Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe (Smooth or Chunky)
“This came out absolutely delicious … I would definitely make this again and might also try doing it with lentils!” Linda
I love it when comfort food and ‘healthy’ come together in one dish. Like this full-bodied, satisfying, vegetarian split pea soup loaded with vegetables. Make it smooth or chunky – up to you. If you are too lazy to chop vegetables (like me), use a food processor for a great shortcut.
What to expect
This is a hearty, comforting split pea soup that gets thicker the longer it cooks. While the total cook time is long, the recipe is easy and mostly hands-off.
All the ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store – split peas, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, dill, and vegetable broth – and the soup is naturally vegan with plenty of flavor and body.
Three Cooking methods: The main recipe has instructions for the stovetop method, but you’ll also find Instant Pot and slow cooker options in the notes. All three are straightforward – the only difference is timing:
- Instant Pot: fastest (about 45–50 minutes)
- Stovetop: classic method (~1½-2 hours)
- Slow cooker: longest but very hands-off (4-8 hours)
No matter which method you choose, expect a thick, satisfying soup that’s even better the next day.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
- Split peas: Buy dried split green peas (not whole peas) in the dried beans/legumes aisle. No rinsing necessary.
- Vegetables: onion (yellow or white), celery, carrots
- Herbs & seasonings: garlic, bay leaf, dill (big flavor booster), salt, and pepper
- Broth: vegetable. If you want to control the salt, choose a low-sodium broth.
Substitions
- Split peas: You can also use yellow split peas, which have a slightly milder flavor and lighter color.
- Herbs: Instead of dill, try thyme or herbes de Provence
Variations
- Texture:
- Leave the soup thick and chunky,
- Purée the soup to a creamy, smoother soup, or
- Do half chunky, half puréed.
- Flavoring:
- Add a touch of liquid smoke or a pinch of smoked paprika for a smokiness.
- Stir in Worcestershire sauce, cumin, or curry powder for deeper flavors.
- Make a non-vegetarian pea soup
- Add a leftover ham bone or ham hock while simmering for a smoky flavor and a heartier meal. Or chunks of leftover ham toward the end of cooking.
- Use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth
Step by step instructions
Shortcuts
- Use a food processor to pulse the vegetables to a small dice. Leave some larger chunks if you like. I do.
- Buy fresh pre-chopped mirepoix (chopped carrot, onion, celery mix) to save time. Trader Joe’s sells a good one.
- In the stove top method, you can skip sautéing the vegetables and just add everything to the pot at once. The sauté does add more depth of flavor, though.
- Make an instant pot split pea soup in under 1 hour. See instructions in the recipe notes.
- Use minced garlic from a jar or in frozen cube form instead of fresh garlic.
How to serve pea soup
Texture is personal. I like the peas and vegetables very soft – almost disintegrated – but with a few larger pieces of carrot and celery left in the pot. My husband prefers the soup fully puréed and creamy (even though there’s no cream in it). Both are possible with an immersion blender or a regular blender.
When I’m serving vegetarians and non-vegetarians together, I’ll often put chopped cooked sausage or ham on the table for anyone who wants a smoky or spicy add-in. That way, one pot works for everyone.
As for sides, this hearty pea soup can stand alone, with a simple salad, or with:
- homemade croutons
- biscuits or cornbread
- warm crusty bread or cheesy garlic bread on croissants.
Recipe FAQ
Split peas are field peas grown for drying. The two common varieties are green split peas and yellow split peas. Once dried, the outer skins are removed and the peas naturally split along their seam. This allows them to cook faster than whole dried peas.
No. Split peas do not require soaking, unlike many dried beans – although they will still take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to cook on the stovetop. Simply rinse them well and pick out any debris before cooking.
Homemade vegetarian split pea soup is loaded with dietary fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. So, yes, it has a lot of nutritional value. Just be careful with canned or restaurant versions as they tend to have a lot a salt, especially if they contain ham. Here are the health benefits of green split peas according to Livestrong.
Smoky and savory flavors pair especially well with split peas. Good options include smoked paprika, liquid smoke, cumin, and herbs such as dill, bay leaf, thyme, or herbes de Provence. If you’re open to a non-vegetarian version, ham, bacon, or chicken broth will add even more depth.
Old split peas can take much longer to cook or may never fully soften. Buying from a store with good turnover helps avoid this issue. Also, make sure to simmer the peas as boiling can toughen them.
Yes. Split pea soup freezes very well. Cool completely, then freeze in airtight containers for up to 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently, adding a splash of broth if too thick.
More hearty vegetarian soup recipes
- vegetable barley soup
- curried lentil soup (instant pot)
- root vegetable soup with barley
- red lentil soup recipe with vegetables
- sweet potato curry soup
- broccoli and cauliflower soup
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Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil (or half oil, half butter)
- 1 medium to large sweet onion
- 3 large carrots, peeled
- 3 celery ribs, scrubbed or 4 ribs
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 7 cups vegetable broth (I use a 1-liter box broth plus 3 cups/710 ml water)
- 2 cups green split peas (or yellow split peas or mix of the two)
Seasonings
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 -2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste – depends on saltiness of broth)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- Optional: Note 3
Instructions
- CHOP VEGETABLES: Option #1: Dice carrots, celery and onion into 1/2 inch/1.3cm pieces – and mince the garlicOption #2 (shortcut): Cut vegetables into 2 inch/5 cm pieces and pulse them in the processor (this is a big shortcut so my preference!). I process onions in one batch, then carrots, garlic and celery in another. I leave a few larger chunks of carrots and celery to have some vegetables that hold their shape in the finished soup. If you plan to blend the soup into a purée, however, there's no need.
- COOK ON STOVE TOP: (see Note 1 and 2 for other cooking methods)Sauté veggies: Heat oil on medium heat in a large pot. Add onions and sauté 3 minutes. Add celery and carrots and garlic and sauté 4-5 minutes. Shortcut: skip this step (and skip the oil) and just add everything to the pot and cook. Sautéing adds flavor though.Add broth and seasonings, then cook: Add peas, broth, water, dill and seasonings to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on medium low (3/10) for 1 1/2-2 hours, until vegetables and peas are soft. If too watery, continue to cook for 15-20 minutes with lid off or partially covering the pot. But note that soup will thicken on standing or in fridge. Remove bay leaf and adjust seasonings to your taste.
- FINISH & SERVE: If you like chunkier soup, serve as is. If you prefer creamier soup, blend soup in processor (in batches), blender or with stick immersion blender. Alternatively, do half and half – blend half the soup to creamy, then combine with the unblended chunky half. Serve with croutons, biscuits, a warm crusty loaf bread or cornbread for dipping.
Recipe Notes
- Slow cooker method: Dice vegetables very small for this method e.g. 1/4 inch/0.63cm. Place peas at the bottom, add all other ingredients. Loosen peas at the bottom a bit so they don’t stick. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Don’t peek until the end – you lose about 30 minutes of cook time every time you open the lid! Gauge the cook time based on how soft and thick you like the soup. Longer cooking means thicker soup and softer vegetables. Adjust seasonings. Note that soup will thicken as it stands around or sits in the fridge.
- Instant Pot method: Sauté the onions, garlic and veggies for 4-5 minutes (optional but deepens flavors). Add the remaining ingredients. Stir. Set instant pot to High Pressure for 15 minutes. When cooking is finished, do a natural release for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Variations:
- Flavoring
- Add a few drops of liquid smoke or 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika for a smoky flavor.
- Add some fresh thyme or dried herbes de Provence
- Other seasonings: 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, cumin or curry powder.
- Heat: add a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for some heat
- Make a non-vegetarian pea soup
- Add a ham bone, leftover ham or ham hock for a smoky flavor.
- Use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth
- Shortcut: Buy a fresh pre-chopped mirepoix (chopped carrot, onion, celery mix) to save time. Trader Joe’s sells a good one.
- Flavoring
- Make ahead:
- To store: Put leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container, once cooled, for up to 4-5 days. It will thicken in the fridge. Add a bit of broth or water if needed when reheating it on the stove or in the microwave.
- To freeze: Cool then freeze in an an airtight container or freezer zipper lock bags for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
This vegetarian split pea soup recipe, originally posted in 2016, has been updated with new information, pictures, small recipe tweaks and additional cooking methods.
This came out absolutely delicious (even though I had to use dry dill and thyme instead of fresh)! I used a combination of chicken stock and vegetable stock since I already had an open 1/2 used box of one. I would definitely make this again and might also try doing it with lentils!
So glad you enjoyed it! If you’re looking to try it with lentils, you might also like our red lentil soup with vegetables.
I made a variation of this leaving out onion, dill and pepper to accommodate my friend who had all his teeth removed. Carrots were grated and celery was chopped in a food processor. This made everything very small. To further accommodate the eater a small amount of milk was added and it was processed in a Magic Bullet. Then it was heated in a coffee mug in the microwave. The final outcome was a smooth thick drink suitable for anyone with eating problems. He was more than happy with it and wants more made.
Great adaptation Phyllis. Thanks for sharing. So glad your friend enjoyed it.