Dive into a warming butter bean soup infused with umami-rich miso and zesty lemon. This simple bowl comes together in around 35-minutes and is perfect for chilly nights. Serve it with crusty spelt bread for a wonderfully satisfying dinner.
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Why You This Soup Works
Reader Review. "Absolutely delicious. Such a nice soup with great balanced flavor 10/10." (Adriana) ★★★★★
Inspired by Alison Roman's Dilly Bean Stew (which if you haven't tried, you seriously should), this butter bean soup uses flavours close to my old heart; miso and lemon. Together they create a full-bodied, comforting bowl that is both rich and zesty.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Butter beans. No surprises here. You can use dried butter beans (you'll need to cook them first - see the recipe card notes for instructions) or canned. I like the larger size and surface area of butter beans but you can use any white bean really.
Garlic. Because it's delicious.
Miso paste. White miso works best for this soup. You can go for a heavier red variety but I like the subtleness of the white and it isn't too salty. The miso isn't strong here, it just adds depth to the soup.
Bay leaf. This soup is really simple so we are using a bay leaf and garlic to create a more complex flavour.
Lemon. Just the juice here.
Wombok cabbage / Napa cabbage. Wombok (Napa) cooks really quickly and adds a good amount of body to the soup. Besides it is a good source of fibre. You can use other cabbage varieties, you'll just need to cook them longer. Kale will work too - again you'll need to adjust your cook time.
Step-by-Step Guide
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1.
Begin by heating vegan butter and olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft and beginning to colour. If the onions are cooking too quickly in sections, turn the heat down and cook for longer.
Step 2.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute before stirring in the miso
Step 3.
Go ahead and add the beans and, using a large spoon or spatula, smash some of them into the pot. Breaking them will release their starchy centre and this will help thicken the soup. When I say I “some" - squash a little over a third of the beans - we are looking for whole, tender beans doing backstroke in a creamy broth.
Step 4.
Now add the stock and bay leaf and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Continue to simmer - stirring every once in a while - until the texture thickens to your liking, 15–20 minutes or so.
Step 4. Add the Wombok/Napa cabbage and lemon juice and stir until the cabbage wilts. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes or until all the flavours have infused and are working tother. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley to serve.
FAQs
You can use any white bean but I like butter beans because they hold their shape and provide texture.
Yes indeedy. If you are using dried beans (you'll need around 350g) soak them in plenty of cold water with a teaspoon of baking soda overnight. Drain the beans and put them in a saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to a steady boil (don’t salt the water as this makes the beans tough), skimming off sediment as it rises to the surface. Cover and cook for 45mins - 1½ hrs until tender, then drain. The time will depend on how old your dried bean are. No judgment - I have jars of dried beans in my pantry that might be older than my daughter.
Love Your Soup? I Got You.
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Make This Recipe
Comforting Butter Bean Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 large onion halved and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1½ tablespoon white miso paste
- 720 g butter beans cooked (3 x 400g (14oz) cans, drained)
- 4 cups / 1L vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- juice of a lemon more to taste
- 3 cups Wombok cabbage Napa cabbage, core removed and the leaves roughly chopped
- salt to taste
- cracked pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat the vegan butter and olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft and beginning to colour. If the onions are cooking too quickly around the edges, turn the heat down and cook for longer. No worries.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Now add the miso paste and give it a quick stir.
- Add the beans and, using a large spoon or spatula, smash some of the beans into the pot. Breaking them will release their starchy centre and this will thicken When I say I “some" - squash a little over a third of the beans - we want whole, tender beans doing backstroke in a creamy broth.
- Go ahead and add the stock and bay leaf and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Continue to simmer - stirring every once in a while - until the texture thickens to your liking, 15–20 minutes or so.
- Add the cabbage and lemon juice and stir until the cabbage wilts. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes or until all the flavours have infused and are working together. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley to serve.
Lexi says
Good morning
I am going to make this for dinner tonight - was wondering do you think kale could work instead of cabbage as I have a lot of leftover kale that I need to use? I’ll let you know how I go.
Lexi X
Amanda says
Hi Lexi,
Full disclosure, I have only ever used cabbage in this recipe but you could, in theory, swap it out for kale. Kale is a lot chewier than cabbage, however, and it doesn't cook down as much, so maybe pop in a cup or two of finely sliced kale and let it cook down until it's tender enough to eat with the buttery beans. It will have more bite but I think it will be equally delicious.
I'd love to hear how it goes! Take care, Lexi x
Shannon says
What a warming, cozy soup for fall! I pretty much followed the exact recipe (which was so simple), except that I subbed navies in place of butter beans, and it came out well-balanced and satisfying. Serious yum.
Amanda says
Oh, thanks Shannon. That's fantastic to hear. I am so glad you enjoyed it. x
Sophie says
I made this for dinner last night for myself and my mum and we absolutely loved it! It was the perfect meal on a rainy evening in Sydney. Will definitely be making it again!
Amanda says
Hello from Melbourne! Usually it's us with the rainy weather. Thanks so much for commenting, Sophie, I appreciate it. I am thrilled you and your Mum enjoyed the soup. It's such a simple bowl, but so flavourful. One of my favourites. 🙂
Anders Lindstrom says
I had a feeling this would be a good one when I read the recipe. It didn’t disappoint! It’s simple, delicious and so satisfying. I will definitely be making this again. 10/10 from me too.
Amanda says
You've made my day, Anders. Thank you. I am so glad you enjoyed the soup. Butter beans are the best - I made a Middle Eastern inspired butter bean stew today that I am excited to share. They are so lovely. Thanks again. A.
Steph says
Absolutely delicious, but I realized I never added the miso as it isn't in the instructions to add it.
Amanda says
Oh Steph! I am so glad you liked the soup even without the miso. It is in the instructions to add it in Step 2 - "Add the garlic and cook for another minute before stirring in the miso paste." However, I will re-write it and add it as an additional step to make it clearer - I am always happy to improve how I communicate the recipes. So, thank you! Have a great day and thanks for taking the time to write 🙂
Amanda says
Note - I've added the miso as an extra step. x
Adriana says
Absolutely delicious. Such a nice soup with great balanced flavor 10/10
Amanda says
I am so happy you liked it, Adriana! I love this soup too - it's simple but tasty. Thank you for leaving your feedback, I appreciate it.