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.
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
You can put them in the Crock Pot add water to cover! Set all night! Then drain Water out before you cook! They well be less gassy!
my husband, our 6 kids and myself LOVE this recipe! I modified it slightly like I do with most recipes, but still so good! I will say we were all tooting heavily for a couple of days. But so worth it lol. I added ham
Is it okay if I could use vegetable broth for the bean soup? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
Yes, you definitely can. :)
I added bacon and then chopped up two cajun rubbed, roasted chicken breasts to this recipe.
Awesome.
That sounds so good, and you gave me an idea!! :-)
Could I substitute 16 bean mix for the beans in the crock pot or would those have to be boiled for 10+ minutes? I love your blog, you make my family think I can cook.
I’d definitely make sure it gets boiled because some of those beans might be in the same family as kidney beans.
Thank you! I boiled the beans and this soup is awesome, it didn’t even need cheese or sour cream.
This recipe is incredibly easy and delicious. I couldn’t believe that all I had to do was chop, toss, and go to bed. Woke up in the morning feeling not like P. Diddy, but like someone who had discovered a new love for slow cookers. Thanks Beth.
This was terrific! I followed the recipe exactly, except that I added about a teaspoon of curry just for fun. I was amazed at how well it turned out with such little effort. Thank you!
Hi Beth. I would love to make this, but I don’t have a slow-cooker. Think I could make this or a version of this on the stove?
Yes, it will just need to simmer for a few hours. I haven’t actually tried it, so I can’t offer any more specifics than that, unfortunately.
Whenever I’m stuck on what to cook your website is my go-to cookbook.
I wanted a lazy/easy + cheap meal; this recipe delivered! It’s great for those hot summer days when turning on the oven is too much to ask.
The soup was a success. I woke up this morning to a wonderful aroma filling up my apartment. My husband really enjoyed it, he liked it so much he took some for lunch and extra to share with a co worker. I did replace some of the water with chicken broth though, looking forward to making it again.
I needed some more flavor and texture so I added boiled potatoes and mixed in some of my favorite salsa. So good!
I loved this soup. Used Great Northern White Beans, 6 cups water, 4 chicken bouillon cubes, one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, all the veggies and spices listed in recipe. Used less salt due to bouillon. Half way thru I put in one bunch of chard leaves. V good. Great with cheese toast.
Followed this recipe and it turned out amazing! So much food for very little money. Served it with crispy garlic bread and hot sauce. Glad I found this site.
I used Chia Seeds to thicken the soup instead of mashing the beans. The health benefits triple. Very good soup.
Awesome! I make so many thing’s with Chia because of it’s amazing health benefits, my kids love it. May I ask how much chia you added? Does it matter if they are white or black? Thank you
This recipe is super easy and delicious. I use 4 cups veggie stock or broth to add and 2 cups of water, then omit the extra salt at the end. the broth adds a bit more flavor…but it’s also great with using water only.
Love this recipe!! Do you have nutrition info for it somewhere? Thanks!
My Dad doesn’t like onions. He refuses to eat them. What’s a good substitute for onion to bring out the savory flavor that it adds to so many foods?
Leeks have a slightly oniony taste. Has he tried those? Otherwise, garlic has a similar effect, just stronger. Sometimes I do just garlic instead of garlic AND onion.