This high-protein White Bean Soup with Quinoa has seven different vegetables. It's healthy, tasty, and budget-friendly. Plus, it's vegan, gluten-free, and with an oil-free option. This recipe is Whole Foods Plant-Based at its finest! Perfect for meal prep too!
This all-season soup is a complete meal, balanced in proteins, heart-healthy fats, and unrefined carbs. Plus, it's packed with antioxidants to help stave off pesky illnesses lurking in the flu season. Moreover, the flavors are warming, and inviting, and they leave you wanting more!
This White Bean Soup with Quinoa recipe was inspired by my Creamy Chickpea Soup on this site, as well as this Healthy Sweet Potato Soup. For another gluten-free, high-protein quinoa recipe, try my Quinoa Tabbouleh.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
- Quinoa is an excellent way to add protein to soups. It develops more flavor from cooking in vegetable broth versus water. Plus, it adds body to the soup, making it more satisfying.
- White beans also add protein to this soup. Cannellini beans are higher in protein than the other white beans, but all varieties work
- Nutritional yeast is the third major source of protein. It is also high in vitamin B12 and is a complete protein in this white bean & quinoa soup recipe. Even more, it gives the soup an addictive cheesy taste.
- Note: Olive oil is optional. Use veggie broth instead for oil-free.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🫑 Substitutions
- Olive oil - omit for oil-free and use vegetable broth instead
- Zucchini - instead of zucchini, use your choice of seasonal vegetable (potato, bell pepper, butternut squash, pumpkin)
- Kale - use curly or lacinato kale, spinach, or collards
- White beans - Cannellini beans have the most protein of all the white beans but Great Northern, navy, and even chickpeas are all good options
- Nutritional yeast - omit as desired or substitute with 2 tablespoons white miso (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water) for a similar umami flavor
- Spices - omit the chipotle powder and crushed red pepper for less spice
- Canned diced tomatoes - use fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead for even more depth of flavor
- Add Longevity Spice Mix for serving!
Try my Best Cabbage Soup for a low-calorie, protein-rich dinner. Visit my Soups and Stews Recipes page for more easy soup ideas.
📖 How to Make White Bean Soup with Quinoa
This is an overview. The full recipe is at the bottom of the page.
You need just one saucepan to make this easy recipe!
- Heat the oil or broth in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add the zucchini and cook for one more minute. Mix in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed red pepper, and chipotle powder. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the vegetable broth, water, quinoa, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves. Cook partially covered for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. Add more broth as desired.
- Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the white beans, kale, and nutritional yeast. Cook until the kale is just wilted. Season with fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
✔️ Expert Tips
- Add Longevity Spice Mix for serving!
- Quinoa: If you are not using pre-rinsed packaged quinoa, place the quinoa in a sieve and run it under cold water for about 2 minutes before cooking. This removes the bitter-tasting saponins.
- Vegetables: If you plan on storing your soup for longer, use firmer veggies or ones that taste good soft (zucchini, potato, bell pepper, peas)
- Add more broth or water depending on the desired consistency.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months.
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🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
White rice also works in this recipe but you will need to adjust the amount of vegetable broth during the cooking process. You can also add less broth at the start and skip the grain altogether.
Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. The quinoa will become more mushy but because this is a soup, it still tastes good.
For this soup recipe, I used quinoa, legumes, and nutritional yeast to up the protein. These three ingredients work well for many vegan soup recipes. You can also add hemp hearts as a topping, or serve this like a stew with some hummus for additional protein.
🥣 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
White Bean Soup with Quinoa Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable broth or olive oil or water
- 1 medium yellow or white onion chopped
- 3 medium carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 ½ cups zucchini cut into half moons (or potatoes, squash, green peas, or bell pepper)
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (preferably low sodium) plus more as needed
- 1 cup quinoa rinsed
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (or white beans), drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups chopped kale (tough ribs removed)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
- Lemon juice to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mirepoix: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the zucchini and cook for one more minute.
- Herbs & spices: Mix in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed red pepper, and chipotle. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Liquids & quinoa: Add the vegetable broth, 2 cups water, quinoa, diced tomatoes, and bay leaves. Simmer partially covered for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is cooked. Add more broth as desired.
- Season: Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the white beans, kale, and nutritional yeast. Cook until the kale is just wilted. Season with fresh lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Notes
- Quinoa: If you are not using pre-rinsed packaged quinoa, place the quinoa in a sieve and run it under cold water for about 2 minutes before cooking. This removes the bitter-tasting saponins.
- Vegetables: If you plan on storing your soup for longer, use firmer veggies or ones that taste good soft (zucchini, potato, bell pepper, peas)
- Add more broth or water depending on the desired consistency.
- Substitute the canned diced tomatoes with fire-roasted diced tomatoes for even more depth of flavor.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Rhonda Candell says
Excellent, big family hit! Thank you! Made it exactly as written except used red pepper instead of celery, it was excellent!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear you enjoyed this soup. Thank you for leaving a comment. Have a great week.
Cath says
Loved this soup. Super simple to make. Unfortunately I was out of quinoa, so I put a small amt of pasta in. In hindsight, I wish I did potatoes. I used homemade vegetable broth and had veggies fresh from the farm stand. Spicy but so good.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So glad you enjoyed it. I imagine it would be good with potatoes and wholegrain orzo!
Joe says
I'm in the early stages of my vegan journey and I'm so happy to have found your Youtube channel, website and this recipe -- the first one I made! I don't ever write reviews and I usually don't seek out Quinoa dishes but this soup is delicious, filling and has just the right spice to it! Thank you very much!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Awww so glad you are here! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Angela says
This was excellent! I thought it might be too spicy, but it wasn’t. The spice added so much flavour. The consistency was really nice too. I used potatoes instead of zucchini, Thank you!!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for you comment. So glad the spice was just right! Delicious with potatoes, I bet!
Lisa says
I loved this hearty soup that was so delicious on a cold snowy night. The spicy paprika and chile peppers gave it some zing. Love the amount of protein in it as well. I think I would eliminate the oil to lower the fat. I will definately move this into my soup rotation. Thanks for all your super delicious, doable recipes...you are one of my go-to pages when looking for a healthy, quick easy recipe to make.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so happy you enjoyed this soup! Yes, the oil is optional. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a great week.
artur says
Is step three supposed to be kept at medium high heat?
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
It should simmer- medium-low heat.
Mary says
This has been a staple this winter - it’s so easy and incredibly delicious, I love this recipe
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so glad you are enjoying it. Thank you for letting me know:)
Mel says
This soup was yummy! I do like more beans than quinoa so I put 2 cans (3 cups) and cut the quinoa in half. Otherwise everything else was exactly as written. I love the little bit of Chipotle powder in here - it complements the tomato flavors so well. I'll make this again for sure!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thanks for including your changes. Super helpful for others. So glad you enjoyed it.
Alexa W. Dwyer says
This soup is a winner! I used spinach instead of kale. So flavorful and simple to prepare. Will definitely make this again and again!
Nisha Melvani says
Awww makes my day to hear that! So glad you enjoyed it.
Debbie says
This soup was a huge hit! I used a little less tomatoes and a bit more smoked paprika, and I loved the soup. I am always searching for easy recipes with lots of flavor. This is a keeper.
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you for leaving a comment!
Rasha says
What is the serving size please?
Nisha Melvani says
Hi. The nutrition information is based on 3 servings.
Shaira says
As someone not tech vegan. The quinoa gives the idea of Italian sausage to me, also kind of gave me a chilli vibe. Anywho was good and easy to make smelled good before it was even done!
Nisha Melvani says
Awww makes me so happy to read this. I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Beverly says
Our book club was the lucky recipient of this delicious soup! The whole house smelled wonderful and this nutritious and beautiful soup hit the spot. I can't wait to prepare this myself. More tasty vegan recipes like yours just might convert this vegetarian to a vegan:)!
Nisha Melvani says
Awww this makes me so happy to read! Thank you so much for letting me know. Have a great week.
Suzanne says
This soup was delicious! It was hearty and flavorful and very filling. It was easy to make too, with ingredients that I usually have on hand. Thank you so much, Nisha!
Nisha Melvani says
It made me so happy to read your comment. Thank you for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoyed the recipe.
Heidi Morton says
Is the nutrition information for the whole pot or 1 serving? Thank you
Nisha Melvani says
Hi! It's for a very large single portion. The soup serves 3 to 5. This info is for if it were to serve 3.
Judy says
Excellent
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you.
Dottie says
So good! I made with these modifications: acorn squash in lieu of zucchini, baby turnip greens in lieu of kale and I had to puree the white beans with some broth so my family couldn't recognize them! 🙂
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you enjoyed it. Great improvising with the white beans!
Esther says
This was hearty and delicious. Carnivores didn’t miss the meat with thr Smokey flavor
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Perdita says
Hi, Nisha.
Is a single serving of the soup one cup? Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks for all of your nutritious and lovely recipes.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. The nutrition facts for one serving is for one-third of the entire quantity.
Primla Goddard says
Love this white bean soup, so chock full of protein. Contains seven different vegetables. Good protection during the flu season!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you. It is certainly packed with nutrients!
Neena Chandiramani says
I like the fact that quinoa is used in this recipe.
Nisha Melvani says
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.