An easy vegetable soup recipe with fresh vegetables! This quick and simple vegetable soup recipe comes together in 30 minutes on your stove top, or can be made in your Instant Pot or slow cooker. Put it on repeat during the chilly fall and winter months!
While I love satisfying high-protein soup recipes like my Hearty Ground Turkey Soup with Vegetables and my Immunity-Boosting Turmeric Chicken Soup, I can also dig a lighter veggie-packed soup from time to time.
Making vegetable soup is so simple! You can toss any almost variety of vegetables in the soup and it’s guaranteed to turn out amazing.
In my opinion, the best vegetable soups are those that contain a variety of veggies, plenty of onion and garlic and some fresh or dried herbs.
My trick to ensuring vegetable soup turns out delicious every time is cooking the vegetables according to their level of heartiness. For instance, onion, carrots, celery, butternut squash, potatoes, and cauliflower require more time to cook than zucchini, broccoli, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc.
For this reason, I begin by cooking the heartier vegetables first, then add in any delicate vegetables later on in the cooking process.
This way, all of the vegetables turn out just as you like them, which is one of the characteristics that makes a vegetable soup so tasty and inviting.
When I combine hearty and delicate vegetables in a soup, I almost always make it in a pot on the stove top rather than in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. I have provided both slow cooker and Instant Pot instructions for those who prefer those cooking methods. Note that the level of doneness of the vegetables will vary depending on the cooking method and length of time.
If you’re okay with that, cool! If not, be sure you’re using vegetables that hold up under high pressure or longer cooking times, such as onion, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes.
Remember, you can use many combinations of fresh vegetables in this healthy vegetable soup recipe, but let’s talk about the specific ingredients in this particular recipe!
Ingredients for Vegetable Soup:
Onion & Garlic: Yellow onions and garlic bring that rustic, aromatic flavor to the soup! For those of you who follow a Low-FODMAP diet, you can skip the onion and garlic.
Carrot: Hearty and sweet, carrots bring a much-needed sweetness to the soup, as it helps balance the acidity from the tomatoes. Plus, they’re delicious!
Russet Potato: Potato brings a filling carb balance to the otherwise very light soup. You can use your favorite potato in this soup, including sweet potatoes or jewel yams.
Zucchini: Snappy in texture and light in flavor, zucchini is a great vegetable to add to veggie-centric soups because it absorbs flavor like a champ and adds bulk without many calories.
Broccoli: Lending lots of nutrients, broccoli packs a superfood punch and is particularly marvelous for women looking to balance their hormones. Not to mention, it’s tasty and makes up volume in this hearty soup.
Tomatoes: Giving soup that garden-fresh appeal with some added sweetness and tang, tomatoes are lovely in a vegetable soup. I use vine-ripened tomatoes fresh from my grandparent’s garden, but you can use your favorite fresh tomatoes or replace them with 1 can of diced tomatoes. I like using canned fire-roasted tomatoes in this simple recipe too.
Vegetable Broth: The flavorful broth here, we need some vegetable stock. Pick your favorite vegetable broth or go with chicken broth or chicken stock in this easy homemade vegetable soup if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian.
Sea salt and Black Pepper: Flavor enhancer! Don’t skip the sea salt. It goes a long way in rounding out the flavor of the soup. If you taste the soup and think it tastes bland, just add little bits of sea salt until it begins tasting incredible!
Italian Seasoning: Some herbal infusion helps bring an earthiness to the soup and also adds flavor. If you don’t have an Italian seasoning blend on hand, you can use any combination of dried oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme.
Avocado Oil: Used to sauté the onion and garlic to soften them up, we need a high temperature cooking oil. I prefer using avocado oil over olive oil because it has a higher smoke point than olive oil.
Feel free to swap out any of the vegetables in this soup for your favorites. I love adding leafy greens like baby spinach, kale, or rainbow chard of fresh green beans from time to time.
Looking for ways you can customize your vegetable soup recipes? Here are some ideas for potential additions.
Optional Additions:
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 1 to 3 cans black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, or white beans, drained
- 2 stalks celery
- ½ head cauliflower
- 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
- 1 cup frozen or canned peas
- 1 can sweet corn, drained
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup chopped fresh herbs like fresh parsley.
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes for some spice.
- 1 parmesan rind
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
You can also turn this into a creamy vegetable soup recipe by replacing some of the broth with a can of full-fat coconut milk. Not to mention, adding small pasta shapes turns this feel-good soup into a fun experience.
How to Make Vegetable Soup Recipe:
Add the avocado oil to a large pot such as a large Dutch oven or large saucepan and heat to medium-high heat.
Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sauteing another 2 minutes, until very fragrant.
Pour the broth into the pot and add the chopped potato and carrot. Cover, and bring to a full boil. Cook until potato is soft and just slightly al dente, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover, and return to a boil. Once the soup comes to a full boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have reached desired done-ness. For very soft vegetables, cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Taste the soup for flavor and add more sea salt to taste.
Serve this easy veggie soup in big bowls with crusty bread! If you do dairy, add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Store leftover vegetable soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze this homemade vegetable soup recipe in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
The best part is this soup tastes even better the next day and the 2 to 3 days following preparation. As it sits, it develops a depth of flavor that is even more enticing than right at the end of cooking.
If you prefer cooking in a slow cooker or a pressure cooker, here are instructions for other cooking methods.
Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot:
Want to turn this into a instant pot vegetable soup recipe? Here’s what you do.
Plug in your Instant Pot and press the Sauté button. Add the avocado oil and wait for a couple of minutes for the pot to heat up.
Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sauteing another 2 minutes, until very fragrant.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir well. Secure the lid. Press the Manual button (or the soup/stew button. Both will work) and adjust the time for 12 minutes. Leave the steam release valve closed (Sealed).
Once the Instant Pot has finished running its course, turn the quick release valve to manually release the pressure. Stir, season with salt to taste, and serve.
Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup:
For those of you who love cooking in your crock pot, you can easily make this a slow cooker vegetable soup recipe.
Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker, stir, and secure the lid. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 4. You can also sauté the onion and garlic before adding it to the slow cooker for added flavor if you’d like, but it isn’t mandatory.
And that’s it! A healthy dinner or lunch that’s packed with fresh veggies. The next time you’re craving a light meal that warms the belly and soul, make this vegetarian vegetable soup.
Looking for the best soup recipes for a rainy day? Check out these additional vegetarian or vegan soup recipes.
More Healthy Soup Recipes:
- Crock Pot Curry Lentil Soup
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup with Crispy Sage
- Sweet Potato and Quinoa Stew
- Jamaican Chickpea Stew
- Crock Pot Tunisian Lentil Stew
- Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup
- Thai Coconut Soup with Vegetables
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup
- Easy White Bean Cabbage Soup
- Beet Puree Soup
What will you put in your healthy vegetable soup??
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 medium-sized russet potato, peeled and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 crown broccoli, chopped
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, or 1 (!4-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add the avocado oil to a large stock pot and heat to medium-high. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing another 2 minutes, until very fragrant.
- Pour the broth into the pot and add the chopped potato and carrot. Cover, and bring to a full boil. Cook until potato is soft and just slightly al dente, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover, and return to a boil. Once the soup comes to a full boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have reached desired done-ness. For very soft vegetables, cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Taste the soup for flavor and add more sea salt to taste.
- Serve in big bowls and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
I originally shared this recipe January 11, 2021. I updated the photos, added some information, and added a video but the recipe itself remains the same.
Ms. Terry Cullerton Brown
Sunday 14th of February 2021
This is the first time on your site and the first recipe followed. I was looking for an Instant Pot recipe and found a large stock pot recipe instead. I included all the ingredients plus the add-ins except for the chicken. Amazing favors in every spoonful. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
Julia
Tuesday 16th of February 2021
I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for the sweet note! xoxoxo