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!
Let’s get 2017 started on TSV with a big bowl of warm and comforting vegan split pea soup. 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 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!
Virtually fat-free, split peas are an excellent way to add protein and fiber to your diet. For each 1 cup of dried split peas, you will find roughly 48 grams of protein and 50 grams of fiber!
Notably, you’ll also find a healthy abundance of Vitamin B-1, and essential minerals such as folate, manganese and copper. They are small, but mighty little pea!
Gather your dried split peas and let’s cook up a pot of healthy, protein rich soup!
Ingredients for Vegan Split Pea Soup
Prepare your mirepoix of onions, celery and carrots (shown above). Slice the cabbage. Gather the remaining ingredients, including split peas, garlic, herbs de provence, bay leaves, and vegetable broth.
Now you’re ready to put it all together!
How To Make Split Pea Soup In Crockpot
Making split soup in a slow cooker only requires a few simple steps (for instructions on making split pea soup on the stovetop see the recipe card).
- Place the ingredients into your slow cooker (shown above), finishing with the liquids to prevent splashing. Cook on low for 7 – 8 hours or high for 4 – 5 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, 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.
Pair your pea soup with your favorite artisan bread, topped with crispy roasted chickpeas or coconut bacon, and enjoy this nourishing soup!
How Long Will Leftovers Keep?
Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container. Simply re-warm on the stovetop or the microwave. It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade Artisan Bread or Naan on the side for soaking up the juices.
Can You Freeze Split Pea Soup?
Yes, it freezes well for up to 2 months! My favorite way to freeze this soup is in individual small containers that are freezer safe. That way whenever I want to cozy up with a bowl of warm, nourishing soup I can just pull it from the freezer and warm it up. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags or containers.
If you love split pea soups, be sure to check out my other Parsnip & Split Pea Soup, it’s just as hearty and delicious! A few other soups you might like are Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup, Vegetable Quinoa Soup, or this easy Vegan Potato Leek Soup. Or 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 crock-pot or on the stovetop. It’s nourishing, flavorful and so easy to make!
- Cook Time: 1 - 6 hours
- Total Time: 1 - 6 hours
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: Entree, Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil OR 1/4 cup water for water saute
- 1 lb. green split peas (about 2 1/4 cups), rinsed and odd peas removed
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks (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
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:
- Heat oil/water in a dutch-oven or large pot 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.
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 sauteing 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.
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CARMEN says
Best pea soup recipe ever. Love it and am sure my company I am preparing this for will also! Thank you, Julie!!!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Thank you Carmen, so glad you love it too! I hope you had a great time! Cheers :)
Mairéad says
What would you suggest as a substitute for celery for those with an intolerance? This recipe looks lovely but I’d hate to have to leave out an ingredient :/
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Great question! You can omit the celery, add an extra carrot if you like, but you won’t miss anything and your soup will still be delicious! Enjoy :)
Mary June Pittman says
I used this recipe minus the oil and I added nutritional yeast on individual portions , it was delicious , ty…
Amy Ford says
14.6g of sugar per serving? I think your nutrion facts gen is messing with you.
Sam says
Delicious soup but too watery. I used 6 cups veg broth; next time I will use only 4.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Glad the flavor was good. Sorry that it was too watery. I’m going to add a note about that. Thanks for the feedback!
Mandy says
Finally made this after bookmarking forever ago
Thank you! Love the addition of cabbage.
Delicious
Judy says
This looks great, and I look forward to making it. Just one point about the nutrition facts: Folic acid is listed at 0%, but that must not be right because split peas are an excellent source of folate.
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I notice sometimes it doesn’t generate the vitamins & minerals correctly. On another recipe, it shows the folic acid/folate just fine. Not sure why it’s not showing properly on this one since I have the ingredients listed correctly in the nutritional generator. As you mention, split peas are excellent for folate.
Michael Follen says
When you say celery stalks to you mean 2 sticks from the head or 2 whole heads?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Just 2 sticks of celery, about 3/4 to 1 cup. Enjoy!
Anna says
Hi could you use yellow split peas instead of green?
misguidedmommy says
Do you have any background with pressure cookers? I’m wondering if I can put this in my Instapot, but I’m unsure of the time to cook. Do split peas cook similar to lentils time wise?
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
I haven’t worked with a pressure cooker yet, but split peas do cook similar to lentils time wise. Would love to know how it goes if you give a try.
misguidedmommy says
Hi. I made it tonight in the pressure cooker. Followed your recipe (I didn’t have the fancy herbs), and put it in the pressure cooker for ten minutes. Let it manually release, and then blended half and mixed it back in with a 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk. It was delicious. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Asia says
Helpful edit:
You wrote: “Make this oil free by using water in place of water when sauteing on the stove top.” It should read “water in place of oil”.
Keep up the wonderful work! I love reading and following your site! :D
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Haha, hopefully that’s the last of my mis-types. Thank you and cheers to team-work! :)
dan says
Just wanted to mention that I think you may have gotten the slow cooker directions backwards:
“Heat on low for 4 – 5 hours or high for 7 – 8 hours.”
That would typically be more time on low than high right? Figured I’d mention it, no need to post the comment on the page or anything :)
-dan
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
Hi Dan,
Oops, you are correct. Thank you so much for pointing that out! Cheers :)