Vegetable Soup Recipe (Vegan + GF Soup)

This vegetable soup is packed with nutrients from 10 types of vegetables! Plus, this vegetable soup recipe is gluten-free and vegan, and easy to make using fresh or frozen veggies. Allergy-friendly, customizable, nutritious, and delicious! Veggie soup can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove.

Is homemade vegetable soup healthy?

An honest answer to this question is easy to find by looking at the ingredient label on a can of soup. Unless it’s an organic or all-natural brand, you will likely see a lot of man-made, artificial chemicals on the list. 

A major “mmm, mmm, good” red label brand’s condensed old fashioned vegetable soup has some harmless ingredients, while the ones shown below are, at best, questionable. (source)

• Enriched Flour
• Modified Food Starch
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• Caramel Color

Vegetable Soup Recipe Video [Stove Method] *Instant Pot instructions below

Now, let’s compare the canned vegetable soup ingredients with the ingredients in this homemade, healthy, vegan vegetable soup recipe:

• Fresh vegetables – I use 10 different veggies in this recipe, but use what you like, or what you have on hand. This vegetable soup is customizable, so any fresh or frozen veggies can be used.
• Reduced sodium vegetable broth – Canned soup is almost always high in sodium. To avoid this, make sure you grab the broth labeled “reduced-sodium” or “low-sodium”.
• All-natural seasonings – Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning

How to make vegetable soup more flavorful?

There are a lot of ways to boost the flavor of homemade soups. In the case of a vegan soup recipe like this one, where adding meat may not be an option, get an extra flavor boost from ingredients such as:

• Aromatics – garlic, onions, shallots will give your soup rich flavor
• Fresh herbs and bold spices – If you have access to them, stir in some fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, and oregano. Or add a kick of flavor and heat by adding some cayenne pepper or fresh chile peppers.
• Legumes – Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils will not only boost the flavor but will also add nutrients and heartiness to the soup.
• Meat – This is a vegan vegetable soup recipe, but if you don’t need it to be, add some cooked pieces of chicken, turkey, or beef to the pot.

How to Make Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot

• Place the inner pot in the Instant Pot base and plug in the unit.
• On the control panel, select the “Sauté” function. Set the temperature mode indicator light to “normal” by toggling the “Adjust” function.
• Add OLIVE OIL to the inner pot and wait for the LED display to say “Hot”.
• Add ONION, CELERY, CARROT, and GARLIC; sauté until tender for about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
• To the cooker, add BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CABBAGE, GREEN AND YELLOW ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES, VEGETABLE BROTH, and SEASONINGS; stir to combine.
• Press the “Cancel” function. Add the lid, turn it to the “Close” position, and set the ‘pressure release knob’ to the “Sealing” position.
• Select the “Manual” function on the control panel and press “+/-” buttons to display 2 minutes on the LED. Toggle the “Pressure” function to set pressure indicator light to “High Pressure”. Allow cook cycle to run.
• When the cycle is complete, the cooker beeps and LED display reads “0”. Allow the cooker do natural pressure release (NPR) until the ‘float valve’ drops (about 10 minutes). The cooker then goes into “Keep warm” mode.

* See full recipe below

How to Make Vegetable Soup On The Stove

• Heat OLIVE OIL in a 4-quart soup pot on medium-high heat.
• Add ONION, CELERY, CARROT, and GARLIC; sauté until tender for about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
• To the pot, add BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CABBAGE, GREEN AND YELLOW ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES, VEGETABLE BROTH, and SEASONINGS; stir to combine.
• Turn heat to HIGH and heat the soup it starts to boil; then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until all veggies are tender.

* See full recipe below

Can you freeze vegetable soup?

Yes! Soups with a clear broth, such as this vegetable soup, or even this Southwest vegan tortilla soup, freeze very well for up to 4 months. 

If possible, avoid freezing cream-based soups, which can sometimes separate as they thaw. If this happens, the soup will still be safe to eat. Simply stir to incorporate the cream or milk back in with the stock.

Veggie Soup Reheating Instructions

A day or two before you want to serve the soup, transfer the container of frozen vegetable soup to the fridge to thaw.

Reheat the soup in a saucepan on the stovetop, in a microwave, or even in a slow cooker.

Serve the soup with a garden salad or some vegan sandwiches. 

Want to make other vegan recipes?

Here are some other tasty vegan soups and chili recipes you may like!

• Instant Pot 3 Bean Vegan Chili
• Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Thai Coconut Curry Soup
• Meatless Lentil Chili

Want to add meat to your vegetable soup? Try this Chicken Veggie Soup recipe for the Instant Pot or slow cooker!

Recommended Tools

• chef knife and cutting board
• Instant Pot or 4-quart soup pot
• stirring utensil
• serving ladle

Healthy Homemade Vegetable Soup (Gluten Free + Vegan)

This healthy vegetable soup is naturally vegan and low carb, made with fresh vegetables, veggie broth, and a few pantry ingredients. It’s budget-friendly, freezer-friendly, and can be made any season with always-available grocery store produce. Meal prep this easy soup recipe and eat ALL the veggies for days. Veggie soup recipe includes Instant Pot and Stove Instructions.

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8 1-cup servings

Author: Traci Antonovich from TheKitchenGirl.com

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 Red Onion diced (1/2 cup)
• 1 stalks Celery chopped (1 cup)
• 1 Carrot diced (1 cup)
• 5 cloves Garlic chopped
• 1/4 lb. Broccoli chopped (2 cups)
• 1/4 lb. Cauliflower chopped (2 cups)
• 1/4 lb. Green Cabbage chopped (2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Yellow and Green Zucchini chopped (4 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Whole Tomatoes chopped (or 14oz can Reduced Sodium Diced Tomatoes with juice)
• 4 cups Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 Bay Leaf
• (optional) Lemon Zest for garnish
• (optional) Fresh Parsley for garnish

RECIPE VIDEO

Instructions

Instant Pot Vegetable Soup

• Select "Sauté" on the Instant Pot and heat the OLIVE OIL.
• When the display reads "Hot", add ONION, CELERY, CARROT, and GARLIC; sauté until tender for about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
• Add BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CABBAGE, GREEN and YELLOW ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES, VEGETABLE BROTH, and SEASONINGS; stir to combine.
• Press the "Cancel" function on the Instant Pot.
• Secure the lid and turn the pressure release valve to the "Sealing" position.
• Select "Manual" and set the Instant Pot on "High" pressure for +2 minutes.
• When the cycle completes, allow the Instant Pot to sit for 10 minutes, undisturbed, for a natural pressure release (NPR).
• Then, using an oven mitt for protection, release any remaining steam by turning the pressure release valve to the "Venting" position.
• The cooker automatically goes into "Keep Warm" mode until you shut it off.

Stove Cooked Vegetable Soup

• Heat OLIVE OIL in a 4-quart soup pot on medium-high heat.
• Add ONION, CELERY, CARROT, and GARLIC; sauté until tender for about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
• To the pot, add BROCCOLI, CAULIFLOWER, CABBAGE, GREEN AND YELLOW ZUCCHINI, TOMATOES, VEGETABLE BROTH, and SEASONINGS; stir to combine.
• Turn heat to HIGH and heat the soup it starts to boil; then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until all veggies are tender.

Serving and storage

• Serve veggie soup warm. Garnish options: lemon zest, fresh parsley, croutons, or grated parmesan cheese.
• Refrigerate veggie soup in an airtight container up to 5 days.
• To freeze, store in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.

RECIPE NOTES

Yield: 8 cups

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are estimates based on unbranded ingredients acquired from a nutrition database. For accurate calculations, please refer to brand packaging information and consult your nutritionist.

RECIPE NOTES:

We freeze this soup in quart-sized Ziploc bags. It’s perfect for thawing and reheating on a very busy weeknight. The veggies maintain their tenderness and the soup was even more flavorful!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 786mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1942IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

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The Kitchen Girl

Recipe author and food photographer at The Kitchen Girl

I'm on a mission to help you eat healthy AND save money through simple, everyday recipes, product reviews, and budget-friendly kitchen tips.

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