Easy Chickpea Soup
Updated Sep 17, 2026
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Ready in 30 minutes, this easy chickpea soup recipe is another reason why canned chickpeas are one of the best pantry ingredients. Each spoonful is creamy with chunks of carrots and potatoes. I puree half of it, so the soup cozy and satisfying.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
It’s a soup that’s creamy without any actual cream. That’s what pureeing half of what’s in the pot does. I take the same approach with this pumpkin white bean soup.
This chickpea soup is more than just broth with vegetables in it, but it’s not a completely smooth soup that has been fully blended either. It lands somewhere in the middle, and it’s nice having another consistency for a vegetable soup recipe that isn’t tomato broth. No offense to canned tomatoes, but it’s always great to have variety.
Like so many soups, this one is a good choice for meal prep and it’s freezer friendly. Chickpea soup is hearty enough to be the main dish soup for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This is what you need:
- Chickpeas (a.k.a garbanzo beans) are great in soups and more. I always use canned ones to take advantage of their convenience.
- Onions: Sauteeing them is a must when it comes to starting most of soups. It is the foundation for the rest of the ingredients.
- Carrots add a touch of vegetable sweetness, and they also deserve credit for the beautiful golden color.
- Garlic: I include a few minced garlic cloves, which may sound like a lot, but it balances out with all the chickpeas, potatoes and kale
- Potatoes thicken the soup, but since I only puree half of it, tender chunks of potato end up in each spoonful. Russet or yukon gold hold their shape in chunks, and also puree well. Don’t substitute with sweet potatoes.
- Rosemary: A couple sprigs of fresh rosemary simmer in the soup with the potatoes and veggies, making it fragrant.
- Kale: The heat of the soup quickly softens the chopped kale leaves, making it a simple way to add greens. You can substitute with spinach.
- Parmesan cheese melts into the creamy pureed broth leaving behind umami flavor. I also sprinkle Parmesan on top each bowl before serving.
- Lemon juice adds a wonderful citrusy brightness to the soup for a last touch.
- Parsley: I stir fresh herbs into the soup when it’s done.
- Vegetable broth: I prefer low-sodium broth, so I can control the seasonings. If you don’t need the soup to be vegetarian, you can substitute with chicken broth.
- Olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper are the pantry ingredients needed for sauteing the onions and carrots.
How To Make Chickpea Soup
1. Heat the oil in large pot over medium heat and sauté the onions. Give them 5 minutes to turn soft and translucent.
2. Add the carrots and continue sautéing for a couple minutes.
3. Stir in the minced garlic, salt and pepper. After 30 seconds or so, the vegetables will become fragrant.
4. Add the veggie broth, chickpeas, potatoes and rosemary. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid partially on the pot until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
5. Carefully transfer half the soup to a blender and puree it. Make sure to remove the rosemary sprig before pureeing. Then pour the pureed soup back into the pot.
6. Stir in the kale and simmer for a couple minutes. The leafy greens will wilt slightly. Divide the soup into bowls and finish with Parmesan, lemon juice and parsley.
Serving
This vegetarian soup is very filling for lunch or dinner. You can serve with a hunk of focaccia or crusty bread. If you’re feeling more hungry, make an Italian-style grilled cheese with mozzarella to go with it. For salads, try this arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette or this classic house salad.
Recipe Tips
- You can simmer the soup with a Parmesan rind. I keep a stash of rinds in a bag in my fridge. They add even more umami when you throw one into Italian soups and homemade tomato sauces.
- Transfer the soup to a blender to puree it instead of doing it in the pot with an immersion blender. Since you want half of the chickpeas, carrots and potatoes to stay whole, the only way to do this is ladle out the other half to puree it. Otherwise you will miss out on those chunks of vegetables.
More Chickpea Soup Recipes
Roasted Eggplant Stew
Harissa Chickpea Vegetable Soup
Red Lentil Soup
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Stew
This dish is featured in my chickpea recipe collection with ideas for meatless mains, cozy stews, and salads for every season.
Easy Chickpea Soup with Potatoes, Carrots & Kale
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced peeled potatoes (either russet or Yukon gold potatoes)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 cup chopped curly kale
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- 1 lemon, juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley plus more for serving
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Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they turn soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.
- Then stir in the garlic, salt and pepper, sautéing for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, chickpeas, potatoes and rosemary. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid partially covering the pot for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs. Carefully transfer half the soup to a blender and puree.
- Pour the pureed soup back into the soup in the pot. Add the kale and simmer on low for a couple minutes to wilt the greens.
- Stir in the Parmesan, lemon juice and parsley.
- Top each bowl with additional Parmesan and parsley before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks simple and delicious! I’m just out of fresh Rosemary,‘do you think I can sub dried?
Yes, you can use 1 teaspoon dried rosemary instead of fresh.
Great quick hearty, delicious soup! Few ingredients. Everything in my pantry or fridge. Used dried Rosemary. Served with green salad. Perfect weeknight meal! Will make again.
Inherited a big box of dried chickpeas. Had no idea what to do with them. Came across this recipe. Freaking delicious! Thanks paige!
Donny–I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This soup was delicious! I made it on a whim and will be making it many, many more times.
Delicious and easy! I had everything here but the kale so I left it out. Its helping me fight this cold! Thank you for a great recipe.
I hope you feel better!
Tasted great! Would consider adding cannellini beans, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes next time.
This soup was great! My daughter made me a batch after I had a surgery and I really enjoyed it!!
Really lovely. Thank you
Made this soup last night – it was delicious! I added some thyme and a dash of cayenne. It was a perfect hearty & healthy winter soup.
This soup is so delicious, quick and easy to make. Perfect for nights that you don’t want to spend too much time cooking but actually want a nutritious, tasty meal to eat. I actually get craving for it and my husband even really likes it.
Delicious as is but toying with the idea of adding a can of diced tomatoes next time. Thoughts?
I haven’t tried adding tomatoes. It will turn it into more of a tomato soup. You may need to add a little more broth to thin it out.
Easy is the key. Delicious is the crown.
I used Turkey stock (leftovers from Easter Turkey dinner) and threw in a half a Jalapeno (diced) from last nights meal.
Definately in the rotation now.
It is not often that I leave reviews. This recipe deserves a 5 star! I’ve made it at least 4 times. My husband and I are Gen Xers and we love it! He is a meat & potatoes guy 100%. Me- I love veggies , chicken and fish This recipe suits us both. Only thing I changed is I used mozzarella cheese as topper in mine. This is absolutely the best soup I have ever tasted ! I love the base of onion, carrot & garlic. It also helps that I grow fresh herbs Thank you so much. It is awesome!!!!
Warming and delicious
Stock cupboard low after holiday so sauteed onions and finely chopped potatoes for 8 mins, added to chickpeas, frozen mixed vegetables and frozen spinach with powdered garlic and dried rosemary in microwaveable jug. Added stock cube and 500ml water. Microwaved for 15 minutes and added lemon juice and parsley. Blended half as instructed. Lovely lunch in less than 30 minutes ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks so much
The flavor profile is delicious. I did not expect it to be this good! It’s healthy, light, and delicious. I just wish there was a way to add more protein. I want to keep making it though.
I just made it for the first time tonight too and, man!!! It blew my socks off!! I think adding shredded chicken would be a delicious way to incorporate more protein to the soup 🙂
Chickpeas are already pretty high in protein, being a legume and whatnot. Perhaps you could add more, or adjust the ratio of potatoes to chickpeas (I assume your goal is to increase protein per calorie). If you have it around, you could also try dissolving some unflavored protein powder in some water, making sure to get out all the clumps, before pouring that into the soup. Tofu might also be a good option- either silken, blended up with half of the soup, or firm/extra-firm, cubed and added to the soup as soon as the broth is added.