Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Soup Recipe

Filled with chunks of sweet potatoes and hearty veggies, and laced with bold flavors like turmeric and fresh ginger, this chickpea soup recipe is comforting and nutritious in the best way. And it’s even better the next day!  Vegan and Gluten Free.

Chickpea Vegetable Soup you’ll be making on repeat!

One of the things I love about eating the Mediterranean way is that you can truly turn simple pantry staples like a couple cans of chickpeas into the perfect meal—this comforting chickpea soup is the perfect example.

The draw in this vegan soup recipe is in the way chunks of vegetables like velvety tender sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers, layer the soup with color, texture, and flavor. Together with protein-packed chickpeas, they make a delicious pot of goodness that is brimming with nutrition.

As with many of my chickpea-forward recipes (I do love my chickpeas), I use earthy, somewhat fruity spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric. But what really brightens this chickpea soup and gives it an extra level of boldness is grated fresh ginger!

Ingredients: What you’ll need for this chickpea soup recipe

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Vegetables: Sweet potato, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, and canned crushed tomatoes – The vegetables add color, texture, and nutrition (like vitamin A, fiber, and vitamin C!)
• Fresh aromatics: Onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. Fresh ginger is pungent and slightly spicy, adding brightness and a little zing to this soup!
• Canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed – Two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas make the perfect shortcut here, but if you like, you can use dried chickpeas. You’ll just need to budget the time to soak them in water and cook them ahead of time (tips below!).
• Spices: Coriander, cumin, turmeric, and red pepper flakes – These Eastern Mediterranean spices work together to introduce boldness and some earthiness. For a little kick, add a dash of red pepper flakes or Aleppo-style peppers.
• Vegetable broth – Either homemade or store-bought vegetable broth will work.
• Fresh lime juice – Lime juice squeezed right into the chickpea soup at the very end is the perfect finishing touch to lift the soup and balance the earthy, warm flavors.
• Fresh parsley – Stir in a packed cup of chopped parsley once the soup is off the heat for a fresh pop of color.

How to make chickpea soup

Here’s how to make this chickpea soup recipe (printer-friendly recipe below):

• Cook the vegetables. Grab a large Dutch oven or heavy cooking pot and heat 3 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering (but not smoking), add 1 small cubed sweet potato, 1 large chopped yellow onion, 2 stalks chopped celery, 2 carrots sliced into rounds, and 1 chopped red bell pepper. Season with kosher salt and cook until the sweet potatoes have softened slightly (around 7 minutes).
• Add the spices. Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, the spices (1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon cumin, ¾ teaspoon turmeric, and a dash of red pepper flakes) to the Dutch oven. Then add 2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed. Cook for 5 more minutes, tossing regularly to coat the chickpeas and vegetables in all the spices.
  
  
  
• Add the tomatoes and broth and simmer. Add 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes and 6 cups vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot partway and cook the chickpea soup over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very tender at the end.
• Add the finishing touches and serve. Remove the pot from the heat. Squeeze in the juice of 1 or 2 limes, depending on your preference. Add 1 full cup of chopped fresh parsley and a little more grated ginger, and stir to combine. Serve and enjoy!
  
  

Can I make this chickpea soup from scratch using dry chickpeas?

You can prepare the chickpeas from scratch, if you like. You would need about 1 cup of dried chickpeas to yield the same amount as 2 (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas (drained). In my chickpea cooking guide, I go into a lot of detail about how to cook dried chickpeas. But here are the basics of soaking and cooking chickpeas from scratch:

• Soak the dried chickpeas: If you have time, place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with a few inches of water. Leave them to soak overnight. For a shortcut (which you can do just one hour before cooking the chickpeas), add the chickpeas to a large pot on the stove and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the chickpeas to soak for about an hour or until softened.
• To cook the chickpeas, add them to a large pot with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing constantly for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add 7 cups of water to cover the beans by several inches. Season with a big pinch of kosher salt (about 1 teaspoon or more if you like). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, skimming off any foam or skins that float to the top. Chickpeas will cook anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 ½ hour or until tender (cooking time will vary depending on the type and freshness of the chickpeas).
• Drain and store them in the fridge or use them in this comforting chickpea soup.

Chickpea soup in the slow cooker

For a hands-off dinner, you can also prepare this soup  your slow cooker. You can add all the ingredients (except the lime juice and parsley) in the bowl of your slow cooker. Season with Kosher salt and the spices. Pour in vegetable broth, then cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on the low setting for 6 to 7 hours or so. To finish, add in the lime juice and fresh parsley, and a little more ginger, if you like. Note, dried chickpeas do not need to be soaked for the slow-cooker method, but you may add an extra cup of broth. 

Make-ahead tips

To save time on a busy weeknight, you can work ahead by chopping up the vegetables and saving them in the fridge in a tight-lid container.

But this canned chickpea soup is one of those recipes are even better the next day, so feel free to cook it ahead of time and save it in the fridge in a tightly closed container.

Serve it with

With hearty chickpeas and sweet potatoes, this soup stands perfectly on its own as a filling meal. But, if you want, some crusty bread is just the thing to sop up the soup. And I love starting with a big salad for some soup-n-salad action.

Leftovers and storage

Store leftover chickpea soup with vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge (after the soup returns to room temperature). Leftover vegan chickpea soup will keep for 4 to 5 days.

To reheat, spoon the soup into a pot. Place it on the stove top over medium-high heat and bring to a gentle boil. Turn off the heat and serve immediately while hot.

More hearty chickpea recipes:

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4.96 from 104 votes

Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Soup Recipe

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Suzy Karadsheh

Comforting and nutritious, this chickpea soup is filled with sweet potatoes, vegetables, and warm spices. It's even better the next day, making it a delicious make-ahead meal. I've got all the tips for using dried chickpeas instead of canned, and instructions for a hands-off slow cooker version, too!

Prep – 10 minutes mins

Cook – 40 minutes mins

Total – 50 minutes mins

Cuisine:

Mediterranean

Serves – 6 people (up to)

Course:

Dinner, Soup

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ Extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 celery stalks, chopped
• ▢ 2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, more or less to your liking
• ▢ 2 15- ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon turmeric
• ▢ Dash red pepper flakes, I used Aleppo pepper
• ▢ 1 15- ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 6 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ Juice of 1 to 2 limes
• ▢ 1 cup packed chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

 

• In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the sweet potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and bell peppers. Season with kosher salt. Cook, tossing regularly, for 7 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened. Add the garlic, ginger, chickpeas, and spices. Cook for another 5 minutes, tossing regularly.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot part-way and cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes or until the flavors meld.
• Turn the heat off. Add the lime juice and fresh cilantro or parsley, and a little more fresh ginger. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

• To make this soup from scratch using dried chickpeas: You would need about 1 cup of dried chickpeas to yield the same amount as two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas (drained). Start by soaking the chickpeas overnight or at least for 8 hours in a large bowl of water, or for a quick soak, add the chickpeas to a large pot cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and allow the chickpeas to soak for about 1 hour or until softened. From there, you can cook the chickpeas, adding water and a big pinch of salt and boiling them for about 1 to 2 hours until they are tender. Follow my how to cook chickpea guide for more details. Drain and use in this recipe. 
• Slow cooker method: For a hands-off dinner, you can also prepare this soup  your slow cooker. You can add all the ingredients (except the lime juice and parsley) in the bowl of your slow cooker. Season with Kosher salt and the spices. Pour in vegetable broth, then cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on the low setting for 6 to 7 hours or so. To finish, add in the lime juice and fresh parsley, and a little more ginger, if you like. Note, dried chickpeas do not need to be soaked for the slow-cooker method, but you may add an extra cup of broth. 
• Leftovers and storage: Leftover chickpea soup will keep for 4 to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat and stir occasionally until warmed through. 
• Visit Our Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and spices (like the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and Aleppo pepper used in this recipe). 

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 33.5gProtein: 6.9gFat: 2.1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.9gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 403.9mgPotassium: 680.5mgFiber: 7.9gSugar: 9.6gVitamin A: 10890.9IUVitamin C: 49.9mgCalcium: 98.4mgIron: 3.4mg

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