3 cosy and nutritious vegan soup recipes

One of the very best things about the colder weather is that soup is squarely back on the menu. Healthy, cheap, and easily stored to heat up later, vegan soup makes a perfect low effort, low-calorie, and low fat lunch or dinner. Popular recipes include vegan mushroom soup, vegan tomato soup, vegan broccoli soup, and vegan leek and potato soup. If you are thinking of “going vegan” entirely, this is a brilliant place to start. If you are just tiptoeing in and would like more info, why not have a look at our article What does “going vegan” really mean? Here are three cosy, nutritious and easy vegan soup recipes to get even the staunchest meat eater enthused!

1. Vegan lentil soup

To make this delicious, warming soup, you will need:

• Two litres of water
• Vegetable stock
• 200g of red lentils
• 2 large leeks, sliced finely
• A large red onion, sliced finely
• 8 carrots (chopped up small)
• Four tablespoons of vegan butter, coconut oil, or olive oil
• A little chopped coriander or parsley to sprinkle on top, if desired.

Method for making vegan lentil soup:

1. Slice the red onion and leeks and fry these in your vegan butter or olive oil. Give it about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, or until these become translucent and soft.
2. Heat the water in a large pan (a very large pan as you will add the rest of the ingredients to it eventually). Add the stock and dissolve it. Once dissolved, add the lentils, and bring the pan to the boil.
3. While boiling, carefully add the softened onions and leeks, as well as the chopped up carrots, into the water.
4. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Taste regularly and check the consistency of your lentils. You want them to get a little mushy, and comfortable to eat with a spoon straight out of the pan.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. If you like soup a little chunky, serve as is, with the coriander or parsley garnish. If you prefer something a little smoother, you can use a hand blender to mix it all together before serving.

2. Vegan pho

This tasty Vietnamese dish will delight everyone and provide warmth and comfort after a long day. Assemble the ingredients and the method couldn’t be easier! You will need:

• Vegan vegetable stock (dissolve a cube in 2 litres of water)
• One onion, diced
• 8 cloves of garlic, chopped (less is fine if you are not a fan!)
• Soy sauce
• Sesame seed oil
• Vegetable oil (or any kind of cooking oil, olive or ground nut would work too)
• 3 whole star anise
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• 2 bird’s eye chillies, chopped up
• 1 package of wide rice noodles

For the toppings, you can use anything you like. Crushed peanuts are a must (buy the pre-salted kind), fresh basil, fresh coriander, spring onions, sauteed tofu, chilli sauce, and lime wedges.

Method for making vegan pho:

1. Add a drizzle of sesame seed oil and vegetable oil to the pan along with the diced onions, ginger, chilli and garlic. Fry until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Once they are soft, allow to cool.
2. Make the broth by dissolving the vegetable stock in water, and adding this to your cool base. Add in the rest of the spices and simmer for twenty minutes.
3. In a separate pan, boil more water and cook your rice noodles, following the instructions on the packet. It should take around ten minutes, depending on your noodles. You can taste them to see how soft they are, and turn off the heat once they’re a texture you like.
4. Drain the water from the noodles and add them to bowls.
5. Keep the broth water, but sieve out the spices (star anise, chunks of ginger etc.) Add a few ladlefuls of broth to each bowl, then decorate with garnishes of your choice.

3. Vegan pumpkin and butternut squash soup

This mashup of vegan pumpkin soup and vegan butternut squash soup is delicious winter staple. Once made, this soup can be frozen and kept in the fridge for up to three months. Easy for those days when you are just too tired to cook! Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 pumpkin
• 3 red onions
• 2 litres vegetable stock
• Olive oil
• Rosemary and thyme
• Salt and Pepper
• Fresh chives (for the garnish)
• Vegan yogurt

Method for making vegan pumpkin and butternut squash soup:

1. Roughly chop the red onions. Use a sharp knife to cut up the squash and the pumpkin into small chunks.
2. Toss these into a couple of baking trays with a drizzle of olive oil, along with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.
3. Roast in an oven at 250 degrees centigrade for thirty minutes, turning occasionally. The vegetables should become soft when a fork prongs them. (The larger the chunks, the longer they will take to cook.)
4. Once soft, remove the veg and allow it to cool. Then add them to a large bowl with some vegetable stock and use a blender to mix. A thicker, orange soup will form. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Garnish with a healthy spoonful of vegan yogurt and some freshly chopped chives.

Looking for more ideas for what to eat while vegan?

Check out Holland & Barrett’s great range of vegan products, from sweet treats to nutritional day to day snacks. Shop Vegan Food & Drink Last updated: 4 February 2021