This chickpea noodle soup is a delicious vegan take on the classic chicken noodle soup. It's loaded with common ingredients like noodles, chickpeas, carrots, celery, and onion for a simple homestyle recipe. Make it in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop for an easy dinner.
Whether you're feeling a little under the weather or you're looking for a simple warming meal, this vegan chickpea noodle soup is just the thing.
It's a cinch to prepare and always a hit with the family. Especially when one of us isn't feeling well.
Plus, this noodle soup is ready in under an hour so it makes the perfect last-minute meal paired with crackers or sweet potato biscuits.
So stay warm and keep healthy this season with a big bowl of this comforting vegan soup!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Only a few common ingredients are needed for this recipe.
- Pasta: I used campanelle pasta, but any smaller pasta you have on hand will work.
- Chickpeas: The chickpeas add protein to the soup. You can use any kind of vegan protein you like. See variations below for more suggestions.
- Vegetables: Carrots, celery, and onion are classic chicken noodle soup ingredients. You can switch any of them out for ingredients you have on hand.
- Broth: Use vegetable bouillon cubes or better than bouillon for full flavor.
- Nutritional yeast: This adds some extra umami flavor to the soup. You can leave it out if needed.
- Seasonings: Use salt, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme, and bay leaf for the best taste.
Instructions
This recipe comes together in 3 simple steps.
Step 1: Chop the vegetables and add them to your Instant Pot or a large soup pot.
Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir everything together.
Step 3: Cook the soup in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes or simmer on the stovetop for 15-18 minutes using the instructions in the recipe card below.
That's it!
Variations
I added chickpeas to the soup as a vegan chicken replacement. You can stick with the chickpeas or try one of the following instead.
- vegan chicken
- white beans
- baked or pan-fried tofu
- lima beans
- peas
- corn
- spinach
- potatoes (1 regular-sized red, gold, or russet should be plenty)
- mushrooms
Or add any protein or vegan chicken substitute you have on hand. Also, feel free to switch out any vegetables for ones you've been needing to use up.
Cooks Tips
- To avoid soft noodles cook them separately. Then, just before serving, add a portion of cooked noodles to each bowl of soup and enjoy! Store any leftover noodles and soup separately. This method is also great for a make-ahead recipe.
- For full flavor use bouillon cubes or better than bouillon with water instead of boxed broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any kind of smaller pasta works well in this recipe such as ditalini, pennette, steline, or spiral pasta.
For this vegan noodle soup, I chose campanelle pasta. It has a ruffled bell-like flower shape and is another great option for soups.
Yes! However, keep in mind, when the pasta is cooked in the soup it will continue to soak up the liquid. This creates very soft noodles in the leftovers.
If you don't mind the softer noodles, toss them in and store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Otherwise, the noodles can be cooked and stored separately.
Absolutely! I am a bit fan of extra noodles!
Cook up to 2 cups of dry pasta in a separate pot to not mess with the broth amount and soup flavor.
If extra pasta is cooked in the soup it will absorb too much broth that the recipe doesn't account for.
Cooking the pasta separately will yield more broth in the soup and extra pasta to add in! So, it's definitely the way to go!
More Vegan Soup Recipes
For another classic homestyle soup that can be made in the Instant Pot try my Instant Pot Vegetable Soup. It's loaded with chunky vegetables for a hearty, warming meal!
Or if you're looking for a new soup recipe, try my Southwest Vegetable Soup. It's loaded with veggies and seasoned with a mildly spicy, smoky southwest flavor.
For heartier soups, my Instant Pot Potato Soup, Wild Rice Soup, and Potato Corn Chowder are all great options. They are full of flavor and very filling.
We'd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed this vegan recipe, please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Also, if you snap a photo be sure to tag us! We love to see your creations!! You can find us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
See ya there!
Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked campanelle pasta
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 1 and ½ cups)
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Himalayan pink salt, to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Add all of the ingredients to your Instant Pot. Use the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode to cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- Once cooked, manually release the pressure after 5 minutes. Check the pasta for doneness and serve when it is tender yet firm.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Stovetop
- Add everything (chopped veggies, broth, pasta, seasoning, and any other add-ins) to a large soup pot.
- Simmer for 15-18 minutes or until the pasta is tender yet firm and the veggies are cooked.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Notes
- Al dente pasta: Cook the pasta separately, then, add a portion to each bowl before serving. This will keep it from absorbing too much liquid.
- For full flavor: Use bouillon cubes or better than bouillon with water instead of boxed broth.
- Salt: Taste the soup before adding any salt. I use anywhere from ¼ teaspoon to 1 and ½ teaspoons of salt for boxed broth, depending on the sodium level. If you're using bouillon cubes or equivalent you probably won't need to add salt.
- Chickpeas: They can be left out or replaced with another plant-based protein option such as white beans, tofu, or vegan chicken.
Nutrition
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
More Easy Vegan Dinners
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Deb W
This recipe is so good! All the spices really make it flavorful. I used chickpea fettuccine pasta which worked well :-)
Marlena Luna
I'm so glad the soup was a success! The addition of chickpea pasta sounds fantastic, and it provides extra protein. Thank you for your awesome 5-star review!
MBrock
I have been using this recipe for a couple of years now and absolutely love it! The best comfort food for a cold night. Thank you!
Marlena Luna
I'm so happy you love the recipe! Thank you for the terrific review!
Mal
Thinking about batch cooking this. Is it freezable?
Marlena Luna
It's best to freeze this soup without the noodles because they become mushy after defrosting. To serve after freezing, add freshly cooked noodles to the heated soup. Enjoy!
Katie
Love this recipe! Simple, healthy, and delish! Thank you
Joe
Totally AWESOME!!!
Using this recipe for meal prep, I swapped the whole onion for leeks and green onion. Added Kale, mushrooms, tofu and,
ditalini. I cooked the ditalini and campanelle separately to add later.
Thank you so much!
Marlena Luna
You’re welcome!
Shae
I used tofu instead of noodles and sautéed the veggies with the tofu before adding the other ingredients. Also added corn and allowed the soup to simmer for 15 minutes. This was seriously delicious! The smell and the taste was so comforting. Thank you!
Amanda
Now I’ve been making chicken noodle soup successfully for years, then went vegan and made some good soup, but NEVER have I ever tasted such a terrific soup!! The smell is incredible, and the taste even better! Note it’s part of my regular line up! Thank you!
Marlena Luna
That's so great to hear, Amanda! Thank you for your wonderful feedback! :)
sarah
How do you add the tofu?
Marlena Luna
This recipe doesn’t include tofu. But if you’d like to add tofu to the soup I suggest preparing it separately. Dice the tofu into bite sized cubes. Season with your favorite herbs or marinade. Then, bake the tofu until it begins to “dry out” to desired texture. From there it can be added to the soup.
Ramia
This was delicious! I subbed Banza brand chickpea flour pasta to make it gluten free as well. Thank you for the recipe!
Marlena Luna
Awesome! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Ramia!
Tina Cady
This was so good and so easy! I added in some broccoli and it was great! Thank you for the recipe!
Marlena Luna
Broccoli sounds like an excellent addition! I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tina!
Sarav
My family went through a "everyone is sick" phase recently. And this saved the day. Fantastic! Thank you ☺
Marlena Luna
I'm glad to hear the soup was able to save the day! I hope everyone is feeling much better!
Stacia R
Where it says 1 cup pasta - is that one cup dry? Or how many ounces so I can eyeball the amount based on a 16oz box?
Marlena Luna
Hi Stacia! The measurement is for 1 cup dry pasta or about 3.5 ounces. Enjoy! :)