Instant Pot White Bean Soup
Once cold weather hits, soup finds a permanent spot on my dinner table — but I also love soup for any occasion or season!
While my favorites are classic chicken, orzo soup, and white bean soup, this Mediterranean-inspired soup is the one I turn out the most.
The reason for that is that you can make a deliciously creamy soup with just plain beans and some veggies!
White bean soup in the Mediterranean region is usually made by slow simmering all day, but thanks to the Instant Pot, this delicious soup will be on your table in no time at all.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
It is important for me to have a fast and delicious recipe I can rely on, especially when I have busy days. This recipe is perfect if you do not plan for your meals — on such days, the Instant Pot will be your savior!
This white bean Instant Pot soup is a regular on my table. It is tasty and filling, and the ingredients are basic staples that I always have on hand.
Plus, this soup is very adaptable — you can choose a variety of additional ingredients for your own customized version of it!
What Goes In This Soup?
I like to consider this soup as a cross between soup and stew — it is much thicker than a classic soup, but thinner than the consistency of a good stew. It is indeed a true comfort food everyone will love!
While white beans are a given ingredient, this soup uses grated potatoes as a surprise ingredient. Potatoes are a starchy vegetable, so once they’re grated and cooked in the Instant Pot, they will give extra creaminess to your soup.
This white bean soup will pair amazingly with various greens such as spinach, beet greens, or cabbage. You can also throw in some kale or quartered Brussels sprouts!
While this recipe is great for those with either a vegetarian or vegan diet, meat-eaters could also throw in some ground sausage for even more protein and a meatier flavor.
Can I Make The Soup Even Creamier?
This soup is already quite creamy thanks to the grated potatoes, but if you want to make it even creamier, here’s a great tip!
Take out some of the beans and puree them with an immersion blender, then place back the beans into the Instant Pot and simmer the soup on sauté for an extra 2-3 minutes. This will also give a slightly thicker consistency to your broth!
You can also add a splash of milk, whether it’s dairy-full or dairy-free — I like to use oat milk since it already has a creamy flavor and consistency. Just watch the amount of liquid you’re adding so you don’t throw off your ratio.
Should I Use Canned Or Dried Beans?
There is not much of a difference in the terms of flavor or creaminess when using either canned or dried white beans, only in the cooking time.
If you are using dried beans, you will have to cook your soup for up to 30 minutes in the Instant Pot, while with canned beans you can have it all done within 15 minutes.
How Long Should I Cook The Beans?
This recipe uses canned beans, so it is very quick to cook. All it takes is 6 minutes of cooking, plus a 10-minute natural release. If you prefer to use dried white beans, pressure cook for 35 minutes with 25 minutes for natural pressure release.
If you have pre-soaked your dried beans overnight, then you can cook the beans for 20 minutes in the Instant Pot, with natural pressure release.
Can I Use Other Types Of Beans?
If you don’t have white beans, you can use baby lima beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans. Even though other beans will have slightly different sizes and flavors, your Instant Pot soup will still be delicious!
How To Serve White Bean Soup
This Instant Pot white bean soup is hearty, and it is perfectly nutritious and satisfying on its own. Still, if you want to give a bit more flavor, add some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top!
Personally, I like serving good crusty bread alongside my soup, like sourdough bread — I also love focaccia bread or just plain toasted bread!
Instant Pot White Bean Soup
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- ¼ cup celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, sliced into coins
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 15oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup tomato juice
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 2 small potatoes, grated
For the gremolata:
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 bunch parsley
Instructions
1. To make the soup; heat olive oil in your Instant Pot on “Sauté.”
2. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir, scraping off any bits that have caught on the bottom.
4. Lock the lid into place and make sure the vent is turned to “Sealed.”
5. Select “Manual” and set the timer to 6 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is done, let the pressure come down naturally. Season the soup to taste.
6. To make the gremolata; place clean parsley and prepared lemon zest on a cutting board. Chop finely.
7. To serve the soup; dish into serving bowls. Top with gremolata and serve along with some toasted bread.
Instant Pot White Bean Soup
White bean soup in the Mediterranean region is usually made by slow simmering all day, but thanks to the Instant Pot, this delicious soup will be on your table in no time at all.
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- ¼ cup celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large carrot, sliced into coins
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 15oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup tomato juice
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 2 small potatoes, grated
For the gremolata:
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 bunch parsley
Instructions
- To make the soup; heat olive oil in your Instant Pot on "Sauté."
- Add onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir, scraping off any bits that have caught on the bottom.
- Lock the lid into place and make sure the vent is turned to “Sealing.”
- Select "Manual" and set the timer to 6 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is done, let the pressure come down naturally. Season the soup to taste.
- To make the gremolata; place clean parsley and prepared lemon zest on a cutting board. Chop finely.
- To serve the soup; dish into serving bowls. Top with gremolata and serve along with some toasted bread.
