Vegan Bean and Bacon Soup

This vegan bean and bacon soup proves homemade is always better than canned. It's deliciously thick, smoky, and comes together so easily.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings servings

Calories 69kcal

Author Louisa

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp salt (plus extra to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (plus extra to taste)
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp liquid smoke
3 15-oz cans Great Northern beans drained and rinsed, divided per instructions below

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions, celery, and carrots until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, paprika, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook for another minute while stirring.
Add the vegetable broth, liquid smoke, and 2 cans of beans. Increase heat and bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the vegetables are tender. This will take around 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from heat. Puree the soup with with an immersion blender. I like to leave the soup slightly chunky, so I don't blend completely—just enough to get the ingredients mixed together, like a thick sauce.
Return the mixture to the pot and adjust to medium-low heat. Add the remaining can of beans. Stir to combine. Return the soup to a simmer until the beans are heated through. Taste and add more rosemary, salt, and pepper if desired.

If you don't have an immersion blender, you can also use a regular blender and work in batches to puree the soup.
You can also make a vegan bean and bacon soup with pinto beans and navy beans!
Allow the vegan bean with bacon soup to cool, then portion it into airtight containers. It will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. To serve, thaw the frozen soup in the fridge overnight and gently reheat it in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.