Soup is the ultimate comfort food. It’s easy to make, filling and full of nutritionthanks to the fact that it’s often made with nutrient-dense vegetables, legumes, and other fiber-filled ingredients that combine to deliver appealingtexturesand great flavours. In addition, soup consumption is linked with lower obesity risk, and eating soup before a meal canhelp control body weight.
Yep, that’s right: arecent studyin theBritish Journal of Nutritionfound that soup eaters tend to weigh less and have smaller waists than those who don’t eat soup: their findings were based on reportsof more than 20,000 Americans surveyed by the National Health andNutrition Examination Surveysbetween2003 and 2008. They alsofound that soup eatersalso had better overall eating habits that included more protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and fewer calories and fat (we assume all the fatty, creamy soups like French Onion were not favourites of these skinny subjects!)
Soupmakes you feel full due to its high water content, and studies have shown that eating soup as an appetizer can decrease calorie intake at a meal by about 20%: quite simply, starting with soup means you’ll feel fuller faster, and be less inclined to pick at the bread basket.
Vegan soup recipes are especially excellent for health and weight loss. They contain very little in the way of saturated fats, but are high in proteins, fibre, micronutrients and vitamins. To add even more benefits to your bowl, garnish with detoxing coriander, omega-rich roasted pumpkin seeds, iodine rich seaweed sprinkles or sea salt, calcium rich sesame seeds or a dash of metabolism-kicking hot sauce.
With soup season on the way, why not enjoy at least of few of the 27 most scrumptious, nutritious and utterly delicious soups that the vegan world has to offer?
1. 7 Vegetable and ‘Cheese’ Soup
This soup is simply spiced, allowing the raw flavours of the vegetables to take centre stage – this silky blend is delicious, warming and perfect for those cold winter nights. The ‘cheesy’ taste comes entirely from vegan friendly and B-vitamin rich nutritionalyeast.
Get the recipe: Oh She Glows
2. Curried Butternut Soup with Ginger
So rich and thick there’s simply noneed for cream! This dense soup is a tummy warmer, and an immunity-booster: the garlic staves off colds, the ginger improves circulation, and the coconut milk adds a sweet touch.
Get the recipe at SheilaKealey
3. Avocado & Coconut Soup
Of all our vegan soup recipes, perhaps this is the most unusual. Thick, rich and ridiculously satisfying, you could say this is the ‘David Beckham; of soups! Avocado and coconut make a surprisingly perfect match with bloggers deeming this soup ‘hydrating and luscious’.
Get the recipe at:Lunchboxbunch
4. Samosa Soup
With all the workings of those sultry Indian flavours you can satisfy your takeaway cravings with this delicious and simple soup that’s packed with all the flavours and veggies you would find in one of those tasty Indian pastries.
Get your piece of ‘vegan soup heaven’ at: YupItsVegan
5. White Bean Chilli with Jalapeno Bulgar
If you prefer a little heat to your meals then this recipe will be right up your street! More of a stew in consistency, this dish is both tasty and filling. With a total prep and cook time of just under 30 minutes, this delicious concoction of ingredients is perfect for those rushed winter nights.
Get the recipe at: RealSimpleFood
6. Black Bean Soup with Roasted Jalapeno Salsa
The combination of the soup and salsa adds just the right amount of heat and acidity complementing the opposing flavours. Black beans are a great source of fibre and protein, and will satisfy your hunger for a lengthier period.
Get the recipe at: RealSimple
7. Parsnip & Split Pea
Split peas carry important nutrients and are a great, tasty way of addingprotein and fibre into your diet. This hearty soup can be prepared either by throwing the ingredients into the slow cooker and waiting forthe magic unfold, or making it equally easilyon the stovetop.
Get the recipe at: SimpleVeganista
8. Creamy Miso Soup with Mushrooms
Protein-packed and tangily tasty, miso has a list of nutritional benefits that you can’t afford to be missing from your diet. High in antioxidants and with the ability to strengthen your immune system thanks to the fermentation process, this delicious soup will satisfy your tastebuds while it works wonders on your interior.
Get the recipe at: SimpleVeganista
9. Spiced Red lentil with Tomato & Kale
The perfect amount of spice and an abundance of textures make this soup a winter winner. All made in a single pot, lentils are added for that extra hit of protein and to keep you feeling fuller for longer.
Get the recipe at: OhSheGlows
10. Vegan Copycat Campbell’s Mushroom
This soup is so rich, sweet and creamy, you’ll be amazed it didn’t come from that iconic can! It’s surprisingly healthy, too: coconut milk contains lauric acid,antimicrobial lipids and capric acid, which haveantibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. The body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which may fight the viruses and bacteria that cause herpes, and influenza.
Get the recipe at: BlenderBabes
11. Pumpkin Soup with Dark Chocolate Shavings
Get your chocolate fix in a very healthy (and slightly unusual) way! This soup is perfectly sweet but slightly spicy; rich, creamy and unbelievably low in calories: just 42 calories per generous serving.
Find the recipe at: FoodieFiasco
12. Chipotle Fall Soup
Butternut squash, pumpkin and roasted sweet potato with sultry cinnamon and nutmeg notes are just some of the flavours combined to create this spicy, cosy bowl. Topped with crouton-like tofu cubes, this recipeis guaranteed to fill you right up!
Get the recipe at: KBlog
13. Black Bean, Sweet Potato & Red Quinoa Soup
It’s a whole meal in a bowl! Full of flavour and bursting with loads of vibrant vegetables, this recipe is easy to execute and gives you plenty of room to experiment – adding and removing different veg and flavours depending on your preference. This soup just made meal times that little bit more exciting.
Find the recipe at: OhSheGlows
14. Mushroom Barley Soup
An Eastern European classic! Barley is a wholegrain food that provides vital sources of vitamins and dietary fibres, combined with a rich mushroom flavour and creamy consistency, enjoy this soup on its own or with some oven baked whole-wheat bread.
Find the recipe at: RealSimple
15. Dr Fuhrman’s Anti-Cancer Cruciferous Veggie Soup
The Blender Babes say: “When we first read his book, Eat to Live – we couldn’t WAIT to try Dr. Fuhrman’s high cruciferous vegetable stew recipe. It contains lots of cancer fighting vegetables we ALL need to be eating more of! This vegetable stew is quite savory along with being super healthy. This stew recipe smells good cooking and it makes plenty, so you can share with your neighbors too because sharing is caring! Otherwise we recommend reducing by half.”
Get the recipe: BlenderBabes
16. Creamy Kale with Roasted Chickpeas
This creamy kale soup is infused with a rich cashew cream and finished with deliciously crunchy cayenne pepper roasted chickpeas. Sounds amazing right?
Get the full recipe at: Connoisseurusveg
17. Carrot and Coriander
A popular choice for soup lovers, carrot and coriander make for the perfect winter-warming dish. There are loads of recipes available for this soup but this one is particularly thick, creamy and very very tasty! Bonus: add lots of coriander to help your body detox from heavy metals.
Find the recipe at: VeganVillage
18. Simple Broccoli Soup
This recipe is as easy as it is healthy and tasty! Just whip together these 5 ingredients for a quick lunch. Personally, I would add a bit of soya cream, but that’s just me…
Get the whole recipe at:SheilaKealey
19. Roasted Red Pepper Soup
The inclusion of almond milk helps to sweeten up the smokiness of the vitamin-C rich roasted peppers, leaving you to indulge in a balanced, flavourful recipe that you are sure to create again and again.
Get the full recipe here: Lifesastrawberry
20. Thai Corn Soup
This recipe is super versatile. Thai corn soup can be served warmed or chilled depending on yours and your diner’s preference and you are free to mix up the ingredients as you so wish. The key, of course, is the broth!
Look for the full recipe here: OneGreenPlanet
21. Raw Cauliflower Crème Soup
Are you on a raw diet? You can still eat soup! This is an unusual mix of almonds and cauliflower and one we had to trial out of pure curiosity! Full of earthy flavours, thick and creamy in texture – It really does work!
Get the recipe at: OneGreenPlanet
22. Vegetable Miso Soup
A Japanese classic and a great cleansing recipe, enjoy this healthy one-bowl meal that’s substantial and hearty enough to be classified as a comfort food. Add more vegetables/noodles if you so wish and enjoy this recipe withsome chopsticks!
Go here for the recipe: Onegreenplanet
23. Vegan Tortilla Soup
I must confess–I do love a good tortilla soup! But these are often not vegan–chicken and sour cream feature in most recipes. Not this one, though! Make sure the tortillas you use are organic; otherwise, they are very likely to contain GMO corn. Bonus: this soup is packed with cilantro, a powerful cleansing agent.
Get the recipe: BlenderBabes
24. Proper Eastern European Borscht
Our Editor has Ukranian blood and is obsessed with borscht. She swears that this recipe is one of the best, and says: “Borscht should normally be made with beef stock and have some sour cream in it, but as a vegan, I’ve been looking for a veggie version that tasted like my Baba’s. This is pretty close!” It’s tempting to just toss all the ingredients into a blender, but grating by hand really gives this the texture it needs. The soup is almost sweet due to the beets and carrots, and packs a strong anti-cancer punch. You can skip the sour cream and add soy yogurt instead.
Get the recipe here: FabLunch
25. Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ok, so this one is NOT one of those low cal soups that will make you lose weight, and unlike the other recipes above, you may want to think twice about having second and third helpings of this if you’re trying to drop some kilos. But if you’re after some tasty, filing comfort food, well, you can’t do much better!
Get the recipe here: SeriousEats
26. Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Rosemary
Simple to make and packed with herbal flavour, the creamy texture here comes from blending the cauliflower itself, not from anything else! Goes well with lots of cracked pepper.
Get the recipe at: HelloNatural
27. Not Your Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken noodle is the King of Soups. Around practically since the time of moms, chicken souphas even been legitimately studied as a possible cure for the common cold. This vegan version uses lots of the same ingredients as the classic, but the base is miso instead of chicken bones. There’s still the deliciousness of ginger, garlic and of course…the noodles!
Get the recipe here: Crumbsonmylaptop
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