Lemon white bean soup is a creamy, vibrant one pot meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights. It’s hearty, filling, and uses simple, budget-friendly ingredients. (gluten-free with soy-free and nut-free options)
It’s soup season, and I am loving all the creamy, hearty, and budget-friendly soups — and this lemony white bean soup fits exactly into that category. It’s packed with tons of veggies, beans, and protein.
The best part about this lemon white bean soup is that it’s flexible to your flavor profile. You can easily adjust the flavors and ingredients based on what you have on hand. It’s vibrant, lemony, and perfect for the whole family!
The soup gets its protein from beans, cashews or tofu, nutritional yeast, and the veggies. You also blend up some of the beans into a puree to create that creamy texture along with either cashews or tofu. You can even omit the cashews and tofu, if you need to, and use just the beans for the creamy base.
This creamy lemon white bean soup is wholesome, flexible, and easy to make. The perfect go-to for cozy soup season!!
Why You’ll Love Lemon White Bean Soup
- creamy, vibrant soup with tons of veggies and protein
- versatile recipe! Adjust seasoning and proteins to your taste.
- 40-minute, 1-pot meal
- naturally gluten-free with easy soy-free and nut-free options
For the Creamy Bean Puree
For the Lemon White Bean Soup
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dill, or 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper flakes
- ¾ cup chopped carrots, chopped small
- ½ cup chopped celery, chopped small
- ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper, chopped small
- 1 cup cooked white beans, or drained canned beans
- ¾ to 1 cup roasted corn, [use frozen or corn on the cob, see recipe for roasting instructions]
- ¾ cup chopped broccoli, chopped small
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups vegetable stock
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Make the purée.
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Add the white beans, cashews or tofu, miso, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, and stock to a blender. Blend until smooth. If you are using cashews, blend for about a minute, let that mixture sit for five minutes, then blend again until completely smooth. Set aside.
Roast the corn. (optional)
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For corn on the cob, roast it directly on a grill or gas stove until the kernels are mostly blackened. Then remove the kernels, and set them aside. If you are using frozen corn, roast it in a skillet with 1 teaspoon oil for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. You can also skip roasting if you prefer, but it adds a lovely smoky flavor.
Make the lemon white bean soup.
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Chop all of the veggies, if you haven’t already into similar size pieces. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 10 seconds, then add the onion and a good dash of salt, and cook until the onion turns translucent. Add in the tomato paste, herbs, and spices, and a splash of the stock. Mix everything well, and cook for about 30 seconds so the tomato paste can roast a little bit. Add the carrots and celery with another dash of salt. Mix, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper, mix, cover, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until all the veggies start to soften. Add the roasted corn, white beans, broccoli, salt, and the bean purée. Use the stock to rinse out your blender and add that to the pot, as well. Mix everything together, partially cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the soup is thick and creamy.
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Taste and adjust the flavor. Add more salt or lemon juice, if needed. If the soup thickens too much, add a splash of stock to loosen it. It will continue to thicken as it sits, so adjust accordingly. Serve topped with fresh herbs, pepper flakes, and vegan cheese or vegan pesto and some toasted multigrain bread or garlic bread for a fabulously delicious, hearty meal.
If you don’t have nutritional yeast, omit it and add a few tablespoons of vegan cheese shreds for extra cheesiness.
Don’t worry about the garlic burning because we are adding it first. When you add the onion, it will slow the garlic cooking, and it adds this nice, toasty garlic flavor to the soup.
Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 475mg, Potassium: 841mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 5301IU, Vitamin C: 60mg, Calcium: 112mg, Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- white beans – Use canned or cooked cannellini, navy or northern beans. Beans are cooked in the soup and are also used to make a creamy puree that makes the soup thick and creamy!
- cashews or tofu – Optional, for the puree and to add more protein. Choose tofu for nut-free or cashews for soy-free. If you need both nut-free and soy-free, omit them and add a little flour to the puree to thicken the soup.
- miso – Adds umami to the soup. Use chickpea miso for soy-free.
- nutritional yeast – Adds a cheesy flavor. If you don’t have any, use a little vegan cheese instead.
- lemon – We are using both the lemon juice and zest for maximum, vibrant, lemony flavor!
- olive oil – To sauté the veggies. Broth for oil-free.
- aromatics – Garlic and onion add so much umami and flavor!
- tomato paste – Adds even more umami.
- herbs and spices – We are using oregano, dill, smoked paprika, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in this soup.
- veggies – Carrots, celery, bell pepper, corn, and broccoli add texture, flavor, and nutrition. You can roast the corn for a nice, smoky, flavor.
- stock – For the soup base.
- garnish – Garnish your lemon white bean soup with chopped fresh herbs of choice, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of pepper flakes, and some vegan pesto or vegan cheddar cheese. Choose nut-free and/or soy-free pesto or cheese, if needed.
💡Tips
- Don’t worry about the garlic burning because we are adding it first. When you add the onion, it will slow the garlic cooking, and it adds this nice, toasty garlic flavor to the soup.
- The soup will thicken more as it sits, so you might want to thin it a little more before serving.
How to Make Lemon White Bean Soup
Add the white beans, cashews or tofu, miso, lemon juice, lemon zest, nutritional yeast, and stock to a blender. Blend until smooth. If you are using cashews, blend for about a minute, let that mixture sit for five minutes, then blend again until completely smooth. Set aside.
For corn on the cob, roast it directly on a grill or gas stove until the kernels are mostly blackened. Then remove the kernels, and set them aside. If you are using frozen corn, roast it in a skillet with 1 teaspoon oil for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. You can also skip roasting if you prefer, but it adds a lovely smoky flavor.
Chop all of the veggies, if you haven’t already. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 10 seconds, then add the onion and a good dash of salt, and cook until the onion turns translucent.
Add in the tomato paste, herbs, and spices, and a splash of the stock. Mix everything well, and cook for about 30 seconds so the tomato paste can roast a little bit.
Add the carrots and celery with another dash of salt. Mix, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper, mix, cover, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until all the veggies start to soften.
Add the roasted corn, white beans, broccoli, salt, and the bean purée.
Use the stock to rinse out your blender and add that to the pot, as well. Mix everything together, partially cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the soup is thick and creamy.
Taste and adjust the flavor. Add more salt or lemon juice, if needed. If the soup thickens too much, add a splash of stock to loosen it. It will continue to thicken as it sits, so adjust accordingly. Serve topped with fresh herbs, pepper flakes, and vegan cheese or vegan pesto and some toasted multigrain bread or garlic bread for a fabulously delicious, hearty meal.
What to Serve with Lemon White Bean Soup
Serve topped with fresh herbs, pepper flakes, and vegan cheese or vegan pesto and some toasted multigrain bread or garlic bread for a fabulously delicious, hearty meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lemon white bean soup is naturally gluten-free.
For nut-free, use tofu or hemp seeds instead of cashews in the purée.
To make it soy-free, use cashews or hemp seeds instead of tofu, and replace the white miso with chickpea miso. Use soy-free and/or nut-free pesto or vegan cheddar for topping, if needed.
To make this both nut-free and soy-free, you can also use only beans in the purée, and add 2 teaspoons flour for thickening.