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Looking for an easy, inexpensive recipe for a classic soup? This vegan split pea soup comes together easily and cooks on the stovetop for about an hour. Most of the cooking is hands-off and you can make it ahead of time for meals throughout the week!
We will never get tired of our endless search for budget-friendly plant-based recipes. Having those easy, quick, and very inexpensive meals to turn to can be a tremendous help, so rest assured we’ll keep them coming! This Split Pea Soup is high up on that list, so get ready to learn the ropes.
Cooking with dry split peas and other legumes is a great way to save money on meals, often cooking up the same amount of 3 to 4 cans of beans at a fraction of the cost. The best place to buy them is at the bulk bin section of your local store. The veggies, herbs, and spices can be found at very convenient prices at most grocery stores.
If you love cooking with beans, you might also enjoy this Vegan Minestrone Soup, Vegan Pasta Primavera, and Veggie Turmeric Yellow Split Peas.
Why This Recipe Works
- Budget-friendly: That’s what we’re all about here and this vegan split pea soup really delivers!
- Simple ingredients: There’s no lengthy list of things you need to pick up at the store to make this recipe.
- Comfort food classic: This vegan soup recipe is comfort food at its best. It has great flavor, creamy texture, and is extremely satisfying and filling.
- Great flavor. This meal is so delicious while still using easy-to-find and low-cost ingredients.
What Goes Into This Recipe
This recipe uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients you can grab on a quick trip to the grocery store.
How To Make Split Pea Soup Vegan
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 2: Add the split peas, water, and bouillon or broth and cover with the lid. Lower the heat to low and cook for 45 minutes. Then remove the lid and cook for 15 minutes longer. When ready, season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Expert Tips
- Age of split peas. The older your bag of split peas, the longer they take to cook, so if you find that after an hour of cooking, they still aren’t tender enough … they may have been sitting around a bit and simply need to cook longer.
- Speed up the cooking time: If you want your split peas to cook more quickly, you can soak them overnight before cooking. This generally reduces the cooking time considerably.
- Season with salt after cooking. Split peas, like other legumes, cook more quickly in unsalted water. Be sure to add at the end to your tastes. I find split peas generally need a fairly generous amount of salt.
FAQs
The slightly sweet, yet earthy flavor of split peas taste great when flavored with bay leaves, chili peppers or powder, chives, cumin, curry, garlic, ginger, oregano, smoked paprika, black pepper, rosemary, or turmeric.
No, split peas do not need to be soaked prior to cooking. However, they can be soaked in advance of cooking which reduces the length of time they need to cook.
How to Serve
- Toppings: Vegan split pea soup cooks up deliciously creamy so I find adding some crunchy toppings works great. Croutons, roasted spicy pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds are some of my favorites.
- Salads: This hearty soup works great paired with a side salad such as this easy roasted pumpkin salad or a strawberry kale salad.
- Sandwiches: If you want a slightly heartier meal, pair a bowl of vegan split pea soup with half of a sandwich. I love this vegan bagel sandwich with pesto or a pesto tofu sandwich!
- Bread and crackers: For a simple meal, pair it with the easiest no knead bread, freshly baked vegan focaccia bread, or some rosemary vegan crackers.
How to Store
- Make ahead: This vegan split pea soup is a perfect choice for meal-prep Sundays! Make it ahead on the weekend or cook up a double batch and store it in the fridge or freezer to use for meals. If you’re afraid you’ll get bored with the same meal, do not fret. You can customize it every single time. You can add some cooked brown rice (how to cook brown rice) one day and some spicy cooked tofu the next.
- Refrigerator: Allow the soup to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to five days.
- Freezer: Use a well-sealed container for the freezer and store for up to three months.
- Reheat: Return the vegan split pea soup to a pot or saucepan and heat over medium heat until heated through. The soup thickens considerably as it sits so you may need to add water or vegetable broth when reheating to thin it out.
Vegan Split Pea Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 2 ribs of celery, sliced
- 2 cups of split peas
- 6 cups of vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot (with a lid) over medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add split peas, and vegetable broth, cover with the lid, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Serve garnished with salt and pepper.
Notes
- Age of split peas. The older your bag of split peas, the longer they take to cook so if you find that after an hour of cooking, they still aren’t tender enough they may have been sitting around a bit and simply need to cook longer.
- Speed up the cooking time: If you want your split peas to cook more quickly, you can soak them overnight before cooking. This generally reduces the cooking time considerably.
- Season with salt after cooking. Split peas, like other legumes, cook more quickly in unsalted water. Be sure to add at the end to your own tastes. I find split peas to generally need a fairly generous amount of salt.
Can this be made with frozen peas? (Not split?)
We on the PBOAB team haven’t tried that out yet but I think it would still come out great! You’ll just have to adjust the cooking time accordingly 🙂 Hope you enjoy it if you end up giving it a go!
My stepson and I love split pea soup. I made this last night, pureeing about 1/3 of the soup. I gave him some for lunch, and am finishing up my bowl now. It’s EXCELLENT!!
That is so awesome to hear! So glad you both enjoyed this yummy recipe 🙂
I made this but the version from Plantbased on a Budget. I used dry split peas ams cooked it 18 mins high pressure with 10 minutes natural release (instant pot). I had leftover tofu bacon crumbles in the freezer ams tossed those in too. Yum!!!!!! I used to love split pea soup but haven’t had it since going vegan 4 years ago. This hot that sweet spot! Thanks Toni!!
Bet it was extra delicious with the additional tofu bacon!
This was my first time making this recipe and also my first time cooking with split peas. So, I barely strayed from it as written, just to be safe. All I did differently was add more bouillon because I’m a salt fiend.
I had some doubts about how tasty the soup could be without more seasoning but it’s so good and satisfying!
I will definitely be doubling next time. I used a full 1-pound bag of split peas for the original recipe in case that’s helpful. I did not soak the peas, only picked through them and rinsed them. The soup was done in slightly under the written time.
That is so awesome to hear! So glad you enjoyed this yummy soup. It’s one of my faves from the blog!
Thank you for this simple & delicious recipe!! Even my picky husband liked it!
That’s so amazing to hear! So glad you guys enjoyed this soup 🙂
Very good, simple, traditional split pea soup. After cooking, I felt it needed more sass to suit my preferences. I added a package of vegan chorizo sausage and it went from 5 stars to 6. 🤣.
This is a basic, no seasonings (except salt and pepper) recipe that you can adapt to your particular likes. I will probably experiment with italian seasonings or curry next time.
Love the vegan chorizo sausage addition!
This soup was amazingly good, so simple, few ingredients and healthful. It is a winner, loved by my family! Will certainly make it again. I was sure to purchase fresh split peas from the store just days prior to making it. As some comments suggested, I added 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika when sautéing the veggies, and had several sprigs of fresh thyme that I added to the pot. Thanks for this super recipe, Toni!
So glad you enjoyed the soup! It’s a great one!
Tasty with a simple flavor profile, but give yourself plenty of time for this to cook on the stovetop.
I cooked it per the recipe… and then added time in fifteen minute increments for an additional 45 minutes or so, but the peas still didn’t seem tender, and the soup wasn’t “creamy” as comments described. So I baked a loaf of bread and left the soup simmering for an additional hour. The soup seemed better after that, but still not “creamy.” Using an immersion blender helped a lot, and I’m anticipating that it will be even better tomorrow.
I bought the peas a week or two ago so maybe they sat for a while on the shelf at the store.
Bottom line, this is best made on a lazy Sunday afternoon or another time when you have a lot of flexibility.
Thanks for your input! So glad you enjoyed this tasty soup!