Creamy White Bean Lemon Soup
There’s nothing I love more than a creamy soup made without cream. I typically turn to cashews for a luxuriously creamy texture that’s dairy-free, but the beauty of this soup is that no nuts are required.
Blending a portion of the white beans and broth thickens the soup enough to trick you into thinking it’s made with cream, but without the excess fat of course. Combine that texture with herbs and tangy lemon juice, and you’ve got one seriously comforting soup that couldn’t be more simple to make.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil- We’ll use just a few tablespoons to sauté our vegetables but make sure not to let the heat get too high since olive oil tends to be more delicate. You could also use butter instead if you like, or a bit of broth if you want to make it oil-free.
- Mirepoix- You guys know how much I love to start my soups and stews with a combination of onion, carrot and celery. It’s the perfect flavor base for any recipe.
- Garlic- Could you leave out the garlic? Yes. But it will cost you in the flavor department.
- Herbs- I personally love fresh rosemary in this recipe but dried rosemary or oregano also works well.
- White Beans- Great Northern Beans hold their shape the best but cannelini beans are just as good. Be sure to drain your beans and rinse if they are canned with salt.
- Vegetable Broth- I have yet to find a broth more flavorful than Better Than Bouillon so that is what I always recommend.
- Lemon Juice- You obviously can’t skip the lemon juice as it is key for this recipe. Not only does it add bright zingy goodness but the vitamin C helps your body absorb all of the iron in beans. It’s a win-win situation.
- Kale- I like to use a few handfuls of lacinato kale but feel free to sub baby spinach or just leave out the greens altogether.
How to Make Creamy White Lemon Bean Soup
- Sauté the onion, carrot and celery. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Pour in the beans and vegetable broth.
- Scoop out about 1.5 cups into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour that back into the pot with the soup.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until thick and creamy. Add kale, cover and cook until wilted, for just a few minutes.
- Squeeze in lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We like to serve this with a hearty salad and whole grain bread for dinner or alongside a sandwich for lunch.
Storage Tips
When properly sealed, the soup should keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or several months in the freezer.
Looking for more cozy soup recipes?
- Cauliflower Potato and Leek Soup
- The Best Lentil Soup
- One-Pot Vegetable Tortellini Soup
- Dairy-free Potato Soup
- Easy Vegetable Minestrone Soup
- Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
- Easy Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup
- Detoxifying Kale Soup
- Healing Moroccan Lentil Soup
- Quinoa Chickpea Spinach Soup
Creamy White Bean Lemon Soup
Made with simple ingredients, this dairy-free soup packs 10g of protein and 3mg of iron per serving. Plus it's easy enough to make for a quick weeknight meal!
Servings: 4 bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups finely chopped yellow onion, about 1 large onion
- ½ cup finely chopped carrot, about 3 medium carrots
- ½ cup finely chopped celery, about 3-4 celery stalks
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or fresh rosemary, fresh rosemary is my favorite
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup finely chopped kale or baby spinach
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano (or rosemary) and continue to cook for 5 minutes more.
- To the pot, add both cans of drained white beans and vegetable broth. Stir to combine. Spoon out about 1½ cups of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot with the soup and stir.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, until soup appears slightly thickened and creamy.
- Lastly, add the kale or spinach. Cover and cook for several minutes, until the greens begin to wilt. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve warm garnished with parmesan, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Facts are for 1/4th of recipe. They are just an estimate and will vary depending on the specific brands/products that you use.
Nutrition
Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 497mg, Potassium: 652mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 3507IU, Vitamin C: 17mg, Calcium: 165mg, Iron: 3mg
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!
I agree, I love me a creamy, healthy soup! I’ve been whipping up a lot of winter soups lately and this sounds like. great weeknight meal. Also, I adore your plates in the photos!
How can 2 cups of broth make a pot of soup?
The texture of this soup is pretty thick because we’re blending the broth with beans. But you are welcome to add more broth if you feel it needs it!
Hi Sarah,
Made this as written for dinner last night using lacinto kale and great northerns I cooked from dry and 2 cups of their delicious broth. I added an extra cup using LS BTB vegetable base. I had some plum tomatoes I slow roasted with garlic and fresh thyme so I diced some up and added them too. And of course added the suggested fresh rosemary, which made the soup so flavorful. This soup was easy to make, so healthy and AWESOME delicious!!! I froze a quart and still have enough left for a yummy lunch. Every time I cook one of your recipes it turns out great, and I always appreciate your complete and articulate directions. Keep up the great work! And thank you so much.
Made this for lunch today and I loved it. I subbed spinach for the kale. Will definitely make this again. Thank you.
What if you don’t have a blender
You could mash some of the beans by hand with a fork in a bowl instead of blending. The main reason to blend part of them is to make the texture creamy…it won’t be as creamy if unblended but mashing them by hand will achieve a similar result.
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