Zucchini Soup with Fresh Herbs

Three bowls of zucchini soup topped with fresh herbs and a side of toast

Zucchinis are a great choice to star in a vegan soup recipe, especially when paired with herbs like fresh basil! They have a delicate taste, with just a hint of sweetness. This modest flavor makes them very versatile. Zucchinis can be cooked in all kinds of ways: baked, grilled, fried … and you guessed it – soup! Zucchinis also help keep a recipe healthy, since they are low in calories and contain some important nutrients.

A Wandering Squash

Like all squash, the history of zucchini stretches back to the Americas. However, this summer squash was actually developed in Italy! In fact, the word “zucchini” comes from the Italian term for “little squash”. Zucchini didn’t find its way back into American soups until after Italians bred it into the smaller, thinner skinned squash we now know and love.

Surprisingly Nutritious

Zucchinis don’t have many calories, but they add more nutrients to this soup that you might think! For one, they have plenty of soluble fiber for digestive health. In addition, zucchini is a great source of vitamin A. As a matter of fact, the list of benefits just goes on and on – see for yourself!

How to Make Zucchini Soup

Ingredients to make Zucchini soup with fresh herbs

Let’s take a moment to discuss the tips, tricks, and ingredients we used to make this recipe sing!

Building Body in the Soup

Besides all the nutrients, zucchinis are mostly water, so we used potatoes to add some creaminess. Potato is a fitting choice for this soup since it won’t overpower the flavor of the zucchini. However, potatoes do add carbs, which makes this soup better as a main meal rather than a side dish.

In addition, we included plant milk and some cheesy nutritional yeast. These ingredients both help add richness to dairy-free recipes. You could also opt for some vegan cheese or sour cream.

Adding Flavor and Aroma with Fresh Herbs

You know us – we can never resist dialing our recipes up that last little bit! Of course, this vegan zucchini soup recipe is no different. Fresh herbs really bring out the delicate flavor of summer squash, so we decided to use basil and marjoram. However, you could also try dill, rosemary, oregano, or just use your imagination (and tastebuds)!

Pot filled with cooked zucchini soup before blending

The Final Touch

Earlier on, we also mentioned that zucchini is a little sweet. Well, with some heat, it will caramelize deliciously! We took advantage of this by grilling some zucchini slices as the final garnish for our soup.

Can I Freeze Zucchini Soup?

Yes, you absolutely can! This soup retains its subtle zucchini and herb flavors after a thaw. You can also more fresh basil and grilled zucchini after you’ve heated it! You’ll find this recipe excellent for meal prep. Just freeze meal-sized portions in sealed containers (we prefer glass) and enjoy all week!

So there you go – our “little squash” has grown up into a beautiful meal. We hope you this zucchini and basil soup as much as we do. Did you try this recipe? Let us know what you think with a comment and rating! Every bit of feedback helps make the blog even better!

Coconut bowl filled with cooked zucchini soup with fresh herbs

Also, if you’re looking for more soups, why not check out our Homemade Tomato and Curried Sweet Potato & Coconut soup recipes?

Print
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Three bowls of zucchini soup topped with fresh herbs and a side of toast

Zucchini Soup with Fresh Herbs


  • Author: Rachel Steenland
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 bowls 1x

Description

A creamy and satisfying zucchini soup recipe that is easy to cook, packed with fiber and nutrients, and a great way to get your summer squash fix!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion (8oz / 226 grams), finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 23 medium sized zucchinis (1.5 lbs / 680 grams), thinly sliced
  • 2 medium potatoes (1 lb / 453 grams), peeled and chopped into small cubes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup oat milk or plant milk of choice (unsweetened and unflavored)
  • 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Garnish

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium zucchini, sliced
  • Handful fresh herbs, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion, and sauté until the onion softens and becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, zucchini, potatoes, fresh herbs and a pinch of salt, stir well. Cook until vegetables start to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. If needed, add a splash of water to help prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 
  3. Next add vegetable broth, stir well. Raise heat and bring soup to a boil. Once the soup has reached boiling point, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are soft, around 20 minutes. Stir through oat milk and nutritional yeast. Set soup aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
  4. While soup is cooling, prepare zucchini slices for the garnish. Heat a skillet over medium, add olive oil and zucchini slices. Cook until zucchini is soft and golden brown on both sides, around 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
  5. Once the soup has cooled slightly, using an immersion blender or counter top blender, carefully blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. If you used a counter top blender, return soup to pot. Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed. If necessary, reheat the soup.
  6. Ladle soup into bowls and top with pan-fried zucchini slices and fresh herbs.

Notes

  • Nutritional information is to be used as a guide only as calories and nutrition vary between products and brands worldwide.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bowl
  • Calories: 214
  • Sugar: 7.9 g
  • Sodium: 941.7 mg
  • Fat: 8.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.1 g
  • Fiber: 5.9 g
  • Protein: 6.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: zucchini soup, zucchini soup recipe, zucchini soup herbs, zucchini soup vegan

This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll make a small commission if you purchase using these links. The price you pay as a consumer does not change.

Rachel Steenland

Rachel Steenland

4 Responses

  1. loved this soup! One of our favorite meals this summer and perfect for prepping. It’s delicious both hot and cold 🙂 Just omitted the olive oil and used soy instead of oat milk.

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