The Best Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup

This Instant Pot Navy Bean Soup recipe is a wonderful comfort food. Use your Instant Pot to make the soup instead of letting it simmer all day. Because there are extra vegetables in every bite of this hearty soup recipe, families will love it! It's a simple, satisfying weekday meal, packed with the fiber found in the beans.

Looking for more easy instant pot recipes? Check out my Instant Pot Fried Rice, Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup, or this beautiful Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Making meals in one pot is ideal if you're like me. This translates to simpler cooking instructions, less cleanup, and the ability to quickly put together a meal.

This Instant Pot soup recipe is delicious, nutritious, and good for you. Bowl after bowl will be fun for both kids and adults!

Why you'll love this recipe

Despite the simplicity of the preparation, this soup tastes like it was cooked on the stove for hours. It's up to you whether you disclose that secret or keep it to yourself!

• The beans require no additional preparation before being cooked in the Instant Pot. Utilize dry beans and let the Instant Pot handle everything.
• It's an excellent approach to preparing a filling supper for a large group of people.
• Perfect for meal prep: Make a large pot and savor the plenty for the entire week. The best thing about most hearty soups is that they taste even better the next day.
• Budget-friendly: A bag of dry beans is a pantry essential since they are so inexpensive, long-lasting, compact, and versatile.

Ingredients to make the Instant Pot Navy Soup

This is an overview of the ingredients needed to make this instant pot navy soup. For the full list and detailed instructions, be sure to check the recipe card down below!

• Navy Beans.
• Onion - I prefer to use sweet onions for this soup.
• Garlic - Minced garlic is preferred, but garlic powder also works well.
• Carrots - Carrots should be cleaned, peeled, and diced.
• Olive oil - Used for sautéing the vegetables.
• Salt - Salt and black pepper, to taste.
• Celery - Chopped celery should be added.
• Chicken Broth - Used as the soup base; substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
• Chili powder - Adds warmth and depth to the soup.
• Smoked paprika.
• Cumin.

Navy Bean Soup Spice Mix

This is the spice mix I often use in my soups, and it is also a perfect one in the Navy bean soup.

• The subtle spiciness of cumin doesn't overpower it. It provides that tiny bit of something.
• There is a very mild kick from the chili powder. While it's not overly hot, you can omit it if you're serving it to children or anyone with sensitive stomachs. If you want a stronger spicy flavor, you can also add extra.
• If you're considering adding salt, do it just toward the conclusion of the cooking process and taste it thoroughly first.
• Smoked paprika.
• The garlic powder is a must in any soup, in my opinion.
• Fresh ground black pepper.

How to make Instant pot navy bean soup

Make sure you have all the ingredients on your list before you begin. Making the recipe goes more smoothly when everything is prepared and ready.

1. First, turn on the Instant Pot's sauté function and add the olive oil.
2. Second step: Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Step 3: Add the chopped celery and carrots and continue to sauté for an additional two minutes, then stir in the cumin, smoked paprika and chili powder.
4. Then add the chicken broth and water and mix, scraping the bottom of the pot clean.
5. Add the navy beans.
6. Add salt and pepper, and check that the beans are fully covered with liquid.
7. Cover the Instant Pot and cook for 45 minutes at high pressure.
8. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release the rest.
9. Open the lid, mash some of the beans for a creamier soup if you like, then serve and enjoy.
10. Blend for creaminess. Use an immersion blender to pulse the mixture three or four times to break up some of the beans if you want a creamier (less brothy) texture. You want lots of whole beans, and a few pulses will provide a wonderful and creamy outcome.
11. Add greens at the end (optional). Take off the lid, add three to four handfuls of chopped kale, toss to mix, and cook until the kale is just beginning to wilt. Season as needed.

Store and Freeze

• Pour the completely cooled soup into freezer-safe plastic storage bags using a ladle. Seal after removing as much air as necessary. You may either split it up into multiple quart-sized bags for individual servings or put it all in one gallon-sized bag.
• Frozen solid, the bags should be laid flat in your freezer. In the extremely unlikely event that a bag might rupture or leak during freezing, I suggest placing them on a baking sheet with a rim for this duty.
• They can be stacked and stored in your freezer once they have frozen firm. Make sure to date-stamp the bags. For the best quality, I advise using the soup within 3 months of freezing.
• Refrigerator storage: This navy bean soup may be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days in an airtight container, and it usually tastes even better the next day.
• Leave room to expand: When freezing, be sure to leave a small amount of space (about ½ inch) in your freezer-safe containers so that the soup can expand.

Reheating

Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. Just a little water can be added to the soup to achieve the proper consistency as it thickens while it sits.

• Reheating from frozen: Reheat on the stovetop after defrosting overnight in the refrigerator. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer before serving.

Tips and Variations

• Bloomin' Good: When dried herbs are added to sautéed veggies, their tastes are more effectively infused into the soup than when they are added to the broth.
• Tomato Base: To add acidity and sweetness to a plain chicken broth base, mix in a small tin of canned tomatoes.
• Vegetarian swap: To prepare vegetarian navy bean soup, replace the chicken stock with vegetable broth and add one teaspoon of liquid smoke and one or two teaspoons of soy sauce to simulate a smoky, savory depth of flavor.
• Different beans: Any type of dried white bean, including cannellini or Great Northern beans, can be used in this soup.
• Taste before serving: After the soup is cooked, taste it to see if it needs more salt. Your finished dish will be better if you make sure to taste before serving.

What to Serve With Navy Bean Soup

• Crusty bread: This substantial soup always goes well with a chunk of crusty bread, such as a sourdough ciabatta dinner roll covered with butter.
• Simple salad: Here, a basic side salad works well, especially a Greek green salad.
• Roasted vegetables: Want a side dish of heated vegetables? To complete the dish, try roasted cherry tomatoes or broccolini.
• Toast or crostini: For a simple and tasty side dish, try air fryer toast or a garlicky crostini.

FAQs

More Instant Pot Recipes:

• Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
• Instant Pot Chicken Tenders
• Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
• Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Red Lentil Soup
• Easy Hash Brown Potato Soup (With Frozen Hash Browns)