This Instant Pot soup recipe made with sausage, white beans, and vegetables is a family favorite. It used to take me hours on the stovetop, but in the Instant Pot pressure cooker, it’s done in less than one hour.
One of the staple Instant Pot soups in our house is adapted from a recipe I found years ago on Budget Bytes. I make it with smoked sausage (I opt for turkey sausage), white beans (I use navy beans, but other varieties would work well, too), carrots, celery, spinach, garlic, onion, and fresh herbs.
With the smokiness of the sausage and the addition of fresh thyme and rosemary, it’s got great flavor and tastes really hearty and comforting despite being packed full of vegetables. It’s my favorite way to serve lots of veggies at once, and my kids’ favorite way to eat them! Like all soup recipes I post, this Instant Pot soup recipe is also made infinitely better when paired with some warm, crusty bread. 🙂
When I got my Instant Pot last month, this sausage and white bean soup was the first recipe that I wanted to test out. Although I’ve enjoyed making this soup recipe in the past, it’s been one of the more labor intensive recipes in my rotation, and I loved the idea of making it quicker and simpler in the IP.
In the past, I had to soak the navy beans overnight and cook them for hours before they were soft. Even if I substituted canned beans, it still took at least 1-2 hours until they were soft enough to mash in order to create a creamier texture in the soup. I also had to saute all of the vegetables and add the spinach as a separate step. For that reason, I rarely made the recipe unless it was on a weekend or a day where I could tend to the stove for several hours prior to dinner time.
When I made it in the Instant Pot, I was able to skip several cooking steps AND the overall cooking time was way shorter. After sauteing the turkey sausage, onion, and garlic in the Instant Pot, you just add the other ingredients, set it and walk away! In about 30-40 minutes you’ll have a hot, lovely pot of soup just waiting to be eaten.
Cooking note #1: As I explained in my Instant Pot 101 post, the cooking time can be a little misleading. If you’re setting it to cook for 20 minutes, it could take up to 20 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize, which means a total cooking time of 40 minutes. Just keep that in mind if you’re planning a meal for a certain time.
Cooking note #2: You can substitute regular smoked sausage for the turkey smoked sausage if you prefer, but I like using the turkey sausage because it makes the soup less greasy, and there’s no fat draining involved. You can also substitute dried herbs for fresh if you so desire.
Instant Pot Soup with Smoked Sausage, White Bean & Vegetables
This Instant Pot soup recipe is easy, delicious and hassle-free. Made with smoked sausage, white beans, and vegetables with an herb-infused broth.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag dry navy beans or other white beans of choice, soaked for several hours* (see notes)
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 14 oz smoked turkey sausage sliced into medallions
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Using the saute function, add olive oil and cook sausage until browned.
- Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Turn saute off.
- Rinse the beans and add them to the pot, along with all remaining ingredients.
Set to pressure cook (manual) on high for 20 minutes.
When finished, quick release the steam valve.
- Open and season with additional salt and/or pepper to taste.
- To thicken the soup, use a wooden spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot.
- Serve with warm, crusty bread.
Recipe Notes
For best results, I recommend soaking the beans in water for 2-3 hours before cooking, or all day if you'd like to soak them in the morning before work and then cook the soup at night. I've made this successfully without soaking the beans at all, and set the IP for 25 minutes instead of 20, but some have mentioned that their beans aren't fully cooked this way, so I'm guessing the brand/variety of bean may be a factor. When in doubt, just soak the beans for a few hours prior to cooking.
For meal planning purposes, keep in mind that it takes about 20 minutes for the IP to come to pressure before it starts the 20 minutes of cook time.
Janet says
This was absolutely delicious!! I didn’t change a thing!
Michelle says
I don’t often leave comments, but I had to with this one. It is DELICIOUS!!! My first time using dried beans and I could immediately tell the difference in the texture over using canned. Much better! I soaked my beans all day. I used 2 “rings” of polska kielbasa – I knew we would want more meat. I used less broth – 4 cups of a turkey/beef/chicken bone broth and 1 cup of chicken broth. My spices were dried. It has wonderful flavor! 20 minutes on high pressure. BAM! AWESOME DINER! I would absolutely love to try this with ham some time.
Alyssa says
Thanks, Michelle! I think a previous commenter mentioned using ham and it turned out great. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
JanMershon says
My hubby can’t eat dry beans. How many cans of beans will I need to Substitute? Yes, I have tried every trick in the book to make “edible” dry beans for Him! I just got my IP & this recipe sounds like a great place to start!
Alyssa says
I would use three cans of beans. But keep in mind your cook time will be a lot less if you use canned beans vs. dry.
Hanky Pank says
This soup is amazing!! I froze half the recipe (sausage, beans, onion, carrots, and celery). When we were ready for more, I combined the frozen portion with vegetable broth, herbs, salt, and pepper. It was just as delicious. Thank you so sharing!
Alyssa says
What a great idea! I’ll have to try this next time. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Joy says
Thanks for this amazing instant pot recipe!!
Deanna Piercy says
I’m always happy to discover another delicious Instant Pot recipe. Thanks!
Nita says
My husband loves navy bean soup. But he wants this one recipe where I have to grate potatoes and carrots and spend a lot of time working on it. I tried this recipe last week. His response? “I was skeptical, but I like this one better than the other one!” Thank you! I’m making another batch today for him.
Alyssa says
Love it! I agree that grating potatoes & carrots doesn’t sound fun, so I’m glad the simpler version won! 🙂
Lisa Majchrycz says
Do u gave the recipe for stove top cooking; don’t have an up yet!!
Alyssa says
Hi Lisa – At the top of the post there’s a link to a site with a similar recipe that can be made on the stovetop.
Lisa Majchrycz says
Do u have the recipe for cooking on the stove?
Mommyto3 says
Not sure if this posted or not, but do I stir everything together 1st before closing the pot?
Alyssa says
I usually give just a quick stir before putting on the lid.
Mommyto3 says
After adding all ingredients, do I stir everything together 1st before closing pot? Thank you!! 😊
Katie says
Can’t wait to try this! Can I use canned beans?
Alyssa says
I haven’t tried it in the IP with canned beans yet, so I’m not sure what the timing would be.
Theresa says
Hi How can the sodium level be reduced for this recipe. I have
yo watch my blood pressure.
Alyssa says
Theresa, you can use low sodium broth and reduce the added salt to 1/2 tsp if you’d like to reduce the sodium.
ARTA says
check there are substitutes for the turkey sausage with a lower sodium. also no salt broths. I buy mine at ALDI. they have the best fit and trim brands. I often make the same soup with low salt turkey bacon and also do it with no meat. Its is great that way too!
Victoria Pruett says
Amazing recipe! The whole family loved it!
Mike says
Can I substitute 3 cups fresh baby spinach with something else?
Alyssa says
Sure! You can omit it if you’re not a fan of spinach. Or you could add kale or another substitute dark green.
Jenny says
Hi Alyssa!
I made this soup tonight and it was yummy however, my sausage was bursting at the seams when I opened the pot. Is there a way to avoid this? I used a smoked sausage by Ekrich.
I also didn’t leave enough time to soak the beans but my package had directions for a quick soak so I did that for about 30 minutes and then did 23 minutes in IP. Beans could’ve been cooked a tad more, but weren’t hard!
Thank you!
Alyssa says
Hey Jenny! Did you slice the sausage first before you added it to the pot?
Jenny says
Yes and browned per directions.
Shelby says
This recipe was amazing! I followed all your directions and added cabbage, a few mushrooms, and my sausage was apple chicken. Delicious!!!
Mary says
When my hubby and boys found out what we were having for dinner, they crinkled there noses and sighed. The recipe sounded good to me, but I’ve tried others that looked promising and have been let down, so I confess, I didn’t know if I could reassure them that it would be good (but I kept my fingers crossed!) Well, I’m happy to report that ALL of us loved it. My pickier son even had two bowls!! So glad we tried this. It will definitely go into the mix for meal planning. Thank you for sharing!!
Alyssa says
Yay! My kids love it too — and it’s my sneaky way of getting them to each spinach and lots of other veggies without even noticing. 🙂
April says
Hi! I am going to make this tonight and wanted to add some shell Pasta to the soup (mainly for my 4 year old). Can I do this in the 6 qt instapot? Do I need to alter the amount of broth and will there be room for it?
Thanks so much!!
April
Alyssa says
Hi April! I haven’t tried pasta in the IP yet, but I believe it needs less cooking time than the beans, so it might overcook. I think your best bet is to cook the pasta separately and then mix it in afterwards.
Marcia says
OMG! I just got an instant pot for Christmas and this is the first thing I’ve tried in it. It is so delicious! My husband turned his nose up a little when I said I was going to use smoked turkey sausage but he loved it! He said it was restaurant quality! I had to use chicken broth because the grocery store was completely out of vegetable broth, but other than that I followed the recipe to a tee. Thank you for sharing this!
Glenn says
Made this with dried Navy beans and left over Christmas ham. So, so good! Soaked the beans for just 45 minutes and set the cooking time to 25 minutes. I put a few cups of the finished product into a blender to thicken the soup.
Thanks for the great recipe!!
Alyssa says
Thanks for the tip about the ham, Glenn! I never thought about using that, but I’ve got leftover ham, too. Can’t wait to give it a try.
Stephanie ReadsWell says
White bean vegetable soup is my all time favorite. This one looks so so yummy and must be delicious. Glad I got some new methods to make this soup in a new year.
Happy New Year!
Stephanie
https://smiletutor.sg/
Amanda says
Hi! What brand of beans do you use? Trying to ensure mine cook the same as yours without soaking. Thanks!
Alyssa says
I usually just use the store brand of whatever store I’m shopping at. When in doubt, just soak for an hour or two to be sure they’ll be cooked through.
Chandra says
Would it be OK to use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth???
Alyssa says
Definitely!
Teresa says
Is this recipe for a 3QT IP or 6QT?
Alyssa says
I have a 6 qt pot
Stephanie says
Random question – have you ever frozen/reheated this soup after making it? This is something my husband would love to have on hand but I’ve never been good at judging what can/cannot be frozen. Thanks!
Alyssa says
Stephanie, I have not – because it usually gets eaten too fast! But I do believe it would freeze well since it’s not cream-based at all.
Stephanie says
Thanks!! I made this today and it came out amazing. Hubby is very happy. But because it’s just the two of us we have a lot leftover. I’m going to freeze some of it but may leave some in the fridge for the next few days, not sure how long will it last. Thanks for such an amazing recipe, I’ve been told it has to enter the rotation permanently :).
Jessica says
I am super excited to try this recipe! However, we have the Duo Mini IP. Would I need to adjust the ingredients for this size? I have yet to cook anything in it. Thank you!
Alyssa says
Yes, I use a 6 qt IP, and this recipe fills it up almost to the top, so you might need to reduce it by half.
Debby says
Made this tonight and LOVED it!! Couldn’t stop eating it! Didn’t soak the beans and cooked for 25 minutes. They were perfectly done! Next time I’ll make corn bread to go with it, definitely a keeper!
Elissa says
HI there again! Do I press Manuel 20 min or pressure 20 min?
Thank you!
Elissa says
HI there! How much would this feed!? I have 8 people in our family and we love leftover’s! Should I double this?
Thanx!
Alyssa says
Yes, I would definitely double (although you might need to do two separate batches depending on the size of your IP). This usually feeds 4-5 of us if we have seconds, which almost always happens.
Leslye R. says
Hi Alyssa! Is there anyway this can be made in a crock pot? Yourrecipe looks so good not to try!
Thanks!!
Sheryll says
I’m pretty new to using Instant Pot, so I’m always looking for good healthy recipes to try. This soup was amazing…really flavorful! Soaking the beans was key, but still adjusted cooking time to 25 minutes. Also, as others have stated, next time I’ll hold off on adding the spinach until after the cooking is complete. Thank you for sharing this goodness 😊
laura says
just made this and it was so good! i added some oregano and made it with chicken broth. perfect for a cool fall night.
Wendy says
Hey there, I only have one container (4 cups ) of veggie broth would it be okay to use the other 4 cups of chicken broth
Alyssa says
Sure! You could even use water if you don’t have enough broth…you just might need to add some additional seasoning if using water.
Paula Singleton says
Very good! Soaked beans all day and made soup when I got home from work. Used chicken meatballs I had in the freezer instead of turkey sausage. Also added spinach once soup was finished but still hot. Definitely a keeper recipe!
Sandra D says
Made this last night and it was SO FREAKING DELICIOUS!! I have made a similar version in the slow cooker many times, but this tasted so much better (my husband says his favorite thing about the IP is that it “locks in flavor”). This was also my first time needing to deglaze the IP pot and it worked really well. I used canned beans (cannelli and great northern) because I didn’t have any dry and didn’t have time to soak. I also used about 1/3 head of cabbage plus whatever garden greens I had in my freezer (probably swiss chard and kale). I used half vegetable bullion and half chicken bullion, and added an additional 2 cups water (because I added the extra veggies) and 3 bay leaves. Wow. I ate 3 bowls for dinner last night and leftovers today. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Alyssa says
Yay!! Thanks for commenting, Sandra. 🙂
Kerri says
Sandra
Hi! Did you have to adjust the cooking time for using canned beans? Canned beans are a staple here!! Thanks
Alyssa says
Hi Kerri – If using canned beans, I would just cook on the stovetop rather than using the pressure cooker since the beans are already soft and would get mushy.
Susan says
How long did you cook it using canned beans? I plan to try this tonight.
Carole says
Recipe doesn’t say when to add veggies..please advise. Never used instant pot before..thks
Alyssa says
Hi Carole – after you saute the sausage, you add the veggies along with all of the other ingredients.
Erin says
I made this tonight and I loved it! Will be making again soon!!!
Michelle says
It was good, although tasted to much like veg broth. Next time substitute more water instead of so much broth.
Adri says
Made tonight, loved it! Instead of doing a long soak, you can quick-soak/parcook the beans first in the IP. Beans, water to cover by an inch or so, 1 tbsp salt, manual for 4 minutes. Drain, rinse, then use in recipe as stated. I find this way more convenient than remembering to soak them earlier in the day.
Alyssa says
Thanks for the tip, Adri!
Rhonda C says
Thank you! perfect tip for those instant cravings and for those days when I forget to soak the beans!
Suzy says
Thanks for the tip! Can you tell me if you if you use a NPR or QR using this method?
Carolyn says
We recently bought an IP, l tried your recipe today……holy moly was it ever delious! I can’t tolerate pork, it’s hard to find bean soup made without ham. Now whenever the craving hits, l’ll make my own bean soup. Great recipe 🙂
Alyssa says
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it, Carolyn. 🙂
Trish says
As dried beans come in 1 and 2 lbs bags it would seems more helpful to give a quantity by the number of cups or at least say what size bag you used.
Alyssa says
Noted! I use a 1 lb. bag. I will adjust the recipe accordingly. 🙂
Mandy says
Goodness gracious this is DELICIOUS!! Thank you so much for sharing! I used Kale instead of spinach (since my kids don’t like wilted spinach)… turned out great!
Alyssa says
I’m glad you loved it! Kale is a great substitution. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Lori says
How many mouths can this recipe feed? Thank you!
Alyssa says
About 4 really hungry mouths or 6 semi-hungry ones. 🙂 We’ve got a family of four and usually there’s enough for everyone to have seconds, but not much more than that.
Liz says
First time making bean soup in my pressure cooker. Was a little scared! ? Anyhow, I soaked my navy beans from Saturday till Monday after I got off work. Prepared this in my pressure cooker and set the timer for about 56 minutes. Made cornbread to go with it. It was delicious!! My husband and I are not big fans of the sausage so I might use less or none at all. I’d make this again in a heartbeat!!
Alyssa says
Hey Liz! Well first of all, I’m glad you loved the recipe! But next time around you don’t need to soak the beans that long…just a few hours will do. I often make it without soaking the beans at all, but people have said that hasn’t worked for them (it might have to do with the brand/type of beans) so I recommend just a few hours. Anyway, I’m very happy you enjoyed it. XO
Heather says
Thank you for the recipe. I made this tonight but think I prefer slow cooking or at least soaking the beans. I followed the recipe (navy beans, etc) but did increase the time at high pressure to 28 minutes plus it had a natural release of 7 minutes but the beans were still a bit crunchy. Tasty though so I will make again with presoaked beans.
Alyssa says
Thanks for your feedback, Heather. I’m going to adjust the recipe to recommend pre-soaking the beans for at least a few hours because it seems like people have different outcomes when not soaking the beans…I’m guessing that the brand of the beans might be a factor. I genuinely appreciate feedback because I want all of my recipes to be no-fail, so I want to adjust accordingly! – Alyssa
Linda V says
Wow!! This is the first time I’ve made anything with dry beans without soaking first. I used navy beans and they are perfectly tender after the 25 minute cooking time. I didn’t have smoked sausage so I used some thick cut jalapeño bacon. I cut about six slices into thirds, sautéed them in the Instant Pot, then drained the grease, washed the pot, and then heated some olive oil to sauté the onion and garlic. When I added all ingredients to the pot,I added the bacon back in and removed it when the soup was finished. It imparted a wonderful smoky spicy flavor. I am so glad I tried this recipe. Thanks for an easy delicious soup!!
Alyssa says
Thanks for commenting, Linda! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
CC says
First time using my instant pot for soup with dried beans and my beans were not cooked at the end of the 25 min, not even close. What went wrong?
Alyssa says
Hi Christie – Did you use navy beans? I haven’t tried another beans, but with navy beans they are soft after 25 minutes. I’ve only ever used one brand of beans, though, so I’m wondering if that could be a factor.
Jeff says
Very good flavor but heavy on the salt (and I love salt). I’d recommend half of the salt.
Alyssa says
Hi Jeff! I agree with you…and I just updated the recipe accordingly. I think the type/brand of sausage you use is a factor. The first few times I made it I used a less salty sausage, so I needed more salt. But I just made it again with a different brand of sausage and I thought it was a little too salty as written, too. I adjusted the salt in the recipe to make it less. Thanks for your feedback!
Barbara says
So, can you give me the recipe for not using the insta pot. I don’t have one. Gonna get one, but I can’t find it in any store and I wanted to make it today. Thank you!
Alyssa says
Hi Barbara…if you look at the beginning of the post you’ll see a link to the stovetop version I based this recipe on. 🙂
Barbara says
Great!! Thank you!! One more question please. I already bought the ingredients for your recipe, do you think, since I am doing the stove top method I should use the 8 cups of water or go a head and use the veggie broth I bought?
Alyssa says
You can go ahead and use the veggie broth. Nothing wrong with adding more flavor! You might just want to cut back on salt and/or add it slowly since the broth is already salted.
Barbara says
Thank you so much!!
Kara says
How would you adjust the recipe if you don’t have an IP? We want to try this. I have a nice large crock pot or a large regular pot.
Alyssa says
Hi Barbara – At the beginning of the post there’s a link to a recipe on Budget Bytes, which is what I adapted this recipe from. That link will give you the instructions for making it on the stovetop (and you could transfer to a slow cooker). Hope that helps!
Vivian Christianson says
Your recipe did not say if you soaked the beans ahead or not? Did you just dump the whole bag in the pressure cooker?
Alyssa says
Yep!
Andrea L. says
So just to make sure I am doing this right – you do NOT have to soak the beans ahead of time? What a time saver! Going to make this this weekend.
Alyssa says
Hey Andrea! I used to always soak my beans, but lately I’ve read quite a few articles that say it’s totally unnecessary and that soaking even diminishes the nutritional value of the beans, so I’ve ditched it! One less step to worry about. 🙂
Trisha S. says
Hi! Do you know how long this would take if you would use a crockpot??
Thanks!
Jennifer says
Yes. Anyone with crock pot info?!?
Alyssa says
Sorry, I’ve only made it on the stove or in the instant pot, so I can’t give good crockpot suggestions. But if you’re going to try it, I would recommend using canned beans and sauteeing the vegetables first to soften them, and then cooking for several hours in the crockpot.
Devon says
How big of a bag of beans do you use?
Alyssa says
I use a full bag…not sure of exact size because I don’t have one in my kitchen currently, but just one of those typical bags of dry beans you get at the store.
Devon says
How many cans would you use when making on stovetop? My typical bag of beans seems like it would be too big. I can do the math if I know how many cans you would normally use. Thanks!
Alyssa says
I believe I used 2-3 cans, drained.
Aimee says
Devon – does that translate to a 1lb bag or a 2lb bag?
Amy says
This looks amazing! I love anything with white beans in it! Thanks.
Heather says
Have you tried this recipe with canned white beans? I bet the cooking time could get down to like 5 mins!
Alyssa says
Hi Heather! I used to use canned beans when I made it on the stovetop. But I’ve only used the dried beans so far with the Instant Pot. I agree you could probably do it with canned beans in less time.