Need a healthy, comforting, budget-friendly vegan soup recipe? Try this Vegan Parsnip Soup! It has just just a few ingredients, and is very easy to make on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
This soup recipe is great because you can add many other veggies that you have on hand and serve it with your favorite soup toppings! See below for lots of add-in and topping ideas for this creamy parsnip soup.
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Easy parsnip soup
Parsnip is such an overlooked vegetable, and I am trying to change that. Poor parsnips are sitting in the grocery store, being passed over by all the shoppers who don't realize it makes a great roasted vegetable side dish... or soup!
Next time you're grocery shopping, pick up some parsnips for this easy creamy vegan parsnip soup.
This soup has a savory parsnip flavor that has a subtle sweetness and a lovely earthiness. It has just a few simple whole foods ingredients. It's incredibly easy to make. And you can mix and match tons of other veggies to add to this parsnip soup, if you want!
I give you instructions for how to make this soup in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop.
More pureed vegan soup recipes: Sweet Potato Miso Soup
Pureed parsnip soup
I love pureed soups (see my fresh tomato soup or my creamy cauliflower soup), so of course I made this into a pureed parsnip soup. I love the texture of this soup—it is thick, filling, and doesn't taste watered down at all. Of course, you can add a little more liquid if you like a thinner soup.
And of course, you have the option of how much you want to puree the parsnips in the soup. I like to puree everything, but you can leave a few chunks, or even leave all the parsnips cubed. If you're doing cubed parsnips instead of pureeing, I recommend dicing them into bite-sized pieces and reducing the cook time so they don't turn mushy. You might still want to thicken and flavor the broth by pureeing just a few pieces of parsnips and stirring into the broth.
Ready to get started?
Ingredients
- ½ - 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1.5 lb parsnips, peeled and chopped into 2-3 inch pieces (read notes below for parsnip tips)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (from a box, bouillon cubes, or from 4 teaspoons better than bouillon mixed with 4 cups water)
- Salt, to taste (omit if you broth has enough salt)
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, such as thyme and/or sage (1-2 teaspoons dry thyme or sage)
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (or more, to taste)
- Optional toppings: croutons, roasted chickpeas, vegan bacon bits, crushed tortilla chips, more fresh herbs (see more soup topping ideas below)
Equipment
- ~4 quart soup pot or larger, or an Instant Pot
- Immersion blender or blender
Instructions for Instant Pot parsnip soup
Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode (if you have different sauté settings, use the low one). Add the olive oil to the preheated inner pot, then add the chopped onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using). Sauté for 5-8 minutes until the onion is softened. Stir often, and do not let it burn. If the onion starts to burn, turn off the sauté mode and continue to stir in the hot pot.
Step 2: Add the parsnips, vegetable broth, and herbs. Cover with the lid and make sure the valve is set to sealing (if you have an older Instant Pot that has a valve). Cook at high pressure on the manual setting for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Let the pressure release naturally. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired creaminess. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt, if needed. Serve warm, garnishing with your favorite soup toppings.
Stovetop instructions for parsnip soup
Step 1: Preheat the olive oil in your soup pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using), and sauté for 5-8 minutes over medium/low heat to soften and caramelize the onion. Do not let it burn.
Step 2: Add the chopped parsnips and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the parsnips are very soft and easily pierced with a fork.
Step 3: Stir in the fresh herbs and cook for a minute.
Step 4: CAREFULLY use an immersion blender to puree the soup until desired creaminess. You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you like. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt, if needed. Serve warm, garnishing with your favorite soup toppings.
More pureed vegan soups to try: Creamy Vegan Potato Soup
How to pick out and prep parsnips
Make sure to choose young, fresh parsnips. Old, too-large parsnips can be tough, woody, and sometimes a little bitter. If you make your soup and find it too bitter, you can stir in a tablespoon of maple syrup into your soup to balance it out. Another option is to add carrots or a diced apple to the soup to add some sweetness, if you think your parsnips are old.
Chop the parsnips into 2-3 inch pieces. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook, but the downside is that you'll spend more time chopping. Since this is a pureed parsnip soup, the exactly size of the parsnip pieces doesn't matter because even if some are smaller than others overcook, they will be pureed.
More vegan soups to try: Vegan Zuppa Toscana
Parsnip soup add-ins
As I mentioned above, you can add veggies to this soup to either use up whatever you have in the fridge, or to make this soup less parsnip-y in taste.
Try adding any of these vegetables, which work great in pureed soups:
- Carrots (chopped into 2-3 inch pieces)
- Potatoes (diced)
- Sweet potatoes (diced into 2-3 inch pieces)
- Zucchini (diced into 2-3 inch pieces, also try my creamy zucchini soup!)
- Cauliflower (cut into large florets)
- Broccoli (cut into large florets, also try my vegan broccoli cheese soup!)
- Butternut squash (cut into 2-3 inch pieces)
- Pumpkin (cut into ~2 inch pieces)
- Leeks (dice and use in place of onions)
In addition to veggies, try any of these delicious flavor boosters:
- Diced apple with seeds and core removed (a little sweetness balances out the parsnips, which can sometimes be a little bitter)
- A tablespoon of maple syrup
- Handful of raw cashews (add with the broth to cook and soften them)
- Cajun spice
- Curry powder
- Sub coconut milk in place of some of the vegetable broth
- Add 4 oz vegan cream cheese for extra creaminess
More vegan soups to try: Vegan Taco Soup
Soup toppings
I strongly believe that all creamy soups need a little crunch or a little something on top! Here are some of my favorite soup toppings:
- Croutons
- Crunchy roasted chickpeas
- Vegan bacon bits
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
- Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
- Fresh herbs, such as finely minced parsley, basil, scallions, or chives
- A dollop of vegan sour cream on top
However you decide to serve this soup, I hope you love it as much as we do! And I hope you get to experiment with different add-ins and toppings!
Check out all my vegan soup recipes.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Recipe
Vegan Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- ½-1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
- 1.5 lb parsnips, peeled and chopped into 2-3 inch pieces (see notes for tips)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, such as thyme leaves and/or sage
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
- salt, to taste, if your veggie broth is not salted enough
- Optional toppings: croutons, roasted chickpeas, fresh herbs (see notes for more ideas)
Special equipment
- Instant Pot or soup pot
- 4 quart soup pot or larger
- Immersion blender or blender
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode (if you have different sauté settings, use the low one). Add the olive oil to the preheated inner pot, then add the chopped onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes, if using. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until the onion is softened. Stir often, and do not let it burn. If the onion starts to burn, turn off the sauté mode and continue to stir in the hot pot.
- Add the parsnips, vegetable broth, and herbs. Cover with the lid and make sure the valve is set to sealing (if you have an older Instant Pot that has a valve). Cook at high pressure on the manual setting for 10 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired creaminess. Stir in lemon juice to taste and season with salt, if needed. Serve warm, garnishing with your favorite soup toppings.
Stove top instructions
- Preheat the olive oil in your soup pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and pepper flakes, if using. Sauté for 5-8 minutes over medium/low heat to soften and caramelize the onion. Do not let it burn.
- Add the chopped parsnips and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the parsnips are very soft and easily pierced with a fork.
- Stir in the fresh herbs and cook for a minute.
- CAREFULLY use an immersion blender to puree the soup until desired creaminess. You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you like. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt, if needed. Serve warm, garnishing with your favorite soup toppings.
Questions? Feedback? I love to hear from you!