Smoky Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

This Vegetarian Split Pea Soup is packed with tons of flavor and gets its natural smokiness from the smoked paprika. This plant-based soup is hearty, filling, and perfect for a cold winter day. Aside from split peas, it’s also filled with carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes. Enjoy for lunch or dinner, and serve with bread and salad, if desired.

Split pea soup has always been one of my favorites, so I’m not sure why it has taken me this long to post this Smoky Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe! It’s creamy, hearty, and smoked paprika adds a nice, subtle smoky taste. I also like to bulk this soup up with potatoes, and of course, tons of veggies.

Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe

• It’s thick and creamy – If you’re like me and enjoy a creamy soup, this recipe is for you. I like to blend about 3/4 of the cooked soup in a blender and then add it back in. That way, it’s creamy with a few nice veggie and split pea chunks.
• It’s a one pot meal – Soup is a great meal to make because most soups can be made in just one pot. Once all the ingredients are ready to go, you just add them all into a pot and let it cook for an hour or so. It makes clean up nice and easy.
• It’s perfect for winter – It snowed here for about four hours this morning, and this hearty vegan split-pea soup was just what I was craving. Enjoy with crackers, bread, or a fresh green salad.

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Ingredients and Substitutions

• Split Peas – I used a bag of green split peas that I bought in the dried-bean section at the grocery store. If you don’t want a strong pea flavor, you can use yellow split peas instead. I usually soak my split peas in hot water for about 20 minutes while I’m preparing all of the ingredients. You can soak yours overnight instead to cut down on the cooking time of the soup.
• Onion, Carrot, and Celery – These classic soup veggies (mirepoix) help create a nice flavor base. You can even buy them all together, already chopped up, in the cold veggie section at the grocery store.
• Potato – I used 2 cups of diced russet potatoes. They lend some heartiness to the soup and really melt into it once the soup is completely cooked. You can use any kind of potato you like, even sweet potato would work.
• Garlic – Always measure garlic with your heart, haha. I used 3 large cloves and I didn’t find the garlic flavor overpowering at all.
• Smoked Paprika and Cumin – Smoked paprika is what gives this vegan split pea soup a nice smoky flavor. I like to add just one teaspoon to the actual soup and then put a pinch or two on top of the soup just before serving for some extra smoky flavor. You could also use a few drops of liquid smoke if you like. Cumin also adds some smokiness.
• Vegetable Broth – Use your favorite vegetable broth in this soup recipe. I like to add water and then a few teaspoons of vegetable broth concentrate. Some veggie broth brands can have more sodium than others, so I like to wait until the very end to add any extra salt that is needed.
• Olive Oil – You can use olive oil or your choice of oil. If you prefer to cook without any oil, just add a bit of water or veggie broth to the veggies to help steam and soften them.

How To Make Vegan Split Pea Soup

1. I like to prepare all of my ingredients before starting the soup so the cooking process goes easily and smoothly. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil, diced onion, celery, and carrot. Add a pinch of salt and stir the vegetables together. Cook until the vegetables are starting to soften, 3-4 minutes.
2. Next, add the potatoes, garlic, dried herbs and smoked paprika. Cook together for another 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.  Add in the split peas and veggie broth and mix together well.
3. Bring the soup to a simmer and then place the lid on; I usually leave a little space for air to get out so the soup doesn’t boil over. Turn the heat to low/medium and cook soup until vegetables are softened and split peas are cooked to your liking. The time will vary depending on whether you pre-soaked your split peas and how soft you want them. I usually like mine to have a little texture, but more on the mushy side.
4. Once the soup is finished cooking, add about 3/4 cup of the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until mostly smooth. It doesn’t have to be silky smooth unless that is what you prefer. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pot and mix together until completely combined.  
5. Give the soup a taste and season with salt and black pepper, as necessary. I like to garnish each serving with fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a big sprinkle of extra smoked paprika. Enjoy!

Split Pea Soup Recipe Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this soup recipe vegan? Yes!
• Is it gluten-free? Also, yes!
• Should green or yellow split peas be used? I like to use green split peas because they have a stronger pea taste, but if you prefer something more mild, use yellow split peas.
• Do the split peas need to be soaked before adding to the soup? No, you don’t have to pre-soak split peas, but it does cut down on cook-time if you do. I like to rinse the split peas well and then soak them in a bowl of hot water while I’m prepping all the soup veggies. This helps soften them, which cuts down on cook time.
• Is this soup recipe freezer friendly? Yes! Allow soup to cool completely and then store in a freezer-friendly, air-tight container for up to 3 months.  
• How long do leftovers last in the refrigerator? If stored in an air-tight container, leftovers should last about 5 days.

Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you ASAP.

Looking For More Hearty Vegetarian Soup Recipes?

Lemony White Bean Soup with Quinoa

Smoky Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup

Veggie Packed Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Easy Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Smoky Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

This Vegetarian Split Pea Soup is packed with tons of flavor and gets its smokiness from the smoked paprika. This plant based soup is hearty, filling and perfect for a cold winter day. Aside from split peas, it is also filled with carrots, celery, onion and potatoes. Enjoy for lunch or dinner and serve with bread and salad, if desired.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, or oil of choice
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 1/5 cups diced carrot
• 1 1/5 cups diced celery
• 1 1/2 cups diced russet potato, peeled if you prefer
• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried herbs, such as Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 cups dried split peas, I like to use green ones
• 7 cup vegetable broth, I prefer a thicker soup but you can add in 1-2 more cups of broth if you want a thinner consistency
• Salt and black pepper, toaste
• Fresh parsley and lemon juice, if desired

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. I like to prepare all of my ingredients before starting the soup, so the cooking process can go easily and smoothly.  Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil, diced onion, celery and carrot.  Add a pinch of salt and stir veggies together.  Cook until vegetables are starting to soften, 3-4 minutes.
2. Next, add in the potatoes, garlic, dried herbs, cumin and smoked paprika.  Cook together for another 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant.  Add in the split peas and veggie broth and mix together well.
3. Bring the soup up to a simmer and then place the lid on, I usually leave a little space for air to get out so the soup doesn’t boil over.  Turn the heat to low/medium and cook soup until vegetables are softened and split peas are cooked to your liking.  The time will vary depending on whether you pre-soaked your split peas and how soft you want them.  I usually like mine to have a little bit of texture, but more on the mushy side.  After soaking my split peas in hot water for about 20 minutes before cooking, my soup cooked for about 75 minutes.
4. Once soup is finished cooking, add about 3/4 cup of the soup to a blender (or just half if you prefer a chunkier soup), or food processor, and blend until mostly smooth.  It doesn’t have to be silky smooth unless that is what you prefer.  Pour the blended soup back into the soup pot and mix together until completely combined.
5. Give the soup a taste and season with salt and black pepper, as necessary.  I like to garnish each individual serving with some fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice and a big sprinkle of extra smoked paprika.  Enjoy!

Notes

Cook time will vary depending on if you have pre-soaked your split peas and what texture you prefer your split peas.

• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 90 mins
• Category: Soup, Lunch
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: American