Chickpea Soup combines lentils, veggies, and chickpeas in a coconut and curry-seasoned broth. This nourishing soup is packed with good-for-you ingredients and is naturally vegan and dairy-free!
Chickpea Soup
It’s no secret we’re obsessed with chickpeas — from these Mexican Chickpeas to these Hummus Wraps, and let’s not forget Beans on Toast! We’ve also used chickpeas a few times as a replacement for meat like in these Vegetarian Tuna Salad sandwiches, Pesto Chickpea Sandwiches, and Chickpea Salad Sandwiches.
So it was about time we created a soup with chickpeas! And it just so happens to be naturally vegan, dairy-free, and packed with nourishing ingredients.
To make this soup thick without adding loads of dairy and butter, we thicken the broth with chickpeas and lentils. We blend a portion of the soup, which thickens things nicely resulting in a nice and hearty soup.
Ingredients
- Coconut Oil/Olive Oil: Helps cook the veggies and adds flavor. Feel free to use olive oil or coconut oil.
- Diced Onion & Carrots: Chop evenly for a consistent soup.
- Minced Garlic & Ginger: Add these after the veggies cook so they don’t burn. Add these last so they don’t burn.
- Tomato Paste: Makes the soup rich and tasty. Cook until it gets darker for more flavor.
- Seasonings: Heat them up a bit to release the flavors. You can adjust any of these to personal preference.
- Vegetable/Chicken Stock: To keep this truly vegetarian or vegan, choose vegetable stock. If that’s not a concern, chicken stock works great here.
- Fire-Roasted Crushed Tomatoes: Adds a smoky tomato flavor. Pour in the whole can, including the juice.
- Red Lentils: You’ll want to use dried red lentils for this soup. There is no need to soak the lentils before adding to this soup — for this recipe, we just rinse them off, and they’re ready to go! (While any brand works, I do like Bob’s Red Mill® best (not sponsored).)
- Chickpeas: Rinse the chickpeas before using in this soup. These really make the soup hearty and filling.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk: Makes the soup creamy. Stir well and save 1/3 cup for topping.
When over-cooked, red lentils will turn mushy, so watch the soup carefully near the end. Use leftover red lentils in this amazing Daal! Quick Tip
Chickpea Soup Tips
- Blending. A portion of this soup requires a trip through the blender, and I recommend a high-powered one to get the chickpeas and lentils ultra-smooth. When blending, make sure to secure the lid on tightly and then select the “soup” or “hot” cycle. Increase speed slowly and watch it carefully to avoid soup exploding out or over. Remove the lid carefully as it will likely release a burst of steam. If your blender doesn’t have a hot/soup setting, you can compensate by replacing the blender lid with a folded towel and holding it in place with your hands. This will help reduce steam pressure.
- Thoroughly sauté the veggies. To avoid crunchy onion and carrot bites in the finished Chickpea Soup, make sure to take the time to really soften them at the beginning of the cooking time. They don’t soften much more throughout the rest of the soup-making process.
- Spiciness. As written, this soup is fairly mild, depending on the curry powder used. The sweetness of the coconut milk helps to balance the spiciness of the curry powder and red pepper flakes. If you’re sensitive to heat, leave out the red pepper flakes and if you’d prefer a spicier soup, add some crushed red pepper flakes to individual bowls.
- Chickpea tenderness. We like the chickpeas to still have a nice chewiness to them, so we add them after the lentils have already simmered for 10 minutes. If you’d prefer softer chickpeas, add them in along with the lentils!
Chickpea Soup Toppings
- Lemon. Lemon adds a wonderful flavor, welcome freshness, and a hit of acidity. We add lemon zest and juice to the soup as it’s finishing, and we also serve additional lemon wedges on the side. In our books, the more lemon, the tastier this Chickpea Soup is!
- Fresh herbs. For a citrusy finishing, stir some cilantro into the soup. We also occasionally serve some fresh mint on top, which adds a nice complexity to the flavor. Fresh herbs are not completely essential, so if you don’t have them, don’t worry.
- Coconut milk. Before adding the coconut milk to the soup, we set aside 1/3 cup to drizzle on the tops of the soup bowls. Besides looking fancy, it also adds a nice intense coconut flavor to the soup. If you don’t want this finishing flavor, add all the coconut milk to the soup instead of setting any aside.
For the coconut milk, look for shelf-stable, not refrigerated, cans of coconut milk. You’ll find canned coconut milk on the international aisle, with Latin or Asian products. Be sure to use full-fat coconut milk for the best flavor and thickness. Lite coconut milk won’t thicken and give you the rich, full flavor that regular coconut milk will. Cream of coconut is far too sweet and coconut cream tends to be too thick (and overpoweringly coconut flavored) for this recipe. Quick Tip
This soup just continues to get more flavorful as it sits and flavors have a chance to meld and intensify. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Unfortunately, it doesn’t freeze very well; the veggies and lentils get a bit mushy when thawed. If the yield of soup is too much to be eaten within those 4-5 days, I recommend halving the recipe initially. Reheat the soup gently in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. You’ll likely need to add in an additional splash of water to slightly thin the soup. It does thicken as it sits and is stored.Storage
Chickpea Soup Storage
More soup recipes:
- Pumpkin Soup with canned pumpkin
- Cauliflower Soup with loads of veggies
- White Bean Soup with fresh basil-pesto
- Broccoli Potato Soup with Cheddar
- Easy Tomato Soup with canned tomatoes
Chickpea Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 4 cups Vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup red lentils see note 1
- 2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk divided, see note 2
- Toppings as desired see note 3
Instructions
- Open can of coconut milk and stir well. Remove 1/3 cup of coconut milk and set aside for later.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Season to preference with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, paprika, optional red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently until very fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. Add in can of undrained crushed tomatoes and cook, mixing and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan for 1 minute.
- Add red lentils, vegetable stock, and all the coconut milk except the set aside 1/3 cup (see note 4). Bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, return lid to the pot and cook 10 more minutes. Remove lid and carefully transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender and purée until smooth (see note 5).
- Add the puréed soup back to the pot and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If you prefer a thicker soup, blend it a bit more. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle reserved coconut milk on top, and serve with extra fresh cilantro, mint, and lemon wedges.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We really loved the tasty flavor and texture of this delicious, good-for-you curry chickpea soup! We liked the flexibility available in being able to customize the flavor of this soup with various add-ins and the ability to control the texture of this soup with the puree amount. The ingredient list was perfect for what we typically have on hand and was quick and easy to prepare with Chelsea’s excellent step-by-step directions. We enjoyed serving this soup over quinoa, along with a drizzle of coconut milk, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and homemade naan bread on the side! Thank you for developing and sharing this great recipe, Chelsea!!
Ahh I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Angela! 🙂