15 Bean Soup is a vegetarian bean soup recipe everyone will love! Vegan, high protein, tasty & easily made in the slow cooker, instant pot or on the stove. This is the best bean soup recipe. So hearty, filling and easy to make!
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This vegetarian 15 bean soup recipe is going to be your new favorite healthy soup recipe. It is SO delicious, hearty, and filling! I love this bean soup even more than my Lemon Chicken Soup and that is saying ALOT.Â
It is the definition of comfort food. It’s something my mom used to make all the time when we were kids, and I can remember eating it for dinner with LOADS of saltines or Italian bread (yum!).
It’s almost as delicious as this Pasta Fagioli or our favorite Easy Minestrone Soup.
This year when the weather started to get cold, I had a craving for a cozy bowl of 15 bean soup and after making it, I knew you’d want the recipe too! It’s the perfect feel good soup!
Why we love 15 Bean Soup
- Easy: This is one of the easiest recipes. It requires little to no work, and can be made in your pressure cooker or slow cooker with even less effort!
- Budget Friendly: The bean soup mix itself is under $2.50. Add in a few flavorful veggies, canned tomatoes, broth and you’re looking at maybe $7 to make the whole pot. Which, per serving, comes out to less than .80 cents per serving. If you’re looking for more budget recipes to help you save money – check out this post on Eating Healthy on a Budget
- Healthy: This soup is filled with veggies and beans, which are loaded with fiber and nutrients. It’s super low fat and has a decent amount of protein to keep you full
- Filling: Beans are SUPER filling, and when you add in veggies – this recipe becomes even heartier.Â
15 Bean Soup Ingredients
You’ll only need a few pantry staples that you probably already have on hand:
- olive oil
- onion, celery, carrots
- salt, pepper, bay leaves, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley
- crushed tomatoes
- broth (vegetable stock, chicken broth, beef broth or slow cooker bone broth will all work)
- water
- dry 15 bean soup mix
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
You don’t need the seasoning packet that comes with the mix. Toss that in the trash, it’s loaded with junk and we’re going to flavor the soup on our own with all those spices!
Soaking beans for Vegetarian Bean Soup
The most important step is soaking your beans ahead of time. Make sure to soak the beans for at least 8 hours, but 24 hours or allowing them to soak overnight is even better.
Soaking the beans is an important step for the soup and if you don’t soak the beans ahead of time your soup will not cook the same. Soaking the beans for bean soup not only affects the cook time but also affects the flavor.Â
It also can help to make the beans easier to digest.
How to make Healthy Bean Soup on the Stove Top
- Sauté onion, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add bay leaves, tomatoes, low sodium broth, water, and drained beans.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and let the soup simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring every few minutes. Once cooked, remove bay leaf + serve.
15 bean soup InstantPot Instructions
- Rinse + drain soaked beans.
- Set to sauté for 10 minutes. Add in onion and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until translucent.
- Stir in celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.Â
- Add soaked beans, crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, water and and spices to the pot. Stir together.
- Set sealing, pressure cook for 12 minutes. It will take the soup about 20-30 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once cooked, quick release the pressure. Stir, remove bay leaf + serve.
15 bean soup in Slow Cooker Instructions
- Rinse + drain soaked beans.
- In a pan or large pot over the stove, heat olive oil. Add in onion and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until translucent.
- Stir in celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add cooked vegetable mixture, soaked beans, crushed tomatoes, broth, water and and spices to the pot. Stir together.
- Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Once cooked, remove bay leaves + serve.
How do you know when the beans are done cooking? Beans are done when they start to soften. The best way to know is to taste test them! If the skins of the beans are starting to come off that could mean that they are overcooked so be careful!
P.S. – If you love slow cooker recipes, check out these Healthy Crockpot Recipes!
15 Bean Soup Vegetarian Substitutions
There are TONS of substitutions for this 15 Bean Soup.
15 Bean Soup with Chicken: You can add 1 lb raw chicken breasts to this soup when it starts to cook. Before serving, remove chicken breasts from the soup, shred them on a cutting board, and stir shredded chicken back into the pot.
15 Bean Soup with Sausage: Smoked sausage is great in this recipe. We like to brown the smoked sausage in the pan, slice + stir it into the soup while it cooks.
15 Bean Soup with Ham Hocks: You can add 1 lb chopped cooked ham to this recipe. You could also use leftover ham or throw in leftover ham bone or ham hocks while the soup is cooking, just remove the ham hocks before serving or check out this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup!
Ground Beef Bean Soup: Add 1 lb of ground beef (already cooked) to the soup while it cooks.
Canned Beans – Cut the cook time in half if using canned beans. We also love this Tuscan White Bean Soup.
Beans- You can make this soup with any dried beans (navy, cannellini, black bean, etc.)Â
Cheese– I love to add a parmesan cheese rind into the soup while it’s cooking. This soup is also great when topped with fresh parmesan cheese.
Broth – If you like a broth-ier soup, add more liquid. The beans also absorb the liquid as they soak, and thicken bean soup due to the starches during/after cooking. You may need to add more broth if eating the next day/reheating!
Veggies: Feel free to add other veggies you like to this. Mushrooms and zucchini are delicious additions. If you don’t have carrots, celery, or onion – omit them. You can add 1 teaspoon of onion powder or garlic powder instead!
Spicy Soup: If you would like to add some spice, try topping it with your favorite hot sauce or adding cayenne pepper to taste.
How to Serve Vegetarian 15 Bean Soup
You can definitely enjoy this soup on its own, but you could also serve it alongside:Â
- ​​Protein – Serve it alongside these Coconut Chicken Tenders for a well balanced meal
- Bread – a big loaf of crusty bread is the way to go 🙂
- Salad – This Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad is my favorite
15 Bean Soup Tips
- Customize it to your liking! – There are a lot of substitutions in this recipe, feel free to customize them to your liking. If you want to add some heat, try adding a bit of your favorite hot sauce.
- Throw away the seasoning packet – You do not need the seasoning packet. It’s loaded with salt and funky ingredients. I promise it tastes delicious without it!
- Is the seasoning packet in 15 bean soup vegan? It’s unclear if the seasoning packet in 15 bean soup is vegan. It might be, but ‘natural and artificial flavors’ can be made of animal products so if you are vegan I would skip it!
- Soak your beans ahead of time – If you want to make this soup, make sure to soak your beans ahead of time!
- How can I add flavor to beans without meat? You can easily add flavor to beans without meat. I like to add lots of herbs/spices. Flavorful broth and tomatoes also add flavor to beans without meat.
Storing and Reheating Bean Soup
Storing: This bean soup will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container. Perfect for meal prep!
Reheating: You can reheat your soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. If frozen, defrost the night before in your refrigerator, or heat on the stovetop.
Can you freeze bean soup? Yes, you can freeze bean soup for up to 3 months! Let leftover soup cool to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer container. I love these molds for freezing leftovers.
We have more tips on how to freeze soup in a post!
15 Bean Soup FAQs
The Bean Soup mix I use is made up of: northern, pinto beans, large lima beans, yellow eye, garbanzo, baby lima, green split peas, kidney, cranberry, small white, pink, small red, yellow split peas, lentil, navy beans, white kidney, black beans.
1/2 cup of cooked bean soup mix has 18g of carbs. Per 1.5 cups of this cooked 15 bean soup, there are 53g of carbs. All the carbs are from beans and veggies!
I always find this 15 bean soup mix at Walmart, it’s the cheapest there. This is the brand of dry mix I buy, but other 15 bean or mixed dry beans will work too, including the Goya brand. If you like saving $$ on your grocery bill check out these 50+ Cheap, Healthy Meals
Bean soup thickens on its own, especially after it cools! You can add cornstarch. Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water. whisk until combined. Stream into your bean soup and cook on low heat until it starts to thicken.
The benefits of bean soup are that it’s loaded with fiber, healthy carbs and protein!
You don’t have to soak 15 beans before cooking, but we highly recommend it because it will be a lot easier to digest and cook.
Soaking beans helps them cook quicker and makes them easy to digest.
Yes, if you soak beans for too long, they can become soggy. 12-24 hours is usually enough time to soak beans.
There is no way to soak beans quickly. You can pour boiling water over dried beans, but it’s best to just cook them directly.
Other healthy vegan soup recipes:
We love soup SO much that we actually have a free healthy soup ebook! We also have a post filled with Healthy Soup Recipes!
P.S. If you’re a fan of vegan recipes with beans – checkout this Vegan Orange Chicken!
15 Bean Soup (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 1 20oz package dry bean mix soaked at least 8 hours
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced finely
- 1 cup celery finely chopped
- 2 cup carrots cut in small circles
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth 1 quart- low or no salt
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Important: Before making this soup recipe you must soak the beans for at least 8 hours. 24 hours is best. This helps them to cook, and also helps with digestion. If you do not soak them it will change your cook time and also can affect the taste of the soup.
- Rinse + drain soaked beans.
- In a large soup pot over the stove, heat olive oil. Add in onion and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add soaked beans, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, water and and spices to the pot. Stir together.
- Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, stirring every few minutes. Once cooked, remove bay leaf + serve.
Crockpot Instructions:
- Important: Before making this soup recipe you must soak the beans for at least 8 hours. 24 hours is best. This helps them to cook, and also helps with digestion. If you do not soak them it will change your cook time and also can affect the taste of the soup.
- Rinse + drain soaked beans.
- (Cooking vegetables ahead is optional, but recommended for best flavor) In a pan over the stove, heat olive oil. Add in onion and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add cooked vegetable mixture, soaked beans, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, water and and spices to the pot. Stir together.
- Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours. Once cooked, remove bay leaf + serve.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Important: Before making this soup recipe you must soak the beans for at least 8 hours. 24 hours is best. This helps them to cook, and also helps with digestion. If you do not soak them it will change your cook time and also can affect the taste of the soup.
- Rinse + drain soaked beans.
- Set to sauté for 10 minutes. Add olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté over medium-high heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in celery and carrots. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes.Â
- Add soaked beans, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, water and and spices to the pot. Stir together. Make sure to scrape any bits of onion or garlic off the bottom of the pan with a spoon to avoid a burn notice.
- Set to sealing, pressure cook for 12 minutes. It will take the soup about 20-30 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once cooked, quick release the pressure. Stir, remove bay leaf + serve.
Ingrid says
I made this today. I used 5 Andouille Sausage cut into slices and put them in with the onions and garlic from the beginning.
I halved the recipe, it was enough for the two of us, with leftovers which I like.
It turned out very good, I loved it. I will certainly make this again and again, because I still have a lot of beans left (13 Beans Mix from Bob’s Red Mill). Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe! 🙂
Liz Marino says
That’s a great idea to add sausage – so glad it turned out well!
Karen G says
Thanks for the great recipe! I tweaked it to add more spices, a little cayenne and some smoked paprika as well as some andouille style chicken sausage and kale. Really yummy and hearty.
Sandy says
I love this soup. I did double the spices but otherwise made as directed. Delicious.
Laureen Gleason says
Delicious and nutritious! This soup was a hit with my family, including one of my kids who is pretty picky—it had so much more flavor than I would have expected for such a simple ingredient list. We will definitely be adding this to our regular rotation of healthy recipes!
Nancy says
What would weight watchers points be
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m not sure- you’d have to put the points in your app.WW is always changing their points system and I just can’t keep up with it!
Judy Berkowitz says
This is definitely a recipe I will make again with a couple of tweaks.
I used the stovetop method and needed an extra 30 minutes to cook so total of 1.5 hours once it simmered.
I added a bit more salt and pepper. Also added about 1-1/2 Tablespoons of tomato paste toward the end of the cooking process for more flavor and some sweetness.
Mama Rages says
You do not put the seasoning packet from the beans in? I am assuming not seeing most are ham flavored but I wanted to check before I give this a go tomorrow.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I don’t use that packet. It makes it way too salty in my opinion!