Hearty Smoky Vegan White Bean Stew with potatoes and poblano peppers! Plant-based, packed with flavor, high protein! and low-fat!
VEGAN WHITE BEAN STEW
Holy moly is this a delicious vegan soup recipe. I love spice, I love potatoes (you know this by now) and I love a smoky flavor in soups/stews. I also love easy, simple ingredient recipes. This one is basically just adding ingredients to a pot and roasting 2 veggies.
This vegan white bean stew is high protein, low-fat and packed with flavor! It uses simple basic ingredients, nothing fancy or strange. I love simple soups that are also comforting, like this 8 ingredient lentil soup and this creamy vegan lentil soup.
The base is made from white beans and yukon gold potatoes for lots of thick, creaminess and flavor that naturally comes from the gold potatoes. They are simply flavored with some onion, a good dose of garlic and some smoked paprika. To further the flavor and smoky element, some roasted and broiled potatoes and poblano peppers are added on top of of the stew. I then threw on some red pepper flakes for an extra dose of heat and smokiness….to say this was delicious would be an understatement!
It is hard to believe this bean potato stew is vegan, gluten-free and oil-free and just 8 ingredients.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Full recipe and details on recipe card below.
- Dry uncooked white beans
- Low-sodium vegetable broth
- Yellow or white onion
- Garlic
- Chipotle chile pepper
- Yukon gold potatoes
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce: You can find vegan worcestershire sauce at Sprouts, Whole foods and on Amazon. I buy the Annie’s brand.
- Smoked paprika
- Poblano peppers
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN WHITE BEAN STEW
Step 1: Soak the beans overnight in a large pot of water.
Step 2: Add the vegetable broth, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to a large bowl. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to low and simmer, covered and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 3: After the 90 minutes is up, add just 6 of the chopped potatoes to the pot with the worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika. Stir and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
Step 4: While the potatoes are cooking, roast the reserved potatoes and poblano peppers.
Step 5: Once the soup is done, puree part of the soup with an immersion blender. Garnish with roasted poblano peppers.
IS THIS STEW SPICY?
Poblano peppers themselves are rather mild in heat. It will depend on them though. Sometimes they hardly have any heat and sometimes they can have quite the kick. They have more of a smoky flavor than bell peppers. However, since these are just as a topping, they really do add such an amazing smoky flavor and texture to the stew that is just incredible.
Additionally, the seeds are the most spicy part, so make sure to toss those out when roasting the poblano peppers. They really do complete this vegan stew, so don’t leave them off!
MORE VEGAN SOUPS AND STEWS TO TRY
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
- Low-fat Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup
- Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Lazy Red Lentil Curry Soup
- Sweet Potato & White Bean Curry Soup
- Lazy Day Tomato Bisque
- Easy Vegan Ramen Noodle Soup
- Tomato Rice Vegetable Soup
Vegan White Bean Stew (High Protein)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (388g) dry white beans, soaked overnight
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 heaping cup (160g) finely diced onion
- 4 large cloves of garlic, minced (heaping tbsp)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper (optional, but gives a nice smoky heat element, or you could sub with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper)
- 9 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces, separated (1330g) weigh for accuracy)
- 2 tablespoons vegan worcestershire sauce (I use the Annie's brand)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 poblano peppers, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
- Garnish: red pepper flakes if desired
NOTE
- This recipe uses dry white beans, not canned, which is how the thick stew and flavors are reached by slow cooking, so don't use canned beans! You will not end up with the same result. I promise the slower way is worth it! Please note that the ingredients are added at different times.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- First you will need to rinse and soak your beans overnight. Just add them to a large pot and cover with water by a few inches and cover. In the morning, rinse off the beans and add them back to the pot.
- Add the vegetable broth, onion, garlic, salt and pepper (if using). Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop all of your potatoes. Make sure to reserve 3 of the potatoes for broiling.
- After the 90 minutes is up, add just 6 of the chopped potatoes to the pot with the worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika. Stir and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- While the potatoes are cooking, you will want to roast your remaining 3 potatoes and sliced poblano peppers. Make sure to toss the seeds out when slicing the poblano peppers or they will be really hot! The peppers themselves are relatively mild in heat. Preheat an oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add only the potatoes to the pan and salt and pepper generously. Roast them for 10 minutes and then add the poblano peppers (season as well) to the pan and cook them both for 10 more minutes. They should be tender by then. Turn on the broil just for a couple of minutes, watching closely, just until they turn golden brown.
- Your stew should be ready by now. Take an immersion blender and puree part of the soup into a thick stew texture. I only did about half I guess. Basically you want the broth gone and the stew part creamy and part chunky, with lots of beans and potatoes still in tact. Just do it to your desired preference. If it is too thick, add just a little more broth. Taste and add any more spices, salt, etc. if needed. Add to serving bowls and top with the broiled potatoes and poblano peppers. I then topped mine with red pepper flakes. YUM.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ooh, this is right up Mark’s alley. A spicy stew with white beans and potatoes? Those are all of his favorite things; this was pretty much made for him, ha ha! It looks delicious. 🙂
Awesome Meredith! Thanks girl! We loved it!
So, the first time I made this I didn’t read far enough ahead in the recipe to know I needed 90 minutes! That being said the soup/stew ended once that part was over. Not knowing what the finished product should taste like I loved this. It tasted like ham & bean soup without the ham of course! The second time I obviously allowed for enough time to complete the entire recipe and it was even better! So, now if I need the shortcut I can have it either way and know it’s amazing!
Wonderful Kelly! So very happy to hear you loved it so much!
How many servings is this? I am going to make it for dinner. Looks amazing!
Hi Loretta, it serves 4!
Yes. Please. LOVE spice and even in pregnancy can tolerate it well. And I love poblanos and white beans so I’m sure this is delish!! Will definitely put this on my winter list. Spice me up!!
Thanks Sophia! I agree….love, love spice and cannot get enough of it! This isn’t a spicy dish, just smoky, but can definitely BE spicy depending on how much chipotle chile pepper and red pepper flakes you add, haha! In my case, I added a good amount!
A GOOD amount would be my choice as well! Lol!! BTW, is there a way to get emails when you respond to our comments? I can’t figure out if there is and I keep missing your replies.
Oh gosh, I don’t know! I see the box below for signing up for recipes and I thought there was one to click on being notified for comments, it isn’t there? I’ll look into it! I have to check back for yours as well!
Oh wow, yes. From the potatoes [you even used white – yay! I don’t like sweet ones] over the beans to the smoked paprika [one of my favourite and most used spices] this stew is totally my kind of dish. It looks so good and comforting.
Thank you so much!! I’m a potato fanatic! Thank you for your comment 🙂
Now, you know I adore all of your sweet treats…but I think I like your savory recipes even more. This looks…well, my stomach is growling so that tells you something!
Aww thanks Annie!
Yum! I love beans – lately I have bee craving them and eating them with everything. this recipe looks perfect and who doesn’t love roast potatoes. This is a winner!
Thank you Cindy! I could eat just beans and potatoes everyday and be more than content…there is just so much you can do with them!!
What a perfect cold weather meal, warming from the inside out. So hearty and delicious. Love the peppers with it, love white beans.
Thank you Suzanne! Super hearty and delicious, we really enjoyed it.
Yes, yes I am loving you. I am loving all these potatoes. I find myself craving taters allllll the time right now.
Me too, me too woman! Can’t get enough of potatoes!
Just made this and eating it with my family as I type. DELICIOUS!! I boiled the beans for an hour to compensate for the overnight soak and prepared it in the pressure cooker. 2 hours total from start to finish. Entire family says it’s a keeper! Thank you!
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Alison! I truly appreciate it, so glad the entire family enjoyed it!
I AM loving you for all these delicious low fat, high protein vegan recipes! And this stew looks like the ULTIMATE yummy, healthy comfort food, Brandi! Absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make this soon! Pinned 🙂
Thank you so much Ceara! It definitely is one of my favorite meals now…it was soooo good and filling!
Have you tried freezing this dish? I work two jobs so most of my meals are made in advance and frozen for a quick dinner. It looks amazing and I cannot wait to try it!
Hi Tomie! No, I haven’t tried freezing it yet, I just wrote the recipe, so we scarfed it all down too quickly, haha! I’m not sure. I actually never freeze meals, but please let me know when you try it and if you freeze it, how it turns out. Thank you!
I would say though that it will thicken up a lot overnight in the fridge but should last a few days, you may need to add some more broth or more spice to compensate for the added broth if you let it sit in the fridge for a few days.
Sounds like a winner! 3 of my favorite ingredients and then of course, the Worcestershire. I might add one tiny drop of liquid smoke and see if it’s too overpowering. A bowl of that would sure warm me up this winter, yum!!
Thank you Angela! Liquid smoke I bet would make even more smokier, yum! I would definitely start out small though, because I have found that stuff overpowers really quickly!
Oh for sure. Maybe 1 drop even. It’s some strong stuff 😉
Oh man! I’m definitely trying this recipe out. This looks SO DELICIOUS.
Please let me know when you do Ashlee, thank you so much! It was truly delicious!
My mouth started watering just looking at your pictures, what a perfect winter dish!
Thank you so much for the compliment Mary, so glad you loved the photos! It really is so perfect for this time of year, but I know I will be making it year round, we loved it SO much!
Wow, this stew looks like the perfect “comfort food,” “stick to your ribs” kind of meal. Perfect for this time of year. I love the beans and potatoes and the addition of poblano peppers!
Thanks so much Melanie!
ooh i love the broiled poblanos on the stew! gorgeous clicks Brandi!
Thanks so much Richa for the compliment on my photos…means a lot coming from you! xo
We had this for dinner last night, it was super tasty! One tip I might add is if you are going to prep the potatoes ahead of when you need them, put them in a bowl of cold water to keep them from getting brown and overly sticky. I can’t wait to try variations of this soup, maybe adding corn or red bell pepper next time!
Wonderful Michelle! I am so glad to hear that, thank you! Thanks for the tip too!
We had this again for dinner last night, this time we added a little frozen sweet corn, it was sooo good! It tasted almost like a corn chowder, we just can’t get enough of this stew! So yummy!
I am so glad to hear that Michelle! Thank you so much for letting me know and the corn sounds delicious!! I love corn!
Brandi, this was DELICIOUS! I loooove white beans and make a big pot of them frequently but never paired them with yukon gold potatoes much less smoked paprika and worcesteshire sauce! The flavor was so good, I was literally licking out my bowl at the dinner table! Mine got a little dry (probably because I cooked it too fast because I was so excited to eat it!) so I had to add a bit more broth. Also I was a little too enthusiastic in my blending at the end and my beans and potatoes were in a bit smaller chunks than your beautiful pictures BUT I don’t even care because I loved this dish! The extra potatoes on top were great and the broiled poblano pepper strips added such a sweet subtle flavor. You knocked this one out of the park!
Thank you sooo much for the amazing feedback Diana! I’m so super thrilled you loved it so much!! It’s probably one of my favorite soups of all time!
I made it & we loved it! It was filling, easy, delicious, inexpensive & reminded me of the bean & bacon soup that we used to eat. It’s going in the “rotation”!
That’s such a huge compliment, thank you so much Tiffany for making it and letting me know! So happy you all loved it!
This was hearty, filling, warm and oh so good. Thanks!!
So awesome to hear Stephanie! I’m so glad you loved it and thank you for making it! 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight. It was incredibly delicious! When I was a kid Campbell’s bean with bacon soup was my favorite. The flavor profile of this stew reminded me so much of that soup…only this stew tasted 100 times better and was vegan to boot! 🙂 I made the recipe exactly as it was written and highly recommend it. I suppose you could leave off the poblanos and roasted potatoes, but I wouldn’t! At least try the poblanos. Seriously, dinner was a couple of hours ago and I’m not hungry at all but I keep thinking about this stew and wanting more! This one’s a keeper! Thanks, Brandi!
Oh I used to love that soup too!! Mainly because of the wonderful smoky flavor it had. I’m so honored you made this and loved it 100 times more! Thank you so much for taking the time to make it and leave feedback, I really appreciate it! SO glad you loved it!
Made this again tonight for company and everyone loved it!
Wonderful Angie, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
I just got on to leave you a comment about how much this soup reminds me of one of my favorites as a child-Campbell’s bean with bacon-when I saw Angie’s post. Too funny! You really did nail the wonderful smoky bean flavor. I couldn’t wait to make this soup and tried to convince my daughter she would love it too. She kept saying she didn’t think she would try it, but the day after I made it, it was GONE! ? I think this is now her second-best favorite right after your cocoa chili.
Heading downstairs to make your vanilla cake. THANK YOU for giving us such delicious, healthy, and easy recipes, Brandi!
Wow, Colleen, what wonderful feedback! I’m so happy reading this! That is so wonderful your daughter loved it too. So often, people think vegan somehow means boring or bland (sometimes it does) but it’s just food and no need to fear it 🙂 Thank you for such a lovely comment and letting me know, I love to hear it!
Oh and yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the cake!! Please leave feedback on that post too…hope it’s a hit as well with your daughter! 🙂
Omg, yes! Wow, this is so amazing! I made this today, and I absolutely LOVE it! The flavors are incredible. I love that you keep it simple. This is going to be a regular occurrence for me. Perfect! I’m so thankful for you and your recipes! 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Jessica! Thank you so much for such wonderful feedback! This is one of my favorite soups ever, so I’m so happy you loved it too! xx
This stew is super-delicious! I didn’t blend it at the end like the recipe says so. You def need to give it a try. I even had it for breakfast =) My parents who are meateaters couldn’t stop eating it. Thanks for the nice recipe Brandi. Btw: I will make it again today =)
Wow, such awesome feedback! So happy your parents love it! Mine aren’t vegan either and they absolutely loved this, thank you so much!
Love this recipe! I’m making it again tomorrow. Last time I made it we had unexpected company for dinner and I was kind of embarrassed to serve such a simple meal but it was a big hit! The flavors are so complex and yet there is a wonderful homey feel to it. Thanks once again Brandi, I have never made any of your recipes that have not been huge successes! You make me look like a real chef ?
Awww Beverley, what a sweet wonderful comment, thank you so much! That is so nice of you to say and I’m so happy to hear all the recipes have been successes, that makes me thrilled! Thank you so much for making so many and leaving feedback, it is SO appreciated! So glad you love this recipe too!
That was the best soup I have ever ever made. Ever. My husband just caught me licking the ladle while I was doing the dishes! The smartest thing I did today was make 2X the amount. I added some ume plum vinegar at the end, for some umami flavor. And, because I’m lazy, I didn’t peel the potatoes that went into the oven for topping, and I may try not peeling the entire batch of potatoes next time (unless you tell me otherwise!). Also, for science, I put a serving amount in the freezer– I’ll let you know how it freezes. Brandi– I’m new to your recipes, and I gotta tell you– from now on, if you say something is the best and I have to make it, I will be running to the kitchen to do as you say.
Wow, now this feedback just made me shout for joy!! That is so amazing to hear!! I’m just beyond happy that this is the best soup you have EVER made, yay!! Thank you very much for making it and leaving such wonderful feedback!
Can it be easily done in a crockpot? Or will potatoes get soggy/over cooked? Thanks!
Hi Annemarie! I have no idea. I have never tried it so I can only suggest the stovetop method. I have not used a crockpot in years either, so I’m afraid I don’t have suggestions on making it work the same. So sorry!
Yea, this is DA bomb. It has that super smoky taste of years past. Sooo good! A must try this fall if you have not. Both boys enjoyed it so much.
I’m so thrilled to hear that Estee, thank you for the review!
Brandi, I stumbled across your website a couple of weeks ago and I just cannot stay away. What a nice concept you have – 8 ingredients or less for such delicious looking meals that are also easy to prepare.
One thing that I really like about your recipes is that they have “body”. I don’t know how to explain that except to say that they’re healthy, but made with love. Maybe that’s what “body” is – love. Dishes that look so good can only be made with love. I’m pretty much doing the McDougall Plan so I also appreciate that they are made without oil, dairy, no meat.
So when I stopped by your site and saw the images of the Dark Chocolate Chipotle Sweet Potato Fudge recipe, I lost my breath for a moment. Those fudge squares look so good I started swooning. I will be making those along with several of your recipes this month as a start.
I am just getting started on my plant-based journey so I had to be sent here by the true and living God who knows that this website will be a great help to me.
I really appreciate you and I will spread the word.
Well so long and looking forward to more of your creative efforts. You are appreciated.
Oh – would you happen to have recipes for zucchini bread and bread pudding ?
Smile
Thank you so much for this website.
Hi Linda! Welcome to my site and thank YOU for such a wonderful and kind comment you left. You are so sweet. I definitely put love into every single recipe and take such pride in them, so thank you so much for noticing and saying such a beautiful thing. Enjoy the fudge, it is SO GOOD! Be sure to come back to that post or any other recipes you try and let me know! I’m sorry I actually don’t have a zucchini bread or bread pudding, so sorry! I’ve never liked bread pudding unfortunately but I have been planning to do a zucchini bread actually recently, so I will mark down your request. Stay tuned! 🙂
My husband and I made this, today. Fabulous flavors and textures!
Wonderful Siri, so happy to hear that!
Yum! Made this for Easter dinner. It was a hit. My 5 year old had thirds. Love that it’s oil-free.
My recommendation is to figure out an Instant Pot version to speed up the whole process. Keep up the good work. I’m loving your recipes. Especially using my kitchen scale.
So wonderful to hear that Delnora!! I actually do not own an instant pot, so I don’t have advice on that. I do, however, have this same recipe in my cookbook that is much faster using canned beans and slightly different for using the canned!
This stew is SOOOO good. I added half the amount of liquid smoke and it was perfect. Wow!
Yay, really glad to hear how much you enjoyed it Cary! Thank you!
I wonder if there’s a way to make this in an instant pot?
I’ve not tried it, so I’m not sure!
This was so tasty and filling. I love the smoky creamy combo. I used cranberry beans, because that’s what I had and added a drizzle if lemon with the other toppings. I also did the first step (cooking beans and onions in broth) in my pressure cooker, which cut the 90 minutes to about 45/50.
I love hearing this Squirrel, so glad you loved this recipe!