This scrumptious navy bean soup is packed with veggies and smoky flavor! Easy, delicious, and hearty enough to make a meal of!

You may have noticed that I share a lot of bean soup recipes on this site. I love them! I’m all about my spicy black bean soup, Mexican pinto bean soup, and rosemary white bean soup.

But good old navy beans don’t get nearly enough love, and that needs to change. It’s time I shared a navy bean recipe around here. Navy beans are delicious! They cook up super soft and have a savory, smoky flavor that’s perfect for a cozy soup. This soup is also vegan and vegetarian (whereas most navy bean soups are made with ham), so everyone can enjoy a bowl!

What You’ll Need

• Olive oil. Feel free to substitute another high-heat oil, such as corn or canola. Olive will give your soup the best flavor though!
• Onion.
• Carrots.
• Celery.
• Garlic.
• Spices. We’re using ground cumin and smoked paprika to give our soup the perfect smoky flavor.
• Vegetable broth. I’m a big fan of Better Than Bouillon in seasoned vegetable flavor.
• Navy beans. We’re keeping things simple and using canned navy beans for this soup recipe. If you’d rather use dry navy beans, you’ll need to soak and cook them first. Try this method. You’ll need about 5 cups of cooked beans.
• Potato. The recipe calls for a russet potato, but you could absolutely substitute another variety, such as red or gold potatoes.
• Red wine vinegar. You could substitute white vinegar or white wine vinegar if needed.
• Salt & pepper.

How to Make Navy Bean Soup

The following is a summary of the cooking process used to make this dish, along with some tips! Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe.

• Sweat your veggies in some olive oil — diced onion, carrots, and celery. After they begin to soften up, add minced garlic and spices. Sauté everything for just a minute. Be careful and stir everything constantly to prevent burning.
• Now add your broth, beans, and diced potato. Crank up the heat, bring the soup to a simmer, and let it cook until the potato is tender.
• Tip: You can tweak the cook time a bit to your liking. I like to get my potato super tender and let the beans start to break down, making for a soup that’s a bit creamy. Cook the soup more briefly if you prefer firmer potato and a more brothy soup. If you want your soup to be extra creamy, try blending a portion of it using an immersion blender.
• Take the pot off the burner and stir in some vinegar, along with salt and black pepper to taste.

Dig in!

Leftovers & Storage

This soup makes for great leftovers and will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It will thicken up as it sits — thin it with some water or broth when reheating it if you’d like!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Easy Soup Recipes

Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

Smoky Navy Bean Soup

This scrumptious navy bean soup is packed with veggies and smoky flavor! Easy, delicious, and hearty enough to make a meal of!

Ingredients

• 1
  tablespoon
  olive oil
• 1
  medium onion,
  diced
• 2
  medium carrots,
  diced
• 2
  medium celery stalks,
  diced
• 3
  garlic cloves,
  minced
• 1
  teaspoon
  smoked paprika
• 1
  teaspoon
  ground cumin
• 4
  cups
  vegetable broth
• 3
  (14 ounce or 400 gram) cans
  navy beans,
  drained and lightly rinsed
• 1
  medium russet potato,
  scrubbed and cut into ½ to ¾ inch pieces
• 2
  teaspoons
  red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper,
  to taste

Instructions

1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat.

2. When the oil is hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sweat the veggies, stirring them frequently, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic, paprika, and cumin. Sauté everything for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.

4. Stir in the broth, beans, and potato. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.

5. Lower the the heat and allow the soup to simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes*, stirring occasionally, until the beans and potato are very soft. You can add a bit of extra broth or water if the soup becomes too thick while simmering.

6. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the vinegar. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Ladle into bowls and serve.

Recipe Notes

*You can simmer your soup more briefly if you prefer it brothier, or longer if you’d like it to be creamier.

Nutrition Facts

Smoky Navy Bean Soup

Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups (⅙ of recipe))

Calories 299
Calories from Fat 32

% Daily Value*

Fat 3.5g5%

Saturated Fat 0.5g3%

Sodium 781mg33%

Potassium 888mg25%

Carbohydrates 50.7g17%

Fiber 18g72%

Sugar 5.5g6%

Protein 13.9g28%

Calcium 132mg13%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.