This Vegetable Soup is loaded with fresh or frozen vegetables and is so easy and delicious. You can make it on the stove, slow cooker or just follow this Instant Pot vegetable soup recipe.
Along with minestrone soup and cabbage soup, this homemade veggie soup is perfect for a quick lunch or a filling dinner.
Vegetable Soup Recipe
This vegetable soup is loaded with healthy goodness. Just like with vegetarian borscht, you won’t miss the meat, I promise! Think tender potatoes, carrots and zucchini combined in a rich vegetable broth seasoned with the perfect blend of spices and herbs.
Serve with a slice of bread or a baguette and you have the perfect filling meal. You are guaranteed to get all of your daily vegetable servings, a lot of essential vitamins, nutrients and fiber in this soup!
I grew up in Ukraine eating healthy soups like beef and barley soup and chicken noodle soup every-single-day. Now living in Canada, I still cook soup at least 3 times a week. My family often eats soup for dinner because it is healthy, filling, fast, easy and cheap. Doesn’t that sound perfect for those busy weeknights?!
Ingredients for Homemade Vegetable Soup
The ingredients for this homemade vegetable soup are so versatile! Want to make it with the overabundance of produce from your garden or with mixed frozen vegetables? Fridge or freezer clean up? Go for it!
- Veggies: Zucchini, corn, bell peppers, green beans, potato, carrots, celery and onion. Frozen vegetables work fabulously in this soup. You can also add thinly shredded cabbage 15 minutes before other ingredients as it takes a bit longer to cook.
- Herbs and Seasonings: Vegetables alone can be pretty bland, so the proper seasoning is key for the best tasting vegetable soup. Try smoked paprika, dried oregano or parsley, bay leaves and salt. I like to use grated garlic and fresh dill at the end to finish off the soup.
- Liquids: I use a low sodium vegetable broth and a can of diced tomatoes. Diced tomatoes alone make delicious 5 minute tomato soup.
How to Make Homemade Vegetable Soup
There is a full recipe card below.
I make this easy vegetable soup all year around. During the hot summer months, I like to simmer it on the stove for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. This method results in crunchy vegetables and a lighter soup. Be warned – it also results in a warm kitchen. That’s why I love making Instant Pot recipes year round.
- Saute onion: In large pot or dutch oven, add oil, then saute onion. Add smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and bay leaves to pot and cook for 1 minute.
- Add veggies and liquid: Add potato, carrot, celery, pepper, stock and tomatoes. Stir, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add zucchini and corn: Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Garnish soup: Add grated garlic and dill. Serve hot with parmesan cheese and yogurt.
Tips and Variations
Cooking with an Instant Pot or slow cooker should not be overlooked during the summer. Just place your slow cooker or release steam on pressure cooker outside and your kitchen stays cool.
- Slow cooker vegetable soup: Add all ingredients + 6 oz can tomato paste to a large crock pot. Cook for 8 hours on Low or 4-5 hours on High. I think you will love this slow cooker lentil soup.
- Instant Pot vegetable soup: Add all ingredients + 6 oz can tomato paste to Instant Pot. Cook on High pressure for 20 minutes. Release pressure using Quick Release. You can also follow the instructions for my Instant Pot vegetable soup!
- How to thicken vegetable soup: If you want even thicker soup, insert an immersion blender right into the pot and pulse a few times until desired consistency. I always use this trick with chicken wild rice soup to incorporate starches from cooked rice as a thickener.
How to Serve Vegetable Soup
- Cheese: Sprinkle Parmesan cheese in a bowl with warm soup.
- Yogurt: Add a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream.
- Bread: Toast whole grain bread or buy fresh rye bread or a baguette. OMG YUM!!!
Tip: My tip for you, besides falling in love with the concept of “soup for dinner”, is to buy wide deep plates, for hearty soups. Using deep plates makes it easier to load up on soup and soup will cool off faster (which is huge for kids).
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat
Store: Refrigerate for 2 days in an airtight container. It is so great for quick lunches and easy dinner leftovers! I find any longer than that results in the vegetables becoming too mushy. If this recipe is too much for your family follow the next step.
Freeze: I recommend freezing the soup right after cooking. Transfer to an airtight glass container and freeze as soon as the soup has cooled down. You can also freeze leftovers, but any further past day 2 will result in mushy vegetables.
Reheat: Vegetable soup can be easily reheated on the stove on low heat. You can also reheat frozen soup by simmering it on low(it just takes longer).
More Vegetarian Soup Recipes
- Pasta e fagioli soup
- Split pea soup
- Broccoli cheese soup
- Red lentil soup
- If you have a crock pot, check out these slow cooker soup recipes.
Best Ever Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 4 large potatoes medium chopped
- 3 large carrots medium chopped
- 3 medium celery stalks medium chopped
- 3 cups bell peppers medium chopped
- 2 medium zucchini medium chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cups corn fresh or frozen
- 6 cups vegetable stock low sodium
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes low sodium
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium garlic clove grated
- 1/3 cup dill or parsley finely chopped
- Parmesan cheese and yogurt for garnish
Instructions
Stovetop Vegetable Soup
- Preheat large dutch oven or large pot on medium heat, swirl a bit of oil to coat and add onion. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add smoked paprika, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and bay leaves; cook for 1 more minute, stirring frequently.
- Add potato, carrot, celery, pepper, stock and diced tomatoes; stir and cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until potato is fork tender.
- Add zucchini and corn, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Turn off heat, add grated garlic and dill. Serve hot garnished with Parmesan cheese and yogurt.
Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
- Add a 6 oz can of tomato paste and skip zucchini.
- In a large slow cooker, combine all ingredients, cover and cook on Low for 10 hours or on High for 5 hours.
- Add garlic and dill (parsley); serve hot with a dollop of plain yogurt.
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
- Add a 6 oz can of tomato paste.
- In Instant Pot, add all ingredients in the order listed above except zucchini, dill, cheese and yogurt. Pressure cooker shouldn’t be more than 2/3 full.
- Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cooking on High for 20 minutes. Display will say ON, Instant Pot will take about 30 minutes to come to pressure, you will see a bit of steam coming out from a valve, then float valve will rise and countdown from 20 minutes will begin.
- After display beeps and says OFF, do Quick Release by turning pressure valve to Venting position, which takes 3-4 minutes. I recommend doing so outside to avoid the mess and smell.
- Open, add zucchini, close the lid and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and dill (parsley); serve hot with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or a dollop of plain yogurt.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate for 2 days in an airtight container. It is so great for quick lunches and easy dinner leftovers! I find any longer than that results in the vegetables becoming too mushy. If this recipe is too much for your family follow the next step.
- Freeze: I recommend freezing soup right after cooking. Transfer to an airtight glass container and freeze as soon as soup has cooled down. You can also freeze leftovers, but any further past day 2 will result in mushy vegetables.
- Reheat: Vegetable soup can be easily reheated on the stove on low heat. You can also reheat frozen soup by simmering it on low (it just takes longer).
- Frozen and other vegetables work: Use your favorites. You can also add thinly shredded cabbage 15 minutes before other ingredients as it takes a bit longer to cook.
- Adjust sodium: I used low sodium broth and diced tomatoes. If yours is not, add less salt to taste.
- Must do secret ingredient: Smoked paprika is the secret ingredient that makes this soup super flavorful. I definitely wouldn't trade it for regular paprika.
- If you want thicker soup: Insert an immersion blender right into the pot. Pulse a few times until it is as thick as you like!
- Serving plates: My tip for you is to buy wide deep plates for hearty soups. Using deep plates makes it easier to load up on soup and soup will cool off faster (which is huge for kids).
Nutrition
Recipes and images are a copyright of ifoodreal.com. It is against the law to republish recipes anywhere including social media, print and all world wide web. Nutritional info is provided for informational purposes only and to the best knowledge.
This wasn’t my favorite of your recipes (not that I didn’t like it, mind you). But my younger siblings sure loved it. My siblings are rather picky, so if they like it, it’s considered a winner.😀
This soup looks great I’m a Chef working in One of the Restaurants in Belfast. I’ll try it for one of the lunches. 👍👍👍👍THANKS OLENA
Thank you Radek!
Hi this soup looks awesome! Can you tell me what I can use other than broth or stock? I’m doing whole 30 and can’t have vinegar, yeast, or sugar, soy or gluten….but I can’t find any without some of these things in it.
You can use water for the soup base. Add a bouillon cube if you find one that works with your diet plan.
I plan to make this in an Instant Pot and wonder about the 20 minutes cook time turning the potatoes to mush. I typically do potatoes for 4 minutes in the IP.
Thanks in Advance
You can see how in my Instant Pot vegetable soup potatoes are in chunks after 15 mins. 4 mins or even 10 mins is not enough time for vegetable flavors to develop but you can try.
Hi Olena, what brand vegetable stock did you use?
Hi Joyce. Go Bio organic bouillon cubes. 🙂 Just trying to buy any organic and low sodium.
Been cooking a lot of soups lately and this is one of my new favs! Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome Emily!
Oh my goodness. I love soup, I make a lot of soups. This is amazing! We are not fans of tomato base, so I left that our, but Holly cow this was good.
Got a nice bread on the side and some parmesan sprinkled on top. I was worried about making too much, but no such thing as too much of this soup.
I am so pleased that you enjoyed the vegetable soup so much Margaret!
I will try the soup this week. Saturday I made your spinach lentil soup. My husband has no idea what a lentil is and would not touch it if he did! So when he came home for lunch I told him we were having your vegetable soup, he loved it so much he insisted on having it again for dinner and asked for it at Sunday lunch! Now I will have to make up a name for the vegetable soup! I am loving all of your recipes; however your black beans and rice is my favorite so far. So happy I found you!
I am so happy you found my site too! And most of all, I am happy you and your husband are enjoying my soups 🙂
Just made this tonight. This soup is delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will definitely make it again!
I am so happy that you enjoyed the soup Danielle!
Yummy fall soup for a meatless meal!!!
Great way to use up ur veggies too
i love this soup delocious thanks a lot
This recipe is delicious! I finally found a tasty and simple vegetable soup that’s loaded with flavor! Thanks for sharing.
I am so pleased you think so Deirdre!
The title of this recipe says it all.
It was FANTASTIC
Totally delicious!!
This was great! Best vegetable soup I have made and it freezes well!
So happy to hear this Katie!
Yummy, yummy, in your tummy! Added green lentils instead of green beans.
So happy you like the recipe Donna 🙂
I make this soup once a week. We love the flavors and all of the veggies. Great way to get your dail requirement of veggies.
Hi Rose! So happy this soup is on your weekly dinner rotation 🙂
Yummy! Although it definitely has a longer cook time than 25 minutes (the vegetables take 35 minutes, not even including how long it takes to boil) and you would have to be the worlds fastest chopper to prep this in 10 minutes! So prepare an hour ahead if you’re not using an instant pot
This was fantastic! Made it for myself, my husband and 1 yr old and pretty sure it’s my daughters favorite meal! And my husband loved it as well!! Definitely adding this into the weekly rotation! Thank you!
Love hearing this Chrissie! So happy that your whole family (especially your 1 yr old) enjoyed the soup!
Great
Just made this. Fantastic recipe and clear easy description of all the different veggies and additions to this recipe. Loved adding the zucchini at the end.
Diane! Thanks for your positive feedback.
Is it possible to omit the tomatoes?
Sure.
Hey! I was going to add cabbage and use an instant pot. When would I add the cabbage? I’m so looking forward to making this! Thank you so much 🙂
You can add cabbage at same time as other veggies. Use my Instant Pot vegetable soup recipe.
Thank you so much! I’ll be making it tonight 🙂
Just finished making this recipe and it was amazing! Definitely is a keeper and will go back to it!! The only thing I added was bouillon granules at the end just to boost the broth flavor at the end. Thank you for sharing such an awesome recipe!!
Awesome to hear and you are so welcome, Kailynn.
Made this soup for Christmas Eve lunch. Perfect! Thank you 🙂
I just wanted to say that this is the third recipe of yours that I have used, and all have been simply DELICIOUS! So flavorful. Thank you so much. (And I never bother to sign up to comment, until NOW!)! We’re extra grateful, as we’re getting better and better at having meatless meals, but always looking for more recipes to help us do so.
So awesome to hear! You are very welcome. My pleasure.
My family loves soup and this is our new fav! Every time I make this soup I add something different but with the basis you have provided, it turns out delicious every time! I think it’s the paprika 🙂 Thank you!!
So happy to hear! Yes, it is smoked paprika indeed. I make mine differently every time too, wink-wink.
I used this recipe for a church soup social with great reviews. Thank you!
You are very welcome, Diana!
My dad and sister were sick so I wanted to make them something healthy and delicious. But my little sister is really picky so I told her I would make somethibg incredibly delicious.
When she took one bite, she turned around and just walked away in silenceXD. That means she likes it! Thank you for the recipe! My dad loved it too! And he’s a picky eater.
You are very welcome, Chantel! Hope everyone feels better soon. Make them chicken noodle soup next. 🙂
Very good! Simple and easy to make and my whole family loved it!
Thank you.
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!
I just made it. It is delicious and I appreciate your healthy recipes.
Awe, you are so welcome, Alison! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes!
While I haven’t made it yet I can tell just from reading it that it will be a winner.
Thanks for sharing it.
It will be! I am posting instant pot version tomorrow. We ate it all weekend.
Love all your recipes and especially can relate to vegetable soup being served like your Ukraine childhood weekly…my mother fixed soup weekly just like her mother but she came out of a family of 10 children and there wasn’t a leftover that was wasted…my grandmother on my mother’s side fixed her signature leftover Friday’s Soup every week….it was her opportunity to clear the refrigerator of any leftovers from the week then she’d add homemade broth and home grown canned tomatoes if it was during the Winter months, however always adding fresh vegetables from the garden in the Summer…it didn’t make any difference the temperature she served her soup on Fridays…no food was wasted…and we also fixed and feed our pets human soup and food no store bought kibbles at our house…and our pets were all healthy…..Saturdays and Sundays were big meals menus and there always were pot roast or chicken dishes that with vegetables all the bones were salvaged and they were pressured cooked for broth which was used for her Fridays soups…there was never a Fridays soup that was the same…the flavors were fantastic…my grandfather would joke and say there floats Monday’s lima beans, Tuesday’s black eyed peas…and we’d all laugh when he’d ask what happened to Thursday’s potatoes to which usually had been eaten as fried pototo pancakes for breakfast…he’s say (what does a man have to do to get potatoes in Friday’s soup?) To which grandmother would say (Walter you have to not eat all the leftovers or grow more pototoes!) Those were wonderful childhood days and memories…of course I continue her Fridays Soup as a family tradition…
Oh good old childhood days and memories. Memories of grandparents stay forever. I appreciate 2019 in many ways but miss good old simple life…when people spent more time together and not devices, and when life was simple without overthinking who is who and what to say is ok. sigh.
Yes, pets in Ukraine ate human real food and lived 20-30 years. Vets were for emergencies. That is hwy I refuse to have a pet here, they all get sick from this dry food and die early. Even chicken were fed scraps lol. My grandma was making stew for them lol. Memories are everythign and the only thing that’s left eventually. Have a great week!
Excellent healthy and delicious recipe!
Thank you.:)
Super easy and a great way to cook veggies
Yes, I agree. Perfect to clean out the fridge. Just did it.
Will try it! Love soups
Would love to hear your feedback>:)
This vegetable soup recipe is awesome, I will make over and over again. Thank you!
Yay! Too funny, I’m making an Instant Pot version of it RIGHT NOW.:)
Yummy I’m not dying but I love fresh vegetable soup and a lot of other soups as well I love vegetables
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!
This is a very nicely balanced recipe and I’m glad I read the introduction and it encouraged me to use what I had on hand and tasted good to me. I did not have carrots or celery and only two potatoes I did have cauliflower though and fresh tomatoes from the garden I was a little leery about the smoked paprika cause it can be so very overpowering but the one teaspoon was perfect for the pot. Thank you for the recipe I’ll be sure to make it again
Awesome! Yes, any veggies go into a vegetable soup pretty much.
Made this for lunch and leftovers to take to work during the week. While it was cooking up I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out but it was delicious!! I will be adding this to my winter rotation for sure! Thanks for the great recipe ?
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!
Has anyone added some type of beans (garbanzo, navy, or whit bean) to this? Is so canned or dry? How much?
You can add 15 oz can of any beans that have been drained. Not dried.
My family loves this vegetable soup!!! We make it at least once a week! Thank you!
You are very welcome, Grace! Happy to hear your family loves vegetable soup.:)
This vegetable soup recipe is amazing!