Butter Bean Soup with Lemon and Kale

Butter bean soup with lemon and kale is wonderfully nourishing and packed with flavour. Serve this garlicky bean soup with some crusty bread for a delicious lunch that's also super nutritious.

A perfect option for lunch or even a light dinner, this butter bean soup with lemon and kale is ready in just 30 minutes and goes down a treat with a chunk of fresh crusty bread.

Butter beans are typically not the first option for soups, with smaller white beans such as cannellini being much more popular. If you haven't tried butter beans in soup yet, give them a chance. They have a meatier texture and will give the soup a naturally creamy texture without having to use a blender.

What I love about this vegan bean soup is how easy it is to make. You only need a handful of ingredients and you can have a bowl of steaming, comforting soup on the table in half an hour.

What do you need to make vegan butter bean soup?

I use canned butter beans for convenience and because they have the perfect texture for this soup. You can use dry butter beans if you want, but you need to pre-soak them overnight and then boil them for 30-40 minutes before using them in the soup.

The mix of garlic, rosemary, and lemon is a fabulous trio of flavour that infuses the soup with an irresistible aroma. If you're feeling like giving the soup a bit of a kick, double or triple the quantity of red chilli flakes.

I add shredded kale at the end, but you can substitute it with any other kind of greens, such as spinach or collard greens. If you choose spinach, you only need to cook it for just one or two minutes, as it wilts much quicker than kale.

How do you make it?

This is a one-pot recipe, and you'll need a heavy-bottomed pot to make it. A Dutch oven works great here because the thick base does a great job at retaining heat, which is perfect for simmering soup.

To make vegan butter bean soup, start by sauteeing onion and celery in a bit of olive oil. Be patient and allow the veggies to soften until they become translucent before proceeding with the recipe, as this is how you lock in the flavours.

Next, bloom the flavours of garlic and rosemary before adding the butter beans and veggie stock.

Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to low, then simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and kale, then cover the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes until the kale has wilted. Season to taste and serve with crusty bread.

Recipe notes and tips

• You can add a dash of white wine to add an extra dimension of flavour to this soup. Add the wine after sauteeing the onion and celery and cook for a minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate before proceeding with the recipe.
• Make this soup extra creamy by blending the contents of one of the butter beans cans in a blender before adding it to the pot. Alternatively, you can take out ¼ of the soup once it's ready, blend it, and return it to the pot.
• This easy vegan butter bean soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.

If you liked this butter bean soup with lemon and kale, have a look at some of my other easy vegan soup recipes:

Vegan Minestrone alla Milanese

Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup

Pearl Barley Soup with Leek and Potatoes

Vegan Tuscan Chickpea Soup

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