The easiest chickpea soup recipe with coconut milk for a quick weeknight dinner. Including serving ideas and possible add-ons that go well with this creamy soup!
A bowl of this garbanzo bean soup will provide you with a good amount of protein, fiber, vitamins as well as minerals.
All these nutrients are important for a healthy lifestyle and help us boost our immune system.
Why you’ll love this chickpea soup recipe?
- Anyone can do it – its easy preparation makes it a great soup recipe even for beginner cooks.
- It’s fast – this soup will be ready on your table in 25minutes.
- Creamy and delicious.
- Dairy-free – coconut milk is used instead of cream.
- Nutrient-rich – a source of protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, K, minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, …).
- It’s the perfect meal prep (it lasts up to 3-4 days when stored properly in the fridge) or freezer meal (flat-freeze in Ziploc bags to save space and for quicker thawing)!
Dietary information:
This vegetarian chickpea soup on its own is also suitable for vegans as it does not contain any cheese, dairy, or meat. However, I like topping it with Feta and that is what you can see in the photos. Simply omit it and use another type of garnish.
If you are trying to control the amount of salt you eat or if on a low-sodium diet, use a reduced-sodium stock/broth or water and season as little as you need.
Dairy-free soup – without the topping.
Serving suggestions:
With crispy garlic baguette or freshly made dinner rolls
- Tossed salad – any kind you like will work.
- Risotto
- Oven roasted cauliflower
- Vegetable fritters
- Flatbread which you can use instead of tortillas and fill with anything you like.
Optional add-ons:
- Croutons.
- Sprinkle everything bagel seasoning over – We love this blend, and it is so easy to make at home!
- Feta and freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley – if you don’t mind dairy or use vegan feta instead.
- Pan-fried chorizo – this can be simply served on side and your diners can help themselves when you have to cater for various diets.
- A drizzle of olive oil and seeds of your choice.
- Nutritional yeast.
Expert tips
- Depending on what vegetable broth you are using, the saltiness level may vary. That is why it’s better to season this soup at the very end, especially when making it for the first time. If you are not a vegan, you can use chicken stock as well.
- You can omit coconut milk if you wish. However, it does give the chickpea soup extra creamy texture as well as amazing flavor! It’s worth giving it a go.
- If you have dried chickpea on hand, then feel free to use it. Cook it following the package instruction and add to the recipe accordingly (if you have any leftovers, make hummus, curry, or salad as well!).
- To freeze for later, you can puree the soup without coconut milk and freeze. Then, thaw when ready to serve and add the milk when reheating it in a pot on a stovetop. Or, simply follow the recipe to the end and freeze.
- Freeze it either in a Ziploc bag (flat) or in a freezer-friendly container (make sure not to fill too much as the soup will expand during the freezing process).
- Lemon juice is a wonderful add-on and I recommend using it.
More soup recipes for you to try:
- Minestrone Soup – This classic Italian recipe is packed with vegetables and it’s always a hit at our table!
- Creamy Broccoli Soup – a simple soup that anyone can make.
- Salmon Soup – Served with crusty bread or dinner rolls this recipe is delightful.
- Creamy Split Pea Soup – made in instant pot.
Check out our video for how to make chickpea soup:
Creamy Chickpea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , see note 1
- 1 medium onion , diced or minced (about 2/3 cup), see note 2
- 1 pound cooked chickpeas , see note 3 (450 grams)
- 1 large potato , diced (about ½ pound/225 grams)
- a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley , roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1 tablespoon paprika , see note 4
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth (620 milliliters)
- 1 can coconut milk , see note 5 (400 milliliters)
- ½ lemon , juice only (or to taste)
Add-ons:
- mixed seeds (optional topping)
- fresh parsley (optional topping)
- croutons (optional topping)
- feta , crumbled (optional topping)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, heat olive oil. Add diced onion and sauté on medium heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add drained chickpeas, diced potato, half of the parsley (save some for garnish), salt, paprika and broth. Stir and cover with a lid. Increase the heat and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are cooked (about 15 minutes). Puree the soup until smooth (either with an immersion blender or liquidizer/blender).
- Add coconut milk and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, stir and test. Add salt, if needed.
- Enjoy as is or with optional toppings (see more in the post).
Video
Notes
- Extra virgin olive oil can be substituted with regular cooking olive oil.
- Either white or yellow onion will work great here.
- 1 pound cooked & drained chickpeas = almost 3 cups full. If you would like to cook the chickpeas yourself, you will need 1 cup of dry chickpeas.
- You can use either sweet (regular) or smoked paprika.
- Make sure to use coconut milk for cooking and not for desserts (usually called coconut cream and it is sweetened). Coconut milk drink or water will not work here either!
- Cooking time may vary slightly. This will depend on the type of potatoes you use as well as the size of chunks.
- This soup can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days, or in the freezer (Detailed instructions in the post above).
- The recipe yields 6 regular portions (about 1.25 cups of soup per person) or 4 generous portions (about 2 cups of soup per person).
- More tips, serving suggestions, add-ons, possible toppings, and variations can be found in the post above this recipe card.
Annie says
I agree, soup really does do wonders in the Winter! There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of homemade soup! This looks so delicious; love the feta; it’s one of my favorite cheeses!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Annie. I too cannot live without feta cheese :)
jane says
That soup is dressed to impress – lovely styling. It sounds wonderfully nutritious too – thanks for all the information.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Jane! :)
Erren says
Love the use of the coconut milk! I love a great vegan recipe, thank you for sharing!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
You are welcome! :)
debi says
This soup looks great – the kind of dish I’m all over! vegetarian and yummy. Thanks for the recipe
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
It’s a delicious soup. Hope you’ll give it a try!
Kristen says
I love anything with coconut milk. this looks amazing!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you Kristen! :)
Naomi says
The garnish on that soup is amazing! I need some lessons… :)
annika says
Great recipe :D I really liked the addition of coconut milk and feta cheese in this soup.
Thank you for sharing!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thank you, Annika! They make this soup extra delicious! :)
Ashley says
This is delicious! I didn’t have normal potatos, so substituted with sweet potato. Substituted paprika for chilli and a small amount of curry powder! An amazing winter warmer, the coconut milk is the hero here!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Ashley. Thanks for your feedback!
Monica says
My entire family LOVES this soup! I make it often and will be serving it for Thanksgiving. It’s great to have a vegan option for my vegan friends, but I personally love it with crumbled feta. And adding pumpkin seeds gives it a nice texture. Thank you!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks so much for your feedback and rating, Monica! It’s so good to hear you and your family enjoys this soup. Happy Cooking!
Alice Dunham says
We rate all new recipes. Hubby and I gave it a 10. If it is a 10, we add it to our personal recipe book. Only 10’s make it into our book. Creamy without dairy–amazing!!! I also made my own croutons out of a couple slices of cubed sourdough bread. I sprinkled garlic powder and Everything Bagel Seasoning , and a drizzle of olive oil and toasted the croutons. I added fresh parsley and croutons to bring the soup to the TOP Level!!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) I cannot thank you enough for your comment and rating, Alice. I hope you will try some more soups from our blog. Happy Cooking!