Vegetable Soup Recipe (Vegan + GF Soup)

This vegetable soup is packed with nutrients from 10 types of vegetables! Plus, this vegtable soup recipe is gluten-free and vegan, and easy to make using fresh or frozen veggies. Allergy-friendly, customizable, nutritious, and delicious!

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

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 can I make my 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.

Can you freeze vegtable 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.

Reheating Instructions

A day or two before you want to serve the soup, transfer the container of frozen vegtable 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 stews you may like!

• Vegan Chili Recipe
• Gluten-Free Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Vegan Curry

Want to add some meat? Try this Chicken Veggie Soup (slow cooker recipe).

Print REcipe

5 from 10 votes

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.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 16 1-cup servings

Calories 50.21kcal

Author Traci Antonovich

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 Red Onion diced (1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks Celery chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Carrots diced (1 cup)
• 5 cloves Garlic chopped
• 1/2 lb. Broccoli chopped (2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Cauliflower chopped (2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. Green Cabbage chopped (2 cups)
• 1 lb. Yellow and Green Zucchini chopped (4 cups)
• 1 lb. Whole Tomatoes chopped (or 28oz can Reduced Sodium Diced Tomatoes with juice)
• 8 cups Reduced Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1/2 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

Instructions

• Heat OLIVE OIL in a 5 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; serve warm and (optional) garnish with lemon zest and parsley.
• To store, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
• To freeze, store in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.

RECIPE NOTES

Yield: 16 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:

This veggie soup recipe makes 4 quarts…that’s 16 cups…that’s a BUNCH of soup! But, even for just two of us, it’s the right amount to feed us the same day we make it, eat leftovers for a day or two, and freeze the rest for some busy weeknight dinner magic down the road.

We froze this soup in quart-sized Ziploc bags. It was perfect after we thawed and reheated it on a very busy weeknight. The veggies maintained tenderness and the soup was even more flavorful!

If you want to make this soup in your Instant Pot, simply cut the recipe ingredients in half if you own the 6-quart Instant Pot.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Homemade Vegetable Soup (Gluten Free + Vegan)

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 50.21 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2.04g3%

Saturated Fat 0.3g2%

Sodium 640.13mg28%

Potassium 298.63mg9%

Carbohydrates 7.55g3%

Fiber 2.05g9%

Sugar 4.03g4%

Protein 1.66g3%

Vitamin A 1941.61IU39%

Vitamin C 34.77mg42%

Calcium 30.82mg3%

Iron 0.47mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe? Tag me!Mention @thekitchengirl or tag #thekitchengirl

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Traci Antonovich

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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