This Slow Cooker Vegetable Bean Soup recipe is proof that sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. This vegetarian soup is made in a crock pot from simple, nourishing ingredients that taste delicious!
When the new school year and fall roll around, I often find myself reaching for my slow cooker. It’s a great way to cut down on kitchen work on a busy night, and it can be lovely to basically walk in to a dinner that’s done for you this time of year!
Finding delicious, easy vegetarian slow cooker recipes isn’t always easy, but this Slow Cooker Vegetable Bean soup recipe has been one of my favorites for almost 8 years (!!!). It’s easy to make, always delivers on flavor, and relies on pantry staples and inexpensive ingredients.
This slow cooker soup is made with dried white beans, a trio of colorful fresh vegetables, and layers of delicious flavor. It’s a GREAT budget-friendly dinner that you can set and forget as you head out for a day of work, school, or fun. (It’s especially cozy on cold winter days!)
Best of all, the magic of this easy recipe is that it starts with just a few simple ingredients…
Simple Ingredients To Start
This crock pot vegetable bean soup is all about simplicity! Let’s take a look at the ingredient list:
- Dried Great Northern Beans. You’ll start with DRIED Great Northern beans. These tender, creamy white beans have a lovely creamy texture when cooked and a neutral flavor that works well with all sorts of spices and seasonings. If you can’t find Great Northern beans, navy beans can be another good choice!
- Carrots + Celery + Onion. This trio of fresh veggies (known as mirepoix) is the flavor base of all kinds of soups, stews, and braises. And for good reason! There’s a delicious aromatic base, plus some subtle sweetness that really infuses our vegetable bean soup with flavor.
- Garlic. Plenty of garlic helps really add some big flavor to the beans. Lately, I’ve been using frozen minced garlic to save myself some chopping. It doesn’t have any added ingredients (just minced garlic!), and it’s easy to keep on hand when I need it.
- Fresh Rosemary. For more depth of flavor, some fresh rosemary can’t be beat!
- Dried Sage. Rubbed sage adds a warmth and earthy flavor to this vegetarian bean soup. It’s lovely here!
- A Bay Leaf. Dried bay leaves are another little flavor booster. Tuck in a leaf or two as it cooks for extra flavor!
- Vegetable Broth + Water. A good-quality veggie broth will make a BIG difference in flavor. I love Imagine Organic’s vegetable broth. Then, you’ll also need some additional water to help the beans cook. (Not vegetarian? Try chicken stock or bone broth instead!)
- Salt & Pepper. Then, you’ll need plenty of salt and pepper to finish. If you feel like the soup is missing something, it’s likely under-salted!
- Optional: Fresh Lemon Juice or Cider Vinegar. Adding a tiny touch of acidity at the end elevates the flavors in this hearty soup!
Variations & More Mix-Ins To Try
Consider this crock pot vegetable bean soup recipe a “home base” recipe. This classic recipe is the simplest version and a great starting place for all kinds of delicious variations. When you’re craving a change of pace, here are some of my favorite things to add:
- Ham or Bacon. OBVIOUSLY turning this simple recipe into Ham and Bean Soup means the soup would no longer be vegetarian or vegan. But, it can be a great way to add more flavor when you’re craving variety, if it fits your dietary needs. Those smoky flavors add a savory richness that’s gorgeous with the vegetables and beans.
- Smoked Paprika. Adding a little smoked paprika can mimic those smoky flavors without adding any meat. Feel free to start small, and add more, to taste.
- Parmesan Cheese. Have a leftover parmesan rind? It can add a delicious subtle layer of flavor to this soup!
- Mix In Some Leafy Greens! I love to add a handful or two of chopped fresh spinach or kale during the last few minutes of cooking for a little pop of color.
- More Veggies. Add some sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (it channels some of the flavor of this Sun-Dried Tomato Bean Soup!), or go for a camp-y stew vibe by mixing in a diced green bell pepper or diced sweet potatoes with the other veggies.
How To Make Slow Cooker Vegetable Bean Soup, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Soak The Beans In Advance. Sort through beans discarding any shriveled beans. Rinse the beans in a colander, then add to a large bowl. Cover the beans water (the water level should be 2-3 inches above the top of the beans). Refrigerate and soak overnight when possible, or at least 4-6 hours, for best results. When you’re ready to make the soup, drain the beans in a colander and rinse before adding to the slow cooker.
- Combine. Add soaked beans, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, rosemary, sage, and black pepper to the crock of your slow cooker. Cover with vegetable broth and water and stir to combine. Tuck a bay leaf or two into the soup, then cover with the lid.
- Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours for brothy soup and 6-8 hours for thicker, more stew-like soup. (You can also gently mash some of the beans for a thicker soup!)
- Finish & Serve. Remove the bay leaves from the soup and discard. Season with salt. Taste and add additional herbs, salt, or pepper, to taste. If desired, stir in lemon juice or vinegar and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days. Or, you can freeze the soup up to 3 months. (Thaw in the fridge before using and keep in mind that the veggies and beans will soften upon thawing.)
Forgot To Soak Your Beans? Try This!
If you forgot to soak your beans, you’ve got 2 choices:
- Cook Longer. Rinse the beans in a colander and plan on them taking about 8-10 hours to fully cook in the slow cooker.
- Quick Soak The Beans. The other option is to take a shortcut. For the shortcut method, put the beans in a large soup pot and cover with 2 inches of water (2 inches above the level of the beans). Bring to a boil, and boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let them soak for about an hour. Drain and rinse them in a colander, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Make It A Meal! Here’s What To Serve On The Side
Now that you know how to make this slow cooker bean soup, let’s talk about SIDE DISHES! You can go in lots of different directions, but some of our favorite side dishes for bean soup are:
- A Simple Green Salad. This is a good soup to pair with a salad! Side salad, like our favorite House Salad, a quick Caesar salad, or an Arugula Salad can be delicious next to this bean soup.
- Gluten-Free Croutons. Not exactly a side dish, but some crispy, crunchy gluten-free croutons can be a great textural contrast to the bean soup.
- Gluten-Free Focaccia. Herby, fluffy focaccia can be delicious for sopping up the soup!
- Gluten-Free Cornbread. I love a classic fluffy Gluten-Free Cornbread, but our Maple Cornbread can be another delicious option!
- Bread, Rolls, or Toast. Don’t have time to get fancy? Just set out some crusty bread, rolls, or toast. Our gluten-free garlic bread can be another tasty choice!
- Fresh Fruit. Go for what’s in season! Red or green grapes and sliced apples are great in the fall and winter.
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Slow Cooker White Bean Soup
Choose Your Favorite Texture. If you prefer a more brothy soup, you’ll likely only want to cook the soup for 4-5 hours on HIGH. If you want a thicker, more stew-like creamy white bean soup, we recommend a longer cook time–7-8 hours on HIGH. The longer the beans cook, the more they’ll break down, which will thicken the soup.
Can I Use Another Kind Of Bean Instead? We love and recommend Great Northern beans for this homemade soup as our first choice, but other kinds of white beans, like Navy Beans, Butter Beans, or Cannellini Beans can be a great substitute. We do not recommend black beans, red kidney beans, pinto beans, or other darker beans for this recipe.
Can I Make This With Canned Beans Instead? This delicious soup recipe is specifically formulated for dry beans, since it includes enough liquid to cook the dried beans. If you use canned white beans, you’d need to reduce the amount of liquid. (I haven’t done this myself, but you can take cues from this soup recipe that uses canned beans.)
Why Didn’t My Beans Get Soft In The Slow Cooker?
There are a few things to keep in mind as you’re problem solving:
- Did You Soak The Beans? If you skipped this step all together, your beans will take MUCH longer to cook. If you did a short soak, they can also take longer to cook.
- How Old Are The Beans? Very old dried beans will sometimes no longer get soft, since they’ve dehydrated so much over time. This can be tricky to asses, since not all dried beans are labeled well. I recommend buying from a seller or grocery store with quick turnover for the best chance at getting “fresher” dried beans. We love Camellia brand beans! (Not sponsored!)
- Did You Add Salt Too Early? There are conflicting opinions on this, but some sources say that salting dry beans before they’re cooked can make it harder for them to soften and cook through. That’s why we recommend low-sodium broth and salting the beans at the end.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Slow Cooker Vegetable Bean Soup recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Slow Cooker Vegetable Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried Great Northern beans, soaked overnight if possible, drained & rinsed*
- 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots (about 3 carrots)
- 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion 1 small onion
- 1 cup diced celery about 2 stalks
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 Tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional: 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- Optional garnish: fresh parsley more rosemary, or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions
- Soak The Beans In Advance. Sort through beans discarding any shriveled beans. Rinse the beans in a colander, then add to a large bowl. Cover the beans water (the water level should be 2-3 inches above the top of the beans). Refrigerate and soak overnight when possible, or at least 4-6 hours, for best results. When you’re ready to make the soup, drain the beans in a colander and rinse before adding to the slow cooker.
- Combine. Add soaked beans, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, rosemary, sage, and black pepper to the crock of your slow cooker. Cover with vegetable broth and water and stir to combine. Tuck a bay leaf or two into the soup, then cover with the lid.
- Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours for brothy soup and 6-8 hours for thicker, more stew-like soup. (You can also gently mash some of the beans for a thicker soup!)
- Finish & Serve. Remove the bay leaves from the soup and discard. Season with salt. Taste and add additional herbs, salt, or pepper, to taste. If desired, stir in lemon juice or vinegar and garnish with fresh herbs before serving.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator 3-4 days. Or, you can freeze the soup up to 3 months. (Thaw in the fridge before using and keep in mind that the veggies and beans will soften upon thawing.)
Notes
- Choose Your Favorite Texture. If you prefer a more brothy soup, you’ll likely only want to cook the soup for 4-5 hours on HIGH. If you want a thicker, more stew-like soup, we recommend a longer cook time–7-8 hours on HIGH. The longer the beans cook, the more they’ll break down, which will thicken the soup.
- Beans. We love and recommend Great Northern beans for this soup as our first choice, but other kinds of white beans, like Navy Beans or Cannellini Beans can be a great substitute. We do not recommend black beans, red kidney beans, or other darker beans for this recipe.
- How to Soak Beans (& Why) – Soaking beans beforehand makes them easier to digest, and shortens their cook time. I highly recommend taking the time to do this the night before for the best texture and fastest cook times. To soak properly, first pick through your beans to make sure there aren’t any bad ones or stray pieces of rock or sand that can sometimes make their way into dried beans. Then, rinse them in a colander for a minute or two. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with water. (The water should reach 2-3 inches above the level of the beans.) Refrigerate in the bowl for 4-12 hours or so (I leave mine overnight). Then, drain and rinse them, and they’re ready to use!
- Forgot to Soak Your Beans? If you forgot to soak your beans, you’ve got 2 choices: 1) just rinse them in a colander and plan on them taking about 8-10 hours to fully cook in the slow cooker. 2) Take a shortcut. For the quick soak method: place beans in a large soup pot and cover with 2 inches of water (2 inches above the level of the beans). Bring to a boil, and boil for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let them soak for about an hour. Drain and rinse them in a colander, then proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Try Adding Ham! Have some leftover holiday ham or leftover ham bone? Try adding it to this soup for even more flavor!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Originally shared October 2018. Fully updated Aug 2024.
If buying beans already packaged from local grocer how can you make sure they you have beans that will soften if you soak them?
It can be tough to tell (and I’ve bought some bad bags myself–SO FRUSTRATING!), but the best suggestion I’ve heard is to buy from a store with regular turnover. Health minded stores, co-ops, and farmer’s markets sometimes tend to have faster turnover for dried beans. (That said, I’ve had good luck buying beans at Target and Kroger without a problem other times). Thrive Market is another great resource (online).
I just put this all together. Still in crockpot since 9:00 eastern time . soaked beans. Used sage and paprika. It is still missing something. I also added half stick butter for more flavor. I am taking to feed teacher for lunch at local school tomorrow. Any suggestions?
Janet – Rosemary is really nice! A good pinch of black pepper, and you can also try adding 1 tsp of cider vinegar (sounds strange, but the acid brightens up the soup and it won’t taste vinegary.)
Omg! I made this and is sooo good. I added 1/3 cup of whole wheat quinoa and a bit more of vegetable broth with a splash of lemon juice. Just what my preggo body needs. Thank you for the recipe.
Yum!
If adding potatoes, how and when would you add them?
Alicia – I haven’t added potatoes to this recipe before, so I’m not sure how to advise you. I’m sorry!
Looking for a healthy and easy recipe on a cold day? This is it! We used a healthy dried bean mix from Natural Grocers and added extra veggies from our freezer. I played with the spices using sage, freshly crushed rosemary, smoked salt, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and a bit of tomato paste. Topped it off with a few pieces of vegan cheese, and a slice of garlic bread. A complete meal!
YUM! That sounds absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!!!
I really enjoyed the flavor (sage with thyme) but I was really looking forward to a thicker soup like in the photos. I even blended some to add thickness, but ended up using too much of the beans. Any suggestions? I used 1 lb of the cannellini beans, but that shouldn’t change anything.
Drew – I’m sorry it wasn’t quite as thick as you would have liked. I do think it could have been the different beans. Cannellini beans are larger, which might have contributed to the different texture. (Smaller beans mash, break down, and thicken more easily than larger beans do.) Cannellini beans are also more firm than Great Northern beans, which have a tendency to break down faster than cannellini beans. In the future, you can try cooking the soup a little longer—different slow cookers often cook at different temperatures, so yours might need longer than mine does. Longer cook time helps break down the beans a bit more, which can thicken the soup. I hope that helps!
Can I use fresh sage instead of the dried sage seasoning? If so, about how much?
Absolutely! For fresh herbs, you typically use 3x the amount as dried. So instead of 1/2 tsp dried sage, you’d use 1/2 Tbsp fresh sage. 🙂
I would love to try this recipe.
I need to print it out but how do you print it without the ads?
Don’t know if this will work for you, but I hit the print button and discovered it takes a second for the ads to appear on the print page. So I closed the print page, opened again, and immediately hit print before the ads appeared, and it worked – no ads on my printed copy. Not sure if it will work ever again, but worth a try!
Thanks for that suggestion– I’m trying to work with my developer and ad companies to resolve this issue! You could also copy and paste the recipe into a Word document as a workaround in the meantime.
This just did not work for me. I used a bag of dried beans that don’t expire for a year, and soaked them for over 12 hours overnight. I added them to the slow cooker and after 7 hours, they STILL were not cooked! I got frustrated (and was starving!) so I added the uncooked soup to my instant pot instead, and did it THREE TIMES on high pressure – once for 3 minutes, once for 5 minutes, and finally for 9 minutes because I was so frustrated. The beans were still a tad undercooked but I ended up using my immersion blender to make it more creamy.
Aside from that, the flavors were okay – I topped my bowl with sound freshly ground herbs de provence for extra flavor.
May try making this again with different beans and some additional spices, such as smoked paprika and maybe some nutmeg, which my mother tells me is GREAT for navy beans.
Christina – Oh dear! It sounds like it was a problem with the beans. If your pressure cooker couldn’t even soften them and you’d soaked them 12 hours, I can almost guarantee it was the beans. Dried beans aren’t *super* tightly regulated, so even if your package says they have a year before expiration, they may have been dried and packed several years ago.
Thanks for your reply Emily. The smoked paprika did add a bit of that smoked taste that some might miss if used to making it with ham. I only put in 1/4 tsp just to try, it seemed enough for me. I had read about the stale beans, checked the bag of packaged organic Great Northern Beans, it did say expiration date June 2019 although that might not be a sure indication they were not stale. I will try beans from a different source next time. I also read about the baking soda too and will try that next time. Also read about boiling the beans some in addition to soaking. I will try various methods and see what works best to get them as soft as I prefer. It still was delicious, love the low calories and high fiber content.
Thank you so much for circling back! I am so excited to hear what you learn!
Made this for our New Years Dinner today, was very good. I added some smoked paprika for flavoring. My Great Northern Beans did not get as soft as I like despite soaking overnight and cooking in crock pot on low for 9 hours. They were cooked, not crunchy but not soft. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I bet the smoked paprika was delicious! I’m sorry to hear your beans didn’t soften!
A few things can impact the beans, but the most likely culprit is old beans. Old dried beans have a harder time soaking and softening. (This article breaks down why). It can be hard to tell exactly how old your dried beans are, because some stores don’t have very quick turnover, but overly old dried beans start to lose some of their porousness, and can struggle to soften.
One suggestion I’ve seen several times (but haven’t yet tried myself) is to add a bit of baking soda to the water. This might be helpful next time? This article walks you through how to do that. I hope that helps!!
Can I make this on the stove or does it have to be in a slow cooker?
Nicole, I’m sure you could, but I haven’t tested it. You’ll likely need to simmer and stir it every so often for several hours until the beans are tender. 🙂