These healthy soup recipes are made for crisp fall days and busy weeknights. From red lentil soup and creamy vegan broccoli to 1-pot vegetable noodle and slow cooker minestrone, all 15 are hearty, flavor-packed, and easy to make ahead. Grab a big pot, pick a favorite, and keep bowls ready for the week.
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Soup doesn’t just keep us warm. It comforts, fills the house with the best cozy aromas of the season, and makes it easy to eat more vegetables without even trying. Every one of these healthy soup recipes is built on whole-food ingredients like lentils, beans, potatoes, broccoli, and carrots, so the bowls are filling, satisfying, and full of plant-based protein and fiber (the red lentil soup has 21g protein + 25g fiber, and the split pea soup has 14g protein + 16g fiber).
Start the slow cooker minestrone in the morning and dinner is ready by evening, because the longer a soup simmers, the more flavorful it gets. Save your veggie scraps to make my Homemade Vegetable Stock— the flavor is unreal (and it’s free!). As fall settles in, this lineup is perfect for chilly evenings, meal prep Sundays, or anytime you want something hearty and wholesome.
These five are the soups readers come back to again and again. They each bring big, cozy flavor with simple steps, and they’re all great for making ahead. Start here if you’re not sure which pot to fill first, then keep the leftovers for lunches all week.
1
Vegan Tomato Soup
4.64 (670)
The tomato soup of my childhood, all grown up. Zucchini and carrots disappear into a silky, creamy blend (nobody will ever know), and a swirl of cashew cream seals the deal. Stock pot + immersion blender, 50 minutes.
Thick, cozy, and ridiculously easy. Red lentils melt into a spiced, stew-like bowl with fire-roasted tomatoes and a bright squeeze of lemon. No soaking, minimal chopping, 21g protein + 25g fiber. One large pot, 45 minutes.
Creamy, zesty, and just spicy enough, with tofu, mushrooms, and zucchini noodles in a lime-brightened coconut broth. It's a cookbook favorite and a soup on repeat at my house. One saucepan, 45 minutes.
Sweet carrots and zingy ginger get a silky upgrade from blended cashews and coconut milk. It's basically a warm smoothie you can sip right from a jar. Saucepan + immersion blender, 40 minutes.
Taco night in a bowl. Tortilla chips blend right into the smoky broth for a creamy, dairy-free body, and the toppings (avocado, corn, cilantro, extra chips) are the best part. Stock pot + immersion blender, 45 minutes.
Fewer dishes, more flavor. These healthy soups simmer in a single pot, Instant Pot, or slow cooker, so cleanup stays super easy. Choose a 15-minute ramen for a fast weeknight, a set-it-and-forget-it minestrone for a busy day, or a big pot of split pea or black bean soup to stock the fridge for the week.
6
Instant Vegetarian Ramen
4.45 (117)
Restaurant-style ramen without the restaurant price tag. Shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, and crisp veggies float in a savory tamari-sesame broth, with 14g protein per bowl. One pot + one skillet, 15 minutes.
Dump, seal, and walk away. Dried black beans cook from scratch (no soaking!) in smoky cumin, oregano, and salsa, then get a squeeze of lime. 12g protein + 13g fiber. Instant Pot + immersion blender, 1 hour 10 minutes.
My plant-based answer to chicken noodle soup, and yes, it tastes legit. Golden turmeric broth, tender carrots, and fusilli noodles, and it freezes like a dream. One Dutch oven, 40 minutes.
Minestrone literally means “big soup,” and this one delivers. Cannellini beans, butternut squash, and kale simmer in a fragrant tomato broth, with a spoonful of basil pesto on top. Slow cooker, 4 hours 25 minutes.
Old-fashioned, stick-to-your-ribs comfort without the ham bone. Smoked paprika and thyme bring the savory depth, and lemon and mustard stirred in at the end make it sing. 14g protein + 16g fiber. One stock pot, 1 hour 20 minutes.
Silky, velvety, and completely dairy-free. Potatoes, cashews, cauliflower, and coconut milk do the creamy work in these five cozy soups, so you get that rich, silky, spoonable texture with no dairy cream at all. Top with kale croutons, cashew cream, or toasted pepitas, then serve with crusty bread for the coziest bowl of the fall season.
11
Creamy Vegetable Soup
4.70 (182)
My lazy-day soup, made with frozen veggies, cannellini beans, and a rich, dairy-free cashew cream. Savory, filling, and even better the next day. Soup pot + blender, 40 minutes.
Potatoes do the creamy heavy lifting while broccoli keeps its bright, tender bites, and nutritional yeast brings a cheesy finish. 14g protein and on the table in 25 minutes. One saucepan + immersion blender.
No dairy, no problem. Golden potatoes and cauliflower blend into something velvety and deeply comforting, topped with crispy kale croutons you'll want to eat by the handful. Dutch oven + blender, 45 minutes.
The sleeper hit of the bunch. It sounds plain, but potatoes and cashews turn celery into a silky, herby, lemony bowl with 11g protein. Large pot + immersion blender, 30 minutes.
This delicious jalapeño vegan corn chowder is hearty and packed with 12 grams protein, providing a creamy texture without any dairy, and a kick of heat to warm you from the inside out.
Sometimes you find a soup recipe in need of a bit of oomph. I get it (I put hot sauce on a lot of dishes).
Fresh herbs: finely minced herbs can add a delightful flavor explosion to any soup. Try minced scallions, basil, tarragon, basil and dill.
Cashew Cream: A good vegan sour cream can provide depth and creaminess to almost any recipe. If you’d add sour cream to a soup, then you can add this!
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto: There’s just something about pesto that instantly levels up a recipe. I love adding a dollop of vegan pesto to a good vegetable soup. It’s just so good! I’ve got a few different variations you can try, and they all freeze well.
Vegan Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan is a staple in many American households. This vegan cheese sprinkle certainly gives Kraft’s a run for its money, and its made with real ingredients that really do add a cheesy finish to your dish.
I’m the mom who swapped Lucky Charms for green smoothies— and never looked back. Here you’ll find smoothie recipes and plant-based recipes made simple and tasty.
I really enjoyed the soup challenge and seeing all the creative photographs posted by the participants. I have to say my favorite soup was the paprika corn chowder… It had a little heat…. normally I would not make a soup like this because I wouldn’t want to use cream.. but this one used almond milk. So creative!
One think I got out of the opportunity to make soups I may have overlooked in the past… such as the roasted red pepper soup and even my f av, the corn chowder.
I definiltye look forward to using the recipes throughout the fall / winter. I will say that doing as much prep work ahead of time is certainly beneficial and also organizing multiple soup preps based on ingredients.
Thanks Jen and all the soup recipe contributors for putting this together!
I looooved the Thai Coconut Soup! That one pushed me so far outside my comfort zone I almost backed out— yet I’m so glad I didn’t! I had not clue such flavors could be inside a soup. I loved the silky texture, the spice from the serranos and the crunchy cashews on top. I’ve had soups for dinner all 10 days of the challenge and dropped 2 pounds… without even trying! I mean I literally ate every soup recipe and was never hungry!!! I’m excited to keep eating plant-based recipes and see what other results I can get. Thanks Jen and all the recipe makers for creating this challenge. I had such a great time.
The healthy tomato soup recipe was my favorite from the soup challenge, it was easy to make and I love a good tomato soup, It was very hard to choose a favorite as they all had such unique flavors and all were easier to make than I anticipated.
I will add these to my soup rotation and this has inspired me to add more soups into my everyday
I really enjoyed the soup challenge and seeing all the creative photographs posted by the participants. I have to say my favorite soup was the paprika corn chowder… It had a little heat…. normally I would not make a soup like this because I wouldn’t want to use cream.. but this one used almond milk. So creative!
One think I got out of the opportunity to make soups I may have overlooked in the past… such as the roasted red pepper soup and even my f av, the corn chowder.
I definiltye look forward to using the recipes throughout the fall / winter. I will say that doing as much prep work ahead of time is certainly beneficial and also organizing multiple soup preps based on ingredients.
Thanks Jen and all the soup recipe contributors for putting this together!
I looooved the Thai Coconut Soup! That one pushed me so far outside my comfort zone I almost backed out— yet I’m so glad I didn’t! I had not clue such flavors could be inside a soup. I loved the silky texture, the spice from the serranos and the crunchy cashews on top. I’ve had soups for dinner all 10 days of the challenge and dropped 2 pounds… without even trying! I mean I literally ate every soup recipe and was never hungry!!! I’m excited to keep eating plant-based recipes and see what other results I can get. Thanks Jen and all the recipe makers for creating this challenge. I had such a great time.
I loved the Thai Coconut Soup. I will definitely make this again and again.
The healthy tomato soup recipe was my favorite from the soup challenge, it was easy to make and I love a good tomato soup, It was very hard to choose a favorite as they all had such unique flavors and all were easier to make than I anticipated.
I will add these to my soup rotation and this has inspired me to add more soups into my everyday
Loved this 10 day challenge – the recipes were interesting and varied and my favorite new thing is the cashew cream!