Chickpea Soup

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Chickpeas, leek, rosemary, thyme, potato, broccoli, garlic, vegetable broth, paprika, olive oil, red chili flakes, and mellow miso on a white marble board.

Ingredients for Chickpea Soup

Leek adds a mild oniony flavor to this soup. Use the white and light green parts only.
Chickpeas are high in protein and fiber. Two cans are used for this chickpea soup recipe. One gets blended to give the soup its creamy texture.
Fresh herbs brighten this dish and add an abundance of flavor. Add the sprigs whole and remove once the soup is done cooking. No chopping 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 makes it a perfect base for this chickpea soup.
Lemon juice (not shown) brings the flavors together and adds a welcomed tang.

See recipe card 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 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.

📖 Instructions

Chopped leek in a sieve being lifted from a glass bowl of water.

Step 1. Cut and wash the leek. (See recipe FAQs or recipe notes for step-by-step instructions.)

Chickpeas, miso, and veggie stock in a blender canister on a white marble board.

Step 2. Blend one-half of the chickpeas with the miso and vegetable broth until smooth.

Chickpeas, cubed potato, chopped leek, paprika, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic in a saucepan next to a mini cactus plant.

Step 3. Cook the leek until translucent. Add the garlic, potato, crushed red pepper, and paprika. Cook for 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Transferring smooth miso cream from the blender to the saucepan.

Step 4. 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 chickpea soup to taste.

💡 Expert Tips

You can use an immersion blender instead to make this chickpea soup. 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 healthy low-salt version. Or you can cook your own chickpeas. You will need to 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 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.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

How do you cut and wash leek?

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.

When should you add the herbs?

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)

What is miso?

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. In fact, miso may be a much healthier way to add salt to a dish.

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