Creamy Mushroom Bean Soup

Name: Creamy Mushroom Bean Soup
Ingredients: 1 pound dry bayo heirloom beans; 1 Caribbean Bay Leaf; 4-inch strip of kombu; 1 garlic bulb, halved; 1/2 onion, unpeeled; 1 cup wild rice; 1 lb cremini mushrooms; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 1 medium carrot, diced; 2 sticks of celery, diced; 5 cloves of garlic, minced and crushed; 2 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped; 2 Caribbean Bay Leaves; 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 8 cups umami broth* (see substitution below); 1 bunch kale rinsed and chopped large stems discarded.

February 14, 2025 2 min read

Nothing says comfort like a warm bowl of creamy mushroom bean soup. This one is deeply satisfying, packed with umami at every layer, and completely plant-based without tasting like it. Earthy cremini mushrooms, hearty wild rice, and heirloom bayo beans come together in a rich, velvety broth that warms you from the inside out. It is the kind of soup you make on a cold afternoon and eat for three days straight without complaint.

The secret is the broth. A good umami broth changes everything here, deepening the mushroom flavor and giving the whole soup a richness that regular vegetable broth cannot match. Make a big batch and freeze it in portions. But if you are starting from scratch tonight, the miso and Worcestershire substitution works beautifully too.

The Bean: Bayo Beans, Grown by Carlos and Ana María Albarrán in Morelos, Mexico

packaged bayo heirloom beans spilling out on wooden surface

The bayo bean is one of Mexico's great culinary treasures, and it is exactly the right bean for this soup.

Our Bayo Beans are grown by Carlos and Ana María Albarrán, who tend their family farm in the heart of Morelos, a fertile basin fed by rivers descending from the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and one of the oldest continuously farmed regions in the Americas. Using traditional farming practices without synthetic fertilizers or chemicals, they grow a rainbow of heirloom beans, vegetables, and herbs, preserving regional Nahua varieties passed down through generations. We source these through our partnership with La Comandanta, which works directly with small family farms across Mexico to rescue ancestral varieties at risk of disappearing.

Firm on the outside and creamy on the inside, the Bayo produces one of the most distinctive broths of any bean we carry. Medium-bodied, rich, and unmistakably bacony, it adds a depth of flavor to this soup that makes every spoonful taste like it was made with meat. That quality is what makes it so extraordinary here. When you blend three cups of the beans and broth back into the pot, the result is a silky, luscious texture with no cream, no dairy, and no compromise.

Single origin, non-GMO, never sprayed with glyphosate, and grown without synthetic fertilizers or dangerous chemicals.

Great alternatives: Cranberry Beans, Old Indian Woman, Peruano, or Flor de Mayo all work beautifully in this soup.

A Note on Umami Broth

Umami broth is a game changer and worth making in a big batch to keep in your freezer. Its deep, layered flavor is simply unmatched by regular vegetable broth and it transforms this soup from good to extraordinary. If you have not made it ahead, use 8 cups of vegetable broth with 2 tablespoons of vegan Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of miso whisked in. It is a very good approximation and the soup will still be delicious.

*A Note On Our Recipes:

Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.

Creamy Mushroom Bean Soup

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Nothing says comfort like a warm bowl of creamy mushroom bean soup. This recipe highlights the nutty richness of Hutterite heirloom beans, the earthy depth of cremini mushrooms, and the hearty texture of wild rice.

Author:

Lisa Riznikove

Ingredients

For The Beans

1 pound dry bayo heirloom beans
1 Caribbean Bay Leaf
4-inch strip of kombu
1 garlic bulb, halved
1/2 onion, unpeeled

For The Soup

1 cup wild rice
1 lb cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 sticks of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced and crushed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
2 Caribbean Bay Leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 cups umami broth* (see substitution below)
1 bunch kale rinsed and chopped large stems discarded.

*Umami Broth Substitution: If you don’t have umami broth, use 8 cups of vegetable broth plus 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon miso.

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Directions

Rinse the dry beans thoroughly. In a large pot or pressure cooker, combine the beans with Caribbean bay leaf, kombu, halved garlic bulb, and unpeeled onion (cut in half but kept intact for easy removal). Cover with water and cook according to your preferred method:
Stovetop: Simmer for 1-2 hours minutes until beans are tender.
Pressure Cooker: Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes with a natural release.
Once cooked, strain and discard the onion, garlic, Caribbean bay leaf, and kombu. Set the beans aside.
In a separate pot, bring 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add the wild rice, cover, and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 45-60 minutes until the kernels are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté the mushrooms in batches, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper as they cook. Remove and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pot. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until soft and the onions turn translucent (about 5-6 minutes). Stir in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, Caribbean bay leaf, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook for 2 more minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
Pour in the umami broth (or vegetable broth substitute).
If using vegetable broth instead of umami broth, ladle out 1/2 cup of the broth into a bowl. Whisk in the miso and vegan Worcestershire sauce until smooth, then return the mixture to the pot and stir well.
Remove the Caribbean bay leaf, add the sautéed mushrooms and stir to combine. Gently fold in the cooked beans and let the soup simmer for another 15 minutes.
Ladle 3 cups of the beans and broth into a blender and blend on high speed. return the mixture to the pot and stir in to create the creamy texture with no dairy.
Fold in the kale and stir until it wilts. Finally, stir in the wild rice just before serving.

Recipe Note

Every recipe here was developed and tested using farm-fresh beans from Foodocracy and Primary Beans. Older beans, anything past a year in your pantry, or beans from other sources may need more coaxing. Give them a soak and add extra cooking time, and they'll get there eventually.

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Creamy Mushroom Bean Soup