The next time you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner, try this vegan split soup. It’s a simple, one-pot recipe that’s both filling and nutritious.
Serve this soup as an appetizer, side dish, or main entree by adding plant-based protein. Ideas include tempeh bacon or chunks of your go-to store-bought meat alternative.
This vegan split pea soup recipe can also be frozen, so you can make it advance and store it in the freezer. This way, you’ll always have healthy homemade soup in hand.
For a complete meal, pair your soup with a vegan grilled cheese sandwich or vegan BLT sandwich. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Vegetable broth. Vegetable broth is a standard ingredient in any good soup. Consider making vegetable broth from scratch to save money and food waste.
- Dried split peas. Of course, there’s no split pea soup without split peas. Make sure to remove any debris or damaged pieces before adding it to your soup.
- Onions. Sautéed onions add depth and flavor to this split pea soup recipe. Like broth, it’s a standard ingredient in soups.
How to Make Vegan Split Pea Soup
As a simple one-pot recipe, this split pea soup is ideal for beginner home cooks. It’s also easy to customize based on the ingredients you have on hand. For the full recipe and ingredients list, check out the bottom of this post.
1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm two tablespoons of oil or vegan butter. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender.
Add the spices and garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
2. Add the broth and dried split peas.
3. Simmer for about 1 hour, partially covered, or until the peas have broken down and the mixture is thick. Occasionally mix the soup to ensure the ingredients don’t stick to the bottom.
4. Serve warm with croutons or crusty bread.
Recipe Tips, Variations, and Substitutions
- Use water instead of broth. Broth will add the most flavor. But if you don’t have any on hand, water will get the job done.
- Add more liquid to thin the soup. If your soup is too thick, add an extra cup or two of liquid.
- Simmer longer to thicken. If your soup is too thin, simply simmer the soup for another few minutes.
- Add potatoes. For an even heartier soup, add cubed potatoes when you add the split peas. The potatoes will soften as you simmer the mixture.
- Switch up the seasonings. Feel free to add spices and herbs like red pepper flakes, bay leaves, or parsley.
- Mix in some greens. To make this soup even healthier, add a few handfuls of spinach to the finished soup. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
How Do You Store Leftover Vegan Split Pea Soup?
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or the stovetop. You might need to add a bit of liquid to rehydrate the soup.
Can I Freeze the Soup?
Yes, this soup is freezer-friendly. Let it cool and store it in a freezer-safe, air-tight container. We enjoy using Souper Cubes for this purpose.
Serving Suggestions
- Vegan grilled cheese. Grilled cheese and soup is a deliciously classic pairing
- Homemade vegan croutons. For a satisfying crunch, add croutons to your soup
- Roasted chickpeas. Roasted chickpeas are a tasty alternative to croutons
Easy Vegan Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried split peas
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 yellow onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black peper
- 7 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, warm two tablespoons of oil or vegan butter. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until tender.
- Add the seasonings and garlic and cook for another 1 minute.
- Add the broth and dried split peas.
- Simmer for about 1 hour, partially covered, or until the peas have broken down and the mixture is thick. Mix the soup occasionally to ensure the ingredients don’t stick to the bottom.
- Serve warm with croutons or crusty bread.
Notes
- No broth on hand? Broth will add the most flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand, water will get the job done.
- For an even heartier soup, add cubed potatoes when you add the split peas. The potatoes will soften as you simmer the mixture.
- Feel free to add spices and herbs like red pepper flakes, bay leaves, or parsley.
- To make this soup even healthier, add a few handfuls of spinach to the finished soup. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
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Nutrition
About the Author
Kirsten Nunez is a journalist who focuses on healthy food and cooking. Her vegan and plant-based recipes have appeared on VegNews, eHow, Shape, and more. When she’s not creating and photographing vegan recipes for Clean Green Simple, you can find her experimenting in the kitchen and sharing plant-based meals with friends and family. More articles by Kirsten.
I didn’t add the chili pepper. Was amazing and so easy to make. Thank you! I did have to add quite a bit more water, but not a big deal.
i make this often and usually also add any leftover veggies i have hanging around. I love pea soup made with yellow peas which for some reason are difficult to find in the u.s. I go to florida in winter and have to bring bags of the peas with me. Have not tried the adobo chili, that will be next. Just found this site and love it.
Thanks
This soup is absolutely fabulous!! The addition of the addition of the chipotle in adobo sauce was so amazingly yummy!! I also had to add lots more water but I’m using an enameled dutch oven to cook it in so maybe it gets hotter and evaporated the liquid faster. Thank you for such a great recipe!!
YUM! Split Pea Soup is the BEST!!!
I made this tonight and ended up needing to add 2 more cups of water and that was at a low simmer. Do you find this happens to you as well? Delicious though. Oh…I also added a bay leaf and a 1/2 cup of fresh parsley. Amazing! Thanks for yet another great recipe.
Looks so yummy! I will try this one <3