Instant Pot Bean Soup

Why you'll love this recipe

Dried beans for better results: Dried beans are cheaper, and usually have better flavor and texture than canned beans. The main downside is that dried beans can take a long time to cook. But that's not the case with an Instant Pot—it makes it fast and easy to cook dried beans! Dried beans have a significant texture advantage in Instant Pot soups. Since canned beans are already fully cooked, they can get mushy and even fall apart if they're cooked again in an Instant Pot.

No need to soak the beans: The Instant Pot is so effective at cooking dried beans—there's no real need to soak the beans in water overnight. So yes, you can make this soup recipe today!

Quickly building flavor: Typically, stove-top soups start with cooking down onions and aromatics to build flavor. In an Instant Pot, this step can be a bit trickier, because the heating element is a lot smaller. But, you can make the most of your prep time by putting the olive oil and onions in the Instant Pot and setting it to "saute", while you keep prepping. Infrequent stirring the onions will actually encourage them to brown faster, so you're freed up to finish chopping the remaining ingredients.

Adding acid at the right time: A small splash of acid (like citrus or vinegar) really helps balance out a final dish. But, beans can get tough if cooked with acids. So, this recipe adds the acid (fresh lemon juice) at the end, once the beans are fully cooked, so you get the best of both worlds!

Meal prep / freezer friendly: This soup keeps well in the fridge or freezer—and can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave.

Ingredients (and substitutes)

This vegan and gluten-free recipe is made with fresh veggies, dried beans, and a few simple seasonings. Here's what you need to make this Instant Pot Bean Soup:

Ingredients to make Instant Pot Bean Soup: dried navy beans, spinach, garlic, Italian Seasoning, vegetable broth, onion, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon

Dried Navy Beans: This recipe's cook times are developed for dried and unsoaked navy beans. You could use dried and unsoaked cannellini beans instead, but add 10 minutes to the cook time (see recipe card for full instructions).

Yellow Potatoes: We love using yellow potatoes in this soup—and we skip peeling the skin. But, you can peel them if you'd like! You could substitute another kind of potato (such as red or russet). Since different types of potatoes vary significantly in size, refer to the cup or weight equivalent provided in the recipe.

Roasted Red Peppers: Jarred roasted red peppers are slightly sweet and smoky, and bring a pretty color and flavor to this dish. The peppers get chopped, so you can buy either whole or pre-cut jarred red peppers—either work!

Italian Seasoning: This popular store-bought spice blend is made with oregano, basil, thyme, and a couple other dried spices. It's a quick seasoning shortcut that doesn't require you to pull out a bunch of jars from your spice drawer!

Spinach: We like to stir in fresh baby spinach into the soup at the end of cooking. You could swap the spinach for chopped kale instead.

Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.

How to make (step-by-step photos)

The Instant Pot makes it really easy to make this soup. It's pretty much a "set-it-and-forget-it" situation, with a bit of legwork in the beginning to get a head start on flavor. Here's how to make this Instant Pot Bean Soup recipe:

Onions sauteeing in an Instant pot for Bean Soup. — 1. Use the saute setting to cook the onions until golden brown at the edges. While this is happening, keep prepping the remaining ingredients!

A hand sprinkling Italian seasoning into an Instant Pot with sauteed onion and garlic. — 2. Add the garlic and spices, and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant.

An Instant Pot with navy beans, roasted red peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, and vegetable stock being poured in for Instant Pot Bean Soup. — 3. Add the veggies, beans, and broth and stir to combine. Pressure cook, then let it naturally release for 15 minutes before releasing all pressure.

A wooden spoon stirring spinach into Instant Pot Bean Soup. — 4. Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Taste and season—then ladle into bowls and serve!

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to soak beans?

For this recipe (and often times), it isn't necessary! Soaking beans does help cut down on cook times. But, since the Instant Pot cooks dried beans quite quickly, the soaking step isn't worth the effort (in our opinion!).

Can I substitute canned beans for dried beans in this recipe?

No, we do not recommend it. This recipe was developed for dried navy beans. Canned beans are already cooked, so they would not do well being cooked for the same amount of time specified for dried beans. And, the dried beans absorb more cooking liquid, so substituting for canned would throw off that ratio.

Should I peel yellow potatoes?

You don't need to peel yellow potatoes, unless you want to. Yellow (Yukon Gold) potatoes have a thin skin, so we usually skip peeling it. (There's actually a lot of flavor in the skin!). But, this recipe totally works if you choose to peel the yellow potato (or even swap for a russet potato, red potato, etc.)

How do I store and/or reheat this soup?

Let the soup cool, then transfer to an airtight container. The soup can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Frozen soup can be defrosted in the fridge or in a cold water bath. Reheat soup on the stove top or in a microwave.

A marble counter with a bowl of Instant Pot Bean Soup with a white spoon, grey napkin, fresh lemon slices, and toasted baguette on a plate

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📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

Ingredients (and substitutes)

How to make (step-by-step photos)

Recipe video

Frequently asked questions

📖 Recipe