This easy vegan pea soup uses healthy everyday ingredients. Garlicky homemade croutons make it the ultimate winter comfort food.
In my last post, I shared a bit about my [formerly] tumultuous relationship with soup. My unwavering love for classic pea soup, though, has always transcended that uncertainty. As I mentioned then, we had soup every night of the week when I was growing up, and my mom’s pea soup was my absolute favorite.
It often seemed to me that for her, pea soup was merely a vessel for the giant batches of oven croutons she’d make whenever we had too much stale bread lying around. For me, however, it was like a tiny holiday each time it graced our dinner table, and I’d beg for it whenever I was in bed with a cold. Something about that thick, porridgy texture and uncomplicated earthy flavor is just so comforting.
What’s In This Vegan Pea Soup
This classic vegan pea soup is made with the simplest everyday ingredients: onion, carrots, celery, garlic, green split peas, and potatoes. I add dried thyme and bay leaves to accentuate the peas’ earthiness, as well as smoked paprika to imitate the smokiness of traditional ham-based pea soup. I also stir in a bit of lemon juice at the end to brighten everything up and balance the sweetness of the carrots.
Step-by-Step
Make the Base: To start, heat some oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. The point here is just to “sweat” the veg, not brown them. Stir in the garlic and spices at the end and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
Rinse the Peas: While the veg are cooking, place the peas in a mesh strainer and sort through for any loose dirt or stones. Then rinse thoroughly under running water.
Simmer the Soup: Add the peas to the pot along with broth and bay leaves. Cover tightly with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until the peas are starting to break down, about 30 minutes.
Finish the Soup: Add the potatoes and continue simmering until they can be pierced easily with a fork, about 20 minutes longer. When they’re cooked through, turn the heat off and stir in the lemon juice. Then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make the Croutons: While the soup is cooking, cube up some bread and toast it in a skillet with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until crispy and golden, about 5 minutes.
Vegan Pea Soup Cooking Tips
- Green split peas can take up to an hour to fully cook through. To speed up cooking, soak your peas in cold water for a few hours before cooking or even overnight.
- For a lower-carb version, sub the potatoes with cauliflower.
- Pea soup thickens as it cools – especially after you refrigerate it. To bring it back to its original consistency, thin it out with a splash of water or broth when reheating.
- Vegan pea soup freezes perfectly! For long-term storage, cool the soup completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More soup this way…
- Spicy Tomato Chickpea Soup
- Massaman Vegetable Curry
- Red Lentil Dal with Cauliflower
- Tofu Kimchi Stew
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with #TheNewBaguette and @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
PrintVegan Pea Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This easy vegan pea soup uses healthy everyday ingredients. Garlicky homemade croutons make it the ultimate winter comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into coins
- 1 large or 2 small celery stalks, diced
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup dried green split peas
- 4 cups mushroom or vegetable broth (look for low-sodium, if possible)
- 2 dried bay leaves* (see note below)
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Croutons
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 slices whole wheat sourdough bread, cut into small cubes (about 2 cups)*
- About 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon each thyme and paprika, and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Meanwhile, place 1 cup peas in a mesh strainer and sort through for any loose dirt or stones. Then rinse under running water.
- Add the peas to the pot, along with 4 cups broth and 2 bay leaves. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently until the peas are starting to break down, about 30 minutes.
- Then add the potatoes and continue to simmer covered until the peas are completely broken down and the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes more.
- Turn the heat off and add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To make the croutons, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add the bread and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat and toast, tossing frequently, until the bread is golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
- (Leftover soup may be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If it gets too thick, thin it out with water/broth before reheating.)
Notes
- Bay leaves add an earthy flavor to the soup – if you don’t already have them, feel free to skip.
- Use any crusty, hearty-textured bread here – like ciabatta, baguette, or a country loaf. Don’t use regular sandwich bread.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 220
- Fat: 5.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.6 g
- Fiber: 11.2 g
- Protein: 9.7 g
Keywords: vegan, split, pea, soup, vegetarian
Sofia Chernova says
This was the very first soup I ever made and I’m so happy to report how easy it was to follow Alex’s recipe. The soup turned out so yummy and lasted me 4 days!!!! Great dish for a cold winter day.
Alexandra says
So glad you enjoyed it!