You know how most vegetable soups are pretty tired and “blah”? Not this one! This hearty homemade vegetable soup is full of fresh, wholesome flavors.
I’m excited to share this vegetable soup recipe with you. It’s honestly the best I’ve ever had, and I hope you’ll agree. You just might have all the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy soup on hand already.
I can think of so many reasons to make this soup. Warm up with a big bowl of veggie soup on a cold day. Make it for someone who’s under the weather. My husband has a cold and it’s snowing outside as I type, so this soup is just what we need right now.
Prepare a batch and you’ll have a healthy side dish ready to go for the rest of the week. This soup is a great way to lighten up heavier meals, especially as we get into the holidays. Did I mention that it’s vegetarian, vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy?
Vegetable Options for Vegetable Soup
This homemade vegetable soup is versatile by design, so you can enjoy it from fall through winter. We’ll use onion, carrots and celery as a base.
We’ll also add two cups of seasonal vegetables to make this soup more hearty and interesting. Choose from veggies you have on hand, or grab your favorites at the store. Any of these will work:
- Sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch long segments
- Bell pepper, chopped
- Cauliflower, cut into very small bite-sized pieces
- Zucchini or yellow squash, chopped
- Fresh greens: Kale, collard greens, chard, or spinach
How to Make the Best Vegetable Soup
We’ll use several simple techniques to build flavor as we cook this soup. Here’s how:
1) Start with the veggies.
We’ll sauté chopped onion, celery, carrots and seasonal vegetables in olive oil, with some salt. This softens them up and enhances their flavors. Adding salt during different stages of the cooking process builds more flavor than simply adding it all at the end.
2) Add fresh minced garlic, curry powder, and dried thyme.
Sautéing these ingredients for about 1 minute wakes up their flavors, but isn’t long enough to risk burning the garlic (burnt garlic tastes awful).
Curry powder is the secret to making this soup so delicious. We aren’t adding much. You probably won’t be able to pinpoint the flavor, but it adds some subtle intrigue and warmth to this soup. I’ve also used curry powder in my lentil soup and chickpea noodle soup as well, and it always works like a charm.
3) Add canned diced tomatoes with their juices.
We’ll cook them all together for a couple of minutes to reduce any tinny flavors. I used fire-roasted diced tomatoes for these photos, but regular diced tomatoes were just as good. I always recommend using Muir Glen brand of tomatoes because they taste the best and come in BPA-free cans.
4) Almost done—add some vegetable broth, water, and more flavorings.
Vegetable broth keeps this soup vegetarian/vegan. We’ll also add bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and a little more salt. If you’re sensitive to spice, you can reduce or omit the red pepper flakes. If you love spice like me, you might even want to double the amount at the end (add to taste). Regardless, we’ll let the soup gently simmer for 25 minutes so the flavors can meld together.
5) Add chopped fresh greens and finally, some fresh lemon juice.
Lastly, we’ll add chopped greens for health bonus points, and simmer for 5 minutes to soften them up. Before serving, we’ll brighten up the soup with a big squeeze of lemon juice (one of my other go-to soup tricks) and add another splash of olive oil for rich flavor. Taste the soup before and after these additions, and you’ll notice a big difference! Finally, season to taste with salt and pepper, as necessary.
Watch How to Make Vegetable Soup
Please let me know how this soup turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you, and your feedback encourages other readers to try the recipe.
Craving more hearty, healthy, meatless soups this season? Me, too. Here are a few more great options:
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Chickpea Noodle Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Beans Soup)
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Chickpea Soup
Don’t miss the hearty soups in my cookbook, Love Real Food. They’re some of my favorites!
Seriously Good Vegetable Soup
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 bowls 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This vegetable soup recipe is seriously so good! It’s easy to make, and full of veggies and fresh flavor. If you’re feeing under the weather or just wanting to lighten up your meals, this soup is the answer. Recipe yields 6 bowls of soup.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, green beans, butternut squash, potatoes, bell pepper, zucchini or yellow squash
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided, to taste
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, reduce or omit if sensitive to spice
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale or collard greens or chard (thick ribs removed), or spinach
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, seasonal vegetables and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, curry powder and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
- Pour in the broth and water. Add ½ teaspoon more salt, 2 bay leaves and the red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and add the chopped greens. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or more, until the greens have softened to your liking.
- Remove the pot from heat and remove the bay leaves. Stir in the lemon juice and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes. (You might need up to ½ teaspoon more salt, depending on your vegetable broth and your personal preferences.) Divide into bowls and enjoy.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my quinoa vegetable soup and lentil soup.
Storage suggestions: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. It freezes and defrosts well if you want to freeze extra portions for later!
Recommended equipment: I’m convinced that everything I cook in my Dutch oven (affiliate link) comes out extra delicious.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Nick
You didn’t note when to add potatoes to the dish, I’m assuming you should add them with the broth and let it all simmer together?
★★★
Kate
Hi! See where you add the seasonal vegetables in step 1.
Nares
WOW! I have no words to describe how good this soup is! Its Autumn here in Australia and i cooked this tonight with some homemade bread.Our little miss doesn’t like spicy so i added a sprinkle of smoked paprika instead..turned out Amazing..Our new favourite soup..Thankyou
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear how much you love it, Nares!
Maila
Will be making this soup again, thank you for the recipe! I omitted the thyme (cuz I don’t like it) and tomatoes. Used 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (perfectly spicy!), butternut squash (will purée some of the squash at the end next time for fun), and doubled the greens. So good!
★★★★
Kate
Wonderful to hear, Maila!
Dianne M Schwarz
Well, I pride myself on being a good soup maker but this is “seriously good vegetable soup”. The curry and the fresh lemon and the spice combination is just perfect! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited you enjoyed it, Dianne! I appreciate your review.
Bobbie
This is “seriously” the BEST veggie soup !!! I made it and shared with both of my daughters who live in their own homes. They loved it too. I made more 2 days later and ate it every single day… then repeated a week later. It’s been almost 3 weeks and I’m going to make it again in a day or so. I love anything “veggie” Thanks so much Kate. I love your recipes and your book is perfect and beautiful. I’m a Kansas City native though I moved away over 37 years ago. Keep on doing what you’re doing. I am a fan for life.
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Bobbie! Thank you for your review.
Renee
This is an outstanding recipe! We have recently gone vegan, so everything here on my end is organic. The only change I made for a double batch, was adding two cans of organic black beans. I did drain the liquid out of those cause there’s so much liquid in here now.
I freeze half and it’s such a delight- turns out perfect after you have frozen it as well.
★★★★★
Kyree Anderson
I love this soup and make it often but I’m wondering how I might adapt it to a slow cooker?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Kyree! I recommend this best as written. I’m not sure about this in a slow cooker as I haven’t tried it and wonder if the vegetables would get over cooked.
Kyree Anderson
Hi Kate. Thank you for the reply. I did try it in the slow cooker and it was OK but NOT as good as what the original but still had good flavor.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for reporting back, Kyree!
Victoria
This soup is seriously good and super customizable. I love the seasoning and how hearty and warm it felt. I have been making my own veggie broth from scraps and used a full 6 cups of broth vs 4 of broth and 2 of water, it was phenomenal. Making it again tomorrow!
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Victoria!
Mollie
I love getting the fire roasted canned tomatoes, they add another layer of flavor and I put the spices in with the oil in sautéing to heat them up. It activates them better than just putting in the broth. I cook the onions on their own and take out since my dog kid gets soup too! Can always add in the bowl with the fresh spinach and ladle the soup on it, that’s enough to wilt the spinach. I usually add some beans for some extra protein. Soup is one of the easiest and most versatile meals there are plus they are great in losing weight!
Gregory
So..I made this soup the other day…and it is delicious…I mean it is amazingly good. It’s very versatile and works well with the vegetables I chose…potatoes, carrots, sweet potato, onion, celery and leeks. You could add beans or your choice of protein as well. I followed the recipe and the results were fantastic…the soup is full of flavor and veggie goodness and is healthy too…it tastes great on a cold winter night with a hunk of french bread or sourdough. Thank you for this recipe! If anyone’s reading this please give this recipe a try…it’s fast and simple and tastes better than anything you’d get from a can!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Gregory!
Hollie
I made this soup today. I was nervous, as I’m very fussy about soups.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I absolutely love this dish. The lemon and hint of chilli really rounds everything out, without being over the top! I cooked this recipe exact to the times given, and the veges came out perfect, still firm but not crunchy.
This really is seriously good soup!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Hollie! Thank you for your review.
Rosalind Gardner
Best vegetable soup we’ve ever had.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Rosalind!
Paige E
Would this be doable in a crock pot?
Norma
Wow,this soup is delious. Thank you for sharing. This will definitely be,my go too vegetable soup..
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Norma! I appreciate your review.
Jack
Hi!
Is there any way to mask the curry flavor? We did not expect such an Indian taste to this soup, despite using less curry powder than recommended, and adding more broth than what was on the instructions. I even added other herbs and such as an attempt to mask the flavor, but no such luck. Neither of us like the curry flavor. Help! Thanks!
Jack
★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made it, Jack!
SoupWitch
Did you know you didn’t like curry before you made it?
Susan
Add a potato or coconut milk or more broth.
Shelie
This is the absolute BEST vegetable soup I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for sharing. I make this pretty much every week.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Shelie! I appreciate your review.
Victoria Linn
This soup is delicious! I have made it often as well as your lentil soup that is very similar and ever bit as delicious! Every dish I have made of yours is so mouthwatering good. I have shared your recipes with many
friends and relatives! Sending my love to you for your loss of Cookie.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Victoria! I appreciate your review.
Maura
I made this soup for a soup potluck at work last year and ever since, I get requests on birthdays for this soup as a birthday gift. It’s quickly become my go-to recipe for sharing and it always turns out great!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Maura!
Janice Sterzer
This is a great recipe, but could you please specify how many cups would be in a serving? “A bowl “could be so many different sizes.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi, roughly 1.5-2 cups is a serving. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
martina
hi there,
I wanted to check if this soup could be blended? I’m looking to get a healthy soup for my kids but know they will only take it if they can’t see the veg!!
Joan
Anyone find a way to get the protein in this up to a ‘meal’ level?
Kate
Hi Joan! I love to serve this with my Favorite Grilled Cheese Sandwich or you can add chickpeas to it.
Linda Lindsey
This was very yummy. I did the green bean and sweet potato combo. Very very nice soup. Will make again!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Linda! Thank you for your review.
Fiona
Fantastic recipe, thank you! On this stormy autumn night in NZ, my whole family loved it. I blended it for my kids but the adults ate the chunky version. Packed full of yummy veggies, the flavour was delicious and it felt very nourishing. I’ll be making it again and again in the coming months.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Fiona! I appreciate your review.
Austin
This seriously is the best vegetable soup! I don’t like curry but I trusted the recipe and used it and it adds something extra special. I love making it on a cold night or when I’m feeling a little sick. It’s not too tomato-y like other vegetable soups either. Sometimes I add a little pasta or some chickpeas
★★★★★
Karen
This is a wonderful recipe anytime of year with whatever is available seasonally. Kate, what is are you go-to brands for veggie broth? I am trying to find one that I like.
Thanks for all your amazing recipes. I can always find one to inspire me. :)
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Karen!
Linda
Americas Test Kitchen has a great recipe for making your own vegetable broth “base” that you store in the freezer and reconstitute using 1 tablespoon per cup of water.
Natasha Lindner
Thanks for this recipe, and that touch of curry powder was what drew everyone through the kitchen to see what I was cooking. I have Rosacea and this recipe with all those green means it’s high in Vitamin K and that is helping my skin looking better. Also, those greens are organically grown in my garden so win, win.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Natasha! I appreciate your review.
Carla
Wow! My husband was dreading soup for dinner… He went back for THIRDS! Loved this and can’t wait to make it again
★★★★★
Kate
I love to hear that, Carla! I appreciate your review.
Kathryn
Beautiful
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kathryn! I appreciate you review.
Burul Campbell
Hi Kate,
I’m big fun if your recipes.I have been making most of recipes even I am not a vegetarian and I love all of them.This soup is my to go soup I have been making it every week.I just used whatever vegetables I have at home and always turns out delicious.Thank your so much for sharing with us.
★★★★★
Robyn Weston
Second time I’ve made this soup and it is truly delicious.
Both times with different verges. Packed with flavour. Thank you
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Robyn! Thank you for your review.
Sandy
I haven’t made this (or supper) yet so I’m heading out to the store right now to get a few extra things I love in soup. I cannot wait to try this! I’ve cooked for so long I know this dish will be a winner in my house. Thank you for sharing this treat.
Aimee
Hi Kate, just a question, is it 2 cups of each vegetable? Or a total of 2 cups of veg?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi! You will want the other vegetable ingredients + 2 cups of your choice of mixed seasonal vegetables. Does that help?
Lavinia
Oh yes, this is seriously delicious soup. Thanks for sharing. I didn’t see all the recipe so didn’t follow it correctly and put any ole amount of ingredients in. Nevertheless it turned out fantastic.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Lavinia! I appreciate your review.
Jane Barbour
I made this and the flavour is amazing . I’ve placed it in my recipe book !
It will be a winter favourite.
★★★★★
Kate
A great one to have in the winter. Thank you for sharing, Jane!
Marg
Seriously good soup. Thinking of adding lean ground beef next time for hamburger soup
Laz
This was really good.I just used the vegetables I had leftover from the week – cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, a little fennel, and carrots.I added chickpeas at the end, after putting the soup through the food processor. I never would’ve thought to combine curry powder and thyme but it works well in this recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Laz! Thank you for sharing.
Teresa
Delicious! The curry really made it different!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Teresa! I appreciate your review.
Liz
This soup is absolutely wonderful. I followed the recipe to the letter except I didn’t add the curry- allergic. So, I used fresh parsley instead. It was delicious. I never thought to add kale and sweet potatoes before, but will definitely include them in my vegetable soup from now on. Thank you for a great and tasty recipe that my family loves.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Liz!
Candy
A big can of tomatoes was too much and the soup was overpowered. I ended up adding pasta, water and more veg stock. I would start with half the amount of tomatoes and add more if needed.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear you didn’t love this soup as written. I appreciate your review, Candy.
Lorraine Grantham
Thank you Kate – this is such a tasty delicious soup and I’m sharing it to my friends. My eating plant has “free” vegetables and I can make the soup using all these free ingredients for an addition to lunch or as an afternoon snack. I left out the red pepper flakes and loved the zing the curry gives. I’ve now printed out the lentil and vegetable and quinoa and vegetable recipes and am looking forward to trying them.
★★★★★
Julie
Hi there. This soup is amazing and I want to make a big batch for use during the school year. I’m wondering about pressure canning the soup? Would you have any recommendations? Is there certain veggies you would/wouldn’t use if canning? I have loved any soup recipes I have tried of yours. Excited to try this one. You had me with the curry.
Kate
I am not an expert with canning so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
Teri
Really good! Not a curry fan, but it worked for me here. Added rutabaga, potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms. A little more than 2 cups. More veggies!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m happy to hear you enjoy this soup, Teri.
Lanie
This is delicious soup indeed! I was concerned about adding so many garlic cloves but went ahead and did it anyway and am glad I did.
It’s definitely not overly garlicky at all. Because I prefer thicker soup, I put it all through the blender/food processor after it had cooled. YUM!
Linda W
Made this today. Hate celery so left it out. Very good. Will make again.
★★★★★
DeLaina Smith
The bomb.com I used fresh veggies from my garden. Omitted the onion and added Jalapeños instead we like it ️ spicy. Very versatile recipe. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, DeLaina!
Faye
Would it be possible to add meat such as stewing beef to the recipe to make it a beef vegetable soup?
Kate
I am a vegetarian so I don’t have a recommendation. Sorry!
Grandma
Hello,
If I cannot add curry to the soup, is there anything you would suggest as a substitution or should I just leave it out?
Thanks
Kate
You can try it without it. Although, it does send this over the top.
Joni S
I’m making this today with my farmers market bounty. It always turns out delicious! Thank you for the time and energy you put into providing perfect recipes. I’ve made dozens of your recipes. They are healthy, delicious and top notch.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Joni!
Nickypoo
Add some coconut cream, fresh ginger juice, and basil and you’ve got a great Thai style soup that is friggin great!
Kate
Great to hear you changed it up and were able to enjoy it!
Mary Hamtil
I am allergic to all nightshade plants. Is there any way I can make your veggie soup without tomatoes? Do you have a good substitute for tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers? I love all these, but my body does not. I crave hearty soups. Can you help? I love your Butternut squash soup and several others than do not include nightshades.
★★★★★
Kate
I don’t have a good alternative without a completely different recipe. Sorry!
jan
This was a crowd pleaser from my ENTIRE family of 4 males! They all commented and loved it. Thnx for the variation! I added hamburger- with a hearty whole grain loaf of bread from the oven!
DELICIOUS!! 10 out of 10
★★★★★
Louise
Thank you for the soup recipes. I made vegetable today. The substitution ideas make it easy to use the remnants in the freezer and veggie drawers.
★★★★★
MaryB
Could you add some sort of beans to this for extra protein? Thank you. Going to try this today.
Kate
Sure! Chickpeas could be nice here.
Jo Anne
How can I make this recipe in a crock pot?
Thank you
Kate
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
Laurie
Made this for a friend who was sick with the flu. It is outstanding. My sister in law and I both loved it. The sick friend swears it helped him get better faster…he felt better the next day. He also requested that the leftover frozen for later. Thanks for an excellent recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, Laurie!
Natalie
The perfect soup. I add in half a cup of lentils and an additional cup of water to make it extra hearty.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Natalie!
Ronald R Koehler
WOW! This soup is seriously delicious. It’s delicious as it is but I went ahead and changed it to my liking. Two onions instead of one. The only seasonal vegetable used was a large potato and about a cup and a half of fresh green beens. Also used fresh tomatoes and about a cup of V8 vegetable juice.
Thanks for posting this recipe. It’s now my go to vegetable soup.
★★★★★
Liesl
Your veg soup is wonderful – and so customizable. (I won’t bother to tell you what I did in the end, but it was yummy.)
The basics are the heart.
I follow a bunch of your stuff – thanks!
Linda
Just wondering if the one-half tsp of Red Pepper flakes is a typo? The soup is so spicy I can barely eat it without a bite of bread. As a comparison, your somewhat similar Lentil Minestrone soup (which I love) has only a “pinch” of red pepper flakes. If you’re thinking I should have started lower with the pepper flakes, you’re right. But, I have made (and loved!) so many of your recipes as written, it didn’t occur to me to doubt the amount of spice on this vegetable soup.
★★★
Kate
You can omit if you prefer.
Sabine Surkan
Cookie and Kate, thank you both very much for this recipe. Your recipe gave me a delicious lunch to feel cozy inside on a cold autumn day. Having the opportunity to work with fresh vegetables is also always such a calming experience.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Sabine! Thank you for your review.
Helen
I started making this delicious soup every week during the pandemic when I was home working remotely. Now I’m retired and I still make it almost every week. It is endlessly adaptable as well, which I love. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Helen!
Julia
Loved this soup! It is really the best ever. Very hearty for veg soup. First time I made it just like you instructed and it was wonderful. Second time I added more of the spices, some frozen lima beans, a parmesan cheese rind, and extra greens at the end. We took some to our “adopted” (mid – late 80’s) French mom who LOVED it. She eats so little and believe me, it was a huge complement coming from her.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Julia.
Laura
I’ve made this soup so many times and everyone raves about it! Just put it together with ingredients that were available to me which makes it so easy. It’s so flexible but incredibly delicious. I basically clean out my crisper drawer and follow the rest of the directions LOVE IT!
★★★★★
Terry
Was fantastic soup. Lemon juice was the key for me. Thank you Terry
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome!
Betty
I love your soup recipe! The curry powder distinguishes it from plain vegetable soup. The recipe is easy to follow and easy to modify with whatever vegetable I have on hand.
Thanks!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Betty!
Valerie
This is by far the best vegetable soup I have ever made – thank you for the recipe!! I followed it to a tee, but added some kidney beans and black beans that I had cooked earlier (not canned). I put them in near the end just to heat them up.
★★★★★
Angela Adams
I love this soup and have made it on many occasions as it’s so adaptable. This time around I added a tin of beans and it’s worked very well.
★★★★★
robert
Wow! I made this last night, and the broth was amazing. I followed it to the letter, no subs. I had to buy some curry powder, i almost skipped the store run. Glad i didn’t, this is my new veggie soup base. Much thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Robert! Thank you for your review.
Megan
★★★★★
Lauren
This is the best vegetable soup I’ve ever had. Thank you!!
★★★★★