Whoever discovered beans gets a big fat medal of appreciation from yours truly. They’re just incredible. Incredible and cheap. And so is this Slow Cooker White Bean Soup. This soup is thick, warm, comforting, and flavorful… and cost me LESS THAN FIVE DOLLARS FOR THE WHOLE POT. That, my friend, is the magic of beans.
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What Kind of White Beans Should I Use?
I suggest using navy beans first, because they are creamy and break down easily when cooked, which will give you this nice thick texture in the finished soup. If navy beans are not available, my second choice would be great northern beans. DO NOT use cannellini beans, which are part of the kidney bean family, and require a heavy boil to break down a natural substance called Phytohaemagglutinin, which is a gastrointestinal toxin. The slow cooker does not get the soup hot enough for long enough to break down the toxins in those beans.
Do I Need to Soak the Beans?
Nope! This recipe does not require pre-soaking the beans. Some people claim that soaking beans then discarding the soaking water can reduce flatulence, but I, personally, find no difference. If you prefer to pre-soak your beans, you will need to add less water to this recipe and will probably need less cooking time. I have not tested that method, so I do not have a specific amount of water or cooking time to suggest.
Can I Use Broth in Place of Water?
This awesome Slow Cooker White Bean Soup uses a medley of spices, herbs, and vegetables to make its own flavorful broth right in the slow cooker – no Better Than Bouillon soup base this time around, folks. Of course you always have the option to use broth in place of water if you wish, just be aware that you probably won’t need to add salt at the end of the recipe, as directed below.
Can I Add Meat?
Sure, if you prefer meat in your soup I would suggest adding a ham hock or a smoked turkey leg to the slow cooker with your soup as it cooks. They will provide a wonderfully smoky flavor and will reduce the amount of salt you’ll need to add at the end.
Is This Soup Freezer Friendly?
Yes! This Slow Cooker White Bean Soup freezer beautifully. Make sure to divide it into single portions and chill it in the refrigerator first, then transfer to the freezer once cold. I like to freeze my soups in reusable Ziploc containers, but freezer bags also work great. To reheat either use the defrost function on the microwave, or transfer to a soup pot and reheat over low, stirring often, until heated through.
Love white bean soup? Check out my Chunky Ham and Bean Soup or Easy Rosemary Garlic White Bean Soup.
Slow Cooker White Bean Soup
Servings 6 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.11)
- 4 carrots (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.30)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.46)
- 1 lb. dry navy beans* ($1.25)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.30)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked black pepper (15-20 cranks of a pepper mill) ($0.05)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic, dice the onion, slice the celery, and peel and slice the carrots. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to a large (5qt or larger) slow cooker.
- Give the beans a quick rinse in a colander and then add them to the slow cooker, along with the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and some freshly cracked pepper.
- Add six cups of water to the slow cooker and stir to combine the ingredients. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- After 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, stir the soup and begin to mash the beans against the side of the slow cooker to thicken the soup. Once the soup is thickened to your liking, start adding salt to taste. Begin with 1/2 tsp and add more until the soup tastes flavorful to you. I used about 2 tsp total.
- Serve the soup hot with crackers or crusty bread for dipping.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Crockpot White Bean Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion, four ribs of celery, and peel and slice 1/2 lb. carrots (about 4 carrots). Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a slow cooker (5 qt. or larger).
You’ll need one pound of dry navy beans or great northern beans. Again, DO NOT use cannellini beans, which are part of the kidney bean family, and require a heavy boil to break down a natural substance called Phytohaemagglutinin, which is a gastrointestinal toxin. The slow cooker does not get the soup hot enough for long enough to break down the toxins in those beans.
Briefly rinse the beans in a colander, then add them to the slow cooker along with 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, some freshly cracked pepper, and six cups of water.
Briefly stir the contents of the slow cooker to make sure all the flavors are distributed, then place a lid on top and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours.
After cooking on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours it will look a little something like this. All the vegetables will have floated up to the top and the beans will have absorbed most of the water. Test a bean to make sure they are very soft. If they’re not yet soft, cook for one hour more (they should definitely be soft by this point, unless your beans are very old. Old beans sometimes do not soften no matter how long they are cooked).
Stir the soup and smash the beans against the side of the pot, which will thicken the soup (or you can use an immersion blender). The soup at this point does not contain ANY salt, so now it’s time to add salt so you can really taste all the different flavors. Begin adding salt, starting with 1/2 tsp and adding more until the soup is flavorful. I added 2 tsp total.
Serve hot with some crusty bread for dipping!
my mom tried this recipe today and it was delicious!!! I love the spices in it!
Looks yum yum just one question
The color of soup in slow cooker and in bowl is little bit diffrent its because of light or what else ?
The more I stirred, the more the veggies broke down and blended into the thickness. The carrots made it a little more yellow/orange. Also, the lighting in the final photos was a bit darker – I don’t get great light in my kitchen in the afternoon :)
Looks amazingly like the any bean soup that I’ve been making for decades with minor differences–I like to saute the onions with about 3 thick slices of bacon, diced. I use the equal amounts of onion/celery/carrot, and, when my vegetarian daughter is home, do precisely Beth’s version, even using the same herbs. Great job, Beth!! It took me years to come up with my signature bean soup! Any beans are good for this from black eyed peas to pintos to limas. I do like to use fresh herbs, often a single one instead of a blend–sometimes thyme, sometimes rosemary–which happens to be one of my very favorite herbs. When using fresh herbs, double the quantity and use them in the last half hour. Mixed Italian or Provencal blends are both terrific if you need to use dried.
hi! if i were making this on the stove top, how long/at what heat setting would i cook it?
thanks!
Well, you’d have to cook it for hours to get the beans to fully cook. Even if you presoak them over night it will probably take at least an hour. It’s been such a long time since I’ve made beans on the stove top as opposed to the slow cooker that I honestly don’t remember how long they take to cook! :)
My crock has been broken for some time now so I’ve been using my 5 qt. cast iron pot. I put it in the oven at 225-250 for the same time as the crock pot and it works great. I know this probably consumes more energy than a crock pot, but hey, until i get a replacement…..
Also, I’ve been using a vegitable base which helps to add to the flavor without adding meat.
I’ve got this soup going at my house right now and it smells like heaven!
This soup looks so good & easy! Beans in soup form are one of the best meals ever. My favorite part is that they can take any flavor you can throw at them. Barbecue sauce? Yes. Lots of garlic and rosemary? Yes. tomato and roasted pepper? Yes. ALL YES ALL THE TIME. :)
This recipe sounds super delicious. I don’t normally like celery, but I don’t want to completely remove the crunch. Is there something else that would be a good substitute?
Actually, the celery has no crunch in this at all because everything is cooked down until it’s soft (that’s what makes it thicken up). So, if you leave them out, you won’t miss any crunch, but it will definitely cut back on the flavor. I can’t think of anything that might compare to the celery, flavor wise. Maybe just try adding some other extra vegetables – potatoes, bell pepper, etc.
I’m not a fan of celery either so I add celery seed so you get the flavor of it but not have to suffer through eating it. :)
What I do with soups like this, since I really dislike cooked celery and carrots is take the immersion blender too it once it’s cooked and I take out the bay leaves. I’m happy with the flavor of them in it, but if there are chunks of them in my soup, I’ll eat around them. :)
Oh this is perfectly timed. It has just turned a bit chilly and i have all the ingredients for this. I never thought of mashing the beans to thicken the soup. Great idea.
love bean soup in the slow cooker! so rich and flavorful, and healthy, and cheap. and a great way to use up the last whatnots in the crisper–one lonely potato? chop it and throw it in. hmm, those green beans look a bit limp–into the soup. etc. when i have the extra 10 minutes, i’ll saute the veg in the olive oil before adding them to the cooker. extra delish, with no extra ingredients.
Would Pinto beans work just as well?
They would work – I make pinto beans in my slow cooker a lot, I just tend to use more southwest flavors, like jalapeno and cumin :) They would definitely lend a different flavor to this particular recipe, though.
What spice could I use in place of rosemary? I never use it and it seems like a waste to buy it for one recipe.
You might try adding a little sage, but you don’t necessarily need to replace it with anything.
How long do I cook it if ny beans are already cooked?
Looks delicious!
Just until the veggies soften up enough that they mix into the mashed beans. I wouldn’t bother using the slow cooker, in that case. Just do it on the stove top and let it simmer until the veggies are soft.
I always do the quick soak method, and cook my beans until al’dente’. Then sauté’ my carrots, celery, onions and garlic in a little olive oil until just tender. Throw it all in the crock with home canned tomatoes, chicken base and a little tomato base plus some herbs that were mentioned. Add a smoked ham hock or smoked pork bones to it and Yummy! I like the addition you added as far as the paprika, will add this now as I am cooking it in the crock now! Just want to say that cooking beans before hand won’t make them break down to much. I cook on low for about 5 hrs. Mash a little at end and if to thin, add a slurry (cornstarch and cold water) to thicken it up!
If you set it for ten hours on the slow cooker do you think the beans would break down too much? Or do you just set for 8 and hope the warm setting will be fine?
I actually wanted the beans to break down so that they mashed up and turned into a thick soup (kind of as if they were pureed), so I don’t think letting it go longer would hurt anything.
YES! A healthy soup that’s crazy easy! I can’t wait to make this, thank you!
Meg , could you please let me know what size Crock pot you are using for this recipe. Am anxious to get started on this and want to see if I can double the recipe . I have a 7 qt cr. pot ! Thanks
She said in the beginning of the recipe 5 quart or larger.
After your absolutely glorious success with the chicken and pumpkin soup (which I am eating some leftovers of right now) you can bet I will be making this soup asap! Looks fantastic!