milk, and whisk to dissolve the flour. Bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the water, broth, and potato. Simmer until the potato is barely fork tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans, kale, and liquid smoke, if using, and simmer for about 5 more minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. The soup will continue to thicken as it rests.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Shari
Hi. The soup sounds great, but I have a question. I don't understand how much kale. It says a bunch. What is a bunch? If I substituted spinach (I have spinach on hand) how much spinach should I use?
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Lori Rasmussen
Hi Shari - You don't need to worry about exact amounts for the greens. It's pretty flexible and won't make or break the recipe. To use spinach, I would start with 3 or 4 ounces of fresh spinach, then once it wilts down you can decide if you'd like to add more. Hope you enjoy it!
Erica
This is the best soup! Don’t forget the lemon and the liquid smoke!
Mary
This is THE best soup. My whole family loves it. The herbs, kale, potatoes and everything, it's just perfect. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Peggy Chase
Sounds wonderful! Want to make, but low sodium diet. What kind of vegetable broth can I use? What can I substitute for liquid smoke? Thank you!
Lori
Hi Peggy,
There is low-sodium vegetable broth in most grocery stores, or you can make your own with veggie scraps. You can find recipes online if you're not familiar with how to make broth.
And as for the liquid smoke, simply omit it. Or you can add a few dashes of smoked paprika. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Frank
Just read the recipe so haven’t made it but I recognize everything and I know it will be delicious. I’m thinking for those that don’t want to use flour but still want a creamier texture, simply take some of the broth with simmered beans and potatoes and blend it in a blender. Add it back and it’s creamy without the flour.
Debbie
Can spinach replace the kale? Can't get past it's bitter taste.
Lori
Yes, spinach will be great.
Claudia
This was absolutely delicious. I only used 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke. The fresh lemon juice stirred in at the end took it to the next level. I will definitely be making this soup again.
Susan
I’m wondering if I could make this in my Instant Pot; using it to sauté and then high pressure after step 3?
Lori
Hi Susan, yes that sounds great. And since the potato is in bite-size pieces, about 5 minutes at high pressure should be just about right. Hope you enjoy!
Tiffany
This was so delicious!!! I love how easy and healthy this was too. I subbed a smoked paprika for the pepper flakes.
Cyndy
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Lori! I've made it 3 or 4 times and it is definitely a favorite in my house. Really, really good!
Lori
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Cyndy. Thank you for the feedback!
daisy
This reminds me of a recipe I often make called White Bean Ragu by Jacques Pepin. This will definitely be making it to our table this weekend. Easily adapted to gluten-free as well. Bonus!
Lori
Hope you enjoy it, Daisy. Thanks for stopping by! 😀
susan spalding
Thanks you. I just bought a bag of orgnic potatoes and was thinking what kind of soup to make. Perfect.
Lori
Wonderful! A creamy potato leek (or onion) soup would also be a great way to use up those potatoes. Enjoy!