The 25 Best-Rated Vegetarian Soup Recipes to Cozy Up to This Winter
Dropping temps call for warm plant-based recipes.
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As soon as the temperature starts to dip, we’re swapping our summer salads for a warm bowl of comforting soup. But if your plans to look for more plant-based options have you wondering where you can find a delicious vegetarian soup recipe, we have you covered with our go-to plant-based bowls.
Other than being an ultra-cozy option during chilly winter months, vegetarian soups have a ton of nutritional benefits. A bowl of veggie and bean soup can be a great opportunity to increase your plant-based protein intake, says Jackie Newgent, R.D.N., C.D.N., plant-forward chef, culinary nutritionist, and author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook.
In fact, vegetarian soups containing beans, pulses (like lentils), dairy, or eggs can have just as much protein as their meat-based counterparts, she notes. And the combination of vegetables, beans, and stock means you can quickly increase your daily fiber, protein, and water, adds Vandana Sheth, R.D.N., C.D.C.E.S., F.A.N.D., registered dietitian nutritionist and author of My Indian Table: Quick & Tasty Vegetarian Recipes. But if beans and pulses aren’t your forte, Newgent says that blending your soups can create a more likable texture.
If you’re trying to go more plant-based but your usual go-to soup recipe isn’t vegetarian-friendly, Newgent suggests experimenting with swaps to alter the recipe to your preferences. Recipes that use meat products can easily be replaced with plant-based meats on the market or mushrooms and any meat-based broths (like chicken, beef, or bone broth) can be swapped for a vegetable broth or a heartier mushroom broth, she says. Sheth adds that spices and herbs can be an excellent swap for bouillon and blended beans or tahini are a great inclusion for extra creaminess.
And vegetable and bean soups actually bring a superpower to the table. The combination of vegetables containing beta-carotene (like carrots and tomatoes) with fat (like olive oil or butter) can actually increase your body’s ability to absorb the carotenoids from those vegetables, Newgent adds.
If you’re not convinced to grab your stockpot and start cooking, Newgent says that adding more veggie-packed soups to your diet can actually help you maintain healthier body weight over time. “Because of its volume, including nutrient-rich soups into your eating plan may boost satiety, and, in turn, may help with weight management efforts,” she says. But if you’re worried a broth-based soup will leave you hungry, Sheth suggests grabbing a piece of crusty, whole-wheat bread for a little something extra to complete the meal.
Butternut Squash and Turmeric Soup
Is there a more perfect combination than squash soup in the winter? Butternut squash and carrots are blended with turmeric for a bright orange hue, and a touch of coconut milk makes for an extra creamy spoonful.
Gingery Noodle Soup
For a light, brothy noodle soup that has some gut-boosting benefits from fresh ginger, we love this Gingery Noodle Soup. Swap the chicken broth for your favorite vegetarian option and mix up the veggies however you please.
Spice Carrot Soup With Coconut Cream
Squash and potatoes get all the spotlight during the winter, but a spiced carrot soup is a decadent and warming bowl that gets ultra creamy and rich when blended. Swap the bone broth for your favorite veggie option, and this will be your new winter go-to.
Spring Minestrone Soup With Homemade Pesto
That transition time between winter and spring is the perfect time to dig into a warm bowl of this Spring Minestrone Soup. Utilizing veggies like leeks, fennel, asparagus, and beans that are at their peak during this season, you’ll get a brothy bowl of comforting soup to get you through the last chilly nights.
Thai Green Curry Soup
Use up that Thai green curry paste in the back of your fridge in this incredibly nourishing and flavorful soup. It’s a vibrant green from the curry paste, sugar snap peas, peas, spinach, and asparagus, which all bring a ton of nutrients to your bowl.
Pumpkin-Carrot Soup
If you’ve ever seen those small sugar pumpkins in the supermarket, this is the perfect opportunity to use them in a savory soup. With just a few ingredients you’ll get a deeply flavorful and slightly sweet pumpkin soup that’s perfect this time of year.
Fiery Black Bean Soup
Simply swap out the chicken broth for a vegetarian option and you’ll get an incredibly hearty black bean soup to keep the whole family happy. With bright flavors like tomatillos, poblano pepper, and fire-roasted tomatoes, you’ll crave this soup all season long.
Kale and Chickpea Soup
This incredibly easy Kale and Chickpea soup uses lemon zest to bring brightness to each spoonful, while kale and chickpeas work double-duty to keep you full with tons of fiber and protein.
Supergreen Mushroom & Orzo Soup
Sometimes a clear brother with perfectly cooked veggies is exactly what you need. Garlic, shallots, and celery play a starring role here, but mushrooms, spinach, and broccoli add heft to the flavorful bowl.
Creamy Cauliflower Soup With Almond-Thyme Gremolata
We love a good roasted cauliflower side dish, but blend it up with leeks, onions, and garlic and you’ll get a creamy puree that’ll warm you from the inside out. Use the half cup of heavy cream like the recipe suggests, or opt for a plant-based option like coconut or cashew milk for a lower fat soup.
Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Tomatoes get all the spotlight when it comes to soup season, but blend in a few roasted red peppers for an impressive twist on the classic. The soup comes together with just a few ingredients, but the roasted red peppers bring a charred, smoky, and vegetal sweetness you’ll love.
Tomato Soup With Parmesan Crostini
If a classic tomato soup is more your speed, this recipe should be on regular rotation on your dinner menu. Simply roasted tomatoes, garlic, and onion are added to a pot of water and blended until smooth. Yes, it’s really that easy.
Vegetable Cabbage Soup
We’re all about cabbage this time of year, especially when it gets luscious and soft while cooking down in a soup. This veggie-packed soup full of onions, carrots, celery, white beans, and fire-roasted tomatoes makes cabbage the star and sounds oh-so-good.
Curried Red Lentil Soup
Pack your bowl with a ton of plant-based protein and fiber from red lentils. We love the spiced cashew topping that adds a touch of texture and crunch to an otherwise smooth soup.
Copycat Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
If you’re a fan of endless Minestrone soup, enjoy it from the comfort of your own home with this copycat Olive Garden version. Each spoonful packs in the same veggies, herbs, pasta, and beans you love, with the opportunity to customize the flavors and control what goes into the pot.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup
There’s always room for a classic butternut squash soup, but adding a touch of curry powder and coconut milk for creaminess takes your usual go-to soup to the next level. We promise you’ll want this, again and again.
Chickpea Noodle Soup
Just because you’re opting for plant-based food doesn't mean you have to give up your chicken noodle soup. Enter the chickpea noodle soup, boasting all the same textures and flavors you love from the classic bowl but with protein-packed chickpeas to bring heft.
Vegan Tortilla Soup
Spice lovers, listen up! This vegan version of your favorite soup is oh-so-good. With fire-roasted tomatoes, chipotles packed in adobo, jalapenos, and more, you’ll get flavor coming in hot with every spoonful of this delicious soup.
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
For a meaty, filling soup that’s still vegetarian, turn to wild rice and mushroom. The touch of heavy cream and parmesan at the end makes it oh-so-indulgent, but the lighter flavors make for a craveable vegetable-forward soup that won’t leave you feeling heavy.
Cozy White Bean Soup
Lemon, kale, and tarragon are key players in this classic vegetable soup, and the addition of cannellini beans and potatoes keeps it extra filling. You’ll crave bowls of the bright and warming soup all season long.
Arielle Weg is the associate editor at Prevention and loves to share her favorite wellness and nutrition obsessions. She previously managed content at The Vitamin Shoppe, and her work has also appeared in Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Cooking Light, MyRecipes, and more. You can usually find her taking an online workout class or making a mess in the kitchen, creating something delicious she found in her cookbook collection or saved on Instagram.
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