Brothy White Beans with Miso and Herbs

on Jul 16, 2025, Updated Aug 10, 2026

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These Brothy White Beans are tender white beans simmered with garlic, rosemary, thyme and olive oil, then finished with white miso and lemon for a savoury, herby broth. They’re cozy enough for a simple dinner, but easy enough to make for meal prep and serving with crusty bread.

Bowl of brothy white beans with chopped onion, celery and herbs.

Why You’ll Love Brothy White Beans
What are Brothy Beans?
Ingredients
How to Make Brothy White Beans
Expert Tips
FAQs
How to Store
More Easy Bean Recipes
Brothy White Beans with Miso and Herbs Recipe

Why You’ll Love Brothy White Beans

Simple one-pot recipe. Everything cooks in one pot, from the garlic and herbs to the tender white beans.
Big flavour from simple ingredients. Rosemary, thyme, garlic, olive oil, miso and lemon turn basic beans into a rich, savoury broth.
Made with dried beans. Cooking the beans from scratch allows their starches to naturally thicken the broth and gives the dish a particularly creamy texture.
Easy to customize. Add spinach or kale, swap the herbs, or adjust the amount of broth depending on how you want to serve them.
Great for meal prep. The beans keep well in the fridge and the flavour gets even better after sitting overnight.
Perfect with crusty bread. The brothy beans are especially good served with toasted sourdough for dipping into the olive-oil-rich broth.

I love these for a simple dinner with nice bread but they also work as a side dish or base for a bigger meal. You can add greens for extra veggies or serve them over toast, rice or grains.

What are Brothy Beans?

Brothy beans are tender cooked beans in a flavourful, savoury broth. This version starts with dried white beans simmered with garlic, onion, celery and fresh herbs. White miso and lemon are stirred in at the end to add depth and brightness.

Think of them as somewhere between a white bean soup and bean stew. Serve with bread to soak up the broth.

Ingredients

Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.

Beans: I used dried white beans, such as navy beans or cannellini beans. You can also use Great Northern beans or another small-to-medium white bean. Dried beans are recommended here because they release starch as they cook, which gives the broth more body.
Olive Oil: This is an important part of the flavour of the finished dish, so I recommend using a good extra-virgin olive oil if you have one.
Onion and celery: These create the savoury base for the beans. Use both for the best flavour.
Garlic: Six cloves might sound like a lot, but the garlic mellows considerably as it cooks. Smash the cloves rather than finely chopping them so they can slowly infuse the broth.
Rosemary and thyme: Fresh herbs give the broth its main flavour. Keep them on the sprig so they’re easy to remove at the end.
Miso: White or yellow miso adds savoury umami flavour and rounds out the broth. Stir it into a little of the hot cooking liquid before adding it to the pot so it dissolves evenly.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice brightens the broth and balances the richness of the olive oil and miso.
Leafy Greens (Optional): Feel free to swap spinach or kale for Swiss chard or collard greens, depending on your preference.

How to Make Brothy White Beans

White beans soaking in a glass bowl on a counter.

In a large bowl or pot, add dried beans and 2 tsp sea salt. Add enough water to fully cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Soak for 8 hours, or overnight. Once beans have soaked, drain and rinse.

Celery, onion, garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme cooking in a large Dutch oven.

n a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, chili flakes and bay leaves. Cook for 2-4 min, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and onion and garlic just start to brown.

White beans, celery, onion, rosemary and thyme in broth in a large pot.

Add drained beans, 4 cups water and 2 tsp sea salt to the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Once simmering, partially cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 1 hour – 1 ½ hours, maintaining a gentle simmer. Beans are done when they are soft and no beans are tough. If you like, you can stir in a little more water to adjust the amount of broth.

A few woody sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme in a bowl that have been cooked in a broth so they no longer contain green leaves.

Remove the pot from the heat. Fish out rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. It’s ok if some of the herb leaves are left behind, you just want to ensure to remove the woody sprig.

Miso broth in a small ceramic bowl on a counter top.

To a small bowl, add miso and a ladle full of the broth liquid. Stir until miso is smooth and combined.

Brothy white beans in a large soup pot with onion, celery, rosemary and thyme.

Stir in miso mixture. Taste broth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. If using leafy greens, stir in to wilt.

Expert Tips

Soak the beans overnight. This softens the beans so they don’t take as long to cook and helps them cook more evenly. If your beans are particularly old, they may need longer to become tender or may even remain firm even after extended simmering.
Keep the beans at a gentle simmer. You don’t want a rapid boil. A gentle simmer helps the beans cook evenly and reduces the chance of them splitting apart.
Don’t worry if the broth looks thin at first. The beans release starch as they cook, which naturally gives the cooking liquid more body. You can also simmer the beans uncovered for a few extra minutes or add less water next time if you prefer a thicker broth.
Add the miso at the end. Dissolve the miso in a little warm broth before stirring it into the pot off the heat. This helps it incorporate smoothly and keeps its fresh savoury flavour.
Taste before adding more salt. Miso and the salted bean cooking water both contribute sodium, so taste the finished broth before adding additional salt.

FAQs

Can I use canned beans for brothy beans?

Yes. If you don’t want to cook dried beans, you can make this recipe with canned white beans. Use about 3 ½-4 cups cooked white beans, drain and rinse them, and reduce the cooking time to about 20-30 minutes. The broth won’t have quite as much body because canned beans don’t release the same amount of starch as dried beans while they cook.

Can I make this in an Instant Pot?

Yes! Use the sauté function to cook the aromatics, then add the beans, water, and salt. Cook on high pressure for 30-40 minutes (depending on the age of your beans) with a natural release.

Can I freeze brothy beans?

Yes. Let the beans cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop or microwave.

How long do the beans keep in the fridge?

You can store leftover beans in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Large pot of brothy white beans with rosemary, thyme, onion and celery.

How to Store

Refrigerator: Let the beans cool, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. If the broth has thickened in the fridge, add a splash of water or vegetable broth to loosen it.
Freezer: Let the beans cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

If you try these Brothy Beans or any other recipe on Running on Real Food, don’t forget to leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @runningonrealfood so I can see your creation! Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn