This Quinoa Vegetable Soup is a bone-warming brothy soup that has the flavors of chicken noodle soup with the healthy-ness of vegetable soup (and it whips up in under 30 minutes!)

Truth time: I used to hate soup. Okay, hate may be a strong word. But soup just did not appeal to me growing up. It wasn’t until I started learning to cook (and needing to create dinners on a tight schedule) that I learned the beauty that is a hearty vegetarian soup.
Why? Well for starters, they’re almost impossible to mess up. Throw everything in a pot, heat it up, boom: soup. Flavors not right? You can adjust them! Don’t have a certain ingredient? Substitute it! They’re flexible and forgiving and have won a special place in my heart, especially in these cold weather months.
So today let’s celebrate the almost-end of winter with a bone-warming Quinoa Vegetable Soup! It’s like chicken noodle soup (except the chicken is chickpeas) (and noodles are quinoa) (and okay maybe it’s pretty different but it’s so tasty and easy to make so you should definitely try it before the weather warms up, k?)
This soup would also be great with Israeli couscous! Learn about the difference between quinoa and couscous here.
Reader rating
“Surprisingly good. Not a lot of spice added , but surprisingly flavorful.” —Robert
Ingredients in quinoa and vegetable soup
When I say this soup is good, I mean good. You can thank the many flavorings and spices for that! If you keep your veggies and spices stocked up, you likely have nearly everything you need for this brothy type of soup. If you don’t, swap something!
- Olive Oil: First up, you will need 2 tablespoons of olive oil. This is important for cooking the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. I recommend extra virgin olive oil for its benefits (learn more about olive oil here).
- Veggies: Load up on veggies by chopping the following: 1 yellow onion, 2 carrots, and 3 stalks of celery. This is the perfect amount for creating 6 servings of soup!
- Garlic: Any good soup uses garlic, this one included. Use 4 cloves, minced. If you only have powder, use 1 teaspoon.
- Broth: Add the liquid portion to the soup by using 12 cups of vegetable broth. This ingredient is absolutely loaded with nutrients and makes a great soup base all around.
- Thyme: Include 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme to contribute a nice earthy flavor.
- Oregano: Oregano is always great in soup, and this recipe calls for ½ teaspoon (or go with fresh oregano for extra flavor).
- Bay Leaves: Include 2 bay leaves — each leaf goes a long way!
- Quinoa: Add folate, copper, manganese, magnesium, and loads of other nutrients by including 1 cup of healthy quinoa.
- Chickpeas: Use 2 15-oz cans of fiber-filled chickpeas to bulk up the soup and add extra protein! Drain before adding.
- Parsley: Last but not least, complete the dish by adding ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley.
How to make veggie quinoa soup
I don’t know about you, but one pot, two-step recipes are my jam. This soup could practically be made with your eyes closed! It’s a great beginner vegetarian recipe and is so simple to follow.
Step 1: Cook the base
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
Step 2: Prepare the bulk of the soup
Add the broth, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves to the pot, and then bring everything to a simmer. Once simmering, add the quinoa and cook until it’s done (about 12 minutes). Right before serving, stir in the chickpeas and garnish with parsley.
Optional soup variations
As I mentioned above, there’s really no way to mess up a soup. That being said, you can use this recipe as an excuse to add in whatever you’d like! Have veggies waiting to be used? Throw ’em in! Need to use up something before it goes bad? By all means! Here are some ideas for delish soup additions:
- Bell peppers
- Peas (canned, fresh, or frozen!)
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Zucchini
- Corn (canned, fresh, or frozen!)
Pairing ideas
On the hunt for the perfect soup side dish? Try one of these!
- Soups are classically paired with sandwiches, and something light like this Avocado Sandwich makes a great option!
- Go with a refreshing Veggie Caesar Salad for all of the greens!
- It’s not traditional, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong! Try your soup alongside some Hibiscus Tacos for something fun and different.
Love soup? Check out our soup du jour guide (it’s a formula for making soup with any ingredient!)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil 30 mL
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 12 cups vegetable broth 3 quarts, 2.8 L
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup dried quinoa 180 g
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas 2 425 g cans, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley 20 g
Instructions
- The Base: Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
- The Bulk: Add broth, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves, then bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add quinoa and cook until done (about 12 minutes). Right before serving, stir in chickpeas and garnish with parsley.
Nutrition Information
I first published this recipe on Amanda’s Cookin’.
Aviv Roth says
Hi! When you say to bring the broth to a boil, add quinoa, and cook until done (12 minutes): did you leave out to reduce the heat to a simmer? Or did you actually mean to cook the quinoa at a roiling boil for 12 minutes?
Usually quinoa is cooked at a very low temperature, so just checking.
Thanks!
Sarah says
You’re right! Changing that now 😀 Thanks for pointing that out!
Empress says
Hiya I am livinnng for and loving all of your recipes right now! I am on a fast and found you through looking for plant based, light recipes, that will be easy on my stomach yet nutritious and delicious for when I reintroduce meals- and I’ve found all that (and more) here on your page! I’ve written many of your recipes down and this is one of them- I just wanted to ask if this soup freezes well? Thank you Sarah!
Sarah Bond says
This one should freeze decently! 😀 Enjoy!
Terri says
Hi Sarah,
Could you use the liquid from the chickpeas as part of your broth rather than throw it away? Thanks
Sarah Bond says
Yea I think that would work! 😀
RObert says
Surprisingly good. Not a lot of spice added , but surprisingly flavorful. I was afraid it would be somewhat bland.
Barb Masitis says
Hi Sarah; I am new to your site and your recipes, and I simply love the site as well as the information, recipes, the descriptions, and the advertisement of your foods. The recipes are beautifully displayed, and appealing for the palette to try. I am currently investigating all of the recipes I can find to be able to eat the comfort foods that I have grown up with all of my life and I readily prepared for my family (I was the cook for my family from age 6 to 18) when I moved out to be married., I was not allowed to practice veganism even though in my soul I was. So with this book I have written, lol I just wanted to explain and thank you for your dedication and your love for the foods, knowledge, clear descriptions of the preparation of the food and why. I am wishing you the very best of everything in life that you want to achieve and ask you to not give up and close this site. Please keep with educating the people, your devoted followers, and the newbies like me with all of your wonderful comfort foods, and also the new foods that I have yet to experience. May the Universe wrap you in it’s arms and keep you. Barb
Barb Masitis says
Hi Sarah; This is Barb again, (the one who wrote you a letter that looked like a book lol ) but I was wondering what I could use as a replacement for the Quinoa and the Couscous if after trying to eat it with the way you said to prepare I still don’t like it? I love most all of the grains, and the old-fashioned cereals; you’d be surprised-but for some reason I have not been able to wrap my brain around the texture and bland taste of both of these grains. Thanks, Barb
Sarah Bond says
You could use farro or sorghum for a fun texture! 😀 Enjoy!