Vegetable Bean Soup Recipe

This crockpot soup recipe is so easy to make, and it's full of your favorite vegetables, two different types of beans and a kick of Cajun spice. This vegetable bean soup recipe is made in the slow cooker, and it's a true 'dump and go' crockpot recipe.

All of the vegetable soups of my childhood contain Cajun spices. This is a by-product of growing up near Louisiana, no doubt. But now, as an adult, I can hardly think of making any tomato-broth based soup without adding a dash of spiciness.

Lucky for you, this crockpot vegetable bean soup recipe isn't too spicy, but it does have a nice kick. Cajun seasoning contains salt, a few types of pepper, onion and garlic powder, so it's a spice blend that carries its weight. If you love my Red Beans and Rice, you know exactly what I mean.

The other reason this vegetable bean soup recipe is cooking in my house so frequently is because it's a true 'dump and go' slow cooker recipe! There is no need to sauté onions or any other vegetables before the slow cooking starts. Just dump, stir, set and go so that you can come home to the most fragrant vegetable soup with hearty beans you've ever had!

The Ingredients

I will list the vegetables that I use the most frequently for this recipe, but feel free to use what you have. A vegetable soup is meant to change seasonally, and it should put to use anything in your fridge. Similarly, I call for kidney beans and chickpeas, but you can use your favorite types of beans in their place.

Bowls of various vegetables and beans on white table.

Onion. One large yellow or white onion, finely diced.
Carrot. Two carrots bring a subtle sweetness to the soup.
Celery. While celery might be more common to chicken noodle soup, I call for it in this vegetable bean soup recipe because of the Cajun spice. The holy trinity of Cajun cooking is onion, bell pepper and celery, so it feels right to use celery in this vegetable bean soup. If you love Cajun food, don't miss my Vegetarian Jambalaya.
Potatoes. Using red skin potatoes makes this soup so hearty! Just one pound, diced, and with the skin on.
Chickpeas. One 15-ounce can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed.
Kidney Beans. One 15-ounce can of light red or dark red kidney beans (your choice), that have been drained and rinsed.
Crushed Tomatoes. One large 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
Vegetable Broth. Three cups of your favorite store-bought or homemade vegetable broth.
Cajun Seasoning. I reach for the green can of Tony Chachere's Cajun spice blend, which is technically labeled Creole seasoning. This spice blend contains salt, which is why I don't call for salt in the recipe at all. If you use the salt-free blend, you will need to add salt.
Bay Leaf. Just one bay leaf brings a subtle flavor, but if you don't have it, it's completely fine to omit.
Baby Spinach. At the very end of the slow cooking, we will stir in one small container (5 ounces) of baby spinach.
Butter. If the addition of 2 tablespoons of butter at the end of making this vegetable bean soup seems strange to you, please don't skip it! Melting a small amount of butter into the broth makes this soup velvety and so delicious!

How to Make Crockpot Vegetable Bean Soup

I'm using a 6 quart slow cooker, but you can also make this in an 8 quart. It's the same one I use for my Crockpot Ham and Beans recipe.

Raw diced carrots, celery, beans and bay leaf in a black slow cooker.

Tomato broth vegetable bean soup in black round slow cooker.

In the bottom of your slow cooker, add the onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, both types of beans, tomatoes, broth, Cajun seasoning and the bay leaf.

Stir all of the ingredients for vegetable bean soup together very well to combine, and then place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Stirring raw baby spinach and butter into slow cooker soup recipe.

Horizontal shot of vegetable bean soup in white bowl with spoon.

At the end of 6 hours, test the potatoes and carrots to ensure they're tender. If so, add the butter and baby spinach. Place the lid back on the crockpot and cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve this vegetable bean soup hot with extra baby spinach on top, and an extra sprinkling of Cajun seasoning, if you like.

Bean and vegetable soup being scooped out of crockpot with wooden spoon.

This soup can be held on the WARM setting in the crockpot for another 2 hours. We like to serve almost all cozy crockpot recipes with sourdough bread or cornbread muffins on the side.

Don't miss my Moroccan Chickpea Stew if you like this recipe!

How to Store Leftover Vegetable Bean Soup

Since this recipe is in the slow cooker, proper cooling and storage of leftovers is critical. Food should not sit at room temperature for longer than 2 hours, so transfer the leftover food to appropriate storage containers and refrigerate immediately. The leftovers are safe to consume when reheated within 3-4 days. You can also transfer portions to freezer-safe containers and store for up to 3 months.

What are the best beans for vegetable soup?

The best beans to put in vegetable soup are chickpeas and kidney beans, in my opinion. This is because they are both hearty beans that can stand up to long cooking times without going soggy.

When do you put beans in soup?

Because we're using hearty kidney beans and chickpeas, the beans can be added early on in this crockpot recipe. If you use softer beans, it might be best to add them 20 minutes before the cooking time is over.

More Favorites from Bean Recipes