So many delicious vegetarian soup recipes are naturally meatless (and sometimes dairy-free to boot) that sharing our favorites with you was a feat. How could we possibly pick from hundreds of vegetarian-friendly crocks? We narrowed down the list best we could but there's plenty more where these came from here. In the meantime, browse our go-to recipes for chilly days and nights. From creamy classics like butternut squash and broccoli cheddar to hearty stews bursting with pumpkin and chickpeas, make any of these 33 recipes and they'll warm you from the inside out.
1. Vegetable Soup with Roasted Tomato Pistou
The beauty of homemade vegetable soup is that you can really customize it based on what you have in the fridge. No kale? No problem! Use escarole or chard instead. In this cozy vegetarian soup recipe, you'll find delicious alternatives if you're short on one kind of veg.
2. Vegetarian French Onion Soup with Asparagus and Cheesy Croutons
French Onion Soup is almost always made with butter and beef broth — that is, until now. In this vegetarian-friendly iteration of the classic, vermouth and Worcestershire sauce help create a rich, salty body that's totally meat-free.
Whenever we're battling a cold or are simply feeling cold, nothing hits the spot quite like a bowl of chicken noodle soup. For a vegetarian-friendly recipe, say goodbye to shredded chicken and hello to a bevy of protein-packed ingredients like chickpeas and root vegetables.
4. Cream of Broccoli Soup with Sizzled Turmeric Croutons
When developing our own recipe for creamy broccoli soup, we didn't want to serve something bland and definitely not something basic. You'll find more than just broccoli here — there are white beans, arugula, and miso, too. As for its silky texture, that's all thanks to Greek yogurt, which is stirred in just before serving.
5. Really Easy Roasted Pepper Soup
There are only five ingredients in this comforting crock of vegetarian soup, so it's really important that each ingredient — walnuts, red bell peppers, yellow onions, smoked paprika, and feta–holds its weight.
6. Cheesy Potato Soup with Peppered Scallions
All I need to hear is "cheesy potato" to know that I want this soup and I want it now. End of story.
7. Acorn Squash and Tepary Bean Soup
You might need to go on a bit of a scavenger hunt to find tepary beans, but the flavor is worth the hike. (In a pinch, you can swap in navy beans.)
8. Pumpkin Soup with Porcini Crostini
A combination of pumpkin and spaghetti squash form the base of this autumnal soup, which only gets better when served with porcini-topped crostini for dipping.
9. Creamy Celery Soup with Brown Butter and Pesto
Leeks are seemingly impossible to clean, which is why I rarely whip up a pot of vichyssoise soup. And that's exactly why I love this recipe, which calls for just celery, potatoes, chicken stock, and prepared pesto. It's nearly identical to the French classic, but so much easier.
10. Spicy Tomato Kabocha Soup with Tofu
Ideally, you're making this soup in the height of summer — that's because it tastes best when made with a variety of tomatoes, which are easiest to source during the dog days. During the colder months, turn to readily available fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
11. Tomato Soup with a Whole Head of Garlic
The only thing missing from this striking soup is a thick grilled cheese sandwich (but fear not: we've got you covered).
12. Japanese-Style Corn Soup with Sesame-Crusted Croutons
Ignore everything that Stanley Tucci's character in The Devil Wears Prada said about corn chowder (no, the main ingredient is not cellulite, thank you very much) and dig into this deeply satisfying soup topped with sesame-crusted croutons.
13. Roasted Winter Squash Soup with Sfoglia Lorda
Anytime there's an opportunity to introduce pasta into a bowl of soup, I'm all for it. Here, bite-sized, cheese-filled ravioli are folded into the soup. You can use any kind of wintery squash, but we're especially partial to butternut.
14. Crispy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
This is the broccoli-cheddar soup of your childhood dreams reimagined in one actually flavorful, super simple recipe.
15. Vegan Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale
The magic of this nourishing soup comes right from the lentils and sweet potatoes — they're the superstars in more ways than one here. Beyond adding flavor and heft, they're what make this soup oh, so creamy.
16. Winter Noodle Soup with Coffee-Roasted Squash
Coffee-roasted what? "Roasting the squash in a bed of spent coffee grounds doesn't make the squash taste like coffee, rather it heightens the squash's own flavor," writes recipe developer Lindsay-Jean Hard.
17. Root Vegetable Soup with Poblano Oil and Pomegranate Seeds
Brilliant is the first word that comes to mind to describe this California-inspired soup. Tart pomegranate seeds are a deliciously juicy contrast against the creamy, blended vegetables.
18. Pasta and Bean Soup with Kale, Revisited
From the pinto beans to the pasta to the abundance of vegetables and fresh herbs, this soup is hearty enough to be the main course any night of the week.
19. Melissa Clark's Seared Broccoli and Potato Soup
No soggy broccoli here! For this soup recipe, Melissa Clark starts by sautéing the broccoli until it's browned on one side. The result is a bowl that balances the vibrant green color with a deeply caramelized vegetal flavor.
20. Soupe au Pistou from Jody Williams
For those end-of-season, weak-looking vegetables (or the ones that have been tucked away in your freezer for months), make a batch of this Genius soup recipe. Use any vegetables you have on hand — it'll be delicious no matter what.
21. Slow-Cooker Shiitake-Noodle Hot and Sour Soup
From satisfyingly slippery noodles to toasted sesame oil to umami-packed ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce, there are no weak links in this slow-cooked soup recipe.
You'll never buy another can of cream of mushroom soup again (nope, not even for green bean casserole!) so long as you have this easy peasy recipe tucked in your back pocket.
23. Roasted Beet Soup with Beet Green Polenta Croutons
To say that beets are an acquired flavor would be an understatement. If you're skeptical or simply trying to convince a beet skeptic, make a batch of this earthy beet soup and dig in. Blink and it'll disappear; it's just that magical.
24. Brothy Bean Soup with Parmesan
When it's too dang cold to leave the house, make this cozy recipe for vegetable bean soup — I promise you have everything you need right in your pantry.
Parsnips are always, always overlooked, but this recipe will change hearts and minds about the wallflower of root vegetables. Two pounds of parsnips are roasted with garlic and onions drizzled with coconut oil. Once tender, everything is blended with vegetable broth and white beans until it's just right.
26. J. Kenji López-Alt's 15-Minute Creamy (Vegan) Tomato Soup
How do you make a delicious bowl of homemade tomato soup in just 15 minutes? Heat garlic, onions, oregano, and red pepper flakes over the stove until browned and caramelized. Add torn white bread and two cans of fresh tomatoes, mash really quickly, and then blend everything together until smooth and creamy.
27. Smoky Minestrone with Tortellini and Pesto
You, our dear readers, voted this recipe your favorite take on minestrone soup ever. Omit the bacon for a vegetarian-friendly cup of soup — we promise there's plenty of flavor without it.
Craving a simple, low-fuss soup? Meet your match in this umami-packed carrot soup. The carrots are roasted rather than boiled to death (which is the case for so many vegetable soup recipes) to enhance their flavor rather than eliminate it altogether.
29. Potato-Leek Soup with Spiced Chickpeas
This protein-rich take on classic vichyssoise introduces smoky chickpeas for maximum flavor. And as Chetna Makan notes, this soup is even more delightful because you don't need to finely chop any ingredients, as they'll all get thoroughly blended into a smooth purée.
We couldn't leave you without a recipe for butternut squash soup, and this one is the best (not that we're biased). It gets its creaminess both from puréed squash and the water that it cooks in. Read: Its flavor is super pure, and hardly diluted with any dairy at all.
31. Thai-Scented Asparagus Soup with Coconut Milk
A trio of Thai-inspired ingredients — lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk — give new life to this springy asparagus soup.
32. Chickpea, Pumpkin, and Sage Stew
As soon as the leaves start to change color, we grab a pot and start to assemble this pumpkin-based soup. It's hearty and flavorful — so much so that it's hard to believe it comes together in just 15 minutes.
33. Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic-Herb Croutons
A totally dairy-free take on this creamy classic seems too good to be true, but we promise it's not. "By blending cooked beans with vegetable broth, you end up with a totally luxurious texture that mimics heavy cream," explains recipe developer Sarah Britton.
