A VERY GOOD VEGAN SPLIT PEA SOUP
Vegan Split Pea Soup is a hearty mix of green split peas, carrots, celery, onion and green cabbage simmered with flavorful herbs – it’s my all-time favorite split pea soup recipe! Includes slow cooker, Instant Pot + stovetop methods.
Let’s start the new year with a big bowl of warm and comforting vegan split pea soup! Virtually fat-free, split peas are an excellent way to add protein and fiber to your diet.
This soup is inspired by a recipe my mom has made for many years. We just had it over the holidays and it was as good as ever!
I do have to admit after making it myself, it never seems to taste as good as my mom’s. It must be that special touch she has. Even so, if she can’t come and cook it for us, it’s still wonderful and I know you’re going to love it!
Thick and hearty, this vegan split pea soup is filled with the usual mirepoix and medley of spices, plus added cabbage for extra heftiness and flavor.
Whether you choose to cook it in your slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stove top, it’s extremely healthy and so easy to make. It’s a perfect vegan soup for the chilly winter season!
Ingredients You’ll Need
In this recipe, split peas, carrots, celery, onion, cabbage, and herbs are simmered to perfection for a delicious thick and hearty vegan soup perfect for lunch, dinner or meal prep.
Here is everything you will need:
- split peas
- cabbage – green, napa or savoy cabbage
- onion – any color will do
- garlic
- celery
- carrots
- herbs de provence + bay leaves
- vegetable broth – I use and recommend 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Veg Paste (affiliate link) with water as your liquid base. A jar lasts a long time and you control the amount.
Now you’re ready to put it all together!
How To Make Vegan Split Pea Soup
Whether making split pea soup in a slow cooker, Instant Pot or on the stovetop, it only requires a few simple steps.
(Note – The full printable recipe, with instructions for stovetop, slow cooker and Instant Pot are at the bottom of this post)
- Place the ingredients into your slow cooker (shown above), finishing with the liquids to prevent splashing.
- Cook on LOW for 8 – 10 hours or HIGH for 5 – 6 hours.
- Above picture on the right shows soup once done and stirred well. Peas have broken down nicely creating a nicely textured soup.
- Let it cool a bit, then remove the bay leaves.
- Using an immersion blender (affiliate link), puree until desired consistency. You may like to puree the soup until it is silky smooth, or blend it for just a second at a time until your desired chunkiness is achieved. You could also eat it as is if you prefer.
Top Tips
- Use anywhere between 4 – 7 cups of water, depending on how thick you like your split pea soup. Using 4 cups of water will yield a super thick soup, thick enough to stand a spoon in, while adding more will thin with each cup of water added. I typically use 5 – 6 cups of liquids.
- Make sure to add the split peas first, as they will cook best at the bottom of the pot.
How To Store
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This vegan split pea 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.
Serving Suggestions
This split pea soup is super hearty on its own, but it never hurts to add a topping or something extra on the side. Here are a few of my favorite options:
- Bread: Serve with a chunk of homemade Artisan Bread, soft and chewy Vegan Naan, or gluten free Socca.
- Toppings: Split pea soup is great topped with Crispy Roasted Chickpeas, Coconut Bacon, seasoned croutons, or diced fresh carrots for a little crunchy texture.
- Salad: Serve with a side House Salad, Vegan Caesar Salad or Radish & Cucumber Salad.
- Veggies + dip: Serve with fresh veggie sticks and Classic Hummus, White Bean Hummus or Vegan Ranch for dipping.
More Easy Soup Recipes!
- Parsnip & Split Pea Soup
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Vegetable Quinoa Soup
- Vegan Potato Leek Soup
- See all vegan soup recipes on TSV!
If you try this split pea soup recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintA VERY GOOD SPLIT PEA SOUP (VEGAN)
Full of protein and virtually fat free, this vegan split pea soup can be made right in your slow cooker or on the stovetop. It’s nourishing, flavorful and so easy to make!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 1 - 6 hours
- Total Time: 40 minute
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: Entree, Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 lb. green split peas (about 2 1/4 cups), rinsed and odd peas removed
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery sticks (some leaves ok), chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 head of cabbage (about 2 cups), finely shredded
- 2 heaping teaspoons herbes de Provence (or 1 teaspoon thyme and oregano)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce, optional
- 4 – 6 cups vegetable broth or water* (see notes)
- mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped (or 2 – 3 teaspoons dried)
Instructions
This soup can be prepared 3 different ways:
Slow Cooker:
- Place ingredients into the bottom of your crock pot, starting with the split peas and finishing with the broth. Heat on low for 7 – 8 hours or high for 4 – 5 hours. Add parsley 30 minutes before done. Let soup cool slightly and remove bay leaves.
- Using an immersion blender, carefully, as to not burn yourself, puree soup until desired consistency. You can also puree using a food/processor or blender, may take two batches. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Soup will thicken upon standing.
Stovetop:
- In a dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat, add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, garlic, cabbage and herbs, and saute, stirring frequently, for 3 -4 minutes. Add the split peas, bay leaves, worcestershire sauce and vegetable broth.
- Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley 30 minutes before removing from heat. Let soup cool slightly and remove bay leaves.
- Using an immersion blender, carefully, as to not burn yourself, puree soup until desired consistency. You can also puree using a food/processor or blender, may take two batches. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Soup will thicken upon standing.
Instant Pot:
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, saute for 4 – 5 minutes (feel free to skip this step entirely).
- Add split peas, cabbage, herbs de provence, bay leaves, and at least 5 cups of broth, and stir to combine.
- Attach lid and turn to lock, set the valve to SEALING, and manually set to HIGH pressure for 15 minutes. Let natural release for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves, season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to desired consistency. Alternatively, puree using a food processor or blender (may take 2 – 3 bathes).
Serve: Pair with your favorite artisan bread, or top with crispy roasted chickpeas or coconut bacon.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 – 6 days. Store in mason jars or to-go containers for easy grab-n-go lunches. Freezes well for up to 2 months, just let thaw before reheating.
Serves 4 – 6
Notes
Make this oil free by using 1/4 cup water in place of oil when sauting on the stovetop.
*For a very thick split pea soup, thick enough for a spoon to stand alone in the center, use 4 cups of water. Use 5 for a soup that will be a little thinner, and six for a somewhat thick soup. When in doubt, I would rather you use a little less water and add more as needed. Reason being, you can’t thicken a soup, as easily as you can thin it. Use your best judgement.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I love my immersion blender for pureeing soups. It’s easy to clean, small and fits well in a utensil drawer (affiliate links). For more of my favorite cooking tools, shop my kitchen essentials.
Updated: Vegan Split Pea Soup was originally published in January 2017. It has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in April 2020.
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I have been looking for a good vegan split pea recipe for a while and this was great. Thank you!
★★★★★
Would it be possible to leave the cabbage out without impacting flavor too much? (I always struggle to use the rest of the head of cabbage so would prefer to not buy it at all.) Or is there a good substitute for cabbage?
Yes, you can make this without the cabbage if you prefer, no need to change anything. It will still be delicious!
How much is “one serving”? Thanks for the information.
Great question, Sarah! The serving size is approx. 1 1/2 cups for 6 servings and 2 cups for 4 servings. Enjoy the soup!
Thank you so much! I’ll try the recipe this weekend. Yum!
It’s hard to go wrong with this vegan split pea soup recipe; it’s thick, satisfying, and easy to make . (A bit more black pepper and sea salt gives this even more bite, and I plan to add smoked paprika the next time around.) But I really appreciate the suggestion for an immersion blender; you absolutely MUST have one of these blenders for double or triple recipes.
★★★★★
Wow, this soup was honestly great per the recipe. However, I added ~1/2 tsp smoked paprika and that really took it up a notch!
★★★★★
That sounds delicious, Molly! Thanks for sharing!
I have made this recipe five times now and each time it has been absolutely delicious. I occasionally use half beef broth and half vegetable broth. I also add an extra bay leaf (but this is likely not necessary). Its a very healthy soup and is quite filling without having a lot of calories. I’ve also substituted some of the vegetables (one week I had broccoli instead of cabbage) and it still turned out great.
★★★★★
I’m not a vegan all the time. Loved this recipe; but I added 1 1/2 cups chopped turnip and 1 cup chopped parsnip (grew all my own vegs.) Halfway through I added lg. chunks of red potatoes. At the end I added cooked ham chunks. I also added 1 tsp. oregano. I used yellow split peas. we vacuum seal the leftovers by bowls full. I use 1 lb. marg. tubs and freeze overnight; then stand in warm water the next day and pop out and put in vacuum seal bags. Good for 3 years! B. from newfoundland