This chickpea soup is loaded with onions, tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes in vegetable broth seasoned with warm, smoky Mediterranean spices like cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and paprika. You will love this healthy, hearty, easy, and delicious vegetarian soup.
It’s always soup season at our house. Sometimes I think I would rather have a warm pot of soup than a New York strip steak or oven-baked beef brisket. But that’s just me, soup lover extraordinaire.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Carrots: Peel the carrots so the beautiful orange color is prominent. After all, food should be aesthetically pleasing.
- Ground cinnamon: I know when you think of this spice, you think of chocolate chip pumpkin bread or baked apples, but in this recipe, it really adds flavor dimension and depth, like in Cincinnati chili.
- Ginger: Use freshly grated ginger or ginger paste. Store opened ginger paste in the refrigerator. It will last up to a month. Use it in stir-fried green beans or pepper steak.
- Ground cayenne: The amount of ground cayenne will not add heat, but it will add flavor.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: If you have trouble finding them, substitute diced tomatoes.
- Chickpeas: Also known as garbanzo beans
- Sweet potato: Peel the sweet potato so the bright orange color comes through.
How to Make Chickpea Soup
This is a summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please refer to the recipe card below.
- Cook the onions, celery, and carrots in a little olive oil over medium heat until the onions and celery are soft.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook the garlic and other spices for a minute while stirring.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and bay leaves.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Fish out the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Variations
- Use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the soup for a creamier texture.
- Serve this soup over small pasta like ditalini or orzo.
- Add more protein with chicken, lamb, or turkey sausage.
- Go green with a healthy helping of spinach or kale.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this tasty soup with angel biscuits, beer bread, or drop biscuits. For a healthier balance, serve with arugula salad, corn salad, or couscous salad.
Want More Soup Recipes?
- Chicken Poblano Soup
- Hamburger Potato Soup
- Sausage Soup
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup
- Crack Chicken Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
- Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Easy Chickpea Soup
This easy and healthy chickpea soup is loaded with onions, tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes in vegetable broth seasoned with warm, smoky Mediterranean spices like cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and paprika.
Print
Pin
Rate
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 125kcal
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger or ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (garbanzo beans)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- chopped fresh parsley optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until the onions and celery are soft. Stir frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, ginger, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook for a minute while stirring.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Fish out the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Nutrition
Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 13384IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Mention @smalltownwomanfoodnut or tag #smalltownwomanfoodnut!
Emmanuel D
I haven’t had chickpea soup for a long time. This motivates me to cook it next weekend. Thanks for the lovely recipe!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Emmanuel!
Amy
This soup is such a cozy bowl of comfort! I love how you layered it in warm spices like cumin, cinnamon, and paprika. So incredibly yummy with some crusty bread on a chilly evening.
Catalina
I made this for lunch and it was so warm and filling. Simple ingredients but so much flavor!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Catalina! So happy that you like it.
Mimi
I just made homemade bread, so it will work with this soup perfectly. I love chickpeas!
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Mimi! Enjoy!
Vidhya
It’s been a while since I had soup. Time to fix that. Yours looks amazing!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Vidhya! Enjoy!
Mahy
We loved how delicious this chickpea soup was. Just what I needed for the season!
Paula
This soup was absolutely delicious! I’d never tried chickpeas in a soup before but this was a real winner.
Beth Pierce
Thank you, Paula!
Janie
Just made this soup this evening cause I wasn’t feeling good. It was soothing and comforting. The veggies in the broth will def help heal me!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Janie! Feel better!
Kristin
This was so good and so cozy. The kids loved it, and that’s saying something. I can’t wait to make it again.
Beth Pierce
I am so glad that you and the kids enjoyed it, Kristin!
Maria
I love the flavors of this soup. They really are perfect for the fall, especially the earthiness of the chickpeas.