Hearty, thick, and full of veggies, this vegan split pea soup recipe is filling, delicious, and easy to make. You can make it on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or throw everything in the crockpot and walk out the door.
As soon as the temperatures get cooler outside, I crave hot, savory soups. I love soup, regardless of the type, and the thicker and creamier the soup, the better. Vegan crockpot split pea soup, for example, is one of my favorites because it is thick and creamy and loaded with veggies.
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Even though many people don't like peas, split peas are different than fresh or frozen peas. Unlike lentils, split peas come from plants designed explicitly for drying peas and creating split peas. So, despite their commonalities, split peas and lentils are different.
Split Peas Vs. Lentils
Split peas, a form of legume like lentils, are yellow or green and harvested to be dried. When harvested, split peas are split in half, which is why they are called split peas. Split peas, for instance, do not need to be soaked because of being split in half. Unlike lentils, split peas become creamy when cooked through.
Like lentils, split peas are high in fiber and protein and very low in fat. For that reason, eating split peas and lentils is highly recommended for a plant-based diet.
Vegan Split Pea Soup Recipe Ingredients
- Vegetable Broth: I use organic vegetable broth from Costco.
- Dried Split Peas: I buy dried split peas in the bulk section of the grocery store.
- White Onion: White onions have a strong, sharp, and not very sweet flavor.
- Carrots: Cooked carrots taste earthy sweet, similar to a sweet potato.
- Celery: Cooked celery has a milder and sweeter taste compared to raw celery.
- Jalapeno: Cooking jalapenos deepens and enhances their flavor all for just a few calories and a negligible amount of fat, as well as a boost of vitamin C and potassium.
- Baking Potatoes: Skins on or off; it's your choice However, leaving the skins on adds to the nutritional value of the soup.
- Garlic: When garlic is sauteed with onions, t takes on a deep warm flavor.
- Liquid Smoke: I used a hickory flavor liquid smoke, but there are other flavor options for individual preference.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder adds another layer of flavor.
- Onion Powder: The onion powder enhances the overall flavors in the vegan split pea soup.
- Fresh Thyme: Thyme is earthy and minty, minty and citrus-laced, savory but also sweet, and slightly woodsy but also flowery, with traces of lavender or toned-down rosemary.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes are made from a range of different peppers and the seeds remain.
- Sea Salt: Salt enhances the flavors in the soup.
- Pepper: I used fresh ground pepper.
- Paprika: I used sweet paprika, but to add an additional smokiness, use smoked paprika.
- Bay Leaf: Bay leaf, also known as laurel leaf, is mostly used in soups and broths because it can enhance the aroma and flavor.
Vegan Split Pea Soup Ingredient Substitutions
- Make your own vegetable broth or a combination of water and Yondu, a plant-based vegan seasoning sauce.
- Pigeon peas are often used to replace split peas in recipes.
- Choose any potatoes for this recipe.
- Crushed red pepper is used interchangeably with crushed red pepper flakes.
- Skip the jalapeno and red pepper flakes if you don't like a little spice.
- Fresh or dried, oregano makes an excellent thyme substitute. The flavors are very similar in the mint family, and it's an almost imperceptible switch. You can use oregano for thyme in virtually any recipe, no matter the type of cuisine.
- If you don't have a bay leaf, skip it.
- Add any vegetables you enjoy. However, I suggest using a vegetable chopper so the vegetables are all cut the same size.
Cooking Options
Despite my love for my crockpot, I made my vegan split pea soup recipe on the stovetop. Since I made the soup on Sunday, I only needed to use my crockpot while meal prepping.
But using an Instant Pot is even easier! Regardless of your preferred cooking method, the soup tastes fabulous any way it's cooked.
But, if you want to use your crockpot instead, it is just as easy as the stovetop or Instant Pot version. The benefit of the crockpot, which I find pretty appealing, is throwing everything in the base, turning it on, and walking away.
Furthermore, you can put all the ingredients in the crockpot base, refrigerate it overnight, and turn it on before leaving for work. As a result, adding the ingredients in the morning isn't necessary since no one has time.
It is just as simple if you opt for the stovetop method as I did. The only difference is a quick step-by-step process and occasionally stirring while the soup simmers. Either way makes a huge pot of soup for lunch and dinner or packs well in containers for work.
Stovetop
- Rinse and drain 1 pound of dried split peas.
- In a large soup pot, saute onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add a small amount of vegetable broth to prevent sticking.
- Then, add all herbs and seasonings.
- Add carrots, celery, potatoes, bay leaf, and split peas.
- Pour vegetable broth over the top of all the ingredients.
- Stir.
- Bring to a boil and stir, then reduce heat to simmer, and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- The split peas will breakdown and create a creamy broth.
Instant Pot
- Turn the pressure cooker to the "sauté" setting.
- Sauté onion, celery, potatoes, jalapeno, and carrots for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the split peas, vegetable broth, herbs and spices, liquid smoke, and the bay leaf.
- Turn off the "sauté" function.
- Cover pressure cooker and set to manual, high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release for 10-15 minutes naturally.
- Then, use the quick release function.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary (see notes). Serve immediately, store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Crockpot
- Add all ingredients to the base of the crockpot and stir.
- Cover and cook for 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH.
- Taste and adjust spices to taste.
- Serve with a sprig of thyme on top.
Serving the Soup
Vegan split pea soup is hearty, but adding more vegetables makes it more nutritious.
This vegan split pea soup recipe will fill you with six vegetables without any oil or anything added other than a plethora of veggies and organic vegetable broth. This soup is more like a stew!
Once cooked, the split peas become creamy and break down, making a thick broth full of vegetables. Each bite is heartier than the last; the more you eat, the happier you will feel.
If you're following a plant-based lifestyle, a variety of vegetables is a must, and this soup packs it all in one bowl. You can even hide those "not so favorite veggies" in the soup without any little ones knowing.
And don't forget to serve the vegan split pea soup with some crusty bread! YUM!
Recipe FAQs
It depends on several factors. It could be the peas or the water. Most of the time, if the peas are very old, they become dried out and won't soften.
Not necessarily. You will only overcook split peas if you burn them. Then, add more water when the soup becomes too thick and cook.
It's true; soaking peas overnight in water shortens their cooking time. But soaking isn't entirely necessary. Split peas cook relatively quickly. Unsoaked peas take 1 to 2 hours of simmering; soaked peas take about 40 minutes.
Tips
- I suggest rinsing the split peas before adding them to the soup. Like lentils, split peas often have dirt or debris that should be removed before cooking.
- Chop the vegetables into small and similar sizes so they cook evenly. I suggest using a vegetable chopper on the small chopping setting.
- If you enjoy soup as much as I do, consider doubling the recipe and using soup freezer cubes to freeze and store your favorite soup recipes.
- If you don't like slightly spicy foods, skip the jalapeno and red pepper flakes.
- When working with jalapenos, always wear gloves and remove the seeds and veins of the jalapeno before chopping.
- If you like soup extra spicy, add a few jalapeno seeds into the soup pot.
If you are craving a rich and hearty soup recipe, give this vegan split pea soup a try. Honestly, I could eat soup every day of my life. Soups on!
Other Vegan Soups to Try
If you love this vegan split pea soup recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 8 cups organic vegetable broth
- 1 pound dried split peas rinsed
- 1 large onion diced small
- 3 carrots diced small
- 3 stalks celery diced small
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced small
- 3 baking potatoes diced small
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke I used hickory flavor
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Stovetop
- Rinse and drain 1 pound of dried split peas.
- In a large soup pot, saute the onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add a small amount of vegetable broth to prevent sticking.
- Add all the herbs and seasonings.
- Add the carrots, celery, and potatoes.
- Add the bay leaf.
- Add the split peas.
- Pour vegetable broth over the top of all the ingredients.
- Stir the ingredients together.
- Bring the pot ingredients to a boil and stir, then reduce heat to simmer and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- The split peas will breakdown and create a creamy broth.
Instant Pot
- Turn pressure cooker to the "sauté" setting.
- Sauté onion, celery, potatoes, jalapeno, and carrots for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add the split peas, vegetable broth, herbs and spices, liquid smoke, and the bay leaf.
- Turn off the "sauté" function.
- Cover pressure cooker and set to manual, high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release for 10-15 minutes naturally.
- Then, use the quick release function.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary (see notes). Serve immediately, store in your refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Crockpot
- Add all ingredients to the base of the crockpot and stir
- Cover and cook for 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
- Taste and adjust spices to taste
- Serve with a sprig of thyme on top
Video
Notes
- I suggest rinsing the split peas before adding them to the soup. Like lentils, split peas often have dirt or debris that should be removed before cooking.
- Chop the vegetables into small and similar sizes so they cook evenly. I suggest using a vegetable chopper on the small chopping setting.
- If you enjoy soup as much as I do, consider doubling the recipe and using soup freezer cubes to freeze and store your favorite soup recipes.
- If you don't like slightly spicy foods, skip the jalapeno and red pepper flakes.
- When working with jalapenos, always wear gloves and remove the seeds and veins of the jalapeno before chopping.
- If you like soup extra spicy, add a few jalapeno seeds to the soup pot.
- Serve the soup with a garden salad and some crusty bread!
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! 🙂
Jemma
Delicious, absolutely love this soup Kathy . Thank you
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Jemma, I'm so glad you like it. It's one of my favorites! Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Mari
This is the best vegan split pea soup if you're feeding an omnivorous family. The taste is very close to my old recipe with ham. Second time, I had to cut the carrots in larger chunks to mimic my original recipe, so I used my crock pot. Perfect. Thank uou!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Mari, I'm so glad you enjoyed the vegan split pea soup. It's one of my favorites, too! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate you taking the time to rate the recipe and comment.
Dawn A
One of my new favorites. We blend it up a little bit with an immersion blender so it's creamy. Thanks!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Dawn. I'm so glad you like the soup. Thank you for teh suggestion of blending the soup. I blended half of it the last time I made it for a combo of smooth and chunky. It was delicious. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Jetta
Very good, thanks for the recipe
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Jetta, we love split pea soup; I'm glad you enjoyed our version filled with veggies. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Berneda
Hi. I can't have white potatoes. Will it be okay to leave them out or what would be the substitute for them? Thanks
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Berneda, Yes, you can leave out the potatoes. If you can have cauliflower, that would be a great substitute.
Diana
I halved the recipe to try it out, but we didn't end up eating much of it because it was very salty. Having said that, I will definitely make it again with less salt. Other than being too salty, it was truly delicious! I made it on the stovetop and cooked it for longer than one hour, adding more water.
I love the idea of throwing everything into a crockpot and refrigerating it overnight then turning it on in the morning. I'm going to try that next time. Love the thought of not having to sautee anything first! We don't enjoy spicy food, so I left out the jalapeno and most of the red pepper flakes. Didn't have fresh thyme, so I used a small amount of dried thyme. Oh, and I used yellow split peas for mine.
Kathy Carmichael
Diana, I'm sorry you found the recipe too salty.I'm glad you were able to enjoy in the recipe 🙂
Paula
Awesome! Made this last week and it was the most delicious split soup we’ve ever had. The liquid smoke made it taste like there was ham in there. Everything perfect. Used some smoked paprika as you suggested… Tripled the recipe and froze some in vacuum bags…perfect for quick meals and it freezes/thaws beautifully. My husband wasn’t a fan of split pea soup prior to tasting this, but he gave it a “10” and it’s one of our favorites and will always be in our soup rotation. Thank you Kathy for all the hard work you put into creating these…and all the dishes you do that go along with these!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Paula, Wow! A husband 10 is always a win! I always double and triple recipes for freezing, too. It saves so much time in meal prep. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Ryan
Making this right now for the third time. This soup is SO AMAZING. I use the souper cubes and have delicious healthy lunches while working from home. Thanks for sharing Kathy!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Ryan, I'm so glad you liked the soup. I love those Souper Cubes, too! I bought all the different sizes! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Kathryn
Made this last night. It filled up my large instapot. My husband and I loved it and I'm so glad that there's leftovers so we can have it for the rest of the week. Thank you so much for your recipes!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kathryn, I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed the split pea soup. We love leftovers, too! Thanks so much for your feedback. I appreciate it.
Pamela
Very good, especially using the instant pot! Served with cornbread. Seconds all around!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Pamela, I'm happy you liked the Vegan Split Pea Soup. I like it with cornbread, too! Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Suzi
YUM!! SMOKY DELICOUS FILLING YUM!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Suzi, I'm so glad you liked the soup. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate it.
suzi
Freezes well, yes? The potatoes too? Fingers crossed!! Thank you!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Suzi, yes, it freezes well..potatoes and all. I like to freeze in Souper Cubes. When you thaw it, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw and reheat when ready to eat.
Nancy
Excellent!!!! Was wonderful!!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Nancy, that is one of my favorites, too. I'm so glad you like it. It is still so hot in Arizona; it is on my list for when it starts to cool down. Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
Mailyn
Lots of good information here. I am making this today!!
Kathy Carmichael
Mailyn, let me know if you like it. I would love to hear from you.
Susan Gail Wright
this is my favorite soup I could eat everyday thank you so much
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Susan, I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for the feedback.
Diane M
The soup was delicious
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diane, yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed the soup. Thank you for letting me know. I appreciate the feedback.
Diane Barnett
I just left a 5 star review for this recipe because it was the best split pea soup I have ever made but I do not see that it posted below. Sorry, I am not sure why this happened. But my whole family loved this recipe. I did omit the jalapeno and pepper flakes but other than that, I made it as written.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diane, I appreciate it. And I'm so glad you liked it. No worries! I'm sure it will pop up.
Diane Barnett
I made this split pea soup recipe last night in my 6 qt Instant Pot and it was absolutely delicious. I have made a lot of split pea soup in my days and his is the best recipe yet. I did leave out the pepper flakes and the jalapeno pepper and let the family add sriracha to taste at the table. My husband who is not usually a fan of split pea soup comment on how good this was. Minus the pepper flakes and jalapeno, i followed the recipes as written and it is a real winner due to the potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and the spices that Kathy adds to boost the flavor. I did add salt and pepper to taste after it was cooked. This is a 5 star in my recipe book.
Carol Bradstreet
It was way too spicy to my liking. If I make it again, I will leave out the red pepper flakes. If it hadn't been so spicy, I would have given it 4 stars. Good, but not great.
Tater
This was so good! Used the instant pot instructions so it was easy too.
I forgot to bookmark the recipe but eventually I found you again - thank goodness.
Kathy Carmichael
I'm so glad you liked the split pea soup recipe. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it. Let me know if you try any of the other recipes.
Manuela Woodrum
This was the most tasty vegan split pea soup I ever had!!!!! EVER
Sandi
Can you make this without potatoes? Also I can’t have potatoes or nuts in your nacho recipe can you let me know what I can substitute?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Sandi, yes, you can leave the potatoes out of the split pea soup. Just add another vegetable or just skip the potatoes. As for the nachos recipe, I have never tried making the cheese sauce without potatoes. White beans are a good substitute for nuts normally, so that you could try that, but I have never tried myself, so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction. Can you have sunflower seeds? Those are usually a great substitute for nuts. Let me know what you try. I'm interested in how it all turns out.
Sandra E Thele
I halved the recipe. About 1/3 into the cooking time I added some water and covered the pot for the remainder of the time. I also added a few tablespoons of coconut milk since it was a bit too hot for us. But overall, tyrned out nice.
Kathy Carmichael
Sandra, I'm glad you enjoyed the soup. Thank you for the suggestions of substitutions. The coconut milk sounds great! I appreciate the feedback.
Patti Isopi
Perfect for our Michigan "Third Winter" this week.
Kathy Carmichael
Patti, spring will be here before you know it. In the meantime, enjoy some hot soup and a great movie 🙂
Kae
Can I use lentils instead of split peas? Would I still add potatoes at the end if they are not frozen? Thanks!
Kathy Carmichael
Yes, you can use lentils instead; still rinse them. The potatoes will need to go in at the beginning with everything else if you are not using frozen ones.