• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Karissa's Vegan Kitchen logo

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Side Dishes
    • Dessert
    • Snacks
    • Soup
  • About
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
  • eBooks
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Popular Recipes
  • Search By Meals
  • Search By Ingredients
  • Search By Holidays
  • eBooks
  • Free Vegan Beginner's Guide
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Popular » Soup

    Vegan Bean and Bacon Soup

    Published Jan 27, 2021 · Updated Mar 26, 2021 · 6 Comments

    • Share
    • Tweet

    This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission. See my disclosure policy.

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    This vegan bean and bacon soup is smokey, savory, and deeply satisfying, thanks to white beans and plant-based bacon in a rich tomato sauce.

    close up on a bowl of bean and bacon soup with tomato sauce
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Substitutions & Swaps
    • Storage
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    This vegan bacon and bean soup is like an elevated plant-based chili recipe. Skip the meat but keep all the rich, smoky umami flavor you love in chili. Plus, this is a lighter, creamier soup without any dairy. With dried herbs and tomato sauce, you can build a flavor-packed plant-based soup perfect for a chilly night.

    I prefer to set aside the bacon and use it as a topping for each bowl of warm soup. Otherwise, seitan bacon can get soggy when simmered in liquid. If I have any leftover garlic croutons, I love to add them to this soup for an extra crunchy topping.

    Ingredients

    This simple soup comes together almost entirely in a stockpot on the stove. Then blend it up for a creamy texture and even more flavor. Reminder: You can find the printable, detailed recipe in the recipe card below.

    ingredients for vegan bean and bacon soup
    • Great northern beans. Creamy, mild, and soft, this variety of white beans adds a ton of plant-based protein to ensure this soup keeps you satisfied.
    • Celery, carrots, and onions. This trio of diced vegetables makes mirepoix: the classic foundation of flavor in this soup, and many French-style recipes.
    • Garlic. This soup gets a spike of savory allium flavor from minced fresh garlic.
    • Dried thyme. Thyme adds a rich, herby flavor to this soup and pairs very well with the white beans.
    • Vegetable stock. Opt for low-sodium stock so you can control the seasonings.
    • Smoked paprika. This surprising addition adds a ton of sickness to complement the vegan bacon.
    • Tomato sauce. This is the secret to building umami flavor in your chili without any meat.
    • Vegan bacon. My favorite vegan bacon is Sweet Earth's Benevolent Bacon (made from seitan) - but you can use your favorite. Lightlife's Smart Bacon is another good option. I find both at my local Kroger in the refrigerated vegan section.
    overhead of the steps to cook bean and bacon soup

    Substitutions & Swaps

    • Other beans. You can swap the white beans with black, pinto, or garbanzo beans if that's what you have on hand.
    • Spicy bean & bacon soup. If you want to turn up the heat on this soup, add a diced jalapeño or crushed red pepper flakes to the pot.

    Storage

    This is a great make-ahead recipe for meal prep. Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months.

    Defrost frozen soup in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave until hot.

    Try this vegan broccoli cheddar soup next!

    two bowls of vegan bean and bacon soup with tomato sauce

    Did you enjoy this recipe? Please leave a comment and a ⭐ star review below!

    Recipe

    Vegan Bean and Bacon Soup

    Karissa Besaw
    Smoky vegan bean and bacon soup made easy on the stovetop.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 233 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • 5 ounces vegan bacon chopped
    • ½ yellow onion chopped
    • 2 stalks celery chopped
    • 2 medium carrots chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 3 (15-ounce) cans great northern beans drained and rinsed
    • ½ cup tomato sauce
    • 4 cups vegetable stock
    • 1 teaspoon thyme
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Sauté the chopped vegan bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat until browned and crispy. Scoop out the bacon and set aside for now.
    • Add the onion, celery, carrots, and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Sauté until the onion is translucent and carrots are tender.
    • Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
    • Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer on high heat, then reduce to med-low. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
    • Scoop about half of the soup into a blender. Blend until smooth. Return to the pot. (Be careful when blending - it's hot!)
    • Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
    • Serve topped with the vegan bacon.

    Notes

    • I prefer to set aside the bacon and use it as a topping because seitan bacon gets soggy when simmered in liquid. 
    • Recipe adapted from Taste and Tell.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 233kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 6gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 2224mgPotassium: 299mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5886IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Soup

    • Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
    • Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup
    • 5-Minute Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup
    • Share
    • Tweet

    about karissa

    About Karissa

    Hey! I’m happy you’re here! My name is Karissa and I’ve been cooking up delicious vegan food since going vegan in 2016. Not vegan and just want to eat more plants? We don't judge - everyone is welcome in our kitchen. Read more...

  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • Reader Interactions

    Comments

      leave a comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Lois Tschaepe says

      February 02, 2022 at 11:57 am

      My concern is the amount of sodium in this recipe. How can you preserve the taste while lowering the sodium?

      Reply
      • Karissa says

        February 04, 2022 at 1:35 pm

        You can use salt-free stock and canned beans. If you can't find salt-free beans, you could cook up some dry beans.

        Reply
    2. JoAnne says

      March 14, 2021 at 7:48 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this for the second time! This time I sliced some Field Roast Frankfurters and cooked them a little in a pan and topped the soup with them, to make it similar to Campbell's Hot Dog Bean soup! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    3. Elke Speliopoulos says

      January 31, 2021 at 10:02 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight because it sounded utterly tempting. And it was so good! My meat-eater husband had two big bowls. Made a bake-in-the- oven bread with it. Such a perfect meal. I even made it in my Instant Pot. Put it on for 8 minutes, then quick released it. Then took half out into another pot, puréed the rest and put the half back in. He said this was a winner.
      Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Alexandra says

      January 29, 2021 at 10:43 am

      This looks good, I'm going to grab some bacon the next time I go to the supermarket and give it a try. I have some Morningstar Farms veggie bacon in the freezer, but I don't think that would work well for this. I don't know about the Benevolent brand, but I have seen the Smart Bacon brand at a couple of stores I generally frequent.

      Reply
    5. Shari says

      January 29, 2021 at 10:40 am

      This sounds delicious! I love smoky soups. Should step #4 read "Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce to med-low." It says "simmer".

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    hey there!

    Welcome to Karissa's Vegan Kitchen! I’m happy you’re here! My name is Karissa and I’ve been cooking up delicious vegan food since going vegan in 2016. Not vegan and just want to eat more plants? We don't judge - everyone is welcome in our kitchen.

    • Fluffy Vegan Pancakes
    • Easy Vegan Ranch Dressing Recipe
    • The Best Fudgy Vegan Brownies
    • Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
    • Impossible Burger Meatloaf
    • Easy 5-Minute Vegan Gravy

    Footer

    Image says "featured on..." then includes company logos of Finding Vegan, healthline, VegNews, PETA, Runner's World, LiveKindly, Prevention, Woman's Day, Shape, Buzzfeed, and MSN.

    COPYRIGHT © 2022 KARISSA'S VEGAN KITCHEN · Privacy Policy & Disclosures · Contact