White Bean Soup

Diced green chiles and fresh lime juice pack this white bean soup with bright and tangy flavor. It's creamy, comforting, and SO simple to make!

White bean soup

This white bean soup recipe is my zesty vegan spin on white chili. It’s deliciously creamy and comforting, but its rich texture comes from blended white beans instead of any dairy. Lime juice, green chiles, and spices like cumin and coriander punch up its tangy flavor, and fresh garnishes like avocado, jalapeños, and cilantro take it over the top.

The recipe is really fun and satisfying, and it’s also SO simple to make! This white bean soup requires minimal chopping, and most of the cooking time is entirely hands-off. You can easily put it together on a weeknight, and if you end up with leftovers, you’re in luck. This white bean soup only gets better as its flavors mix and mingle in the fridge.

White bean soup recipe ingredients

White Bean Soup Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this white bean soup recipe:

  • White beans, of course! Cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, or navy beans work great. You’ll leave some whole and puree others to give the soup its creamy texture.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
  • Onion and garlic – For savory depth of flavor.
  • Poblano pepper – It adds a little heat.
  • Vegetable broth – Use store-bought, or make your own.
  • Diced green chiles – They add zesty, tangy flavor to this simple soup.
  • Ground cumin, coriander, and dried oregano – For earthy, aromatic flavor.
  • Fresh lime juice – It gives the soup a nice bright finish.
  • And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

White beans in a blender

How to Make this White Bean Soup

This white bean soup recipe is super easy to make!

First, blend half the beans with 3/4 cup broth. Set the puree aside for now. You’ll add it to the soup later on to help create its thick and creamy texture.

Stirring creamy puree into pot of soup

Meanwhile, sauté the onion and poblano. Stir in the green chiles, garlic, and spices. Then, add the remaining beans and broth and simmer for 10 minutes.

Next, pour in the bean puree. Stir to fully incorporate it with the soup, and then simmer for another 20 minutes.

White bean soup in Dutch oven with wooden spoon

After the soup simmers, remove it from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Season to taste with more salt, pepper, and lime as desired. That’s it!

Bowl of white bean soup with avocado, jalapeños, and cilantro on top

White Bean Soup Serving Suggestions

When you’re ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top it with fresh garnishes for color and crunch. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Fresh cilantro
  • Sliced chiles like jalapeños or serranos
  • Diced avocado
  • Sliced scallions
  • A dollop of Greek yogurt or vegan sour cream
  • Pickled red onions
  • Crushed tortilla chips (not exactly fresh, but still delicious!)

Round out the meal with homemade cornbread or jalapeño cornbread. If you’re looking for another side dish, try pairing the soup with crispy air fryer cauliflower, sautéed kale, or a simple green salad.

Enjoy!

White bean soup recipe

More Favorite Soup and Chili Recipes

If you love this white bean soup, try one of these soup or chili recipes next:

Get This Recipe In Your Inbox
Share your email, and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus, enjoy daily doses of recipe inspiration as a bonus!

White Bean Soup

rate this recipe:
5 from 28 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This white bean soup recipe is creamy, comforting, zesty, and bright! We love to serve it with toppings like jalapeños, scallions, cilantro, and avocado for color and crunch. Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Ingredients

For topping:

  • Fresh cilantro
  • Sliced jalapeño or serrano peppers
  • Diced avocado
  • Sliced scallions

Instructions

  • In a blender, place half the white beans (2¼ cups) and ¾ cup of the broth and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, poblano, salt, and several grinds of pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened. Stir in the green chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano, and coriander, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the remaining 3¼ cups broth and 2¼ cups white beans. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add the bean puree, stir, and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Season to taste, and serve with desired toppings and lime wedges for squeezing.

20 comments

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Christine Lacey
    02.17.2024

    5 stars
    Delicious! I was looking for a flavorful bean soup as I find the usual bean soup bland. This one did not disappoint! My poblano was very hot but turned out to have perfect heat in the soup.
    Thank you!

  2. Rhonda Wolke
    08.16.2023

    5 stars
    Followed your recipe – used poblano, garlic , jalapeño from my garden. The avocado garnish was a-mazing and also I added pickled red onion on top too . Oh my gosh … that was above and beyond fabulous ! Thank you ! I love your cookbooks too 😊. Keep the goodness ( and healthy) recipes coming !
    Rhonda

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.22.2023

      Hi Rhonda, I’m so glad you loved this recipe and that you’re enjoying the cookbooks!

  3. This Canadian Mom Loves Baking
    04.24.2023

    5 stars
    I did not puree as my kids prefer seeing the broth, I replaced the poblano with a yellow pepper and reduced the green chilies according to the kids likes. I added sauteed mushrooms to my and husbands bowls and it was delish.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.27.2023

      So glad it was a hit!

  4. V
    10.16.2022

    5 stars
    My guy and I recently adopted a vegan lifestyle – it’s a whole new cooking adventure. This recipe was one of the best we’ve tried. Absolutely delicious. I misread the recipe when I made the puree, causing it to be more watery than probably intended, but just added some cornstarch (always dissolve that in cold water before adding) and it made it creamy again. We paired it with the cornbread – made that with simply eggless – and it was just perfect for an Autumn evening. His comment: “best meal I’ve had in awhile”.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.21.2022

      I’m glad you enjoyed this one too – happy plant based cooking!

  5. Sneha
    04.07.2022

    5 stars
    This was really good! Creamy and flavorful. I just wish it made more, so I will definitely double it next time.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.08.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  6. Jackie
    03.21.2022

    5 stars
    This is SO flavorful! I can’t believe it. So delicious. As I was adding the ingredients I got concerned it was gonna be too spicy, but not at all! The broth itself is really mild actually and the blended beans make it really creamy. A+!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.24.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  7. Kara
    03.17.2022

    5 stars
    This is downright delicious. I used four small serrano peppers as that’s what I had on hand. I highly recommend the green onion, cilantro and avocado as toppings.

  8. AMC
    03.06.2022

    Delicious; thank you very much! My minor changes:

    1) store didn’t have jalapeno or serrano so i used a three chopped-up tiny red chilies we had around. This added plenty of heat and a nice bit of additional color.

    2) My cans of beans were bigger than listed, plus I went heavy on the seasonings, so I added an extra cup or two of broth.

    3) had no oregano; used thyme instead

    4) i had a bunch of kale that was about to go bad so i stirred it in at the very end. Adds heft and heartiness!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.07.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  9. Joseph
    03.03.2022

    5 stars
    Awesome soup! I made some minor changes. I had homemade chicken stock in my fridge that I used and I added some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken but it would have been delicious as is. I took to work and my coworkers devoured it too! The fresh jalapenos took it to the next level. It will be part of my soup rotation.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.03.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  10. Taylor
    03.02.2022

    How spicy is poblano? I am sensitive to spicy food but trying to build up my tolerance.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.03.2022

      Hi Taylor, a poblano from the grocery store isn’t very spicy. The amount used here doesn’t make the soup spicy, it’s on the mild side unless you add the jalapenos on top.

  11. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    02.28.2022

    great soup, love the jalapeno topping too, and white beans are a nice change from my typical pintos and black beans, so thank you

  12. Claudia
    02.27.2022

    Fantastic recipe! So simply yet, sounding so flavorsome. I will try out

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.