This vegan chickpea soup is one of my favorite cold weather meals. It's so easy to make with just 9 simple ingredients, and this healthy one pot soup comes together in under an hour!
A lot of chickpea soup recipes online require using a blender or immersion blender to pulverize the soup. But that's why this recipe is my favorite - you don't need any fancy kitchen gadgets! It's ready to eat straight from the pot (well, let it cool a little first).
A cozy, steaming bowl of this soup tastes great with some hearty bread like soda bread or sourdough.
Chickpeas are mighty little legumes that pack a punch of nutrition. Each serving of this soup contains about 8.5 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. And since this humble soup calls for just a handful of simple ingredients, it's pretty inexpensive to make. Especially if you can make homemade vegetable broth with kitchen scraps!
The recipe for this delicious soup was inspired by an old German cookbook I found in my parent's kitchen. This is my vegan take on a classic German stew.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick (under an hour)
- Vegan, gluten free, and dairy free
- About 8.5 grams of plant-based protein and 8 grams of fiber per serving
- Tastes great as leftovers
- Inexpensive to make since it calls for just 9 simple ingredients
- Easy to adjust the recipe based on what vegetables you have in your kitchen
- One pot meal = less dishes to clean
Ingredients
- Olive oil - You can use any cooking oil like coconut oil, avocado oil or even vegan butter
- Carrots - Add a sweet crunch to this soup
- Leeks - Only the whites of the leeks are used, so you can save the greens to make homemade vegetable broth
- Zucchini - No need to peel the zucchini. They maintain their texture better with the peels left on
- Salt and ground black pepper - Seasons the soup and brings out the flavors of the rest of the ingredients
- Paprika - Adds a smoky flavor commonly found in German cuisine
- Canned chickpeas - Adds a great source of plant based protein and fiber
- Vegetable broth- I recommend using homemade or low-sodium vegetable broth
How to Make Vegan Chickpea Soup
Wash and slice all your veggies.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
Add the veggies, salt, pepper and paprika into the pot and sauté for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables have softened a bit and the leeks are translucent.
Stir in the chickpeas and vegetable broth.
Cover the pot with a lid them bring to a boil on high heat. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use different types of beans like white beans or black beans in place of the chickpeas
- Stir in spinach or kale during the last 5 minutes of simmering to add more greens to this vegan chickpea soup
- Top with hot sauce, coconut cream, or fresh herbs like thyme or cilantro
- Serve with rice instead of bread to keep this meal gluten free
- If you can't find leeks, use one medium diced yellow onion
- If using dried chickpeas, soak them for 8 to 10 hours, then cook them before adding them to the soup
Recipe FAQ's
Sometimes recipes require peeling chickpeas like hummus or edible cookie dough. But this soup doesn't require chickpeas to be peeled.
I recommend to drain and rinse canned chickpeas before adding them to soup. This will significantly reduce the amount of sodium from the chickpeas.
They are the same! There are just two names these legumes go by.
Yes! Chickpea soup is a very nutritious meal. It's a great source of vegan protein and fiber. Plus chickpeas have a low glycemic index, so they won't spike your blood sugar like pasta or other grains.
Storing and Freezing
Fridge: Completely cool the soup then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Completely cool the soup then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in fridge before reheating it.
Reheat: Microwave individual servings on 1 minute intervals, stirring after each minute.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
This soup is cozy, delicious and nutritious! Here are more of my favorite easy vegan soup recipes.
Easy Vegan Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 2 small leeks, (just the white parts) thinly sliced
- 3 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 can (15 oz) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Instructions
- Wash and slice all your veggies.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
- Add the veggies, salt, pepper and paprika into the pot and sauté for about 15 minutes, until the veggies have softened a bit and the leeks are more translucent.
- Stir in the chickpeas and vegetable broth. Cover the pot with a lid them bring to a boil on high heat. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Enjoy!!
Notes
-
- If you can't find leeks, use one medium diced yellow onion
-
- If using dried chickpeas, soak them for 8 to 10 hours, then cook them before adding them to the soup.
- If you like your veggies softer, cook them longer. If you prefer your veggies more al dente, decrease the simmer time.
Yum-number1
This really is simple and looks delicious!
Also the pictures are so great, love it!!
strawberryandcream
Thank you so much!! I'm not like 100% happy with how the photos turned out but trust me, this stew is AMAZING!!!!! 🥰
Markus + Micah
I had no idea Germans are inclined to have chickpea stews but I will take it!
strawberryandcream
Haha! I know, when I was looking through our German cookbook and came across that I was pleasantly surprised! A nice change from the schnitzel and brats 😋