This white bean and kale soup is flavorful, comforting, and easy to make in only 1 pot. It tastes even better the next day, but I doubt you'll have much leftover. You might want to make a double batch!
There's nothing better than a bowl of soup filled with hearty ingredients with some crusty bread on a cold or rainy day. I frequently use beans in my soups as they are filled with protein and are so versatile.
My favorite kind of beans to use in a soup is white beans. If you puree soup made with white beans, it develops a creamy texture without using any milk.
Green leafy kale gives this soup a nutritional boost. If you need more recipes with other leafy greens, try my oven roasted bok choy, sauteed rainbow chard, Instant Pot collard greens and air fryer crispy spinach.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Creamy without dairy: The white beans and potatoes give this soup a natural creaminess, especially if blending.
- Delicious any time of year: While soup is perfect on a chilly day, I make this easy recipe all year long. Even though it's creamy, it still feels light enough to enjoy even in the summer months.
- Family friendly: Blending the soup makes even the pickiest kids eat their beans since they aren't seeing them whole.
Ingredient Notes
This vegan soup recipe uses simple, wholesome ingredients.
- Onion - Yellow onions work best in this recipe but you could also use white or red.
- Cannellini beans - I always use canned beans but you could also soak dried beans and use them. If you don't have cannellini beans, you can also use great northern beans.
- Kale - Make sure you remove the stems! They are too tough for this soup.
- Potatoes - Any kind of potatoes you have will work. I prefer to peel the potatoes but you could also leave them on.
- Vegetable broth - For best flavor I recommend using organic or homemade vegetable broth.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
How To Make White Bean and Kale Soup
Step 1: First, chop the onion, peel and dice the potatoes, and chop the kale into pieces. Make sure you've removed the stems from the kale as they are too tough to enjoy in a soup.
Step 2: Next, in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and the spices, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add in the vegetable broth, water, 2 cans of beans, kale pieces and diced potatoes. Make sure you drain and rinse the cans of beans.
Step 4: Bring the soup to a boil, cover and lower the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 5: Remove the pot from the heat and take out the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to puree about half of the soup to your desired consistency.
Step 6: Finally, sprinkle with red pepper flakes (if you're using them) and serve.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you remove the stems from the kale leaves as they are too tough in soup.
- I prefer using canned beans for ease of use but you can also prepare dried beans in advance and use 4 cups worth.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a blender to puree in batches carefully. You can also use a potato masher for a chunkier soup.
Leafy Green Substitutions
I love using leafy greens in soups! This white bean soup recipe uses kale which I think is the best choice. However, if you don't like kale there are a couple other options.
- Spinach: You could substitute in spinach and follow the recipe exactly the same.
- Collard greens: Another choice is collard greens. However, collard greens take much longer to cook so I would recommend adding the greens but holding off on the beans and the potatoes until later.
- Cook the collard greens for about 20 minutes in the soup and then add the beans and potatoes for an additional 20 minutes. Like kale, make sure you removed the stem from the collard greens before chopping and cooking as they are far too tough.
Storage Tips
Refrigerator
Let the soup cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This soup will last around 4 days in the fridge.
Freezer
Once cool, transfer the soup to freezer safe containers. This soup is best used within 3 months of freezing.
Reheat
Simply reheat in a sauce pan on the stove top or in the microwave. If frozen, thaw soup overnight in the fridge first.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with crusty brown bread, tortilla chips, crackers or whip up a batch of drop biscuits. If any non-vegans are eating the soup, they can top with some parmesan cheese.
How To Make This White Bean and Kale Soup In the Slow Cookier
This soup is easy to make in the slow cooker. First, sauté the onions and garlic. Add them and the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Use the blender right before you're ready to serve it.
Recipe FAQs
To me, I much prefer using canned beans. Yes, some people prefer to soak dry beans but I don't think there's enough difference to warrant the time it takes.
Plus, I've had several instances where some of the dried beans never softened no matter how long they soaked. Perhaps they were a little old but I'm not willing to take the chance anymore.
I'd much rather open a can of beans, strain and rinse them. They're ready to use in seconds!
You don't have to but blending soups has a couple benefits. First, it makes the soup thicker and creamier. Second, it hides some of the ingredients that young kids might not be fond of.
My youngest claims not to like beans. But if they're pureed in the broth she's perfectly happy to eat them. In this recipe, there will still be whole beans but a lot of them are blended right in to the broth.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
If you tried this Vegan Bean, Kale and Potato Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Recipe
White Bean and Kale Soup with Potatoes (Vegan)
Equipment
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups kale pieces, stems removed
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and spices and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth, water, beans, kale, and potatoes.
- Bring the pot to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Use an immersion blender to puree some of the soup to desired consistency.
- Season to taste and serve.
- Store the cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
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- Make sure you remove the stems from the kale leaves. They are too tough in soup.
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- Make sure you drain and rinse the canned beans.
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- I prefer using canned beans for ease of use but you can also prepare dried beans in advance and use 4 cups worth.
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- If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a blender to puree in batches carefully. You can also use a potato masher.
Jen says
I love 1 pot meals. This recipe is super easy to make and nutritious. I love the combination of beans, kale and potatoes.