You know how I love my legumes (beans, peas, and lentils). They’re shelf-stable, versatile, filling, and always inexpensive. And split peas are definitely an underrated legume, IMHO. They cook super fast, they make deliciously rich and comforting soups, and they’re just packed with both fiber and protein. While I’ve made multiple versions of split pea soup in the past, this vegan split pea soup is probably the easiest one yet. It’s a simple, basic recipe that is easy enough to make even on those days when you feel overloaded, mentally or physically. Just the smell of it simmering away on your stove top is in itself restorative. :)
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What are Split Peas?
Split peas are just what they sound like, green peas that have been dried and split in half. You’ll find them in the dry bean aisle, right next to bags of other types of dry beans. You may find both green split peas and yellow split peas, either of which will work fine for this recipe.
Split peas are great to cook with because they cook quickly with no soaking, and because they’re already split open, they break down and thicken soups really quickly. They’re probably the easiest way to get your daily dose of legumes!
No Ham??
As mentioned above, this isn’t my first go at split pea soup. There are a lot of different ways you can make a delicious split pea soup and most contain some sort of pork for flavor. To keep a lot of flavor in this vegan split pea soup, I made sure to use a good dose of herbs and spices, including smoked paprika, which gives a similar smoky flavor to bacon or ham. If you want your soup to be extra rich, you can also add a dollop of coconut oil.
This soup creates its own flavorful broth with a medley of vegetables and a handful of herbs and spices, but if you want to ramp it up even more you can replace the water in the recipe below with vegetable broth. Just keep in mind that broth usually contains salt, so you’ll want to add less salt at the end. Vegetable broth is often pretty dark as well, so your soup will likely not be as vibrant in color.
What to Serve with Split Pea Soup
This thick and flavorful soup is so cozy, you’ll definitely want some crackers or crusty bread to scoop up all that goodness! Saltines or oyster crackers are great, but so are homemade croutons or some homemade bread for dunking, like Homemade Focaccia.
Other Split Pea Soup Variations
Here are some other variations on delicious split pea soup:
Vegan Split Pea Soup
Servings 5 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.28)
- 3 ribs celery ($0.36)
- 3 carrots ($0.24)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 lb. split peas (dry) ($1.49)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1 tsp dried parsley ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper ($0.02)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 1.5 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.07)
Instructions
- Mince two cloves of garlic. Dice the onion, celery, and carrots. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to a large pot with olive oil and sauté over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the onions are soft.
- Add the dry split peas, smoked paprika, parsley, oregano, thyme, pepper, and water to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Place a lid on top, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring the water up to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until the peas have completely broken down and the soup is thick (keep the lid on between stirs).
- Add salt to the soup by taste, starting with ½ teaspoon. I added about 1.5 tsp. Serve hot with crackers or crusty bread for dipping!
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Nutrition
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How to Make Vegan Split Pea Soup – Step by Step Photos
Start by dicing one yellow onion, three ribs of celery, and three carrots, and mincing two cloves of garlic. Add them to a large soup pot along with 2 Tbsp olive oil.
Sauté the vegetables over medium heat until the onions are soft.
Add one pound of split peas to the pot along with ¼ tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried parsley, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and six cups of water.
Stir everything to combine, place a lid on top, then turn the heat up to medium-high to bring the soup up to a boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until the peas have completely broken down and the soup has thickened.
Finish the soup by salting to taste. Start with ½ tsp salt and continue to taste and add more until the soup taste bright and vibrant. I added 1.5 tsp and then it was just right! You can garnish with fresh parsley, if desired, but it’s not needed for flavor.
Serve hot with crackers, croutons, or crusty bread for dipping!
Amazing! I didn’t have the individual herbs so I subbed Italian seasoning. This is the best split pea soup I’ve had.
This is one of my favorite soups EVER. Just absolutely simple and delicious. I like to add s coconut milk after it’s done cooking. I love how thick it is the next day. My husband likes to stir rice in his. I just ate some cold out of the pot bc it’s even better the next day 😳
I used a 1/2 cup of homemade bone broth along with the water to add flavor, soooo good. I made the croutons as suggested and it was worth it.
I wasn’t sure if the pot was supposed to be uncovered while simmering so I left it open. It’s more of a stew than soup.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. XD I left mine uncovered as well, and mine turned out more like a stew too. Still tasted good though, and got eaten fast!
Delicious! This was so easy to make and it turned out beautifully. I did add some chopped red bell pepper (i grow them in my garden and end up with way too many!), and it worked great. Thanks for the straightforward recipe, easy to follow. And so economical! We will eat on this for several meals.
Thank you, Beth! I have been looking for a vegan recipe for split pea soup. I am not a vegan, but do wish to eat less meat, specifically the cured kind that is usually used in split pea soup recipes. I was skeptical the soup could taste good with no meat product, but you proved me wrong! As an omnivore, I find your vegan recipes the best by far, compared to sources that are “all vegan, all the time.” My theory is that vegans have forgotten what their taste buds used to be like, so they think things taste good that taste bland to us omnivores. I could be wrong, though! One thing I did that was not in your recipe is carefully puree half the soup in the blender, then add it back to the pot. I had done that in the past with split pea soup and I think it was the right decision here, too. My husband and I ate the soup with some French baguette, and were very satisfied. Thank you again for your brilliance!
Hi! Has anyone tried this in their instant pot? It sounds delicious!
I do very similar using red lentils. If you make it very thick and gloopy the cold leftovers have been known to make a good spread on bread!
Can u do this in crock pot
I haven’t tried that yet, so I’m not sure how it would turn out, but I would guess that it would probably work well!
I make this soup often. I add a quarter wedge of fresh sqeezed lemon to every bowl to brighten the flavor and occasionally a dollop of unflavored Greek yogurt on top. Sometimes vegetarian is good enough.
I love the yogurt idea! I bet that creaminess is so good in the soup. :)
Thanks for posting.
Wow! It came out to hearty and delish! I was not sure how it was going to taste with no ham or bacon but so pleasantly surprised. It is creamy, full of flavor and so tasty. Will make it my fall and winter staple. Thanks!
Am I able to make this in a crockpot?
I haven’t tried that yet so I’m not sure how it would turn out, but it seems like something that would work well!
I just made it in the crockpot and it worked great! The only tweaks I made, which I don’t think would change the crockpot cooking time, was subbing yellow split peas for green ones and subbing chopped leeks for the celery since those are what I already had at hand.
I sautéed the onion before adding it to the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. Before serving I (carefully) blended half and added it back to the soup. If you have an immersion blender this would be a good time to use it instead of the blender. Served with crackers. It was delicious!
Thanks for the recipe Beth!
Almost the same as my pea soup recipe, however I add a hint of ground cloves and some liquid smoke to create the ‘ham’ essence with no ham. Also sometimes add some cubed potato to the mix. I use many of your recipes, Beth!
I like to add a potato, cubed small, in my pea soup.
Looks great! Going to make this recipe this weekend :) Question: do we leave the lid on while it simmers?
Yes :)
Dang it! You might want to edit the recipe because I assumed wrong. 😅
I’ll add an extra note. :)