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These healthy soup recipes are packed with vegetables, protein, and bold flavors, perfect for meal prep or quick weeknight dinners!
Looking for healthy soup recipes to add to your meal rotation? There are lots of soups that claim to be “healthy,” but are just purees that don’t fill you up.
I’ve spent years creating healthy soup recipes that are both nutritious and filling. They’re loaded with vegetables, but also packed with beans, lentils, and hearty grains. I have tested every one of these recipes in my home kitchen and each was given a thumbs up from a real life family (mine!). I’ve even listed the prep time for each so you can choose based on what you have time for.
What Makes a Soup Healthy?
When I say “healthy soup,” I mean soup recipes that are built around whole ingredients like vegetables, plant-based proteins like beans and lentils, and wholesome grains like wild rice or quinoa. They’re seasoned with herbs and spices, rather than relying on lots of cream, cheese, or meat for flavor.
Each soup below can stand as a complete meal with just a simple side. A simple arugula salad or slice of skillet cornbread is all you need to round out the meal.
My Top 20 Healthy Soup Recipes
At the top of my healthy soup recipes is my wild rice soup! This fan-favorite recipe is delectably creamy and delicious, packed with plant-based protein from cashews, white beans, and hearty wild rice. So many readers have made and loved this one, and it's a favorite in my house too.
Total time: 1 hour
This easy lentil soup has only 7 ingredients and simple to meal prep as a lunch or dinner recipe! It’s one of our top cheap and delicious healthy meal prep ideas. I've made this more times than I can count! Also try this tasty variation, Sweet Potato Lentil Soup.
Total time: 50 minutes
Here’s a healthy soup recipe you’ll immediately add to your regular rotation once you taste a spoonful. Try this White Bean Soup, full of wholesome ingredients and big flavor! Tender white beans float in the cozy broth with soft potatoes and leafy kale. Lemon zest lends brightness and tarragon brings an herby nuance.
Total time: 35 minutes
One of my favorite healthy soups of all time? This black bean tortilla soup! It takes just over 30 minutes to make beautifully bright, tangy flavor. Black beans and corn float in a beautiful brothy with a hint of smoky adobo sauce. Or add protein and make Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Total time: 35 minutes
Looking for a flavor-packed healthy soup? Try this easy cabbage soup. Though it’s humble, cabbage makes a hearty, satisfying soup, and it's packed with veggies that swim in a savory-spiced broth of fire roasted tomatoes.
Total time: 35 minutes
This healthy soup recipe pleases everyone: kale, white beans, and tomatoes float in a tangy broth flavored with oregano and fennel. It’s like a combination of all my favorite soup recipes in one bowl, comforting and full of bold Mediterranean-style flavors.
Total time: 30 minutes
This black bean soup recipe is a healthy and easy meal! Using canned beans makes it possible to whip it up in 30 minutes. It’s creamy, garlicky and hearty. Top it with pico de gallo for a bright and zingy contrast in flavors.
Total time: 30 minutes
Here’s a cozy bowl that’s so hearty and satisfying. Kidney beans and navy beans float in a savory, smoky broth of fire roasted tomatoes that has just the right glossy texture. It uses canned beans, but it tastes like it’s been simmering all day.
Total time: 35 minutes
This healthy broccoli potato soup looks like it's cheesy, but it's all an illusion! Blend up cashews with a bit of the soup, and it forms a thick and creamy body that's packed with flavor. Broccoli and carrots add a big dose of nutrients.
Total time: 35 minutes
Does chili count as soup? Because this healthy chili is a must-add to your healthy soup list! This hearty soup features black beans, quinoa, and a zingy broth where fire-roasted tomatoes make the flavor shine.
Total time: 30 minutes
If there’s a healthy soup that always satisfies, it’s a great lentil soup. Lentils are full of protein, shelf stable for years, inexpensive, and make for some of the most satisfying filling meals. This simple red lentil soup is deliciously hearty, featuring aromatic vegetables, lemon and a hint of smoked paprika.
Total time: 25 minutes
Split pea soup is incredibly simple and hearty, with all the filling protein of this healthy legume! This healthy soup version uses a few tricks to simulate a smoky flavor, while keeping it totally plant-based.
Total time: 1 hour
You’ll love this simple tofu soup recipe, a tasty, nourishing plant-based meal! Cubes of tofu float in a savory broth flavored with miso, ginger, dried mushrooms, and fresh mushrooms. Add crunchy carrots and green onions just before serving, and it’s a satisfying combination of earthiness with crisp vegetables.
Total time: 30 minutes
This healthy vegetable soup is packed with as many veggies as possible! Carrots, green beans, bell peppers, peas, and beans all dance in a savory broth. It's like a fresh spin on canned noodle soup.
Total time: 35 minutes
This healthy soup is full of big Italian flavors: intense vibrant tomato, leafy Tuscan kale, and a creamy broth made with Parmesan. Swimming in it all are the chickpeas and pasta of the soup’s title, making it hearty and filling.
Total time: 30 minutes
This healthy mushroom barley soup has a warming broth and nutritious veggies. Barley infuses each bite with a pasta-like chewy texture. It’s perfect for healthy desk lunches in a thermos or enjoying a big steaming bowl after a long day.
Total time: 55 minutes
Some gnocchi soup is full of cream and butter, but not this one! This healthy gnocchi soup is homey, comforting, and heart-meltingly good, filled with lots of veggies: tomatoes, green beans and chickpeas.
Total time: 35 minutes
Here’s a tasty, simple soup that impresses every time: spinach tortellini soup! Doughy pillows of tortellini float in a tangy, tomato broth seasoned with Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s loaded up with nutrient-dense spinach and tender vegetables like carrot and fennel.
Total time: 30 minutes
This sweet potato lentil soup is a creamy, budget-friendly vegan dinner made with wholesome ingredients and aromatic spices. Perfect for meal prep and packed with plant-based protein and fiber!
Total time: 45 minutes
Here's a soup full of superfoods: this butternut squash lentil soup tastes like a bowl of sunshine. It’s chock full of beautiful, colorful healthy ingredients, and it tastes surprisingly more delicious than you’d imagine from the humble ingredients.
Total time: 50 minutes
This cozy healthy soup is made of veggies that taste bright and restorative! It’s like a chicken rice soup made with chickpeas instead. Tender grains of rice make for a satisfying thick body to the turmeric and ginger-infused broth, with a punch of lemon zest to brighten each spoonful.
Total time: 35 minutes
Healthy Side Dishes for Soup
What to pair with these healthy soup recipes to make it a meal? Here are some of our favorites sides for soups:
- Grab an arugula salad or goat cheese salad.
- Make sliced apples and fruit dip.
- Bake up cornbread muffins, skillet cornbread, or garlic toast.
- Try kale salad or kale quinoa salad.
Creamy Wild Rice Soup (& More Healthy Soups)
This wild rice soup recipe is impossibly creamy, packed with flavor and full of tender veggies and hearty rice. Everyone asks for the recipe: it’s that good.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews*
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 celery ribs
- 3 medium carrots
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup wild rice (not a wild rice blend)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water. Leave them to soak while you make the recipe.
- Dice the onion. Thinly slice the celery. Cut the carrot into rounds. Slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
- Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and oregano and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the broth, wild rice, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Then add the beans (drained and rinsed), and continue to simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes more, or until rice breaks open.
- Using a liquid cup measure, carefully remove 2 cups of the hot soup (including broth, veggies and rice) to a blender. Add 1 cup water. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender, along with the dried sage. Blend on high for about 1 minute until creamy. Then pour the creamy mixture back into the soup.
- Add the soy sauce and the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Garnish with fresh ground pepper.
Notes
*I like to use raw cashews, but roasted also work. If your cashews are salted, you may need to adjust and add a little less salt at the end. For a nut allergy, go to Wild Rice Mushroom Soup.
Leftover storage: Leftover wild rice soup stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The soup thickens as it sits because the wild rice continues to absorb liquid. When reheating, add a splash of vegetable broth or water to reach your desired consistency, then warm over medium heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally.
Freezing info: This soup also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop, adding liquid as needed.
Chicken adder: While this recipe is vegan, you can also add cooked shredded chicken if you like for a protein-packed variation. Add it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Delightful Post Thanks
What happens if you use wild rice blend instead of wild rice?
The cook time is usually a lot shorter!
Hey! Thank you for the great recipes. I can’t find wild rice in NZ ~ do you have a substitute option?
There’s not really a sub for it! Sorry. This recipe has a similar coziness though: https://www.acouplecooks.com/vegan-mushroom-soup/
What kind of white beans do you use?
We use navy or cannelini.
This looked yummy! I couldn’t tell if you added pre cooked rice or not?! What did you recommend? :) Love your recipes!
Hi! We simmer the wild rice in the soup.
I made this soup toďay and it’s delicious and easy to make.
Shall be having it for lunch tomorrow (might share it with my mum).
And freeze some too.
Let us know if you have any questions!