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Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup (Vegan Avgolemono)

Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup (aka Greek vegan avgolemono soup) features soothing citrus, chickpeas, orzo, refreshing dill, and fresh baby greens with tahini for added creaminess!

side angle view of bowl full of lemon chickpea orzo soup with gold spoon and items surrounding.

Wrap your hands around a bowl of this hearty, Greek-inspired Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup!

Why We Love This Recipe!

Brimming with chickpeas, orzo, carrots, kale (or spinach), lemon, and dill and made creamy with tahini, this is my vegan version of Greek avgolemono soup and it’s so delicious! Plus, it’s healthy, super easy to make, and ready in 30 minutes!

One of my favorite parts about this soup is the freshly squeezed lemon juice. The lemon brightens up the soup, adding pure comfort in a bowl with a hint of refreshing, lemony broth. This is a hearty and satisfying soup that I know you’re going to love!

Without further ado, let’s make a pot of delicious, healthy soup!

lemon chickpea orzo soup ingredients

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this recipe, onion, carrots, and garlic are sauteed, then simmered with orzo, chickpeas, spinach, veg broth, and tahini, creating a bright and flavorful, creamy vegan soup perfect for a healthy lunch, dinner, or weekly meal prep.

Here is everything you will need:

  • olive oil – use water for oil-free
  • onion
  • carrots
  • garlic
  • vegetable broth – or a combo of water and veg broth
  • orzo – whole wheat pref
  • chickpeas – aka garbanzo beans
  • tahini – store-bought or make homemade Tahini
  • lemon juice (about 3 – 4 large lemons)
  • baby kale or spinach
  • dill – use fresh, as much as you like
  • salt + pepper – lemon-pepper would be great too!

Top Tips

The tahini adds a delicious buttery creaminess. If you don’t have tahini on hand, this soup will still be fantastic without it! The inspiration for using tahini comes from the Greek soup called avgolemono, which adds eggs stirred in at the end of cooking to thicken the soup. The tahini does this well, making a vegan version of this classic Mediterranean recipe. Soup thickens upon standing.

For the broth, I prefer to use a combo of half broth and half water. To keep the sodium to a minimum, source out low-sodium vegetable broth. I almost always use this vegetable broth concentrate, and for this recipe, I would add about 1 teaspoon to 4 cups of water, along with 3 – 4 cups of plain water. It works well without losing out on too much flavor.

The herbs can be changed up to suit your taste. If you don’t care for dill, try using rosemary or oregano.

Replace the orzo with white rice for a gluten-free soup, using the same measurements and cooking as directed, adding 10 – 15 minutes to the cooking time or until the rice is tender.

side by side photos showing the process of making lemon chickpea orzo soup.

How To Make Chickpea Orzo Soup

Making Chickpea Orzo Soup is easy as can be!

(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

  • Saute. Saute the onion and carrot, saute for about 5 – 7 minutes, add the garlic, and saute for 1 minute more.
  • Simmer with chickpeas and orzo. Add the broth or water, bring to a boil, add the orzo and chickpeas, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a gentle boil for 7 – 8 minutes.
  • Add brightness + creaminess. Once done, turn the heat off and stir in the tahini and lemon juice.
  • Add leafy greens. Add the baby kale or spinach, and give a good stir, greens will soften and wilt within a few minutes.
  • Stir in herbs + season. Add as much dill as you like, and season well with salt & pepper.
top down view of healthy chickpea lemon orzo soup in large pot.

How To Store Leftovers

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
  • Freezer: This chickpea orzo soup is freezer friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags (remove as much air as possible before zip locking). Let thaw before reheating.
  • Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.
  • Meal prep: It makes a great meal prep idea for the week with homemade Naan or Artisan Bread on the side for soaking up the juices.

Serving Suggestions

side angle view of bowl full of lemon chickpea orzo soup with gold spoon and items surrounding.

More Easy Soup Recipes!

Get cozy with these other flavorful vegan soup recipes. They’re great all year round!

top down view of bowl with healthy serving of chickpea orzo lemon soup with spoon.

If you try this vegan avgolemono recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

Print

LEMON CHICKPEA ORZO SOUP

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 116 reviews

This Greek inspired lemon orzo soup recipe (aka vegan avgolemono) with chickpeas and dill is super easy to make and will be ready in 30 minutes!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4
  • Category: Soup, Entree
  • Method: simmer
  • Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water (for water saute)
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 78 cups vegetable broth or water (or combo)
  • 1 cup whole wheat orzo
  • 2 cans (15oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1/41/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 – 4 large lemons)
  • a large handful fresh baby kale or spinach
  • chopped fresh dill, to taste
  • mineral salt, to taste
  • fresh cracked pepper or lemon-pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat oil or water over medium heat, add onion and carrot, saute for about 5 – 7 minutes, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

Add the broth or water, bring to a boil, add the orzo and chickpeas, reduce heat to medium-low and cook at a gentle boil for 8- 9 minutes, orzo should be tender.

Remove from heat, add tahini and lemon juice (start with the smaller amount of juice, adding more to taste), stir well. Add the baby kale or spinach, give a good stir, greens will soften and wilt within a few minutes. Add as much dill as you like, and season well with salt & pepper. Soup will thicken upon standing, add more liquids as needed.

Serve in individual bowl with your favorite crusty artisan bread for soaking up the wonderful juices.

Serves 4

Notes

The tahini adds a delicious buttery creaminess. If you don’t have tahini on hand, this soup will still be fantastic! Replace the tahini with 100% cashew butter, as it will be free from additives such a sugar, salt, and/or flavorings.

For the broth, I prefer to use a combo, usually half broth and half water. To keep the sodium to a minimum, source out low-sodium vegetable broth. I almost always use this organic vegetable broth concentrate – for this recipe I would add about 1 heaping teaspoon to 4 cups of water, and then use 3 – 4 cups of plain water. It works well, without losing out on too much flavor.

The herbs can be changed up to suit your taste. If you don’t care for dill, try using rosemary or oregano.

To make this soup gluten-free, replace the orzo with white rice, using the same measurements and cooking as directed, adding 10 – 15 minutes to the cooking time or until the rice is tender.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: About 2 Cups
  • Calories: 306
  • Sugar: 9.4 g
  • Sodium: 636.9 mg
  • Fat: 10.1 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 46 g
  • Fiber: 11.2 g
  • Protein: 13.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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157 Comments

  1. Very lovely soup. The tahini works so well with fresh dill and lemon juice. I also added fresh rosemary and thyme and swapped orzo for chickpea and beans. Definitely a keeper soup.






  2. I’m recovering from covid, and this soup is not only soothing but also yummy. Thank you!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      So glad you enjoyed the soup and I hope you feel all better soon, Valerie! :)

  3. Another amazing recipe!
    I took the advice of a previous comment, and replaced the tahini with blended chickpeas. So good! Thank you!






  4. Wonderful soup! It’s 11 degrees here in Dallas today and this is perfect! I didn’t change a thing.






  5. Daniel Kub says:

    Absolutely delicious. It’ll be a staple in the winter.






  6. Hi! I just wanted to pop in to say that we LOVE this recipe in my house. We make it probably once a month or so, and it’s been in the regular rotation for at least a year. The dill and lemon combo is so addictive. Thank you so much!






  7. Yummy and filling soup! I have been doing Weight Watchers and the points in this recipe come from using tahini and 1 cup of orzo. I chose to use 1/3 cup of orzo and I blended a 3rd can of chickpeas to help thicken instead of tahini. Making those changes bring the soup points to maybe 1 point per serving! Woohoo!






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