Quick & creamy, High-Protein Chickpea Soup—created by a Registered Dietitian—offers plant-based nourishment that truly satisfies. Blended chickpeas and miso form a rich, velvety base, while whole chickpeas, potatoes, and herbs add texture, fiber, and flavor. Optional broccoli brings in extra greens, making this a well-balanced, meal-prep-friendly soup that’s as comforting as it is nutritious.
Thanks to its high protein and fiber content, this soup helps keep you full and energized for hours—without the need to snack between meals. Chickpeas provide plant-based protein and slow-digesting fiber, while the creamy blended base adds richness without excess calories. Whether you're aiming to maintain a healthy weight or simply want a balanced, satisfying meal, this soup makes it easy to stay nourished and on track.
This recipe was inspired by my Chickpea Miso Pasta Soup, my Vegan Bean & Barley Soup, as well as this easy Healthy Sweet Potato Soup. For an easy and delicious soup-and-sandwich combo, try my 5-Minute Avocado Spread.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
Below are some notes about the ingredients from me as an expert in nutrition.
- Leek adds a mild oniony flavor to this soup. Use the white and light green parts only.
- Garlic doesn’t just add flavor—it may also support better iron absorption. Research shows that garlic and its sulfur-containing compounds can enhance the bioavailability of iron from plant sources.
- Chickpeas are a powerful plant-based protein packed with fiber, iron, and folate—nutrients essential for long-term disease prevention. Their high fiber content supports digestion and helps regulate blood sugar, while their protein promotes satiety and muscle maintenance. This recipe uses two cans of chickpeas—one is blended to create the soup’s creamy base.
- Potatoes: Despite their starchy reputation, studies show that boiled or baked potatoes (without heavy fats or frying) can be filling, support gut health, and even aid in weight management by promoting satiety. For even more benefits, boil the potatoes separately with the skins, rapidly chill them overnight, and then add them to the soup for serving.
- Fresh herbs brighten this dish and add an abundance of flavor. Add the sprigs whole and remove when the soup is done cooking. No chopping is required.
- White (mellow) miso is a fermented paste made by inoculating a mixture of soybeans with a mold called koji (Aspergillus oryzae). It has a mild umami flavor with a hint of nutty sweetness. Its salty-sweet taste and umami quality make it a perfect base for this chickpea soup.
- Lemon juice enhances iron absorption, brings the flavors together, and adds a welcomed tang.
See the printable recipe card below for quantities.
🥔 Substitutions
- Miso - substitute with nutritional yeast, tahini, or soy sauce
- Leek - Instead of one leek, you can use two thinly sliced shallots or one yellow or white onion
- Fresh thyme and rosemary - substitute with dried herbs as desired (see recipe card for quantities)
- Potato - Use the same quantity of sweet potato for a hint of sweetness.
- Chickpeas - white beans will also work in this recipe
- Olive oil - omit for oil-free
- Crushed red pepper - omit for a non-spicy chickpea soup
See this White Bean Mushroom Stew with Potatoes (and optional tempeh) on my website! It is a healthy vegan alternative to traditional meaty stews. For more easy soups, visit my Vegan Soups and Stews recipes page.
📖 How to Make High-Protein Chickpea Soup
- Cut and wash the leek. (See recipe FAQs or recipe notes for step-by-step instructions.)
- Blend one-half of the chickpeas with the miso and vegetable broth until smooth.
- Cook the leek until translucent. Add the garlic, potato, crushed red pepper, and paprika. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.
- Add the remaining chickpeas, vegetable broth, and the puréed chickpeas with miso. Bring the liquid to a simmer and add the rosemary and thyme. Cover and cook until the potato is fork tender. Remove the rosemary and thyme sprigs and season the chickpea soup to taste.
💡 Expert Tips
- Potatoes: For even more benefits, boil the potatoes separately with the skins, rapidly chill them overnight, and then add them to the soup for serving.
- Use an immersion blender instead to make this chickpea soup quickly with less washing up. Place it into the saucepan once the soup is done cooking and blend until the desired texture.
- Use reduced-sodium vegetable broth and unsalted chickpeas for a healthier, low-salt version.
- Skip the can and cook dried chickpeas. Cook 1 cup dry for this recipe. Make sure they cook until softened so that they blend easily.
- Place the fresh herbs whole with the sprigs into the soup 10 minutes before it is done cooking. Remove them once the chickpea soup is ready. This infuses their herby flavor without having to chop them.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining chickpea soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to one month.
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🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
To prepare the leek, slice off the tough green top. Then, slice off the root. Cut the leek in half lengthwise. Place both halves, cut side down, and slice into thin half-moons. To clean the leeks, place them into a bowl of water. The dirt will settle to the bottom. Use your hands to shake loose any visible dirt. Scoop the leeks out of the bowl with a sieve, allowing any sediment to stay on the bottom.
If you are using fresh herbs, add the sprigs 10 minutes before the chickpea soup is done cooking. Remove them once the soup is ready. For dried herbs, add them at the same time as the garlic and spices so their flavor has time to infuse the whole dish. The general rule for substituting fresh herbs with dried is to use one-third as much dried as fresh. (1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs)
It is a thick paste produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and a beneficial type of mold (kōji) and sometimes rice, barley, seaweed, or other ingredients. It is used for sauces and spreads, pickling vegetables, fish, or meats, and mixing with dashi soup stock to serve as miso soup. While miso is quite salty, the positive health effects from the soy in miso appear to counteract the negative effect of its high-sodium content on hypertension. Miso may be a much healthier way to add salt to a dish.
👩🏽🍳 Made this recipe?
Let me know your thoughts on this High-Protein Chickpea Soup recipe by leaving a ⭐️ rating below or sharing it on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
High-Protein Chickpea Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas drained, and rinsed or 3 cups cooked
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon white miso or 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, or 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable broth
- 1 small leek white and light green parts only, chopped* (or two thinly sliced shallots, or one chopped yellow onion)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large potato (about 6 ounces), diced into about ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 small sprigs rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 sprigs thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 lemon juice to taste
Instructions
- Blend chickpeas with miso: Transfer 1 can drained (or 1 ½ cups) chickpeas to a blender. Add 1 cup vegetable broth, and the miso. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.
- Cook aromatics: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the leek for about 3 minutes, or until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, potato, crushed red pepper, and paprika. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.
- Add the following ingredients: 1 ½ cups chickpeas (1 15-ounce can drained), 1 ½ cups vegetable broth, and the puréed chickpeas with miso. Bring the liquid to a simmer and add the rosemary and thyme. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the potato is fork tender. Stir occasionally, adding more broth as needed.
- Add broccoli and season: Remove the thyme and rosemary sprigs and mix in the broccoli florets. Cook over medium-low heat for about 1 minute, or until the florets are just tender. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
Notes
- *How to prepare the leek: Slice off the tough green top from the leek. Then, slice off the root. Cut the leek in half lengthwise. Place both halves, cut side down, and slice into thin half-moons. To clean the leeks, place them into a bowl of water. The dirt will settle to the bottom. Use your hands to shake loose any visible dirt. Scoop the leeks out of the bowl with a sieve, allowing any sediment to stay on the bottom.
- Place the fresh herbs whole with the sprigs into the soup 10 minutes before the soup is done cooking. Remove them once it is done simmering. This infuses their herby flavor without having to chop them.
- Use an immersion blender to make this chickpea soup to save time. Place it into the saucepan once the soup is done cooking and blend until the desired texture.
- Storage: Refrigerate any remaining chickpea soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to one month.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Jacelyn says
This soup is so delicious, and filling and easy to make. It has been on repeat along with the mushroom soup.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for trying this chickpea soup. Glad you have two staples now!
Ramona Mazzola says
I made this recipe and it's delicious.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for leaving a comment. Much appreciated.
Shinga says
Tried this recipe today 😄. It was delicious 😋 Thank you so much for sharing . Love your YouTube shorts !
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you for letting me know. Appreciate your comment.
Kristi says
Love this soup! Creamy, filing, easy to make and healthy.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much. So glad you enjoyed this chickpea soup. Have a great weekend.
Steph says
Great, easy, satisfying recipe perfect for meal prep!
Substituted chickpeas for 3/4 cup fully cooked lentils & 1 can butter beans; had no broccoli so used fresh kale. Added some thick sliced portobella mushrooms.
Thanks for all that you do Nisha, I check this website and watch your YouTube all the time! ❤️
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy you enjoyed this cozy soup. I love your substitutions. Sounds very satisfying. Thank you for engaging in my content:)
GEETHA NARAYANAN says
I made this soup yesterday, it was easy to make, delicious and hearty. I did not miss bread or any carb. Thank you Nisha!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Yay! This a fave of mine. So happy you enjoyed this chickpea soup recipe. Thank you.
Javi says
This recipe is a hit! I’ve made it a few times and I always share it I make double. Everyone I have shared it with says it is amazing! I added kale instead of broccoli and wow!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I bet it's delicious with kale! Thank you for commenting. So glad you are enjoying it.
Lauren says
love this recipe, I did it with some dumplings and it's amazing. I didn't have broccoli, but I tossed in some frozen veggies and I am happy
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Wow! It must be so yummy with dumplings, I bet! Thank you.
Mzee says
Hi, I'm new to your blog and I just wanted to say, WOW YUM!! The soup was literally gone in an instant! Even my 3yr old picky eater loved it, she's tough when it comes to soups! I wish I had doubled the recipe though, as I love to have left overs. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Welcome and I am so happy you are here! Thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate you taking the time to leave one and I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Lindsey C says
I love this recipe! I have made it several times, I freeze part of it too, and it still tastes great after thawing and reheating. It’s such a warm comforting flavor with a little kick I enjoy. I am not a vegan, but love your recipes as I experiment with eating less meat. I found this very easy to make as well!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
I'm so glad you like this soup. It's a fave. Thank you.
Lindsey C. says
One question, is the nutrition info for the whole thing or per serving? The 78g of carbs sounded like a lot per serving given what was in it. Thank you!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Hi. It really serves about 4 people as there are 3 cups chickpeas so it would likely be less.
KC says
Wow! This recipe lives up to the promise of easy and delicious. Love this soup - perfect for winter.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Elaine says
Delicious, easy and adaptable! We are not vegan, but enjoy vegan dishes often, and this one is a winner!
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you liked it! Thank you for commenting.Have a great day.
Nan says
So so good!!!! It has all my daily veggies. In addition to the broccoli, I added chopped kale & julienned carrots. I doubled the batch to freeze for my lazy winter dinners. Great recipe. Thanks!!!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you so much for commenting. I'm thrilled you made it. Enjoy the leftovers!!!
Stephanie says
Made it yesterday and had it for lunch at work. I really like it. So satisfying and tasty and it was prepped and cooked very quickly
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for commenting.
Mary says
This soup was a huge hit with my family! It required no additional salt between the vegetable stock(I used Better Than Bouillion Veggie) and miso. It was such an easy recipe to make!
Nisha Melvani says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I agree about the salt. That is why I always wait until the end to see! Have a fabulous week.
Tess says
I love this recipe! It's so delicious and comforting. This is now one of my go-tos!
Nisha Melvani says
So happy to hear that. Thank you for leaving a comment.
Sherry says
The recipe took me longer than 20 minutes but it was time well spent. This soup is out of this world delicious!
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.
Primla Goddard says
Makes a hearty meal, rich in protein!
Nisha Melvani says
Yes, for sure. Thanks. Enjoy!
Jordan says
Will be making this again for sure. The flavours are really nice in this one (that ½ tsp. of red pepper is just right) and prep isn't too demanding either. Thinking of also using the broth as a base for ramen sometime...
Nisha Melvani says
So glad you enjoyed it. Will be great with ramen!!!
Neena Chandiramani says
So creamy and easy!
Nisha Melvani says
Yes! Happy weekend.
Dori says
Love your recipes, but unfortunately they have miso, and tempeh which I can’t eat 😞 I’m allergic to soy!
Nisha Melvani says
Thank you. So sorry to hear that. There are many without too.