Easy Instant Pot Bean Soup (Vegan Recipe)

Instant Pot Bean Soup is the busy cook’s answer to a simple, complete meal that packs a lot of flavor and fiber. With just a handful of pantry staples like dry beans and seasonings, you can whip up this Instant Pot Bean Soup recipe in less than an hour – no soaking required!

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White bean soup? Black bean soup? 10-Bean Soup? You can cook up a delicious soup in no time with this easy, versatile bean soup recipe. It’s simple yet hearty, a perfect dish for soup season!

Seriously, use whatever dry beans you have in the pantry for a deliciously hearty bean soup that will warm you to your bones.

Plus, it’s super cheap to enjoy beans on the regular. When we were paying off 60k of debt during the last recession, we lived on beans! It was our main dish 3 to 4 nights a week. We ate well and we saved a boatload of money.

Why Make Our Instant Pot Bean Soup Recipe

It’s cheap. You don’t need fancy, expensive ingredients to deliver great flavor. This bean soup costs just a few dollars to make. This recipe is one of our faves for feeding teenagers on a budget.

It’s quick. While the beans do take time to cook, instant pot cooking speeds up the cooking time. You can even use unsoaked beans. Soaking beans can take a long time, so this recipe is a great option when you forget that step.

It’s delicious. Beans are packed with flavor and fiber, a perfect candidate for a cozy soup on a cold night. Season them in your favorite ways with a few special toppings and you’ll have a feast.

It’s make-ahead. This instant pot recipe freezes beautifully, making it a great recipe to double and freeze for later, saving you both time and money. It’s a great freezer meal for work lunches.

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make this easy Instant Pot Bean Soup:

olive oil – I like olive oil but you can use whatever oil you regularly use in cooking.

mirepoix – Mirepoix is a vegetable base consisting of finely chopped onion, carrots, and celery. You can chop these yourself or buy mirepoix ready to go in the produce or freezer sections of the grocery store. Remember you can freeze vegetables yourself whenever you have extra to save yourself time later.

salt and black pepper – Be sure to season your veggies as you cook them to layer on the flavor. It’s amazing what simple salt and pepper can do for your food.

dried beans – This hearty soup recipe is super versatile, allowing you to use any kind of bean you like, such as great northern beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, black beans, pintos, or cranberry beans. You can even use a 10 or 12 bean soup mix (minus the seasoning packet), so go wild and be sure to let us know which combinations work best for you.

water – Water is sufficient for cooking this instant pot bean soup, but if you’d like more flavor, you can add vegetable broth. If you’re not concerned with making a vegan soup, you can add chicken stock or broth as well.

spice blend – Use your favorite seasoning blend. It can be an Italian seasoning you make or one you buy at the grocery store or a homemade spice mix, like Jamie’s Spice Mix.

bay leaf – Bay leaves work magic in bean soup. They add a subtle aroma to dishes that you don’t want to miss out on.

optional soup toppings – You can top the soup with fresh herbs or coconut cream to keep it vegan or if you’re not averse to adding dairy, a dollop of sour cream or some shredded parmesan cheese are nice touches. A drizzle of Easy 3-Ingredient Basil Sauce would not go amiss!

Meat Variations

If you’ve got a leftover ham bone from a holiday ham, you can add that to the pot. The recipe will no longer be vegan, but it will be a tasty bean soup with ham. (The pot will take longer to come to pressure if you add the ham bone.) You can also stir in diced ham without using a ham bone.

In testing this recipe, my family enjoyed it with topped to taste with sliced Italian sausage.

Step-by-Step Instructions

It’s super easy to make instant pot soups. Here’s how:

In the instant pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions start to go clear and the vegetables are tender about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the beans, water, bay leaf, and spice mix. Stir to combine. Close the pressure valve and cook for 40 minutes on high pressure. Allow for a ten minute natural release and check the beans.

If the beans aren’t fully cooked, restart the machine for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. (This is particularly important if you’ve included kidney beans in the soup.)

Remove the bay leaf and stir well. With an immersion blender, blend the tender beans to your preferred texture. Adjust the seasonings, adding more water if the mixture is too thick, and serve the soup with crusty bread, sandwiches, or crackers.

To Make a Meal Prep

I often prepare this dish in plastic meal prep dishes for easy lunches during the week. Prep the recipe as directed, allow the steam to blow off. Divide the soup among six meal prep containers. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Consume within 4 days.

Freeze Extra for Later

This soup is perfect for freezing! Feel free to make a double batch and freeze for another time.

To freeze: chill the soup completely before storing in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Make a Plan for Leftovers

This soup reheats beautifully the next day. Just be sure to promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave. If you store your leftovers in clear containers, they’re more likely to get eaten.

Save Money with Bean Recipes

Beans are a hearty, budget-friendly protein that can be the star in many a dish. Consider trying one of these bean recipes: