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Bacon and Bean Soup is thick, rich, and smoky, and perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner. It’s easy to make, full of flavor, and always a crowd pleaser!

soup pot with bacon and bean soup

Folks, you need this creamy bacon and bean soup in your life – this bean soup recipe is pure comfort food! And if you want some more, be sure to check out our other favorite soups, like Tortellini Soup, White Bean Sausage and Kale Soup, and Homemade Chicken Soup.

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Why We Love Bacon and Bean Soup

  • Bacon. It’s got a ton of bacon in it, and the bacon adds a rich smoky flavor.
  • It’s so easy to make. There are simple, everyday ingredients, and it’s ready in about an hour.
  • Freezer friendly – Because it’s non-dairy, it freezes beautifully.
bowl of bean soup with a sppoon

Ingredients Needed for Bacon and Bean Soup

  • Bacon – About 10-12 ounces. Cook over high heat in a skillet until crispy, then drain on paper towels before dicing into small pieces.
  • Vegetables – Yellow onion, celery, carrots, garlic cloves.
  • Beans – 2 cans of Great Northern white beans, drained well.
  • Chicken broth or chicken stock
  • Bay leaf
  • Tomato sauce – a small can of tomato sauce that can be substituted with a tablespoon of tomato paste.
ingredients for bacon and bean soup

How to Make Bacon and Bean Soup

I love how easy and cozy this soup is. It doesn’t take a ton of effort and the flavor results are magical!

I made this recipe using canned beans. If that’s not your thing, grab some dried great Northern beans and cover them with water to soak overnight. Drain the dry beans and then add them to the soup per the recipe. I’m a convenience girl sometimes and the canned beans cut out some serious prep time.

  1. Start by cooking your bacon until it’s crispy. Here’s a great pro tip for you – when a recipe calls for crumbled bacon, just use kitchen shears to cut the raw bacon right into the hot skillet. No need to cut or crumble after it’s cooked!
  2. Save a little bit of the bacon grease and add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, sauteing until soft.
  3. Add 2 cans of drained great northern beans, chicken broth, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the soup and let it simmer away. Chicken stock works too.
  4. Simmer the bean soup for about an hour so the beans and veggies get nice and soft.
  5. Remove the bay leaf and use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to blend the soup and make it nice and thick. Add some tomato sauce for a little acidic note, then stir in the cooked bacon. Be sure to save some bacon to garnish your servings!
collage of images showing how to make bacon and bean soup

FAQs

How do you thicken bean soup?

There’s also the matter of how much broth to use. I generally like my bean soups on the thick side, that being said I opted to use 3 cups of broth for this recipe. The soup came out runnier than I normally like, but everything was still delicious! If you like your soup thick too, add 2 cups of broth and proceed as directed.

What goes with bean soup?

This soup is seriously smoky and salty so you’ll want to add some mild, lighter sides. I usually serve bean soup with a copycat Olive Garden Salad, Wedge Salad, or a Caesar Salad and some crusty bread for dipping. Or if you’re my husband you’ll just add a big handful of crackers.

ladle pouring out soup

Variations

  • Add a splash of Liquid Smoke for an even smokier taste.
  • I always top each bowl of soup with some crumbled bacon, but top with fresh parsley for added color.
  • If you don’t have Great Northern beans, you can swap in some Cannellini beans. I always seem to have those on hand and they are interchangeable in your soup.

Storage and Reheating

  1. Refrigerator: Your bean soup will last about 4-5 days in the fridge if stored properly in an airtight container.
  2. Freezer: Let your soup cool, then pour it into a freezer bag or container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and heat on the stovetop.
3 bowls with bean soup and spoons

More Soup Recipes to Try:

Recipe

Bacon & Bean Soup

4.85 from 33 votes
Bacon and Bean Soup is thick, rich and smoky and perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner. It's easy to make, full of flavor and everyone loves it!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 45 ounces canned Great Northern beans drained
  • 32 ounces chicken broth more or less to thin or thicken
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
  • Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to the bacon grease. Cook for 5 minutes until soft.
  • Add the beans and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add the bay leaf.
  • Increase heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove the bay leaf from the soup, Transfer the soup to a blender, food processor, or grab your immersion blender. Carefully pulse the soup until your desired consistency is reached. (I like the beans broken down, but not completely smooth.)
  • Return the soup to the pot (unless you used your immersion blender) and add the tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add ½ of the bacon back into the soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Portion soup into serving bowls and garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Refrigerator: Your bean soup will last about 4-5 days in the fridge if stored properly in an airtight container.
  • Freezer: Let your soup cool, then pour it into a freezer bag or container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and heat on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Calories: 780kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 37gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 1730mgPotassium: 1730mgFiber: 18gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 5743IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 223mgIron: 6mg
Keyword bacon and bean soup, bean soup
An image of a bowl of bacon and bean soup.

Julie Espy

Food nerd. Cocktail enthusiast. Carboholic. Bacon addict. Basset nuzzler. Boy mom. Come eat something delicious with me at Bread Booze Bacon!

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Comments

  1. Glad I found your recipe. This is the easiest and quickest way to make this soup. Less ingredients also. I’ll be using navy beans and some carrots.
    I was going to buy tomato paste. I see you used tomato sauce which I have 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  2. Thank you for this fast easy recipe!
    I used bacon ends and pieces, so I took about a half a cup and browned them. I added my own saved bacon grease because there wasn’t enough. Then I threw in my mire poix, and added a little more onion. I also threw in 3 minced crimini mushrooms. When everything had browned a little and all the water from onions and mushrooms was gone I stirred in two teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves), bay leaves and stirred until it was fragrant. Added in 1 jar of drained/rinsed cannelini beans, gave it a stir and then added in a jar of chicken bone broth. Gave it a stir and brought it to a boil. Then added in about a cup of homemade refried beans (leftovers) and stirred them in. Gave it a taste and added salt and pepper. I then minced the “bacon” and added it to the pot. Brought it to a boil and put it into my Saratoga Jack Thermal cooker, and in the top I put in some long grain rice to cook.
    We are taking this camping and dinner will be ready after camp is set up. Feel free to ask me about the thermal cooker, it is a great way to save energy and take your meals with you.

  3. Fabulous quick, easy recipe! We use Morningstar Farms veggie bacon. It was wonderful with it. Freezes beautifully. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. I don’t have a particular brand, I will usually buy what’s on sale or the store brand. I haven’t found that it makes a difference.

  4. I’m curious if anyone has tried freezing this soup. I’m single, but love to make soup. I typically eat one portion and free the remainder as single servings.

  5. I hadn’t gotten groceries in a while and was running out of things to make for dinner. I found this recipe and it worked out great. I used one can pinto beans because I only had one can of white beans and added a few tablespoons of brown sugar as a personal preference for a bit of sweet in everything I eat. I didn’t blend it either, I used a potato masher instead. Not sure how much it affects the consistency. Delicious anyway!

  6. My husband and I really like this comfort soup. I only use 5 slices of bacon, and add an extra half carrot and half celery stock and it tastes great! I’ve made it 3 times in the past month. Thank you Kristen!

  7. Campbell’s Bean with Bacon has been a favourite of mine since childhood – this was better! I used a bit less bacon (trying to be somewhat health conscious) and it was still very tasty and hearty!

  8. I rarely leave reviews but this soup was SO yummy. I made it without the Bay leaf and it was still excellent. Thank you for this recipe!

  9. Uh Oh. I am making this soup now (12:41pm) and am not serving it until 5pm. I noticed it says to serve immediately. What is the harm in letting it rest on the stove for a while?
    Thanks!

    1. I’m sure it will be ok. Can you keep it warm? Most things are best served immediately but won’t be harmed in waiting.

  10. This is crazy easy, cheap and so good. And I like that it makes a smaller amount of soup than a lot of recipes, but is easily doubled if you want.

  11. Such a simple, flavorful soup! I skipped the blending and doubled the recipe. My family loved it! Definitely going in my go to board. Thank you for this recipe!

  12. I never post, but after making this soup, I had to. This soup is outstanding. My wife called it the best soup I’ve made, and I make a lot of soups.