This quinoa vegetable soup is a cosy comfort food lunch idea packed with healthy ingredients! Super simple to make, it comes together in about 30 minutes.
Love warming soups come the fall and winter months? Soup is definitely a staple in my home when the temperatures outside mean salads are largely off the menu. Other favourites you may like to try during the fall months are my butternut squash and apple soup and pumpkin pesto soup.
This simple quinoa soup is perfect for an easy lunch or light dinner, and is one of the most viewed recipes here on the blog! Packed with healthy vegetables, plant-based protein from quinoa, creamy coconut milk and a hint of spice, it's so easy to make but feels like an indulgent lunch or light dinner.
Love a cozy vegetarian soup? Do have a peek at my creamy vegetable gnocchi soup too!
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⭐ Why you'll love this soup
- Packed with healthy ingredients. The combination of the vegetables, quinoa and herbs mean that you will be having a very healthy meal!
- Vegetable soup without tomatoes. For those who aren't able to tolerate tomatoes, or aren't too keen, this is a flavourful soup made without tomatoes.
- Quick and easy to make. Just a few steps and a little time and this soup will be on your table!
🥕 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Fresh vegetables - I use carrots, sweet potato and cauliflower, but you can be a bit flexible with those you include. Using frozen also works well!
- Quinoa - I tend to use white quinoa, but you can also use a three-colour quinoa blend for a bit of a change.
- Herbs and spices - this soup uses dried thyme, turmeric and sweet paprika, all of which add so much flavour.
- Coconut milk - you want the type from a can rather than from a carton used in coffee.
📖 Variations to the recipe
Swap vegetables in and out. While I suggest keeping onion as the base of the soup, you can use other veggies you have to hand. I've tried broccoli, small new potatoes and leek and they all work well.
Leave out the coconut milk. If it doesn't work for you, then simply use a touch extra vegetable stock. The soup won't have the same creaminess, but is still really good!
Add some greens. A small handful of diced kale or chard added a few minutes before the end of cook time gets in those greens!
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this quinoa vegetable soup only requires a few steps, and all are very simple to do:
Step 1
Dice the vegetables. Dice the onion fairly finely, but the other vegetables into small pieces (image 1).
Step 2
Rinse the quinoa. Unless you are buying pre-rinsed, give your quinoa a quick wash! (image 2).
Step 3
Cook the base of the soup. Drizzle olive oil into a large pot and gently fry the onion and garlic. After a few minutes add the thyme and spices and stir well to combine (image 3).
Step 4
Make the quinoa soup. Add the vegetables, quinoa and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and pour in the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir well, and cook for 20-25 minutes (image 4).
Season with salt and black pepper and ladle into your bowls.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Be sure to rinse the quinoa before adding to the soup.
- Dice the vegetables into small pieces of roughly even size for an even cook.
- Out of one of the vegetables? Swap in those that you have to hand!
- Be sure that the 'tails' of the quinoa have opened at the end of cook time - this tells you when it is cooked.
- If you prefer a more 'brothy' consistency, you can add another half cup of vegetable stock.
📋 Frequently asked questions
No, you don't need to cook it beforehand. Just make sure to give it a rinse through, unless it states that it is pre-washed.
The quinoa will change from a hard seed to a softer seed and the 'tails' will open.
Yes, you can just use vegetable stock. Add a little more if you aren't using coconut milk. The soup will be more of a broth-style soup rather than creamy without coconut milk.
Yes, definitely. Just try to keep to similar quantities as the recipe.
🍽 How to serve vegetable quinoa soup
- Serve this soup with some crackers, rice cakes or oat cakes on the side, with a little cheese if you like.
- My chia and flax crackers are a fun wheat-free alternative and so easy to make.
- Feeling fancy? My whipped ricotta crostini will make this feel like a special lunch or dinner!
⏲️ Freezing guidance
If I had to eat one soup forever, this would be it. Why? Because as well as being delicious, it is perfect for meal prep. Make large batches and ladle into bags or tupperware to freeze. It freezes beautifully, and just needs a touch of extra vegetable stock or water when you reheat.
🥣 More delicious soups
Find tasty and cosy soup recipes that are perfect for fall and the colder months, including my tasty parsnip cauliflower soup and my pumpkin cauliflower soup. Some recent recipes to try out:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating if you tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Easy Quinoa Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- Pot
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ white onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced or finely diced
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1 small sweet potato peeled, diced
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- ¼ cup quinoa rinsed
- 2.5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar optional
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
- fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Drizzle the oil into a large pan and gently fry the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the turmeric, dried thyme and sweet paprika, stir well and cook for a further minute or so.
- Add the vegetables, rinsed quinoa and vegetable stock. Give it a good stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, pour in the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar and allow to cook on a low-medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through and the tails of the quinoa have opened.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into your bowls and sprinkle over the fresh parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- There is no need to cook the quinoa before adding to the soup. Do however rinse it beforehand.
- Vegetables can be swapped in and out for those you have to hand.
- Make sure the 'tails' of the quinoa have opened at the end of cook time. This tells you when they are cooked through. Keep on the heat for a little longer if required.
- If the soup requires it, or you prefer a more 'brothy' consistency, add a little more vegetable stock.
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate not a guarantee.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- apple cider vinegar, which scores 1.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- vegetable stock, which will depend upon ingredients used.
Eve says
This was very good! Because I follow the Heal your Headache diet, I used a shallot instead of onion and white distilled vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar. Great comfort food, and very healthy.
Claire says
So glad you liked it Eve and could make some swaps to make it suitable for you!
Olivia says
Do you need to cook quinoa first or just add it?
Claire says
Just add it in. It's usually best to rinse it in a sieve first though.
Katie Clark says
Love that this is stew-like and hearty. I will use this recipe all year round, but I can see it being especially wonderful in the fall.
throughthefibrofog says
Yes, perfect for fall I think!
Sheryl says
I am saving all your quinoa recipes for when I'm heparin injections instead of warfarin for blood thinners (meaning I can eat whatever I want without worrying about blood thinning or thickening effects!). All so good looking!
throughthefibrofog says
You must be looking forward to that shirt in medications! It will be so good for you to have less restrictions and enjoy whatever food you like!
Shruti Chopra says
Claire... I have saved this to try! It looks like such a comforting yummm idea - I'll let you know how it goes 🙂
throughthefibrofog says
It's one of my favourites and such a favourite here on the blog too! I love that it feels cosy but also light, if that makes sense. Hope you enjoy it!