Chickpea Vegetable Soup
on Mar 02, 2021, Updated May 12, 2026
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This delicious vegan chickpea vegetable soup is easy to make in 30 minutes for a healthy, comforting meal.
Featured Review
One of my favorite soups. I Love it and it’s so easy to make and tastes delicious. I make it at least 3 times a month. Thanks
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Muguette
Why You’ll Love Chickpea Vegetable Soup
This simple but delicious soup has been a reader-favourite at Running on Real Food for years. It’s easy to make and features wholesome ingredients like carrots, celery and potato but is always a hit! Here’s why I think you’ll love it:
- Ready in under 30 minutes with everyday pantry ingredients.
- Vegan (dairy-free), gluten-free, oil-free and sugar-free.
- Low in fat with 7 grams of protein per serving.
- Satisfying, delicious and perfect for a warm meal any time of year.
- Perfect “clean out the fridge” recipe.
- Great for meal prep.
- Budget-friendly.
The secret to this dairy-free vegetable chowder is pureed chickpeas! Along with potatoes, they add the perfect, creamy texture to the soup without the need for cream or other heavy ingredients.
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.
- Potato: You can use russet or Yukon gold potato. This recipe can also be made with sweet potato.
- Broth: You can use any store-bought or homemade broth. Carton broth or bouillon cubes or powder work. I usually use Better than Bouillon.
- Chickpea: For convenience, canned works great here but you can cook your own from scratch and use those too. You’ll need about 2.5 cups of cooked chickpeas or 1 19 oz can. The amount doesn’t have to exact though so if you only have 2 14 oz cans or 1 28 oz can, that works.
- Onion: White or yellow onion works.
- Herbs: For simplicity, the recipe calls for dried thyme and oregano but you can substitute 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh herbs if you prefer.
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Start by adding the celery, onion and garlic to a large soup pot with 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth. Saute over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until softened.
Quick Note: If you prefer to use olive oil to cook the veggies, you can use 1 tbsp oil instead of 1/4 cup of broth.
Step 2: Stir in the thyme and oregano and cook for a couple more minutes. You can add a little pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning here as well.
Step 3: Add everything but the lemon and bring the soup to a light simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer the soup uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 4: Carefully scoop about half of the soup out and into a blender. Blend until very smooth and creamy.
Pour the blended portion back into the pot and stir to combine with the unblended soup. You can also blend all of the soup if you want it completely smooth.
Step 5: Finally, squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
FAQs
Yes, this soup is flexible and easy to customize. Try sweet potato instead of potato, swapping half or all of the the potato or carrot for chopped cauliflower or stirring in green peas, green beans, spinach, kale or corn after blending.
No, you don’t have too but I definitely recommend blending at least 1-2 cups of it to add texture and creaminess.
Yes! For a completely pureed chickpea soup, go ahead and blend it all.
Yes. This soup is naturally gluten-free, however, if you’re using store-bought broth, double check the packaging as some may contain yeast extract made from wheat (most are gluten-free though!).
Sure, if you have a good immersion blender you can use it right in the pot. Pulse 5-6 times to create texture. I really do prefer the texture achieved by a blender here but it’s up to you. Just note it won’t be quite as creamy with an immersion blender.
Storing & Reheating
- Let cool before storing.
- Fridge: Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe container in one batch or individual portions. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating: Reheat soup as needed on the stovetop or in the microwave. If it’s thickened substantially after storing, adjust the consistency by stirring in some water or broth.
More Chickpea Soup Recipes
If you try this Chickpea Chowder 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
Chickpea Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup heaping diced white onion, 175 g, 1 small onion
- 1 cup chopped celery, 150 g, approx. 2 stalks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (20 g)
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 heaping cups peeled and diced yellow potato, 340 g, 1 large potato
- 2 cups peeled and diced carrots, 300 g, approx. 4 large carrots
- 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 19 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (approx. 2.5 cups, 330 g)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 15 ml
- salt and pepper, to taste
- finely chopped parsley, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Add the onion, garlic and celery to a large soup pot with 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Stir in the oregano and thyme and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring often. If the pan starts to dry out, add another splash of broth to loosen any bits sticking to the pan.
- Add everything except for the lemon, bring to a light simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender.
- Transfer about 1/2 of the soup to a blender and blend until completely smooth and creamy. Make sure you allow the steam to escape as you're blending. Pour the blended soup back into the pot with the unblended portion and stir well to combine.
- Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with fresh chopped parsely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published January 18, 2018.
This recipe is super easy and super tasty. I make it whenever I want to show off my vegan cooking.
I used sweet potatoes instead cos I can’t eat white potatoes and it was delicious! Thanks for this yummy and simple recipe. Can I freeze it?
Looks perfect for a cold winter’s meal! If I substitute sweet potatoes for the yellows, would the instructions change at all?
Not really, no. I’ve never made it with sweet potato though! Let me know if you try it!
This is sooo yummy! I love soup and have tried a ton of different recipes, and this is definitely a new favorite. I added corn to it too; otherwise followed the recipe exactly. It’s filling and I had enough leftovers to get me through a whole work week.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!
Didn’t change anything. Fantastic. Super creamy. I’ll definitely make this again.
This is excellent. I had no celery so I used broccoli instead. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Made this over the holidays for a Christmas lunch and it was so yummy. Loved how pureeing half the soup gave it that creamy consistency without the dairy 🙂 Even better heated the next day.
So glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie! Thanks for the review.
I hate reviews that change ALL the ingredients and then criticize the recipe. So I’m ashamed to tell you that I did change the ingredients but it ended up great! As I cooked the soup I wasn’t loving the smell of it. Too much oregano, perhaps? I knew my kids wouldn’t eat it as it was. I decided to make it “cheesy” and added a bit of paprika, nutritional yeast, and miso (yes, I’m being one of “those” reviewers). This is just to let you know that if you want a cheesier version, these additions worked well and the entire family gobbled it up. Great base recipe and fun to play with.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback and adjustments. I always appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing this hearty vegan soup. I made it for dinner & my boyfriend was blown away on how good it was we don’t eat seafood but we miss clam chowder & this recipe definitely satisfies that crave. Will be making this for family and friends during the fall & winter time.
Wonderful! So glad you guys enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting me know.
This was DELICIOUS! I usually do a lot of recipe editing but this was great just as is! The only thing that I did differently was I stirred the lemon juice in at the end. I’ll make this again.