Vegan Chickpea and Rice Soup (30 Minutes)
A comforting chickpea and rice soup made ready in just 30 minutes. An easy one-pot meal that’s naturally vegan and gluten-free.
This chickpea and rice soup is so comforting and easy to make. It’s the kind of meal that’s perfect for sick days, weeknight dinners or anytime you want cozy in a bowl.
Growing up, my mom made chicken and rice soup all the time, and this is my chickpea version. A simple saute of veggies, a little seasoning, canned chickpeas and white rice. Cooked until tender then serve.
This one is especially great if you’ve got kids! My kids are hit and miss on soup, but loved this one. Probably because it’s so mild and a simple combo of both chickpeas and rice.
See below for more details and tips for success, or scroll down for the full recipe.
What to Know Before Making This Recipe
For maximum flavor of the rice, you’ll toast the rice in the oil that you used to cook the onion, carrots and celery.
White rice is best because then this soup cooks in just 30ish minutes. If you use brown rice, then you’ll need to increase the cooking time.
I used to think bay leaves were just a throwaway ingredient, but they really add so much flavor to soups (and other dishes) that I don’t recommend skipping it. I like fresh thyme but if you don’t have any, then dried also works.
Ingredient Notes and Substitution Options
This one is so simple, you’ll only need a handful of pantry ingredients.
- Olive oil and butter: I like the combo of both olive oil and butter to cook the veggies but you can just use olive oil if you’d like. To keep this vegan, you can use a dairy-free butter, like Earth Balance.
- Veggies: I’m using the classic combo of onions, carrots and celery. You can add in additional veggies if you like, like cooked kale or even spinach. I do this in my weeknight chickpea noodle soup and like adding more greens.
- Chickpeas: You’ll need the entire can of chickpeas with the liquid. This is what helps to thicken the soup naturally without any cream. Don’t drain them like you do with other chickpea recipes!
- Broth: I use a chicken-flavored veggie broth for maximum flavor but you can use any broth you’d like. I say this all the time, but good broth can make or break a soup so make sure you like the flavor of your broth!
- Poultry Seasoning: Poultry seasoning doesn’t have any actual chicken in it, but it does help to season this chickpea and rice soup just like chicken and rice soup! It’s often featured in chicken, pork, and gravy recipes but I like it in any recipe that I want a similar flavor profile for– like this recipe. You can make your own with the recipe below.
Homemade Poultry Seasoning: 1/4 teaspoon ground dried sage, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, a pinch of nutmeg, marjoram, and ground pepper.
Tips for Success
To make this chickpea and rice soup, saute the aromatics first– the onion, carrots and celery, until very soft. I do this in a dutch oven (affiliate) but any soup pot will work.
Adding the entire contents of the canned chickpeas– beans and the liquid– makes for a creamier soup with the additional starches. No need to drain them!
Toast the rice in the veggies for a few minutes, stirring often so as not to burn, before adding the broth.
Add the broth, thyme, and bay leaf, and then simmer until the rice is tender.
More Chickpea Soup Recipes
- Chickpea Harissa Soup
- Creamy Tortellini Soup with Chickpeas
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Pasta e Ceci Soup
- Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup
- Chickpea Noodle Soup
If you like this chickpea and rice soup, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
Vegan Chickpea and Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter, or more olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3-4 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas with liquids
- Salt/Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and the butter in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, cooking until onion is just tender, about 8 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, carrots, celery stalks and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often, until slightly softened.
- Add in the poultry seasoning and rice and toast for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, then add in the broth, bay leaf, chickpeas with liquid and increase to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender.
- Taste, adding more salt/pepper as desired. This will depend on the saltiness of your broth and beans. I often add in a splash of lemon if I have it, but optional! Divide into bowls and serve.