This Hearty Low Carb Veggie Soup Recipe is packed full of low carb vegetables, seasonings, and perfect for cold days. This easy recipe had incredible flavors, lots of fresh vegetables, and the perfect addition to your healthy eating habits.
Just one big bowl of this low calorie keto vegetable soup is a great source of vitamin C and only 12 net carbs per serving. Clean out the fridge and add all of the healthy vegetables, fresh herbs, and spices, this soup can help create a super nutritious meal.
Looking for more keto soup recipes? Be sure to check out this keto butternut squash soup, this super loaded keto 'potato' soup, this beanless keto beef chili, or this yummy keto tomato soup!
*We'd like to make a note that this recipe has been re-photographed as of January 2022. It was originally published in February 2021. We updated the instructions for clarity and altered the recipe slightly as well!
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❤️Why you'll love this recipe
- Naturally vegan, low carb, and gluten free - Made with wholesome ingredients that will suit nearly any diet!
- Customizable - This soup was born when cleaning out the fridge, and we add different vegetables to it once in a while. You can add different ingredients to suit what you have, and your own personal preferences.
- Packed with nutrients - There are so many fresh veggies and herbs in this soup, making it full of nutrients. We can't make any health claims, but we can't imagine eating this soup is a bad idea!
- Freezer friendly - This soup keeps super well in the freezer, so you can make a large batch and enjoy it later!
- Perfect for meal prep - We love to serve this soup alongside virtually any protein during busy weeks.
🥕Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we use to make the soup. Please note, these are suggestions and you can add anything you may prefer or have on hand.
✏️Ingredient notes & substitutions
As mentioned, this soup is very customizable. All ingredients are suggestions, and we added our best substitutions to the notes.
- Olive oil - Can use avocado oil for another vegan substitute. Butter or ghee can be used otherwise.
- Onions & leeks - You can use just one or the other, or any onion you prefer.
- Carrots & celery - Added with the onions and leeks.
- Bell peppers & jalapeños - Can be substituted for any peppers you prefer. Any color bell pepper will work, and for the jalapeños, keep in mind that seeds add spice and they are optional.
- Garlic - Freshly minced garlic is so tasty in this soup.
- Seasonings - This soup is backed with dried spices and herbs. In addition to kosher salt and black pepper, we also used: garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, dried basil, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, fresh thyme, and rosemary. You can use as much or as little as you want. You can also simply leave things out.
- Zucchini - Cut into half moons.
- Cabbage - We used green cabbage but you could use any type of cabbage you prefer, including Napa or purple cabbage.
- Mushrooms - Anything you prefer. We used a mixture of shitake and portabello mushrooms cut into slices.
- Vegetable broth - You could substitute for beef or chicken broth if you're not vegan or vegetarian.
- Crushed tomatoes - You could also use tomato paste or tomato sauce, but you will need to also add more liquid.
- Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed for brightness and acidity.
- Spinach, fresh parsley, cilantro, & green onions - You could use any leafy greens you like here, like kale, Swiss chard, or bok choy. Some other good herbs to use here would be basil.
This vegetable soup recipe instructions can also be viewed as a Google web story.
📖Instructions
🔪Prep work
- It's a good idea to prep all of your ingredients ahead of time (anytime you're cooking really) but especially in this case! There are a ton of veggies in here, so having them all prepared and ready to add in easily at various stages is definitely the way to go.
- Thinly slice your leeks, discarding the tough green tops. Place the leeks in a bowl of water and allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Leeks have many layers, so the dirt will need to be loosened up to be removed. Rinse the leeks thoroughly to ensure there's no leftover dirt.
- Mince the garlic, thyme, and rosemary.
- Dice onions, jalapeños, bell peppers, and celery.
- Cut carrots into rounds. Slice mushrooms, and cut zucchini into rounds or half moons.
- Cut cabbage into large pieces.
- Juice the lemon.
- Finely chop parsley and cilantro, and cut green onions into rounds.
- Place all dry seasonings in a bowl. Place salt in its own bowl.
In a large dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté the leeks, onions, carrots, celery, jalapeños, and bell peppers with a large pinch of salt. Cook until softened for 7-10 minutes.
Once vegetables have softened, add in garlic, dried seasonings, fresh thyme, and rosemary. Cook until garlic is fragrant about 30 seconds.
Add in cabbage, zucchini, and mushrooms with more salt until the vegetables soften slightly, about 2-3 minutes.
Now, add in the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 15 -20 minutes until vegetables are softened.
Once your veggies are nice and soft, remove bay leaves and discard them. Stir in some cilantro, parsley, green onions, and fresh spinach to wilt. This should only take a few minutes.
Taste, adjust seasonings and dig in, and top with more fresh green onions, cilantro, and parsley to taste.
💭Frequently asked questions
If you are looking to make this soup into a whole vegan main dish, there are some options to add protein to this soup that you can take!
We'd highly recommend topping this soup with some crunchy and seasoned hemp hearts (affiliate link) for a vegan option that's packed with nutrients as well as protein and fat.
Tofu or edamame would always be a solid option of course too, although we haven't tried adding it into this soup ourselves.
We often add smoked sausage, chicken (ground or chunks), shrimp, turkey, ground beef or stew beef, and more. Any protein you can think of would be great with this soup.
You can also feel free to add chicken stock or broth, beef broth or stock, or chicken or beef bone broth to add more protein and flavor to the soup.
🥦Other veggies to add
There are tons of low carb veggies, and in fact, we encourage you to use what you have on hand and experiment a little more with this soup. Here are a few ideas of low carb vegetables you could add to this soup:
- Eggplant
- Broccoli
- Turnips
- Cauliflower or cauliflower rice
- Pumpkin or kabocha squash
- Green beans
- Butternut squash (in small amounts)
- More peppers in addition to spicy or sweet peppers (serrano, poblano, etc.)
- Kale
- Bok choy
- Asparagus
- ... & more! Let us know what you're going to add in the comments.
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🥣storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Reheat over medium heat on the stovetop or in the microwave. This soup can be frozen if it is allowed to come to room temperature before freezing. Freeze for up to 3 months.
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📖 Recipe
Low Carb Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium leek, thinly sliced (light green and white parts only, dark green tops discarded)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into rounds
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 2 whole jalapeños, diced (seeds removed if you prefer less spice)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (optional)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (optional)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 head cabbage, chopped (small)
- 16 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into half moons
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 8 ounces fresh spinach
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped and divided (about 2 cups)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped and divided (about 2 cups)
- 5 whole green onions, sliced into rounds and divided (about half a cup)
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, add your olive oil and then sauté your leeks, onions, carrots, celery, jalapeños, and bell peppers with a good pinch of salt until softened. This should take around 7-10 minutes. Once softened, add in garlic and dried seasonings and cook until garlic is fragrant - about 30 seconds.
- Add in cabbage, zucchini, and mushrooms with a big pinch of salt until the vegetables soften slightly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Now, add in your vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, lemon juice, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
- Once your veggies are nice and soft, remove bay leaves and discard them. Stir in some cilantro, parsley, green onions, and fresh spinach to wilt. This should only take a few minutes. Taste, adjust seasonings and dig in, and top with more fresh green onions, cilantro, and parsley to taste. Serve and enjoy!
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
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Notes
- All seasonings are to taste. Add slowly and to suit your preference. This soup is seasoned to be quite spicy (which is generally our personal preference) so please keep this in mind!
- All vegetables are interchangeable to suit your personal preference. Add more of what you like and less of what you don't like. Please note that for the exact amounts added, there are 12 net carbs per serving. We'd like to add that the serving sizes are VERY large, so you can easily turn this into 20 servings!
- Other ideas for low carb vegetables to add are: various peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, eggplant, pumpkin or kabocha squash, green beans, and butternut squash (in small amounts), kale, and more.
Nutrition
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Leah says
I'm really excited to make this soup and got all the ingredients. I will pair it with keto bread. Can I use dried rosemary and thyme? I couldn't get myself to buy the bunch since I don't use them often!
Briana says
Hi Leah, so glad to hear you're looking forward to making it! Yes, you can use dried! Just use about 1/3 of the amount, because dried herbs have a stronger flavor. Can't wait to hear what you think! 🙂
Nic says
This soup!!!!!!! Absolutely DELICIOUS and FULL of FLAVOR!!! I will DEFINITELY be making this again VERY SOON!!!! Thanks so much for sharing this FANTASTIC RECIPE!!! 😋😋😋😋
Briana says
You totally made our day, Nic! We're so thrilled that you enjoy it so much! It's absolutely a favorite in our household! 🙂