Under the Weather? Check out the Best Vegetarian Soup Recipes to Hasten Your Recovery and Discover Great Tips to Cook Delicious and Healthy Soups (2021)

• Thick Soups: These are opaque soups that are either prepared by adding thickening agents or by pureeing some of the ingredients to get a thick texture. On the basis of the thickening agent, these can be classified into cream soups, velouté soup, puree soup, chowder soup and bisque (bisk).


• Thin Soups: These are a clear or thin broth or stock that are served either plain or garnished with veggies or meats. These can be further classified as passed or clear soup that has been strained (consommé) and unpassed soup that hasn’t been strained (broths and bouillons).


• Cold Soups: Served in summers, these are prepared using natural gelatines or gelatine powders or thickened using starch or puree.


• National Soups: These are called so as they are prepared using special and very different ingredients and in a particular traditional way. They can be of any of the above types.

• Straining a soup gets rid of fibre. For a healthier version, avoid straining.
• Soups make healthy dinner menu as they are low on salt and fat and high in nutritious content.
• Make your homemade stock in large batches to add to your soups.
• Soups make excellent foods for those of you who are trying to lose weight. It also keeps you full for longer.
• Mashed potato when stirred in smoothly makes a great thickening agent.
• To reduce saltiness of a soup, add a raw potato, peeling and quartered and cook for 15-20 minutes, then remove the potato.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Chopped palak/spinach – 4 cups
• Pudina/mint leaves – 2 tbsp
• Green chillies – 2-3
• Milk – 1 cup
• Lemon juice – 1 tsp
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Crushed lehsun/garlic – 1 tbsp
• Adrak/ginger julienned – 1 tbsp (for garnishing)
• Ground kali mirch/black pepper – 1 tsp

Recipe:

• Add spinach to 2 cups of boiling water in a pan. Cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and put aside.
• Blend palak, pudina and green chillies together to a puree in a mixer.
• Transfer the puree to a deep pan. Add milk and 1½ cups water and boil.
• Now add in the salt, black pepper, lemon juice. Mix them together and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
• Tempering: Heat ghee and add garlic. Sauté till golden brown.
• Add the tempering to the soup. Mix well and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Garnish with ginger juliennes and serve hot.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• Mushrooms (button or cremini) – 200 to 250 gm
• Onion (finely chopped) – 1 medium
• Garlic (finely chopped) – 2-3 cloves
• Bay leaf – 1
• Nutmeg powder – 1-2 pinches
• Water – 1 cup
• Milk (full fat) – 1 cup
• Cream (low fat) – 6 tbsp
• Wheat flour (aata) or maida – 1 tbsp
• Butter – 2 tbsp
• Coriander leaves or other herbs (chopped) –1 tsp
• Black pepper (crushed) – as needed
• Salt – to taste

Recipe:

• In a saucepan, melt butter, add bay leaf and sauté for 2-3 seconds.
• Add in the chopped garlic and onions and sauté until soft/translucent.
• Now add the chopped mushrooms and sauté till the mushrooms turn light golden and water dries up.
• Mix the flour and stir continuously on low flame till the raw aroma of the flour goes away.
• Add crushed black pepper and mix.
• Add water and then add milk. Stir and add salt.
• Let the soup simmer on low-medium flame.
• The soup will start thickening.
• Simmer for 5 minutes and stir at intervals until done.
• Mix in cream and chopped coriander.
• Simmer the soup for 2 minutes more.
• Add ground nutmeg powder and stir.
• Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Tomato (chopped) – 1
• Ginger (finely chopped) – 2 inch
• Chillies (finely chopped) – 3
• Few curry leaves
• Coriander (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp
• Turmeric – ½ tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Water – 5 cups
• Toor dal – 1½ cups
• Coconut (grated) – 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice – 2 tbsp

Tempering:
• Oil – 3 tsp
• Cumin – 1 tsp
• Dried red chilli – 1
• Few curry leaves
• Hing – 1 pinch

Recipe:

• Add tomato, ginger, chilli, curry leaves and 2 tbsp coriander in a large wok or kadhai.
• Add turmeric, salt and 5 cups of water.
• Mix together and cover. Let it boil for about 15 minutes.
• Once the tomato has softened, add toor dal and bring it to a boil.
• For the tempering, heat 3 tsp oil or ghee and add cumin, dried red chilli and hing.
• Add the tempering to the rasam.
• Now add grated coconut, 2 tbsp coriander and 2 tbsp lemon juice. Give it a good stir.
• You can have lemon rasam with steamed rice or have it as soup.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• Moong Dal – ¼ cup
• Ginger (grated) – ½ tsp
• Ghee – 1 tbsp
• Cumin – ½ tsp
• Water – 2 cups
• Chopped veggies (carrot, spinach, pumpkin, bottle gourd) – ½-¾ cup
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves (chopped) – 2 tbsp
• Pepper powder – ¼ tsp
• Dry ginger powder – 1 pinch
• Cumin powder – ½ tsp
• Kasuri methi – ½ tsp
• Amchur as needed
• Ajwain powder – 1 pinch

Recipe:

• Heat ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin.
• Now add ginger and sauté.
• Add in the washed and soaked dal.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add in the chopped vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add water and cook for 2 whistles on low-medium flame.
• Let the pressure get released, then mash the dal.
• Add the spices and kasuri methi and let it boil.
• You can either serve warm or cool and blend.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 17 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For Masala Powder:
• Coriander seeds – 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
• Aniseed (saunf) – 2 tsp
• Fenugreek (methi) seeds – ¼ tsp
• Cinnamon (dalchini) – 2 small sticks

For Soup:
• Masoor dal – ¾ cup
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Onions (chopped) – ½ cup
• Carrots (chopped) – ¾ cup
• Ginger – ½ inch
• Garlic (chopped) – 1 tsp
• Tomatoes – ¾ cup
• Turmeric – ¼ tsp
• Coconut milk – ½ cup
• Rice (cooked) – ¼ cup
• Lemon juice – ½ tsp
• Salt to taste

Recipe:

• Dry roast the ingredients of masala powder on medium flame for 2-3 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Cool and blend to a smooth powder (masala powder) and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Add onions, carrots, garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
• Add dal, tomatoes, masala powder, turmeric powder along with 3½ cups of water and cook for 2 whistles.
• Let the steam get released.
• Blend the soup to a puree and strain.
• Transfer the puree to a pan and add in the coconut milk, rice, lemon juice and salt.
• Cook on medium flame and keep stirring.
• Serve it hot with or without croutons.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

• Onion – 1 large
• Celery stalks (chopped) – 1 cup
• Carrots (diced) – 2
• French beans – 10
• Cabbage (diced) – ½
• Coriander leaves – 1-2 stalks
• Mushrooms or mixed veggies (sliced/chopped) – 1½ cups
• Cauliflower – 8 florets
• Garlic (chopped) – ½ tsp
• Ginger (chopped) – ½ tsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Spring onions – 1 stalk
• Black pepper (crushed) – ½ tsp

Recipe:

For Vegetable Stock:
• In a large pot, add all the vegetables except mushrooms and spring onions.
• Add about 2½ cups of water or enough to cover the veggies.
• Cover and simmer on low flame till vegetables are soft.
• Strain the veggies.
• Optional – mash the veggies and keep aside to release more stock or save the veggies to eat as is.

For Clear Soup:
• Add oil in the same pan/pot and heat.
• Sauté ginger and garlic.
• Add and sauté mushrooms till they turn aromatic.
• Pour in the strained stock/soup and simmer.
• Add salt and mix.
• Serve hot with or without veggies on the side.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For Fried Noodles:
• Water – 4 cups
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Hakka noodles – 1 pack
• Cornflour – 1 tsp
• Oil for frying

For Soup:
• Oil – 2 tbsp
• Ginger (chopped) – 1 inch
• Garlic (chopped) – 2 cloves
• Chilli (chopped) – 2
• Onion (finely chopped) – ½
• Carrot (finely chopped) – ½
• Cabbage (finely chopped) – 3 tbsp
• Capsicum (finely chopped) – ½
• Beans (finely chopped) – 5
• Coriander stalk (chopped) – 2 tbsp
• Water – 4 cups
• Salt – ¾ tsp
• Soy sauce – 2 tbsp
• Vinegar – 2 tbsp
• Pepper powder – ½ tsp
• Chilli sauce – 1 tsp
• Cornflour – 1 tsp
• Water for slurry – ¼ cup
• Coriander (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp

Recipe:

For Fried Noodles:
• Take 4 cups of water in a pot and add 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp oil.
• Bring it to a boil and add in 1 pack of Hakka noodles.
• Keep boiling for 5 minutes until the noodles turn al dente (don’t overcook).
• Drain the noodles and run under cold water to stop them from cooking further.
• Add 1 tsp cornflour and mix.
• Deep fry the noodles in hot oil keeping the noodles spread out uniformly.
• Stir occasionally keeping it on medium flame.
• Fry from both sides until the noodles become crisp.
• Strain out the crispy noodles and keep aside.

For Manchow Soup:
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large wok and sauté ginger, garlic and chillies.
• Now add onion and sauté till it shrinks a bit.
• Add in carrot, cabbage, capsicum, beans and coriander stem.
• Stir fry for 1 minute.
• Add in 4 cups of water, salt and mix.
• Boil.
• Add soy sauce, vinegar, pepper powder, and chilli sauce and mix.
• Add cornflour slurry (made by adding 1 tsp cornflour in ¼ cup water) and mix.
• Boil until soup thickens.
• Add 2 tbsp coriander and mix.
• Enjoy the soup garnished with fried noodles.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• White chickpeas (kabuli chana) – ½ cup
• Onion (chopped) – 1
• Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
• Basil powder, or oregano – 1 tsp
• Red chilli flakes – ½ tsp
• Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
• Oil – 1 tsp
• Lemon juice to taste
• Salt to taste

Recipe:

• Wash and soak chickpeas overnight or for 8 to 10 hours.
• Pressure cook the chickpeas in a cup of water and a pinch of haldi for 3-4 whistles until soft. Let it cool.
• Once cooled, add more and blend to a smooth paste.
• Sauté onions and ginger garlic paste in a teaspoon of oil.
• Add in the chickpea puree.
• Pour in water to get the desired consistency.
• Now add salt, basil powder, chilli flakes and boil.
• Add ground pepper powder and lemon juice as needed and boil again for 2 more minutes.
• Serve hot with garlic bread.

• Helps in Digestion: Some soups like pepper rasam and lemon rasam are excellent for digestion.
• Helps in Weight Loss: According to a study conducted by the Penn State University, eating soup before meals, helps in weight loss! So, if you are watching your calorie intake, then add a bowl of soup to your menu which is full of nutrition and health benefits with minimal calories.
• Boosts Immunity: Since soups are packed with nutrition, they boost the immunity system and keep you healthier.
• Provides Relief from Cough and Sore Throat: The heat from soups aids blood circulation near the throat and provides much relief when suffering from cough and common cold.