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!
I made a double batch of this soup (exactly as the recipe states) and added just 3/4 tsp of salt and it tastes amazing! My husband loves it too! We froze part of it for later. Love this!
Is there anything better than coming home in the evening to dinner ready in the slow cooker? I don’t think there is. I really enjoyed this recipe! Another winner from Budget Bytes. I did make some adjustments, and they worked out well.
1. I soaked my beans overnight, so I cut some liquid out. I generally reduce liquid by 1 cup per lb of soaked beans and it seems to be about the right proportion.
2. I used Great Northern beans instead of Navy.
3. I used Better than Bouillon broth instead of water (4 cups broth +1 cup water instead of 6 cups water).
4. I omitted the oil.
I doubled the recipe, which fit in my 6 qt cooker. I prepped everything the night before and put it in the slow cooker, except for the soaking beans, and put it in the fridge. In the morning all I did was drain and rinse the beans and add them. I cooked for 10 hours on low (increased time due to doubled volume and cold liquid to start). It was perfect! I just had to add a little salt at the end and mashed some beans with my potato masher. I really liked the smoked paprika; it gave it just a hint of pleasant bbq smokiness. YUM! This is going in my rotation for sure!
Hello! Thank you for the recipe. I don’t have a slow cooker but DO have an Instant Pot. Would you mind telling me if any adjustments will need to be made?
Thank you!!
I haven’t tried this with an Instant Pot, but I would try the bean setting, plus a little extra time just to make sure they are very soft and mashable.
Hello, I am writing because of the fear mongering you did with the Cannellini beans. They do not have that phytohemagglutinin in them. Only the red kidney beans have them. You can verify what I’m saying in many places on the internet that have studied those foods and provide the lectin breakdowns. One thing I want to point out is that Cannellini beans are superior to navy beans or great northern beans for people with Gastro-Intestinal problems. They have been found to be very helpful for people with IBS as it soothes the intestines. Please study things before you pass out erroneous information. Here is helpful information regarding the interations with the various blood types. http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/typebase5/T5.pl?93 and here is information regarding the phytohemagglutinin: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3813071/
Hello, this looks delicious but I don’t have a slow cooker. What adjustments are needed to make this in the stovetop?
Thanks!
there’s a comment about adding a potato but I don’t see that in the recipe?
also if I soaked the beans overnight do I need to boil them first? hope not cuz I didn’t.
Oh yes, you’re right. I was confusing this recipe with another one. I answered his comment based on the fact that cashew milk is probably not an adequate substitute for potato in any recipe. I used unsoaked beans for this recipe, so if you soaked yours first you will probably need to use less water in the slow cooker.
Hello! Can you substitute canned beans?
Thank you!
Not without making a lot of other changes, unfortunately.
I used 4 cans of navy beans and it was yummy
Delicious! I subbed in 4 cups of vegetable stock & then 2 cups water for the 6 cups of water, made exactly as above otherwise.
Make this soup!
I’m not sure what happened here. I love this site’s recipe for split pea soup and just tried making this with very average results. The rosemary overtook the rest of the ingredients and it just came out so bland, even after the last minute addition of salt. I tried to find a version that didn’t include ham and thought this was it, but I think I’ll have to keep searching. It just didn’t taste the way I thought it would.
Tried this over the weekend. I made the recipe exactly as described. Both my wife and I absolutely love it. It is incredibly satisfying and filling. I wouldn’t change a thing. It will be in the slow cooker rotation.
This is a delicious soup! It has become my favorite breakfast!
Is it okay to use nothern beans instead of navy beans?
Yes, you can do that. :) Northern beans tend to break down a little less than navy, so you may need to smash them a bit more against the side of the pot to thicken everything up.
Will Cashew Milk substitute for a potato? I have everything, but that~
I’m really not sure, that’s quite a difference between the two ingredients.
I don’t see potato in the recipe?
I am thinking that rosemary is very strong and that is why some are saying it was too much because their was such a small amount in this recipe. I for one am not fond of rosemary. What is that part about soaking or not soaking if using broth. I don’t understand about that. Could you please let me know what that is about. I want to make your recipe, sounds delicious. Thank you.
People are used to soaking beans before they cook them so they have asked if that is necessary, but for this slow cooker method you don’t need to. :) If you want even more flavor in your soup, you can use vegetable broth in place of the water.
If I soak the beans over night, do you think I could use some vegetable stock?
Yes, if you soak the beans overnight, you can use vegetable stock in the slow cooker instead of water. Just be aware that you’ll need less vegetable stock than the amount of water I used, since your beans will have already absorbed quite a bit of water while soaking.
How much less vegetable stock?
That’s the tricky part. Unfortunately I can’t guess, I’d have to test the recipe to find out. I don’t know exactly how much water the beans absorb over night. :(
I used 4 cups vegetable stock & 2 cups water, came out perfect.