Your new favorite soup is here! Say hello to award-winning (check the comments!) Chickpea Soup with orzo, fresh lemon juice, spinach and cashews for creaminess. This healthy one-pot-meal tastes even better as leftovers. Shockingly dairy-free. Grab your soup pot and let's get cooking!
I have a knack for making hella creamy soups sans cream. They're just so satisfying to make. And even more fun to eat!
If you're in the fan club of my Cream of Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup or Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup, you're going to be obsessed with this recipe that uses the humble cashew to its finest capabilities.
She's a riff on Greek lemon chicken soup, or avgolemono. Quite the mouthful!
Cozy, filling, and comforting to boot, this meal in a bowl makes me feel bright and happy. And oy, how we all need more bright and happy right now.
Hugs all around in soup form!
★★★★★
"First time I participated in a soup competition at work and won second place with this soup. Soup was really good. I saw one guy eating almost 6 cups of this soup. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe." --Sambhav
"This is our absolute favorite soup recipe. We always find ourselves making it for guests and everyone always loves it! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!" --Alex
"Oh. My. Goodness. 😍 This is so good! My husband even gobbled it up and asked for seconds, and he’s a self-professed dill hater. I used “no chicken” broth and fresh dill and lemon juice. So bright and springy! This is definitely a keeper!" --Lisa
"This is a go to soup for my boyfriend and I. It is equally delicious, creamy and refreshing. Heats up well. Truly one of our favorites. We use orzo and it comes together soooo quickly!" --Willa
Ingredients
- Mirepoix: An aromatic base of onion, celery, carrots and garlic adds so much flavor and veggie goodness.
- Dill: A unique and delicious herby addition that really brings this chickpea soup recipe to the next level! Dried and fresh both work (double if using fresh). Dill and lemon are quite the dynamic duo.
- Chickpeas: For plant protein and to make this more filling and meal-like. You could even do 2 cans if you fancy for extra chickpea lovin'.
- Orzo: Lovely orzo helps thickens the soup, adds body, and textural intrigue. You can use regular or whole wheat if you can find it. Readers have had success with lots of grains; see the comments!
- Spinach: I love that I can put a whole bunch of greens in here and they just add to the flavor.
- Water: So easy since we all have it!
- Cashews: Easy cashew cream lends velvety smoothness and mouthfeel. Raw is ideal for the best flavor. A staple in my Vegan Soup Recipes!
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice adds amazing brightness and depth to this soup.
Substitutions and dietary swaps
- Gluten-free: Sub quick-cooking brown rice, see recipe notes.
- Orzo: No orzo? Try orecchiette pasta. You could also do brown rice, basmati rice, or wild rice. Reduce the liquid to 5 cups if you're using a cooked grain since they won't soak up liquid.
- Play with the veggies. Broccoli, mushrooms, chard, kale, bell peppers...they'd all be yummy here. Readers comment that other herbs like basil are also delish here.
How to make (step by step)
Place cashews in a bowl and cover with hot water.
Cook onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add spinach, water, dill and chickpeas. Bring to a boil over then simmer for 10 minutes. Add orzo and cook for another 8 minutes.
Drain cashews and to blender with 1 cup water until very smooth and creamy. Add along with lemon, salt and pepper.
Season to taste and serve!
Stellar serving ideas
This soup is spectacular with a hunk of crusty bread or buttery croutons. What soup isn't?!
It would also be delightful with an acid-forward green salad to balance the creaminess (this apple cider vinegar dressing would be fab).
Storing, freezing and reheating
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, place completely cooled soup in a freezer bag and lay in the freezer flat. It will keep for up to 3 months. This is a great nourishing soup to make for new moms!
Thaw overnight in the fridge. You can reheat in the stovetop or the microwave.
I hope you're as obsessed with this fun recipe as I am!
I'd be super grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a quick star rating and review below. Comments mean the world to me and your honest feedback helps me to continue to share recipes you'll crave!
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Lemon Orzo Chickpea Soup with Spinach (Vegan)
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Your new favorite soup is here! Say hello to cozy and bright Chickpea Soup with orzo, fresh lemon juice, spinach and cashews for creaminess. This healthy one-pot-meal tastes even better as leftovers. Shockingly dairy-free. Grab your soup pot and let's get cooking!
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups spinach
- 7 cups water, divided
- 1 tbsp dried dill, to taste (or use double the amount of fresh!)
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ⅔ cup orzo
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste + freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with hot water.
- Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and celery for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add spinach, 6 cups water, dill (I use 1 tbsp) and chickpeas. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add orzo and cook for another 8 minutes (or until orzo is tender), stirring often so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove soup from heat. Drain cashews and add to high-speed blender with remaining 1 cup water (I use my Nutribullet) until very smooth and creamy.
- Add cashew cream to soup along with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. (Soup made with water needs LOTS of salt to bring it to life, so don't be shy! I always add more). Keep in mind the soup will thicken significantly and get amazingly creamy as it sits from the starch of the orzo, so don't fret if it appears thinner at first.
Notes
*My original recipe called for ⅔ cup brown rice instead of orzo, which was added to the soup in step 2 and cooked for 35-45 minutes, or until tender.
Broth can be used instead of water, but reduce the salt (to taste).
Mary McKeown says
This is really good as written.
Alexis Joseph says
Thank you!
shannon says
This came out so delicious! The only sub I made was low sodium chicken broth for water. Will definitely be making this again!
Alexis Joseph says
Perfection, thank you Shannon!
Sambhav says
First time in my life I participated in a soup competetion at my work place and won second place with this soup. Soup was really good. I saw one guy eating almost 6 cups of this soup. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Alexis Joseph says
Ok this is SO COOL! I'm so grateful you shared, thank you Sambhav!
Lindsey says
I skipped the celery (hate it), added 1 cubed zucchini, and used garlic boullion with the water because I forgot to pick up fresh garlic. Turned out delicious! Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Yum, I’m so glad it was a winner Lindsey!
Lindsey says
Very good! I took some liberties with what I had on hand - added sweet chicken sausage, subbed coconut milk for cashew cream, and diced sweet potato instead of carrot. Perfect on a cold winter day!
Alexis Joseph says
Oh wow those sound SO good, thanks Lindsey!
Alex says
This is our absolute favorite soup recipe. We always find ourselves making it for guests and everyone always loves it! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Alexis Joseph says
I love it, thank you so much for letting me know Alex!
Alex B says
Love this recipe! I used orzo and broth instead of water. Delicious and easy!
Alexis says
Perfection, thanks Alex!
Marisah Ali says
This was so simple, filling and delicious!
Alexis says
Yayyy thanks a ton, Marisah!!
Jen says
This was epic! The lemon made it so fresh, and the creamy texture was so nice. Will definitely make it again.
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful, thank you tons Jen!!
Amber E Kenyon says
I love a good soup, my family often times is not as much into soup as I am. I made this the other day because my son wasn't feeling well, and this recipe reminded me of a Greek lemon chicken soup I always used to get when I didn't feel well. I used orecchiette pasta instead of rice/orzo, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. I love the lemony zing of this soup, and so did my family. We loved it so much there were no leftovers by the next day!
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy love this, Amber! Totally agree about the Greek lemon chicken soup. Orecchiette pasta sounds SO good in here. Thanks for the fab review 🙂
willa says
This is a go to soup for my boyfriend and I. It is equally delicious, creamy and refreshing. Heats up well. Truly one of our favorites. We use orzo and it comes together soooo quickly!
Emily M says
This soup is great as written, but is also a great starting point to riff off of based on what you have! I've made this as written, and I've also made the following variations:
-Didn't have dill so I used basil, used store-bought cashew milk, added extra celery and carrots, and used basmati rice instead of brown
-Didn't have dill so I used cilantro and mint (sounds strange but the flavors mellowed out in this soup and just gave it a nice herby-ness), added an extra can of chickpeas, added broccoli, and used wild rice instead of brown
-Used store-bought cashew milk, added extra celery and carrots, extra lemon (1/3 cup vs 1/4), subbed half the rice for cauliflower rice
All of these versions were delicious!! Thank you for giving me this healthy and easy recipe that is so easily adaptable to the times I don't want to run to the store to grab dill 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful, I'm so glad to hear those subs worked! Thanks for sharing, Emily.
Alex says
This is my absolute favorite soup! So easy and delicious. Everyone I have made it for loves it!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome, I'm thrilled to hear that Alex!
Rosie says
This soup's flavour is utterly divine!
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful, thanks Rosie!
Lisa says
Oh. My. Goodness. 😍 This is so good! My husband even gobbled it up and asked for seconds, and he’s a self-professed dill hater. I used “no chicken” broth and fresh dill and lemon juice. So bright and springy! This is definitely a keeper!
Alexis Joseph says
Hahaha I love this! No-chicken broth is so good. Thanks for letting me know you loved this soup, Lisa!
Lizenia says
I didn't have celery but I improvised with some diced red peppers, and some left over zucchini I had. Also no cashews so I used regular milk. At the end, it was still delicious and perfect for a chilly wet evening.
Alexis Joseph says
Perfect! I love that you made it your own. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Katie says
This soup was delicious! A perfect soup for spring!
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful, thank you so much Katie!
Athena says
I'm Greek and very familiar with Avgolemono soup so when I saw a vegan version I was so excited and this did not disappoint! I added extra lemon because you can never have too much. Surprised how flavorful it was considering how few ingredients. Would definitely recommend!
Alexis Joseph says
I'm so glad to hear that, Athena! Love your name, too :_
Alex says
Made this for supper tonight. I slow-cooked some dried chickpeas (~ 1 cup dried) in six cups of water for twelve hours and used those (~ 3 cups cooked chickpeas) and the liquid leftover (~ 4 cups) as my "broth". I cooked my brown rice in advance as well since it was not quick-cook and used parsley and peas instead of the spinach. I wish I would have had fresh dill instead of dried - it would have been even better! The cashew cream was a great addition. A very nice refreshing soup! Thank you!
Lauren says
This is fantastic!!! Cozy soup but light and fresh. Perfect for a midwestern “spring” evening. Kids asked for seconds 🙂
Pam says
Absolutely delicious! I used farro instead of rice. As I am not vegetarian, I used half chicken broth and half water for a little extra richness. One of my favorite soups ever!
Carrie says
Made it and it is awesome! We loved it 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome, thank you Carrie!!
Morgan says
Such a fresh and satisfying soup. I love how the cashew cream soaks into the rice and I pureed some yellow potatoes into the broth as well to add extra thickness which worked out great!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm yum! I love the potato addition. Thanks for letting me know, Elizabeth!
Rachel W says
So good and easily adaptable with what you have on hand! I added mushrooms and a bit of leftover cooked quinoa, along with the rice. So good and will definitely add to my soup rotation!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm I love the mushroom addition! Thanks for letting me know, Rachel 🙂
Clarisa says
This is a seriously delicious soup. It’s refreshing! So a great option for warmer weather when you still want that cozy feeling. It’ll be on repeat this spring. ✨
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes! You made my day. Thanks for letting me know!!
Carrie says
Can't wait to make this one, it's in the plan for this week. Your soup recipes do not disappoint!
Alexis Joseph says
Awww thank you so much, Carrie! Please let me know if you try it.
Carrie says
Made it and it is awesome! We loved it 🙂
Lillian Ashworth says
Hey! Could I substitute the cashew cream with coconut cream (full fat)? I am limiting my grocery trips and already have coconut cream on hand.
Alexis Joseph says
Hey there! I personally don't love coconut milk in American soup recipes (I prefer it in curries/african peanut stew etc) but it should work if you like that flavor. You could also use 1/3 cup of tahini if you have that on hand!
Abbey says
Found this on your IG and made it the next day! I was able to freeze some to save for when the fam pulls out their meat filled soups (I’m vegetarian). Yay for not feeling left out anymore!!
Alexis Joseph says
I'm thrilled to hear that, Abby! Love that you loved it 😉
Alexis Joseph says
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Lauren!!
Dylan says
The perfect soup for spring! So good 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyyy thanks, Dylan! If spring soup were a thing...it would be this.
Bionaze says
It's so good. I have made it a few times now. The last time I made it with orzo in place of rice and loved it so much!