Easy Vegan Chickpea Soup
This creamy vegan chickpea soup (aka garbanzo bean soup) is the perfect combination of simplicity, flavour, and added nutrients. With minimal ingredients and a cooking time of under 40 minutes, you can whip up a delicious and satisfying meal in no time. The creamy yet chunky texture, rich taste, and vibrant colours of this soup make it the perfect winter meal.
Plus, it’s completely vegan, budget-friendly, and packed with plant-based protein from the chickpeas. What’s there not to love?!
Tips for the perfect soup
With a base of onions, garlic, carrot, and celery, this soup builds flavour on one of the most popular soup starters. Considering this soup is creamy and rich, you’ll be surprised that there was no flour, cream or potatoes used to give it that texture. Instead, I’ve blended water with a can of chickpeas to add at the end for that lovely finish. Genius idea, if I can say so myself!
It’s all in the way that you use the ingredients that you have. Here are some tips for getting the best (and quickest) flavourful soup:
- Sweat down the vegetables that you’re cooking first. Soften and slightly caramelise them to give the soup body a sweeter, heartier flavour.
- Use boiling water and stock cubes (or powder) to speed up how quickly it comes to a boil instead of cold liquid stock.
- Use fresh rosemary and bay leaves if you have them available. If you only have dried rosemary, use less and break it up into smaller pieces with your hands or with a mortar and pestle before adding it to the soup.
- Place the lid on the pot while it cooks to trap heat and moisture. This way, you don’t have to add too much liquid and wait for it to reduce as it simmers. It’s all about maximising flavour!
What’s in this simple chickpea soup?
Variations of this recipe
This soup is really versatile and can be adapted in quite a few different ways. I used these veggies because I know that they’re accessible to most people. However, if you want to mix it up, you can experiment with some others. Here are a few ideas.
- Red capsicum (bell peppers)
- Parsnips
- Pumpkin (squash)
- Zucchini
- Peas
- Kale
- Corn
In a couple of other tests of this soup, I tried red capsicum in the first round and parsnips in the second, and they were also delicious! Keep in mind that a vegetable like red capsicum will completely alter the end taste of the soup.
If you don’t have chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or want to mix them with some other beans, any white bean like butter (lima) beans, Great Northern beans, or cannellini beans will be perfect.
Storing
This soup can be stored for later as part of meal prep or frozen to be enjoyed later when you need a quick midweek comforting dinner. Here’s how:
Fridge – You can store this soup in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. It is important to ensure that the container is sealed tightly to maintain the freshness and quality of the soup.
Freezer – To freeze this soup for later use, divide it among airtight containers, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top to allow for expansion during freezing. Label the containers with the date and contents, then place them in the freezer.
When you’re ready to enjoy the soup, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or defrost it in the microwave using the appropriate setting. Once thawed, reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave until it reaches your desired temperature. This way, you can conveniently freeze the soup for up to 2 months and easily thaw it whenever you crave a comforting bowl of vegan chickpea soup.
I also always have some pre-sliced sourdough in the freezer and pop it in the toaster as the soup is warming up so I can enjoy it together.
Serving suggestions
Here are some suggestions for what you can serve with a chickpea soup:
- Crusty bread or garlic bread
- Salad with fresh greens and a tangy vinaigrette
- Grilled vegan cheese sandwich
- Quinoa or rice to thicken it even more, which then would make it more of a stew
- Coconut yoghurt or my cashew cream on top (I add some chilli to the soup if I use this option)
- Sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs like parsley or coriander (cilantro)
- Stir in my garlic parsley sauce
These options can complement the flavours of the soup and provide additional textures and variety to your meal.
I hope you enjoy this quick, flavourful, and nutritious creamy vegan chickpea and vegetable soup that will become part of your meal rotation once you’ve tried it!
Some other great recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Easy Vegan Red Lentil Soup
- Curried Crouton Chickpea Pumpkin Soup
- Immune Boosting Bean Soup
- One-Pot French Lentil, Mushroom and Sage Stew
- Hearty Mung Bean Stew With Kale
- Vegan Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta & Bean Soup)
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Easy Vegan Chickpea Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
Description
This easy Vegan Chickpea Soup has a creamy yet chunky texture, bold flavours, and vibrant colours. It’s a delicious and nutritious option for warming up.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter and / or olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (1 sprig)
- 2 bay leaves, broken in two
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons vegetable stock powder (or two bouillon cubes, crumbled)
- 3 cans / 400g / 14.10 ounces each chickpeas, drained and rinsed (4.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 4 cups / 1 litre water
- 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- To a small blender, add 1 can / 1.5 cups of (drained and rinsed) chickpeas and 1 cup of water. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- Heat the vegan butter or oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for around 8 minutes. You can chop the rest of the veggies in the meantime if you haven’t already.
- Put the kettle on with 3 cups / 750ml of water.
- Add the minced garlic, celery, and carrot to the pot. Stir well to combine with the onions and garlic, and put the lid on. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften.
- Stir in the rosemary, bay leaves, stock powder and remaining chickpeas and coat well.
- Add the boiled water to the pot and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil with the lid on, then reduce the heat to medium. Let it simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to blend and the vegetables to soften, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the chickpea slurry you made in Step 1, season with salt, mix well and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Once done, add in the black pepper, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread.
- Diet: Vegan
Question?
Could they water and bullion be substituted with vegetable broth? How much?
Thanks, Jim
Hi Jim, it sure can. Just use 1 litre / 4 cups of liquid vegetable broth. Enjoy!
When you first posted this recipe, I was trying vegan recipes for health reasons and made your soup. Never before had tried a chickpea before and my family just started trying what I made no matter what it was. (4 very picky small children at the time)
Long story short, we all loved it! It’s a very bold tasty soup! The kids were hesitant and making faces at their bowls but once they got a taste, they enjoyed it! Thank you so much for curating this recipe and posting for us to enjoy.
I’m back to make it again!
Side note: I doubled the recipe and froze half for four months. Thawed it out on the counter and boiled it a few minutes in a pot.
Thank you so much for sharing, Ness. This brought a smile to my face 🙂 So glad your children enjoyed the soup. What a win!
How would you make this in an instant pot or slow cooker?
Here’s a guide that should work, but I haven’t tested it myself.
– Prep (same as original).
– Blend 1 can of chickpeas with 1 cup of water until smooth, set aside
– Turn on Sauté mode (normal). Add the vegan butter/oil and sauté the onions for about 5-6 minutes until softened.
– Add the garlic, celery, and carrots. Sauté for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
– Cancel Sauté. Add the rosemary, bay leaves, stock powder, remaining 2 cans of chickpeas, and 3 cups of hot water (this should hopefully be enough as there is no evaporation).
– Close the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
– When done, let it Natural Release for 10 minutes, then carefully quick-release any remaining pressure.
– Open the lid, stir in the chickpea slurry, salt, and pepper. Then just let it sit in the residual heat for 5 minutes (lid off) to finish.
– Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve!
Let me know how you go 🙂
Delicious, hubby describes it as phenomenol he ate 3 bowls! Thank you for a great recipe!!
I’m so glad that you both loved it. Thank you for the review! 🙂