This quick and easy recipe for homemade chickpea tomato soup is rich and delicious. And this chickpea tomato soup recipe is ready in under 20 minutes in one pan.
There's something unique and comforting about tomato soup. Chickpea tomato soup is an elevated way to enjoy your favorite vegan tomato soup recipe. This chickpea tomato soup is thick, rich, and delicious, with only a few simple ingredients. And this vegan soup recipe is done in less than 20 minutes in one pot!
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Whenever I make a new soup recipe, my husband is the soup Nazi. He is my best and worst critic, but at least he's honest. And he said this chickpea tomato soup recipe is the best soup I've ever made. He isn't much of a soup fan, especially when Arizona's still so warm. However, I love soup all year round.
Now that my mom lives 5 miles away from me in Arizona and is also vegan, I am cooking a lot more lately, and she also loves soup. Therefore, it must be hereditary.
Chickpea Tomato Soup Ingredients
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are full of vitamins and minerals. These include choline, which helps your brain and nervous system run smoothly, as well as folate, magnesium, potassium, and iron. For good measure, chickpeas are also high in vitamins A, E, and C.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes are exactly what they sound like: the tomatoes are charred over a flame before they're diced and canned (sometimes, they're also enhanced with onion and garlic powder). Often, you can see the blackened flecks on the tomatoes.
- Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco because I often use it. It's a great bang for your buck.
- Ginger: Ginger is loaded with antioxidants that prevent stress and damage your body's DNA. They may help your body fight off chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, and diseases of the lungs, plus promote healthy aging.
- Spinach: Spinach is a highly nutrient-rich vegetable. It packs high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
- White Onions: These are slightly sweeter and a bit milder in taste than yellow onions.
- Cumin: Cumin's whole seeds have an earthy heat and brightness almost reminiscent of dried lemon peel when applied to rich, savory ingredients.
- Turmeric: Turmeric — especially its most active compound, curcumin — has many scientifically proven health benefits, such as improving heart health and preventing Alzheimer's and cancer. In addition, it's a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. It may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.
- Salt/Pepper: Salt and pepper help to enhance the flavors in the soup.
- Red Pepper Flakes: A small number of red chili flakes adds flavor and a little spice to the soup.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic brings a deep flavor to the soup with other ingredients.
- Oat Flour: This gluten-free flour is added to the lite coconut milk as a thickening agent to give teh soup a creamy texture.
- Lite Coconut Milk: Lite coconut milk is rich and gives the soup a savory taste. If you avoid coconut milk, see the substitutions below.
- Lime: Lime is added at the end of the cooking process. It brings a beautiful freshness to the soup.
Chickpea Tomato Soup Ingredients Substitutions
- White and red kidney beans are excellent replacements for chickpeas in various dishes. White kidney beans, or cannellini beans, are the closest in flavor. But, you can use each as a substitute for chickpeas.
- Use water mixed with vegetable bouillon instead of vegetable broth.
- For every ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger, use 1 tablespoon of fresh-grated ginger in recipes. This works in the opposite direction as well. If you don't have any fresh ginger, you can substitute dried ground ginger using the same ratio.
- Instead of spinach, try kale, collard greens, or beet greens.
- Yellow onion is a natural substitute for white onions.
- Try ground coriander instead of cumin.
- If you don't have turmeric, try curry powder as a substitute.
- Skip the red pepper flakes if you're sensitive to spicy foods, or add half the amount; taste and add more if you desire.
- Use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove of garlic. Granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove. Garlic powder: Use ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
- Any flour works as a thickening agent.
- Replace lite coconut milk with unsweetened plant-based milk of choice plus 2 teaspoons of coconut extract.
- If you don't have fresh limes, use bottled lime juice.
How to Make Chickpea Tomato Soup
- Begin by sauteing the onions, garlic, ginger, and seasonings unit the onions are translucent.
- If the onions stick to the bottom of the pan, add a small amount of vegetable broth or water to release the pieces stuck to the bottom.
- Add the chickpeas, vegetable broth, and slightly blended fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil and stir to combine.
- In the meantime, blend the light coconut milk and flour in a high-speed blender until smooth.
- Or use unsweetened plant-based milk, coconut extract, and flour and blend to combine.
- Stir to combine.
- The soup thickens as it heats.
- Bring to boil again. Then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add the spinach, which wilts immediately when added to the hot ingredients.
- Squeeze the lime into the pot and stir.
- And garnish with parsley.
Serving Suggestions
Finally, I served chickpea tomato soup with toasted sourdough bread with almond cheese and mango slaw. Another idea is to enjoy this soup with a chickpea egg salad sandwich.
Recipe FAQs
Legumes such as chickpeas are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. They contain phytonutrients that help lower CRP (an inflammatory protein), making them a great addition to an anti-inflammatory diet.
Chickpeas are high in dietary fiber, especially a soluble fiber called raffinose. The good bacteria in your gut break this down so your colon can digest it slowly. Studies have found that eating more chickpeas can help make bowel movements more accessible and regular.
However, chickpeas are considered a vegetable and a protein because they're so nutritious. Some people even consider them a superfood.
Tips
- Plant milk is combined with coconut extract instead of coconut milk for a lower-fat option. I suggest oat milk because it is thick and creamy.
- Add the fresh grated ginger and seasonings when sauteeing the onion for maximum flavor.
- If using dried chickpeas, make sure to soak and cook them before adding them to the chickpea tomato soup recipe. This recipe uses canned chickpeas that are rinsed and drained before adding to the soup.
- I used a vegetable chopper to save time when cooking.
- Chickpea tomato soup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze the soup, I recommend using Super Cubes. The soup will stay fresh and frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the frozen soup, allow the soup to thaw completely before reheating in a pan on the stove or microwave.
Try this quick and easy chickpea tomato soup for a creamy, delicious, warm lunch or dinner meal.
More Vegan Soups to Try
If you love this chickpea tomato soup recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.
📖 Recipe
Easy Chickpea Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
- 2 15 ounce Cans fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup White onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspon Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 3 cups Vegetable broth
- 1 cup Lite coconut milk or unsweetened, unflavored plant milk + 2 teaspoons of coconut extract
- 2 Tablespoons Oat flour or flour of choice
- 6 cups Raw spinch
- 2 Limes, juiced
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, saute onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until onions are translucent.
- If the onion mixture sticks to the bottom of the pot, add a little water or vegetable broth and stir to release the stuck pieces.
- Place both cans of fire-roasted tomatoes into a blender and blend slightly. Do not over blend; the mixture should be chunky.
- Add the chickpeas, vegetable broth and slightly blended tomatoes into the pot.
- Bring to a boil.
- In the same blender, add the coconut milk (or plant milk and coconut extract mixture) and flour and blend until smooth.
- Pour the creamy mixture into the soup pot.
- Stir; the soup will thicken as it heats. Reduce heat to simmer.
- Add raw spinach. It will wilt immediately when combined into the hot soup.
- Stir in the lime juice.
- Serve with parsley as a garnish.
Video
Notes
- Plant milk is combined with coconut extract instead of coconut milk for a lower-fat option. I suggest oat milk because it is thick and creamy.
- Add the fresh grated ginger and seasonings when sauteeing the onion for maximum flavor.
- If using dried chickpeas, make sure to soak and cook them before adding them to the chickpea tomato soup recipe. This recipe uses canned chickpeas that are rinsed and drained before adding to the soup.
- I used a vegetable chopper to save time when cooking.
- Chickpea tomato soup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To freeze the soup, I recommend using Super Cubes. The soup will stay fresh and frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat the frozen soup, allow the soup to thaw completely before reheating in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Diana
Perfection! Thank you Kathy! Diana
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diana, yay! I'm so glad you liked the soup. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. I appreciate it.
Barbara
Fast, easy, and tasty. I made the recipe as written except for using Swiss chard from our garden instead of spinach. I would did the juice of one lime and taste before adding more. It would also be good over rice.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Barbara, thanks for the feedback. I'm so glad you liked it. What a great idea to serve it over rice. I never thought of that!
Shellie
I made this last night and it was fantastic. I did use soy milk with the flour and coconut extract blended. It worked fine. Thanks for a great one, Kathy.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shellie, I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup. You can use that plant milk, flour, and coconut extract for any curry recipe that calls for coconut milk. It works every time 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment an rate the recipe. I appreciate it.
Shelley
I made this soup for dinner this evening and it was delicious! I did make one change though. I had no chilli flakes so instead I used some pickled jalapeño juice. It is something I always have in my regular tomato soup so was quite confident it would work well. Next time I make it (and that will be soon), I will add some of the chilli flakes just to see which the family likes best. Oh and I used my own homemade vegetable stock rather than shop bought. I hate wasting food, and I like to have control of how much salt is in my sock (as well as the quality of the ingredients to make it. I use all the veg and herb trimmings I have hade for the last few weeks to make the stock, along with some spices and fresh herbs, etc.
I have recently been diagnosed with celiac’s so I loved that you used oat flour in the recipe so I did not have to play around. The soup was so delicious, in fact, that I did not even miss having crusty bread with it. I served the soup with a rainbow salad with a little left over quinoa for the extra veg and protein pop and the family declared the meal a “do again” and a disagreement broke out over who got the leftover soup tomorrow. Such a great thing to argue over. lol it ranks up there with my crispy bbq tofu that I have to make extra specifically for everyone’s lunch. The fact that this argument took place over soup lets you know just how delicious it is.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. It has gone into our family cookbook.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Shelley, I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup. I love the pickled jalapeno juice substitution and the fact that you make your vegetable stock. You can always substitute oat flour in any recipe. Thank you for taking the time to rate the recipe and comment. I appreciate it.
Jana
Another winner! Thank you!!!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Jana, I'm os glad you liked it. Thank you for the feedback and taking the time to rate the recipe. I appreciate it.
Jamie
easy and delish! Love soup season!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Jamie, I'm so glad you liked the soup. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to rate the recipe.
Beverly
It was excellent. Thank you. Noticed a couple of typos. It does not mention adding the turmeric and in step two teh instead of the.
Kathy Carmichael
Beverly, I appreciate the feedback. Thank you for letting me know. The draft was probably printed. Thanks to you, I know and can fix it.
Kerstin
This soup is superb . Very good. I love the creaminess. Although it is a soup ,it fills you up. Love it
Kathy Carmichael
Kerstin, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate your taking the time to rate the recipe and comment.
Michelle
Thanks for the recipe. It was yummy! I added one can of chickpeas and also TVP. I reconstituted the TVP with vegetable broth then added to soup. Superb!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Michelle, I love the idea of adding TVP! Thanks for sharing and taking the time to rate the recipe and comment.
Angela
Made this last night. It was so good. But now I have shit a half can of coconut milk to use before it goes bad!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Angela, I'm so glad you liked the soup. I would make another batch with the extra coconut milk and freeze it. Or, you can freeze the coconut milk and use it the next time you make soup. Just thaw it overnight. Another idea is to make coconut rice with it. Cook brown rice according to the directions; add coconut milk, a little lime juice, and zest! It's fabulous!
Jill
I made this tonight and it was amazing!!! Super flavorful, light and exactly what I was hoping for. I made it exactly as directed and it’s perfect 🙂 THANK YOU! This is going into the regular rotation!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Jill, I'm so glad you liked the chickpea tomato soup. Thank yo so much for your feedback. Let me know if you try any other recipes and what you think. I'd love to hear from you.
Leanne
Kathy - I’m wanting to try this recipe as the garden is overloaded with tomatoes 🍅 Do you have any suggestions for fresh? Maybe roast them?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Leanne, yes, I would roast the tomatoes. Then slightly blend them. It is 4 cups of fresh tomatoes (2 cups in each 15-ounce can of tomatoes).