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.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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 enjoyed the 10 day soup challenge. I learned how to incorporate more vegetables into my daily diet. Got the hang of my immersion blender and will be using it more often now. I rarely used it in the past. My favorite recipe in the soup challenge was the Carrot Ginger Soup. Fantastic! Where has this recipe been all my life. I loved it and will be making it often. I was even licking the immersion blender blade, as if it was frosting hanging onto beaters. Best part of this soup was how fresh and balanced it tasted. An added benefit from the 10 day soup challenge was I lost 3lb without making any other changes to my day. I’m glad to have found the Simple Green Smoothies website and all the other recipe contributors. I’m glad to have more vegan recipes. Thank you to everyone who put this together, I’m sure it was a lot of work; it is very much appreciated!
I love soup. It is so comforting and that is why I love VITAMIX. This soup challenge was perfect for my type of eating. The Thai Coconut Soup is my favorite comfort soup. It has just the right amount of flavor and zing to make me smile. I am able to eat soups because they are easy to digest and I add all the spices and vegetables to add the right flavors that I enjoy. All the different soups over the last ten days gives me an opportunity to tune up my variety of soups to have on hand for when I want to change up my eating.
This was an excellent series of soup recipes. I really like the tomato soup. I have not made all the recipes yet as it’s a lot of soup but I intend to try all of them in them in the next week. I especially want to say that they are great and easy to make. Saves so much time slaving in the kitchen. I also want to say that cashew cheese is great to add to the soups snd the cinnamon vanilla is a winner on toast. Most of all I hope to keep the recipes with each presentation as they have more plant based recipes that we can use in our daily cooking. Thankful for your putting this together. You are marvelous. Mahalo from Hawaii.
I decided to ask my mom to do this challenge with me, since we no longer live together and don’t have the ability to cook together anymore. This was such a fun way to stay in touch and chat every night. After making our soups and sending each other pictures we shared our opinions and our experiences with the soup. When we made a plan to go on a girls weekend during the soup challenge, we decided we should keep it going and make the soups together. Although it was fun making the soups apart, the best part was making the soups together and creating long lasting memories with her. For me, this was so much more than ‘a challenge’ it was a refresh of a mother daughter relationship and a lifelong memory that we will never forget.
As far as the soups go, my favorite was definitely the Tomato soup. It was such a deliciously flavorful twist one a classic soup. It was packed with nutrients and whole ingredients that made me feel good about eating it. A close second for me was the Coconut Thai soup, it had such a yummy flavor that made me think that it could have come straight from a restaurant. I love the different variety of soups and flavors in this challenge, it made every day exciting and fresh. Would highly recommend this challenge not only for the memories but for the delicious flavors as well. Thank you for holding this challenge!! 🙂
I went out of my comfort zone and joined this challenge. I am not a big social media poster…but I do LOOK at other people’s posts frequently, lol. I felt very encouraged during this process and was thankful I could ask questions if I needed to. I am thankful I decided to do this and it was FUN!!!
My favorite recipe was the 1-Pot Paprika Corn Chowder. I LOVE CORN 🙂 and the potatoes in it were just the gravy on top, lol. I have a close second which is the Carrot Ginger soup…..SO GOOD!!!! I love both of these recipes because they were easy to make and enjoyable to eat.
One result I gained from doing this challenge is that I REMEMBERED what it was like to prep and be ready for meals. I enjoyed being in my kitchen again and I gained a community of support. I learned tips I would have never thought of from reading other people’s posts!!!
I enjoyed the 10 day soup challenge. I learned how to incorporate more vegetables into my daily diet. Got the hang of my immersion blender and will be using it more often now. I rarely used it in the past. My favorite recipe in the soup challenge was the Carrot Ginger Soup. Fantastic! Where has this recipe been all my life. I loved it and will be making it often. I was even licking the immersion blender blade, as if it was frosting hanging onto beaters. Best part of this soup was how fresh and balanced it tasted. An added benefit from the 10 day soup challenge was I lost 3lb without making any other changes to my day. I’m glad to have found the Simple Green Smoothies website and all the other recipe contributors. I’m glad to have more vegan recipes. Thank you to everyone who put this together, I’m sure it was a lot of work; it is very much appreciated!
I love soup. It is so comforting and that is why I love VITAMIX. This soup challenge was perfect for my type of eating. The Thai Coconut Soup is my favorite comfort soup. It has just the right amount of flavor and zing to make me smile. I am able to eat soups because they are easy to digest and I add all the spices and vegetables to add the right flavors that I enjoy. All the different soups over the last ten days gives me an opportunity to tune up my variety of soups to have on hand for when I want to change up my eating.
This was an excellent series of soup recipes. I really like the tomato soup. I have not made all the recipes yet as it’s a lot of soup but I intend to try all of them in them in the next week. I especially want to say that they are great and easy to make. Saves so much time slaving in the kitchen. I also want to say that cashew cheese is great to add to the soups snd the cinnamon vanilla is a winner on toast. Most of all I hope to keep the recipes with each presentation as they have more plant based recipes that we can use in our daily cooking. Thankful for your putting this together. You are marvelous. Mahalo from Hawaii.
I decided to ask my mom to do this challenge with me, since we no longer live together and don’t have the ability to cook together anymore. This was such a fun way to stay in touch and chat every night. After making our soups and sending each other pictures we shared our opinions and our experiences with the soup. When we made a plan to go on a girls weekend during the soup challenge, we decided we should keep it going and make the soups together. Although it was fun making the soups apart, the best part was making the soups together and creating long lasting memories with her. For me, this was so much more than ‘a challenge’ it was a refresh of a mother daughter relationship and a lifelong memory that we will never forget.
As far as the soups go, my favorite was definitely the Tomato soup. It was such a deliciously flavorful twist one a classic soup. It was packed with nutrients and whole ingredients that made me feel good about eating it. A close second for me was the Coconut Thai soup, it had such a yummy flavor that made me think that it could have come straight from a restaurant. I love the different variety of soups and flavors in this challenge, it made every day exciting and fresh. Would highly recommend this challenge not only for the memories but for the delicious flavors as well. Thank you for holding this challenge!! 🙂
I went out of my comfort zone and joined this challenge. I am not a big social media poster…but I do LOOK at other people’s posts frequently, lol. I felt very encouraged during this process and was thankful I could ask questions if I needed to. I am thankful I decided to do this and it was FUN!!!
My favorite recipe was the 1-Pot Paprika Corn Chowder. I LOVE CORN 🙂 and the potatoes in it were just the gravy on top, lol. I have a close second which is the Carrot Ginger soup…..SO GOOD!!!! I love both of these recipes because they were easy to make and enjoyable to eat.
One result I gained from doing this challenge is that I REMEMBERED what it was like to prep and be ready for meals. I enjoyed being in my kitchen again and I gained a community of support. I learned tips I would have never thought of from reading other people’s posts!!!
This was an awesome challenge!!!