This delicious creamy Instant pot green bean soup comes together in thirty minutes or less for a satisfying lunch or dinner. Make it with fresh green beans, frozen green beans, or leftover cooked green beans. No Instant Pot? No worries, I’ve included stovetop instructions.
Why you’ll love it
- It’s incredibly easy to make – chop up potatoes, onions, and garlic, and throw them in the instant pot with green beans and the other ingredients.
- It’s versatile – eat as is or change up the herbs used, add fresh herbs and other spices, top with crumbled cheese, chili flakes, etc. or keep it simple with some freshly cracked black pepper.
- It freezes well and is perfect for meal prepping.
- It’s a vegetarian recipe but can easily be made vegan.
Ingredients and substitutions
Take a quick look at the photo below to see what simple ingredients you’ll need to make your soup, and scroll down to just under it to see what substitutions can be made if needed.
Potatoes: Potatoes add lots of body to this soup without overpowering the green bean flavor and I don’t recommend omitting or substituting them. Having said that, if you’re disappointed with their addition because you’d like something fairly low carb yet high in fiber, I’d suggest substituting them with an equal amount of cauliflower (fresh or frozen).
Lemon: Use only fresh lemon juice (not from concentrate). Don’t worry if you don’t love lemons, the juice is added to taste here and is only used to balance the flavors without being overpowering. If you don’t have any fresh lemon juice you can try adding a little apple cider vinegar instead (like a teaspoon or so, to taste) or substituting it with lime juice.
Black pepper: No need to break out your pepper grinder, you’re using standard pre-ground black pepper here. If you don’t have it you can substitute it with the same amount of ground white pepper,
Tarragon: I’ve used dried tarragon here as it pairs so well with green beans, but you can double the amount and use fresh if that’s what you have to hand. If you don’t have any tarragon, some dried rosemary or thyme would also work really well.
Onion: Use any type of onion you prefer here.
Butter: Butter adds great flavor but if you’re avoiding dairy you can use vegan butter or olive oil instead.
Garlic: Only omit this if you hate garlic, or substitute with half a teaspoon of garlic powder or granules.
Vegetable stock: Do try and use stock here as it really layers in the flavor. If you don’t have vegetable stock to hand just make some up with a stock cube or bouillon granules.
Green beans: I think it goes without saying but these are pretty necessary! I use frozen green beans but you can use fresh if you prefer (same cooking time and ingredient amounts). You can also use leftover cooked green beans, just follow the recipe as given but don’t add the green beans for the pressure cooking part, and add them in afterward along with the créme fraîche.
Créme fraîche: If you can get it, I prefer to use light créme fraîche for a lighter texture. If not, regular créme fraîche will do, or sour cream, light sour cream, half and half, fat-free half and half, or Greek yogurt. Vegans can use vegan sour cream instead.
How to make it (Instant Pot)
Let’s look at how to make this Instant Pot green soup in just a few steps.
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté (high) mode for around ten minutes and add the butter while you prepare the vegetables.
- Roughly chop the onion and garlic and add to the pot when the butter is melted.
- Sauté for around five minutes or until the onion is softened and the butter is lightly browned.
- Peel and roughly chop the potatoes (peeling is optional but I prefer to) and add to the pot along with the green beans (fresh and destemmed or frozen), broth, and tarragon. Set to pressure cook on high for five minutes. It will take five to ten minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize, depending on room temperature and the temperature of the ingredients. If using leftover cooked green beans do not add them now, add them in step five.
- Once the Instant Pot has finished cooking, do a quick release. Add the créme fraîche, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and the ground black pepper. If vegan, use vegan sour cream.
- Use a handheld stick blender to blend until smooth in the Instant Pot liner. Add salt to taste (I usually add somewhere between half to a full teaspoon of salt). Taste and add up to a tablespoon more lemon juice if needed.
I prefer my green bean soup nice and smooth but you can leave it a bit chunky if that’s what you prefer. If you don’t have a stick blender you can use a regular blender but wait until the soup has cooled before you decant it to the blender. if the texture is too thick for your liking just thin it with a little water until it’s at your preferred consistency.
Done! Serve hot or warm by itself or with crusty bread for dipping. You can add extra toppings as well like a swirl of sour cream, finely grated parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper, red chili flakes, etc.
How to make it (Stovetop)
Making this soup on the stovetop couldn’t be easier. Just grab a large non-stick instead of an Instant Pot and follow the recipe steps, adding an additional cup of water to the stock.
Then, instead of pressure cooking the ingredients as in step number four, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for between 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and can easily be pierced with a fork.
Add in the créme fraîche, lemon juice, and black pepper, blend until smooth and creamy, and adjust the seasoning. Done!
Equipment notes
What you’ll need:
- An Instant Pot (or large non-stick pan for stovetop version).
- Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scales.
- A chopping board.
- A pairing knife.
- A sharp knife for chopping vegetables.
- A handheld (“stick”) blender or a blender.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes! It contains lots of fiber and vitamins from vegetables and protein from dairy. For a lower-fat version that packs a good punch of protein use Greek yogurt or high-protein Greek yogurt and reduce the butter slightly.
Yes, you just need to snap off or chop off the stiff fibrous ends of the beans. Frozen green beans don’t need to be prepared.
Up to four days (but it tastes better the first three).
Allow to cool completely and either add to freezer bags and press out as much air as possible, or use other freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to three months.
Did you make this dish? Let me know how much you loved it with a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐and a comment below.
Creamy Instant Pot Green Bean Soup
A delicious creamy hearty green bean soup made in the Instant Pot (or see instructions to cook it on the stovetop). Keep it vegetarian or go vegan by swapping out the butter and créme fraiche.
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 large potatoes
- 26.5 oz (750g) frozen green beans (or fresh or cooked, see notes)
- 1½ tsp dried tarragon
- 4 cups vegetable stock (1 litre)
- 1 cup light creme fraiche (240ml, see notes for substitutes)
- 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode on high heat for ten minutes (this will allow the pot to heat up) and add the butter.
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic and when the butter has melted, add to the Instant Pot liner and sauté for around five minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and add to the pot along with the green beans (unless already cooked, in which case add them in step five), tarragon and vegetable stock.
- Cancel sauté mode, seal the Instant Pot, and set it to cook for five minutes on high-pressure mode.
- When the timer has finished, do a quick release and unplug the Instant Pot. Add the créme fraíche, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and the black pepper.
- Purée until smooth using a handheld stick blender, or allow to cool and purée in a regular blender. Add salt to taste (I usually use between half a teaspoon to one teaspoon) and taste to see if more lemon juice needs to be added. If it's too thick for your liking, thin it with water until it's at your preferred consistency.
- Done. Serve hot or warm with crusty bread and optional toppings such as extra creme fraiche, cracked black pepper, parmesan, fresh herbs, chili flakes, etc.
Stovetop method:
- Set a large non-stick pot on high heat and add the butter.
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic and when the butter has melted, add to pot and sauté for around five minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Peel and roughly chop the potatoes and add to the pot along with the green beans (unless already cooked, in which case add them in step five), tarragon, one cup of water, and the vegetable stock.
- Cover the pot with a lid until boiling, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Add the créme fraíche, one tablespoon of lemon juice, and the black pepper.
- Purée until smooth using a handheld stick blender, or allow to cool and purée in a regular blender. Add salt to taste (I usually use between half a teaspoon to one teaspoon) and taste to see if more lemon juice needs to be added. If it's too thick for your liking, thin it with water until it's at your preferred consistency.
Notes
Green beans - I prefer to use frozen green beans for this recipe, but you can also use fresh green beans (just trim the tough ends). Leftover cooked green beans can also be used, just add them when adding the créme fraiche.
Light creme fraiche - you can use this or full-fat creme fraiche, light sour cream, regular sour cream, Greek yogurt, half and half or fat-free half and half.
Tarragon - if you don't have any dried tarragon, try using fresh tarragon or dried thyme, or 1 tsp dried rosemary.
Vegans - substitute the butter with vegan butter or olive oil, and the creme fraiche with a vegan cream substitute.
Storage - this soup will keep in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 large bowlfulAmount Per Serving Calories 764Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 22gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 96mgSodium 998mgCarbohydrates 104gFiber 30gSugar 36gProtein 22g
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