This chickpea soup recipe with rice and lemon is bright and restorative! Cozy up to a bowl of this satisfyingly healthy, easy soup.
Here’s a cozy soup that’s made of healthy veggies that taste bright and restorative: this Chickpea Soup with Rice! It’s similar to a chicken rice soup, except it’s made with plant-powered chickpeas instead. Tender grains of rice make for a satisfying thick body to the turmeric and ginger-infused broth, with a punch of lemon zest to brighten each spoonful. It’s got the cozy nostalgia of canned soup, but it’s fresh and homemade! This healthy soup made a splash over here: the whole family loves it.
Ingredients for this chickpea soup recipe
Chickpea soup can be made in so many ways: try our Italian Chickpea Soup (pasta e ceci) or this pungent-spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew. But with our love for this ingredient, of course we couldn’t stop there! This chickpea soup combines the comfort of a canned chicken rice soup with the freshness of a Greek lemon rice soup. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Yellow onion, carrots, and celery
- Spinach (or other greens like kale or chard)
- Fresh ginger root
- Garlic
- Chickpeas
- Long grain white rice
- Olive oil
- Vegetable broth
- Ground turmeric, garlic powder, salt and pepper
- Lemon zest
Secret seasoning blend for the broth
This chickpea rice soup has a secret blend of seasonings with a few unexpected elements. Because this soup is vegan, it’s difficult to bring in the savory flavor you expect of a soup broth. We lifted a few tricks from our Easy Vegetable Soup and used them here. Here are a few of the unexpected ingredients that bring big flavor:
- Fresh ginger root: A hint of fresh ginger adds a pop of flavor here! Don’t go without it. (We can’t really explain it, but it works.)
- Ground turmeric: Turmeric is a bright yellow spice that’s part of the ginger family, and has an earthy, almost mustard-like flavor. Turmeric has some potential restorative properties and adds a nice golden color and zingy flavor to the broth. (Watch out though, it stains!) Grab a jar and can use up the rest with these turmeric recipes.
- Lemon zest: It’s optional, but it adds a beautiful brightness to the soup without making it sour. (It’s similar to a Greek lemon soup, but not quite as intense.)
Storage info: rice expands in soup!
A few important notes about storage of this chickpea soup with rice! The rice expands in the soup over time, which is expected. Here’s what to know:
- Add a splash of water when reheating leftovers. This soup lasts for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but you’ll notice the rice expands during storage. Add a splash of water and a pinch of salt when you reheat it to bring it back to a soup-like texture.
- The soup also freezes up to 2 months. Again, you may need to add a little extra water or broth when you reheat it.
Can you use leftover rice in soup?
Yes! You can add leftover cooked rice to this soup. Simply add 2 cups cooked rice in place of the ¾ cup dry rice. You can reduce the simmer time to about 10 minutes since the rice is already cooked!
What to serve with chickpea rice soup
Want to make it a meal? This chickpea soup with rice works as a simple dinner or an easy lunch recipe. Here are a few ideas of what to pair with it:
- Bread like a piece of artisan bread
- Muffins like cornbread muffins or popovers
- Cornbread like skillet cornbread or vegan cornbread
- Green salads like easy arugula salad or apple salad
- Cheese and crackers
- Veggies and dip like hummus or cottage cheese ranch dip
More healthy and vegan soup recipes
Vegetarian and vegan eating is easy when you make soup! Here are some of our favorite healthy soups and vegan soup recipes to try:
- Try Easy Kale Soup or Cozy White Bean Soup
- Opt for Classic Bean Soup or Cabbage Soup
- Go for fan favorite Best Wild Rice Soup or Potato Leek Soup
- Grab Creamy Vegan Mushroom Soup or Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Try something new with Celery Soup
- Try Curry Lentil Soup or Simple Red Lentil Soup
Chickpea Soup with Rice
- Prep Time: 13 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Description
This chickpea soup recipe with rice and lemon is bright and restorative! Cozy up to a bowl of this satisfyingly healthy, easy soup.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced (1-inch nub)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¾ cup long grain white rice
- 3 cups baby spinach (or chopped greens like kale or chard)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (half lemon)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice the onion. Peel and chop the carrots. Chop the celery. Peel the ginger with a spoon, then mince the ginger. Mince the garlic. Drain the chickpeas.
- Prepare the soup: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chickpeas, and ½ teaspoon of the salt and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the vegetable broth, garlic powder, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, rice and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the spinach and lemon zest and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Taste and add a pinch more salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Serve warm (garnish with grated Parmesan for a flavor punch, if you like). Stores 3 days refrigerated; the rice soaks up the broth over time, so add a splash or water and a pinch of salt when reheating leftovers.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soup
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Chickpea soup, chickpea soup recipe, rice soup
I made this soup last night — it was SOOO good! I actually made 3 different soups to eat throughout the week and this one was the clear winner for both my husband and myself. I followed the recipe almost exactly except at the end I squeezed a little fresh lemon juice from the zested lemon into it, and it was great. Although, it was great either way.
Sonja and Alex, I actually had to pick up some white rice just for this recipe. I usually keep brown rice in the pantry — any tips for switching out the rice so that it’s more whole grain friendly?
★★★★★
This is fantastic! First, while simmering, the aroma made my people flock to the kitchen. We were all remote working and schooling due to a frigid day in the midwest. This was exactly what we needed! It’s so cozy but also so fresh tasting. We can’t wait to have it for leftovers. :)
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
Wow, this soup is amazing! So flavorful and delicious. We are trying to eat more veggies. This one will go into the regular rotation.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I fixed this on a snowy evening and followed the directions as given except I did cover the pot while rice was cooking. The white rice was a lovely change and the flavors of ginger and turmeric were wonderful.
My husband and I both thought it was delicious so I will definitely be fixing it again
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed!
this is literally one of the best soups I’ve ever made, and I’m REALLY picky about soup! I used jasmine rice and doubled the lemon zest, plus added a bunch of arugula and parsley I needed to use.
I make a lot of recipes I find online, and as a former professional chef, I almost always have to make adjustments. not this time! you guys got it just right. thank you!
★★★★★
We love to hear that! Thank you for making.
I made this exactly as written and it was delicious I would like to make it again when I’m away from home and my stove, and only have my Instant Pot. Anyone have suggestions for how to make this in the Instant Pot?
★★★★★
Hi! You should be able to do the full recipe in an instant pot on Saute mode — not putting the lid on at all. You’ll just have to keep an eye on it since temperature control isn’t as fine tune.
SO good! I can’t wait to make it again. We added some rotisserie chicken because we aren’t vegetarians, but it would be just as delicious without!
Found this looking for dinner recipes to help us finish out our Daniel Fast for the month and this soup was a hit! It was great as is (except we had to use cooked brown rice) but we added a few pinches of red pepper flakes and it was the perfect addition for our tastes to an already incredible dish! Hubby (who loves meat) says this one’s a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★