This oil-free twist on an old-school classic is sure to put a smile on your face. Our low-fat, comforting, and flavorful Easy Calico Bean Soup is packed with healthy, hearty plant-based goodness. Creamy black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans and cannellini beans all dressed up in a rich, tangy, slightly sweet, smoky broth that is both satisfying and delicious. Instant Pot and Stove Top instructions make it easy!

Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

This soup is a nod to an old school recipe called ‘Calico Bean Soup.’  The delicious flavor is kinda like if smoky, sweet baked beans and creamy, savory soup had a baby; it would totally be this soup. It has just enough tang and sweetness to give the soup great dimension and flavor.

Mom was all over this one. Back in the day, this humble and frugal soup really stretched the grocery dollar as a quick and easy meal that was hearty, filling, and oh-so-tasty!

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.

Calico Beans

The recipe gets its name from the variety of beans used in this dish. Typically, it has 3 beans with varying colors, but we added 4 because the more beans the better, in our book 😉

You can pretty much mix and match any beans you want in this dish.  Or if you don’t have 4 different types of beans, you can double up on the same bean(s) if you wish.

I’ll let Mom tell you more!

Hi!  Robin here.

We all loved this easy, yummy soup.  We actually preferred making it in the Instant Pot because the IP really infused the flavors, making a really deep, rich broth. However, you can totally make it on the stove top as well.

This soup also has a creamy broth, which is created by mashing about ½ of the beans at the end. The thickness can be adjusted by mashing less or more beans.

We hope you give this deliciousness a try! We just know you are going to love it!

If you try this cozy soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us!  We would love to hear from you.

Products Used:

• Food Processor
• Instant Pot or Ceramic/Enamel Lined Dutch Oven or similarly large stock pot

Easy Calico Bean Soup

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 10 Minutes
• Cook Time: 20 Minutes
• Total Time: 30 Minutes
• Yield: 4-5 Servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Instant Pot/Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This low-fat, comforting, and flavorful Easy Calico Bean Soup is packed with healthy, hearty plant-based goodness in a rich, sweet, and smoky broth. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.

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Ingredients

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Sauté Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
• 1 carrot, chunked
• 2 celery ribs, chunked
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic

Base Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 Tablespoon GF flour (or flour of choice) *
• 1 cup vegetable broth *
• 2 cup water (or broth)
• 2 teaspoons organic maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon reduced sodium tamari *
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-)
• ½ teaspoon chili powder (+/-) *
• ¼ teaspoon cumin (+/-)
• ¼ teaspoon dried ground mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
• Pinch to 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
• 1 bay leaf

Other Ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 to 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

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Instructions

Instant Pot Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. Place all the Sauté Ingredients into a food processor and blend until finely minced.
3. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (high) mode, then add minced Sauté Ingredients into the Instant Pot, sauté for 7 to 8 minutes just until the water from the minced ingredients lose most of their water, then add the tomato paste, flour and the Spice/Herb Mix and stir to allow the spices to release their fragrance, about 1 minute.
4. Then add all the Base Ingredients and bay leaf, stir well to combine. Press Cancel, then set the Instant Pot to Manual Pressure High for 15 minutes.  When finished, press Cancel and allow to sit for 5 minutes, then do a Quick Release.  Unplug the Instant Pot.
5. Once all the pressure is released, carefully remove the lid, add the liquid smoke and apple cider vinegar. Stir well to combine. Discard the bay leaf.  Then mash about ½ of the beans with a potato masher to create a creamy texture.  Taste test the flavors and add any additional seasonings at this time, stir to combine, allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.   Serve with your favorite toppings.

Stove Top Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the bay leaf) in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. Place all the Sauté Ingredients into a food processor and blend until finely minced.
3. In a ceramic/enamel lined Dutch oven or similarly large stock pot, add the finely minced Sauté Ingredients, sauté for 7 to 8 minutes until the water from the minced ingredients lose most of their water, then add the tomato paste, flour, and the Spice/Herb Mix and stir to allow the spices to release their fragrance, about 1 minute.
4. Then add all the Base Ingredients and bay leaf, stir well to combine, heat to boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the beans don’t stick and there is enough liquid.
5. Remove the lid, then add the liquid smoke and apple cider vinegar. Stir well to combine. Discard the bay leaf.  Then mash about ½ of the beans with a potato masher to create a creamy texture.  Taste test the flavors and add any additional seasonings, stir to combine, allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.   Serve with your favorite toppings.

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Notes

*TIPS for Success:

• Instant Pot: If using an Instant Pot, make sure you really stir the mixture well after everything has been combined.  Because the spices, flour, and tomato paste were sautéed, it is important to use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the IP liner to ensure that none of the spices, flour, or tomato paste got stuck to the bottom while sautéing.  This extra step will prevent the “burn” protection feature from kicking on.
• Liquids: If using an Instant Pot (or stove top), when you remove the lid after the Quick Release, the soup will look very watery. That is OK, stir the soup really well, then use the potato masher to break down about ½ of the beans into a creamy thick broth.
• Flavors to Marry: Make sure you allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry after mashing the beans.  The flavors continue to develop once the soup slightly cools.

Notes Continued:

*Vegetable Stock:   We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Chili Powder:  Chili powders come in varying degrees of heat as well.  We prefer Penzeys Regular Chili Powder.  It has great flavor without the heat.  Feel free to use your favorite chili powder.

*Flour:  We used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free all-purpose baking flour blend.  You can use the flour of your choice.

*Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium.  You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos. 

*Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Serving:  4

*Storage:  Refrigerate and use within 5 days, freezes well.

This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.