March 10, 2016
(last updated October 25, 2023) 
This super simple, very green soup is a warming, cozy way to get your greens in! It can be made with any green vegetables that you have at home, including green cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, kale, chard, spinach, collard greens, and more. It’s easy to make and so healthful.
This soup is exactly what it claims to be: a super simple, very green soup!
I’ve been making the recipe for years now. This green soup isn’t fussy, fancy, or complex. The flavors are straightforward: a bit of ginger, onion, and garlic, combined with the slight astringency of greens.
Many of the soups that I make are big, bold, hearty stews. They’re meals unto themselves.
This green soup is different. It’s light and a little plain. I usually snack on it, or I sip it with a sandwich or as a starter at dinnertime.
Yet for all of its humbleness, the soup is a keeper. If you’re looking for an easy, healthy way to eat more greens—one that’s neither a green juice nor a smoothie nor a salad—this recipe can be your answer.
The benefits of green soup
I feel strongly that the “benefits” of any food or food group go beyond nutrition alone.
A food can be profoundly beneficial because it confers enjoyment. I feel this way about most of my homemade desserts.
This green soup, however, is beneficial primarily in the nutritional sense. It is an excellent means of taking in more leafy greens. And leafy greens, we know, are among the most nutrient-dense foods that we can eat.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that’s associated with healthy vision, immune function, reproductive and growth.
We often associate Vitamin A with its precursor, beta-carotene, which is present in orange-hued foods (like butternut squash).
Leafy greens, though, are also an excellent source of Vitamin A.
Vitamin K
Leafy greens are a great source of another fat-soluble vitamin, Vitamin K. Specifically, greens supply us with phylloquinone, which is a type of Vitamin K.
Vitamin K is associated with healthy blood clotting and bone health.
Vitamin C
We tend to associate Vitamin C with fresh fruit, especially citrus. Yet dark, leafy greens are also a great source of Vitamin C, which plays a role in proper immune function as well as growth and development.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, which means that it helps to protect our cells against the damage that occurs with aging and various metabolic processes.
Calcium
Leafy greens, as well as broccoli—which is the other green vegetable that I most often use in the green soup—are good plant-based sources of calcium, an essential nutrient for bone health and nervous system function.
Iron
Spinach is well-known for being rich in plant-based (non-heme) iron. All dark, leafy greens, however, are good vegan sources of iron.
Iron is necessary for oxygen transport in the body, as well as proper immune function.
Phytochemicals
The vivid colors that we see among different fruits and vegetables are due to plant-based pigments called phytochemicals. Each color—green, purple, red, orange, and so on—is associated with different health benefits.
The phytochemicals in leafy greens are associated with carotenoids and lutein, which both can help to protect vision. Lutein may have anti-inflammatory properties as well.
How to make vegan green soup
The best thing about this green soup is its simplicity. It’s not quite as simple as blending up a green smoothie or a green juice. But it’s not much harder, either.
Step 1: prep
You’ll start by preparing the vegetables that you need for the soup.
These can vary, according to what you have at home. But you’ll need onion, garlic, and potatoes no matter what.
Usually, the green veggies that I add are broccoli, zucchini, or a combination of both. And my dark, leafy greens are usually kale or spinach.
Step 2: sauté
Next, you’ll sauté onion, then add garlic and ginger. The ginger is optional, but I think it adds something extra to an otherwise spare flavor profile.
Step 3: add potatoes and broth
Next, you’ll add potatoes and broth to the pot. Bring everything to a boil, cover the pot, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 4: add green veggies
Next, you’ll add some sort of green vegetable to the soup.
The good news is that it can be pretty much any green vegetable! Such as:
- Green cabbage
- Asparagus pieces
- Broccoli florets
- Chopped zucchini
- Chopped bok choy
Re-cover and simmer the soup for another 10 minutes, or until those veggies are tender and fully cooked.
Finally, you’ll add chopped, dark leafy greens of choice. I’ve used:
- Kale
- Swiss chard
- Spinach
- Beet greens
- Broccoli rabe
- Collard greens
Among these, I like to use kale and spinach best. But all are good options, with slightly different flavor profiles, ranging from more salty (chard) to more bitter (broccoli rabe).
Allow the greens to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until fully wilted.
Step 5: blend
At this point, you’ll blend the soup till it’s smooth.
You can do this by using an immersion blender or by transferring the soup in batches to a standing blender. Either option is fine.
Step 6: add a creamy component & season to taste
Potato lends some creamy consistency and richness to the green soup. But I think that it benefits a lot from the addition of another component for some creaminess.
This can be as simple as a cup of unsweetened, non-dairy milk. I like to use soy milk for the plant protein.
It could also be a half cup of my all-purpose cashew cream, mixed with a half cup of water. This will give you the most silky and luxurious texture.
Along with adding this creamy component, you’ll also taste and season the soup as needed with additional salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
The Vegan Week
Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.
Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.
Meal prep & storage
The green soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Better yet, it can be frozen for up to 6 weeks. You can make a batch in order to use up the greens you have at home, then enjoy the good nutrition when you’re ready for it.
Topping & serving suggestions
This soup can be transformed from a snack or appetizer into a meal with the right toppings.
I like to top the soup with a scoop of rice or quinoa, to start. Sounds a little strange, but actually adds some nice texture.
Croutons and roasted chickpeas are of course a great topping. So are my tempeh nuggets, if you’d like to add some protein to the soup.
Or you can simply serve the soup with some avocado toast, hummus toast, a sandwich, or a wrap, and call it a day.
Super Simple Very Green Soup
Author –Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 teaspoons minced ginger (to taste)
- 2 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (about 12oz/360g)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 heaping cups green vegetables, such as: roughly chopped green cabbage, broccoli florets and/or stem pieces, chopped asparagus, chopped zucchini, chopped bok choy (fresh or frozen and defrosted)
- 4 cups stemmed and roughly chopped leafy greens, such as: roughly chopped kale, Swiss chard, beet greens, or spinach
- 1/2 cup cashew cream (substitute 1 cup unsweetened soy or oat milk for the 1/2 cup cashew cream and 1/2 cup water)
- 1/2 cup water
- For serving: white beans, cooked rice, cooked quinoa, coconut bacon, toasted chickpeas, toasted pepitas, fresh herbs, etc.
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Wash, chop, and prep your vegetables. If using frozen vegetables, defrost them according to instructions.
Sauté onions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute, or until the garlic is very fragrant.
Add the soup ingredients
- Add the potatoes, salt, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the broccoli or other green vegetables to the pot. Re-cover and continue simmering for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the kale or other leafy greens, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the kale is bright green and wilted.
- Use an immersion blender to purée the soup till smooth. Alternatively, transfer the soup to a blender in batches to puree thoroughly, then return the soup to the pot. Stir the cashew cream and water or 1 cup of unsweetened plant milk into the soup. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed; the saltiness will depend on your preferences and how salty your vegetable broth is.
- Serve, with toppings of choice.
The best part of making this soup is allowing it to change as the seasons change.
I almost always add kale and broccoli in the winter (it’s a great way to use broccoli stems!). But asparagus is perfect in spring and zucchini is ideal for summer.
In other words, all greens are welcome.
I hope you enjoy this nourishing recipe.
xo
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.
Categories: Recipes,
Soups,
Vegan Basics
Method: One Pot, Stovetop
Ingredients: Broccoli, Kale
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: 30 Minute or Less, Quick & Easy
Method: One Pot, Stovetop
Ingredients: Broccoli, Kale
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: 30 Minute or Less, Quick & Easy
Leave a Comment
Thank you so much for the inspiration! I had 1lb of greens starting to get slimy so I probably 8x’d the leafy greens. But it still turned out great! Added some farro and some white beans I had in cupboard because I like a little texture. Quote from my husband “I wasn’t sure about it, but it was good”
So glad that you enjoyed it, Madeline, and those are such great modifications! Glad it exceeded your husband’s expectations, too 🙂
Incredible soup recipe! I search for recipes often, and I looked for a “green soup” recipe. This soup is 100% fantastic! I used parsley, cabbage, kales and broccoli. You can take this recipe anywhere with any fresh green veggies. I am beyond thrilled with the options, and the basic recipe is super awesome. Cashew cream so easy to make & use, I will try cayenne pepper & lemon & cilantro in my next batch. Thank you sooooo much!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Beau Blair!
This soup is excellent! I add a little twist of lime to the top when serving and it’s incredible.
So glad that you enjoy it, Hollis!
This recipe is exactly the extra guidance I need as I use up the loads of the overwintered greens that are flourishing and going to seed in my garden this spring – all fit with my diet.I’ll add some fresh nettle tops for extra iron and vitamins – a spring tonic! I appreciate all the suggestions for making it creamy. Exactly what I have been searching for as often the green soups can be sharp, bitter tasting. Plus I’m on a soft food diet due to having dental work done!!
I love this and have a bowl every morning. The ginger is unexpected and adds a great effect. I put all the ingredients in my IpOt and pressure cook for 8-10 minutes. I added a block of silken tofu to give it some protein.
I’m so glad that the recipe has become a keeper for you!
Made a batch tonight. Easy recipe to follow and make. And it tasted great! Served it with a bowl of warm cannellini beans and corn bread.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed!
Superb!! All recipes are easy and tasty!
Hey! 🙂 I am so excited to try this recipe. I was just wondering about the measurements. I am just unsure since I normally use mL and g but I still want to try this but don’t want to get the measurements wrong. Could you please help me? 🙂 Thank you xx
Hi Ral,
1 liquid cup = 237 mL, and 1 tablespoon = 15 mL. I hope this helps!
G
Simple, no fail soup. Mine hasn’t been blended yet, but I can tell it’s a winner. I used 2 packages of baby greens, a potato, 2 sweet potatoes, onion and broccoli. I’ll use coconut/ almond milk to finish.
Enjoy! 🙂
I will be serving this soup recipe for my upcoming goddess gathering on June 4th. I have always made green soups I call it everything I’ve got goes into the pot. So I live in fiddlehead country, stinging nettle grows in my damp areas, I grow my own greens also make my own veggie broth. Yesterday I made a huge pot of veggie soup with 12 veggies, like you using the stalks from brocolli, I peel them first also the califlower, celery etc leaves. So it is still whatever I’ve got goes into the pot. Too early here to pick fiddleheads but I always have some frozen. this soup is from my How Not To Die Cookbook and I add nutritional yeast and spicy homemade spice mix. Yummy time for 3 meals here. Keep up the good work. Roberta MacKenzie, Gagetown NB Canada
I love this soup! I have made 5 huge batches so far and can’t get enough. We eat a lot of broccoli in our house + my cue to make this is always when we have 3-4 stalks left in the fridge. I usually would make a veggie scrap broth with whatever we can’t eat, but this use seems much more fulfilling! I love using kale stems in it as well. My partner LOVES it, too! We pair it with white/brown rice, quinoa, toast, or crackers. I am freezing it for my upcoming school week. Looking forward to me lunches and easy dinners! 🙂
I’m delighted that you like it so much, Mollie! And that your partner does, too. Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Does this recipe freeze well.
This recipe is fantastic! We have a food share from a local Organic farm where we get a lot of greens and root veggies. The veg was starting to pile up and I didn’t want to wast anything and was in a desperate search for something easy but tasty that would work with a bunch of different and unusual veggies… and this was PERFECT!
I threw in some kohlrabi, kale, chard, and yu choy (and a bit of extra ginger) and it turned out perfect!! I’ll definitely make this again! (And try different veggies next time!)
So glad you enjoyed it, and love hearing what you used in it!
So delicious! Even my carnivorous Texan husbsnd loved it. We’re going to eat it with warm bread and butter for as long as the soup (and bread) lasts.
In the spirit of wasting nothing right now, I used this recipe as a jumpimg off point in order to use up a ton of chard, kale and mustard green stems I saved from this week’s salads.
I followed the recipe as written except for the following:
Added 1 leek
Used a mishmash of small potatoes instead of Yukon
For my greens- 2 cups of mixed cut stems, 2 cups chopped kale and stems, and two huge green cabbage leaves
2 cups broth leftover from corned beef and cabbage plus 2 cups veggie broth
Almomd milk as my plant milk
Thsnk you for the inspirational recipe!
Thank you, this is the BEST Green soup I have ever made or tasted. Bravo!!
This was amazing soup very tasty and filling thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
First time making green soup and I am pleasantly surprised. I changed the soy milk for soy cream and it came out so silky and smooth. It’s fab, thank you so much!
I made this soup and it was fantastic! And it seems to be a great cleanse for the digestive system…what an easy way to get greens in. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome! So glad that you enjoyed it.
I actually switched out the potatoes for spinach and ended up with an even greener soup, it was just delicious.
Made this tonight as part of Project: Keep Kait healthy and her cranky guts, happy. Used a mix of asparagus, chard, and spinach and made some jasmine rice on the side.
LOVE how simple, delish, nutritious, and versatile this is. Just the thing I’m looking for as I start on my IBD journey.
xo
I love how you can dress up this soup with beans, grains, avocado toast etc – making it perfect for just about any mood!
mhmm this sounds so good! i’ve been loving soups. i think i’ll follow suit of Amberley above, because I’m in college and also sometimes overbuy vegetables, and they go bad, and I hate throwing them out! I’ll let you know what I think next week 🙂
This looks great Gena! I am so into the white beans, I bet they add the perfect substance/ texture to the soup 🙂
So. Freaking. Good. !!! ❤❤❤ I just finished making this, (and devouring a bowl), only to hear “what even is that??” from my typical college apartment-mates in the other room staring at the cooling pot on the stove. Which tells you three very important things!
1) Will these 6 servings last me 6 days? No! Too dang delicious
2) I’m a college student, so this recipe had to be easy as all heck for me to prepare on a Thursday night during the week before finals!!
3) It is officially the right color! I get the same remarks about my green smoothies, etc, so seriously, take it as a compliment 😉
So so so good, this is a staple now! My favorite part had to be the fact I was able to adapt it to fit the vegetables I had in my fridge about to go bad. I always overbuy for myself. While yes, I do it an inhuman amount of vegetables, nobody eats THAT much. I personally can’t eat potatoes, so I subbed in butternut squash I had pre-cut up from TJs. Also, somehow I was out of onion?? How on earth does that happen?? So I improvised and used two very thinly sliced zucchini instead, in keeping with the green theme. The whole thing fit beautifully in my Vitamix and came out velvety smooth. Seriously, I’m in heaven right now, and it was so easy! And my roomies love you for emptying out the veggie drawers.
Making this tomorrow!
I hope it’s a hit!
This sounds amazing, and I love the green color:)
This soup sounds delightful and I love the lighting and composition in that top photo, beautiful.
Looks awesome – we will definitely give this one a try. I love all kinds of vegetable soup! Anything with garlic in it also gets extra points from me :-).
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best 🙂 Looks delicious, Gena!!