Spicy Kidney Bean Soup

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The perfect rich and tasty winter warmer, this soothing vegan kidney bean soup is the perfect comfort recipe for the colder months of the year.

spicy kidney bean soup with fresh bread.

With a mix of healthy fresh vegetables, warming spices and flavor-making ingredients that give it that extra 'wow' factor, you'll be head-over-heels in love with this hearty soup from the very first spoonful.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

When it comes to flavor, homemade soup is on a whole different level to ready made soup
The ingredients are all readily available and include a mixture of canned beans, fresh vegetables and spices
It's very easy to master, with only a few simple cooking steps
Not only is it delicious, but it's healthy too!

Equipment Needed To Make This Recipe

There are a few essential items you’ll need to make this kidney bean soup recipe:

Large saucepan – a soup-maker's best friend! You'll need to invest in a good quality saucepan to make your kidney bean soup
Blender – the secret to getting a silky smooth texture to your kidney bean soup, a good quality blender is a worthy investment
Soup bowls – a quality soup deserves to be served up in style!

How To Make Kidney Bean Soup

Gently fry the onions, garlic and carrots until softened.

Add the beans.

Pour in the stock, herbs and spices and boil until everything is fork tender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Kidney Bean Soup

Sides

A slice of buttered bread or toast is ideal to serve on the side of this bean soup. Take it to the next level and make your own bread – my cheesy garlic bread or chia seed bread recipes are both excellent and would make an excellent meal when paired with this soup.
Soup and sandwiches are a classic lunch pairing! Try my delicious steak and caramelised onion sandwich, brie sandwich with chicken or pear and balsamic onion recipes. Or, keep it simple and serve your soup with a hummus sandwich.
Add a side of parmesan crisps or keep it simple and sprinkle some gourmet croutons on top of your soup.

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Wine pairing

Shiraz is a great go-to wine when it comes to pairing with soup. Anything with an earthiness, such as a nice South African Pinotage or Pinot Noir. These help to bring out the earthiness of the beans, as well as the spices.

Variations to this recipe

Bulk up the soup and add some cooked meat towards the end of the cooking process.
This soup is very adaptable, which means you can use a variety of herbs to change the flavor profile. I've gone for oregano and chives, but you can use anything such as parsley, rosemary, mint, thyme, marjoram, basil, sage or even wild garlic!
Add a can of chopped tomatoes or tomato paste to bring a tomatoey flavor to this bean and vegetable soup.
The cayenne pepper brings some heat to this soup, but you can add more with a teaspoon of chilli powder or chilli flakes.
Want an extra flavor-maker? Add some Worcestershire sauce or a teaspoon of Dijon mustard for a little extra flavour.
Add extra richness by sprinkling in some cooked bacon.
You can add some sour cream to make this soup creamier. Make it even more decadent by adding double cream.

Popular substitutions

Replace the vegetable broth with chicken broth if you want a richer, meatier soup.
Black beans and red kidney beans can be replaced with bean types such as pinto beans, cannellini beans, navy beans or butter beans.

Top Tip

Simmer your soup gently to protect that flavor. Don't rush it! The rewards will be well worth the wait.

How do you fix a watery soup?

If you precisely follow the measurements, steps and instructions below, you should be fine and won’t need to worry about fixing a watery soup.

However, if you do find that your soup is on the thin and watery side, there are several tricks you can try, which should help to thicken up your soup.

Use cornflour – cornflour is a great thickener of soups, sauces and casseroles. To thicken your cauliflower and broccoli soup using cornflour, simply mix a tablespoon of cornflour with a tablespoon of liquid in a separate bowl, then whisk into a paste. Add the paste to the soup, while it’s on the heat, and stir continuously until thickened.

Blend in bread – using an emulsion blender to blend bread into the soup is a quick and effective way to achieve a thicker texture. Use torn pieces of bread, soaked first so that they are softened. Add them to the soup and then blend with the hand blender.

Add more cream, cheese or yoghurt – another easy way to immediately thicken soup is to add a dairy product. This soup calls for cream and cheese, so it should be naturally thick and luscious. Adding a little more cream or cheese would be a good way to thicken it even further. Be careful though – you don’t want the cheese or cream to overpower the soup.

Can this soup be made with an instant pot?

Yes! You can use your instant pot to sauté ingredients before putting the lid on and pressure cooking with the 'soup' function.

For another instant pot idea check out this tasty Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe.

Can I use dry beans for this recipe?

Yes. You'll need to soak them overnight, then simmer them for an hour before using them for this recipe.

How do I store leftovers?

Storing soup leftovers is simple. First, you'll need to wait until the soup has cooled down completely. Next, transfer the soup into a suitable airtight container.
Your kidney bean soup will stay fresh in the fridge for up to four days.

Can you freeze kidney bean soup?

Absolutely! This soup freezes really well and keeps its flavor and texture.
To freeze vegan kidney bean soup, first let it cool. You'll then need to transfer it into a freezer-safe airtight container.

If you want to freeze your soup in smaller portions, you can spoon it into freezer bags or in smaller containers.

Frozen kidney bean soup will keep for up to three months.

How do you defrost soup?

The best way to thaw soup is to leave it in the fridge overnight.
If you want to speed things up, fill a large container with water and submerge the frozen soup in the water. You'll need to change the water every hour until the soup has fully defrosted.

Can this recipe be scaled?

Yes, this kidney bean soup can be easily scaled. Double or triple the ingredients below, making sure all the ratios are the same, and make a big batch of soup.

Can I make this kidney bean soup recipe ahead of time?

Yes, you can! In fact, making soup in advance allows all the flavors to sit and mingle for a while.

This soup can be whipped up hours or days beforehand. Then, when it's ready to be served, reheat it gently on the hob.

More superb soup recipes

Once you've perfected this vegan kidney bean soup recipe, you'll no doubt want to try out some other wonderful soups? Luckily, I’ve got plenty for you to choose from!

Cauliflower and broccoli soup – a classic vegetable soup, this is one of the most popular of Greedy Gourmet's soothing soups, plus it's really easy to make.
Broccoli and stilton soup – this one packs a punch! If you're a fan of strong cheese, this is the soup recipe for you!
Marrow soup – a showcase for the deliciousness of this underrated vegetable.
Wild garlic soup – an incredible soup that's so simple to make, this wild garlic soup is absolutely unmissable for garlic fans. With such a wonderful depth of flavor, this is one soup you won't forget in a hurry.
Leek and onion soup – there's something so satisfying about this simple classic soup. Rich subtly sweet flavors, low cost ingredients and a velvety texture... serve it with a cheese toasty and take the rest of the day off!
Pumpkin and sweet potato soup – a delicious vegan soup with wonderful flavors and a luscious silky texture.

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