15-minute Chickpea Kale Soup with fresh kale, cooked chickpeas, a few pantry items, and homemade croutons. Weeknight dinners just got easier and healthier with this easy vegan kale soup recipe made for Instant Pot or stove.
This kale soup recipe was MADE for busy people! Whether you're a stove ninja or Instant Pot beginner, you can get a comforting soup on the table with very little planning. Also, kale and chickpeas are super nutritious and complement each other in texture and flavor. They're really easy to prepare, especially if you use canned beans, just like my crazy popular Kale and White Bean Soup.
Chickpea kale soup ingredients
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- chickpeas (canned or cooked from scratch)
- kale (any kind)
- vegetable broth
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- croutons (optional)
Chickpea kale soup [stove instructions]
* See full recipe instructions below
- Saute onions and garlic in olive oil.
- Add all other ingredients, bring just to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Instant Pot chickpea kale soup
* See full recipe instructions below
- Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil in the instant pot.
- Add remaining ingredients and pressure cook on high pressure for 1 minute.
- Allow a 10-minute natural pressure release.
- Serve warm.
This chickpea soup is naturally gluten-free and vegan, but of course, sometimes I ruin that with croutons and Parmesan cheese
What's the best kale for chickpea kale soup?
I used Dino kale in this soup, but any kale will work! In fact, curly kale will naturally add more volume, which will look prettier. Dino kale tends to be more expensive than curly kale, so it all comes down to personal preference.
Canned chickpeas vs scratch-cooked chickpeas
Canned chickpeas are fully cooked and ready to eat upon reheat. This is what makes this soup so quick and easy to make since you don't have to cook the beans.
If you want to use scratch-cooked chickpeas in this soup, check out my Instant Pot Chickpeas method or my oven-baked method of cooking chickpeas. Both methods allow you to skip the canned beans, save money, and eat a superior ingredient.
What's the best broth for vegetarian soup?
I've been in love with this reduced-sodium vegetable base for years. It's easy and compact to store, and tastes great! [this is not sponsored btw]. If you don't have a soup base, this packaged vegetable broth works great too!
Recommended Tools
- chef knife
- cutting board
- Instant Pot or 4-quart saucepot
- stirring utensil
More kale recipes
- Instant Pot Kale and White Bean Soup
- Sesame Kale Noodles
- Crispy Kale Chips Recipe
- Lemony Kale Chickpea Avocado Salad
More chickpea recipes
Chickpea Kale Soup Recipe [Instant Pot or Stove]
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 large Onion, diced
- 1 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 15oz can Chickpeas, or 1.5 cups, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 lb Dino Kale, about 1 cup chopped
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
Recipe Instructions
Chickpea Kale Soup (Stove Instructions)
- Heat OLIVE OIL in a 3-quart soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add ONIONS and GARLIC; sauté until slightly tender, stirring as needed.
- Stir in CHICKPEAS, KALE, VEGETABLE BROTH, THYME, SALT, and PEPPER. Increase heat to HIGH and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
Chickpea Kale Soup (Instant Pot Instructions)
- Select "Sauté" on the Instant Pot and heat the OLIVE OIL.
- When the display reads "Hot", add ONION and GARLIC; sauté a few minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
- Press the "Cancel" button on the cooker.
- Add cooked CHICKPEAS, KALE, VEGETABLE BROTH, THYME, SALT, and PEPPER.
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure release valve to the "Sealing" position.
- Select "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" and set the cooker on "High" pressure for 1 minute.
- When cook cycle completes, allow the Instant Pot to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes for a natural pressure release (NPR).
Serving and Storage Instructions
- Serve kale soup warm. Garnish options: lemon zest, fresh parsley, croutons, or grated Parmesan cheese.
- Refrigerate kale soup in an airtight container up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Check out these scratch-cooked chickpea methods:
Instant Pot Chickpeas (no-soak and ready in 1 hour) Oven-cooked beans (no-soak and ready in 2 hours) Use either method to cook chickpeas in bulk and freeze for later use!Nutrition
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Kara says
Simple, quick, delicious soup. Came together in no time for dinner and the whole family scarfed it down.
Awesome, Kara! So glad to hear your family loved it 🙂 Thanks for the feedback
Shirley Cook Brooks says
Delicious soup! I've made this 3x now! Made it tonight and added nduja sausage for a little kick and smokiness. Yum-mee!!
Awesome Shirley, so glad you're enjoying it! Sausage always goes with kale soup 😉 Thanks for the review!
Sam says
So delicious! Even my vegetable hating husband loves this recipe! I add turkey sausage for some added protein and flavor. Yum!
Is there a way to make this in a crockpot? Or does the kale get too soggy?
Hi Sam, glad you both enjoyed it. The soup really is the perfect base for add-ins. And yes crockpot would work just fine. You could apply pretty much any crockpot soup instructions. Thanks for the review 🙂 Cheers!
Miranda says
When I use kale in the crockpot I add it at the last minute so it doesn't get soggy. Usually let it sit for about 15 mins.
Jennifer says
My family loved it. I used homemade veggie broth and it was great
Glad to hear it! We love this quick and easy soup too 🙂 Thanks so much!
Gayle says
This soup recipe looks really good. About how many cups is 1/3 a pound of Kale? I don't have any means of weighing it. Thank you for your help.
Hi Gayle, it's about 1 cup. Hope you enjoy! Thanks!
Raquel E says
The best quick & easy soup ever! My husband loved it too. It is such a delicious recipe. I added diced zucchini. I topped with croutons. Such a delicious soup. I’m sure you can add all different types of veggies. I kept it simple and stuck to the recipe. I actually added more broth to make more liquidity. Love!
Yay, Raquel...so glad you love it as much as we do! You're right about all the veggies too Thanks for taking the time to leave this feedback
Bridget says
Fantastic recipe! It was delicious and quick. I added some crushed red pepper because I like spice. I will make this again and again. Thank you!
Awesome, Bridget! So glad you liked this soup. I'm always up for crushed red pepper 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Lil says
This is a great soup! My husband and I made it last night and used a little more kale, since we love kale, added miracle noodles and smashed half of the chickpeas to make it a little creamier. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Yay, thanks Lil...day made! I'm a kale lover too, so I usually do the same 🙂 I love your additions too!