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Skip the bland canned stuff… my healthy vegetable soup recipe is packed with savory flavor from fresh produce, broth, and herbs! Although I love to make hearty soups with veggies, like my cabbage hamburger soup and Mexican chicken soup, this is my best vegetable soup recipe to lean on when you want something light and quick. I’ll show you how to make it with your favorite in-season ingredients to warm you up from the inside out (all in just over half an hour). Plus, it’s so easy to customize. Make it with me!
Why You Need My Healthy Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Light, but big on flavor – Veggies with savory, herby tomato broth? It’s the best of both worlds.
- Simple ingredients – You’ll find everything you need at any grocery store, and possibly even in your refrigerator. Best of all, it’s easy to customize with whatever you have on hand. I often make this recipe for vegetable soup when I want to clean out my fridge!
- Fast to make – I love that I can whip it up in just 30 minutes on busy weeknights.
- Fits many healthy lifestyles – I make this healthy vegetable soup with fresh ingredients, so of course it’s got lots of veggies! But it’s also naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and low carb.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my homemade vegetable soup, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
I see vegetable soup recipes as a blank canvas — you can add almost anything. Here are the basic components that you can customize based on your preferences and what you have:
- Vegetables – Most often, I make this healthy vegetable soup with onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, green beans, canned diced tomatoes, and garlic. But I’ve also made it with other veggies, like kale or spinach (or throw in some leftover sauteed kale or sauteed spinach), zucchini, cabbage, broccoli, or sliced celery ribs. Fresh veggies taste the best, but I’ve used frozen when I needed to. If you’re including greens, add them toward the end of cooking the soup.
- Broth – I prefer the flavor of reduced-sodium chicken broth here. You can use vegetable broth (to make this vegetable soup recipe both vegetarian and vegan), or otherwise homemade bone broth is amazing.
- Starches – I didn’t include any to keep this soup light. To make it more hearty, throw in potatoes, corn kernels, butternut squash, carrots, beans (like chickpeas or white beans), corn, or green peas. Cut larger veggies into bite-sized pieces.
- Seasonings – Aside from the obvious salt and pepper, I add Italian seasoning, because it tastes great and saves time getting out multiple seasoning containers. If you don’t have any, you can use any combination of dried herbs you like, such as basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, oregano, marjoram, or tarragon. If you have fresh herbs, triple the amount, as their flavor is less concentrated. I like to throw in some dried bay leaves for flavor as well.
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How To Make Vegetable Soup
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Saute the aromatics. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven (this is my favorite one!) over medium heat. Saute the onions and bell peppers until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the vegetables and broth. Add the cauliflower, green beans, diced tomatoes, broth, seasonings, and bay leaves, if using. Stir to combine.
- Simmer. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the veggies are tender. This is the part where my house smells amazing! 😉
- Serve. Remove the bay leaves, and ladle into bowls. Sometimes I like to serve this healthy vegetable soup with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or fresh parsley.
My Tips For Adjusting Flavor
Sometimes the taste can vary depending on your veggies and brand of broth or diced tomatoes. Plus, everyone is a little different. Here are some ways I adjust this healthy vegetable soup when needed — and so can you:
- Too sweet? Mix in a splash of vinegar, salt, or tabasco.
- Too bland? Add more salt, or an extra dash of herbs and spices. Your preferences might be a little different from mine, but it’s so easy to customize this if you feel like something is missing!
- Too spicy? A little heavy cream (or coconut cream) tames spicy foods, or dilute with extra broth or some vinegar.
- Too salty? Extra tomatoes or some lemon juice can help.
- Too acidic? Dilute with cream or coconut cream, or add more salt.
In my experience, PH balance is often all a vegetable soup needs. Lemon juice or vinegar add more acidity, while heavy cream or coconut cream will make it more alkaline (if tastes sour or spicy).
Want to add a protein? I’ve got recipes for beef vegetable soup or chicken vegetable soup. You can also just use the recipe I have here and simply add your protein before simmering the soup, along with an extra 1-3 cups of broth.
Healthy Vegetable Soup (30 Minutes!)
By
This healthy vegetable soup recipe is cozy, flavorful, fast, and easy! Make it in 30 minutes with veggies, broth, diced tomatoes, and spices.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Heat olive oil in a pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
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Add the onions and bell peppers. Saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until onions are translucent and browned.
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Add the minced garlic. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
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Add the cauliflower, green beans, diced tomatoes, broth, and Italian seasoning. Adjust sea salt and black pepper to taste. Add the bay leaves, if using.
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Bring the soup to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for about 10 to 20 minutes, until veggies are soft.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 cup
- Tips: If the flavor of your soup isn’t quite what you like, check out my tips above to help you figure out what it’s missing.
- Store: Keep the soup covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Meal prep: I like to cut the vegetables ahead of time, because it makes cooking this healthy vegetable soup recipe is a breeze! Store them in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can also make the entire soup ahead — I love it reheated for lunch.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop, or in the microwave, until warm.
- Freeze: Cool to room temperature, then pour into airtight zip top bags. Lay flat in the freezer until solid, and after that you can move them upright to save space if needed. Thaw in the fridge overnight (in a container or pot to be safe, in case it leaks!).
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Healthy Ebook Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Homemade Vegetable Soup
More Vegetable Soup Recipes
Need more healthy veggie soup recipes? I have lots! Below are some of my favorites, or find my other healthy soups here.
178 Comments
Beth
0Your recipes are awesome. I am looking for a spicy cauliflower chicken wing recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Beth! You can find buffalo cauliflower wings here!
Wiletta
0If too salty, would putting in a potato to absorb some of the salt (and remove it later). Would that make it not low carb?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Wiletta, I’ve heard mixed things about whether the potato trick really works or is a myth. You can try it if you’d like. The soup would still be low carb if you remove the potato afterward.
Anne
0I have found that an easy way to make soups “creamy” without having to add anything extra is to to take out some of the veggies with a little broth and puree it with a hand blender, then put it back in the soup pot. Delicious!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Anne! I like doing that, too!