Quinoa Vegetable Soup with Kale
This healthy homemade vegetable soup recipe is full of veggies, kale and quinoa. It's easy to make and good for you, too! Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
We’ve been living in a winter wonderland lately. We’ve gotten so much snow that my dog, Cookie, can barely keep her head above it when we go outside (she’s smaller than you think). I’m thankful to have electricity and gearing up for more winter weather this weekend.
This hearty soup is exactly what I need. It’s brimming with fresh veggies and warms me right up. Soup to the rescue!
This homemade vegetable soup with quinoa is light but filling and packs great for lunch. Like most soups, it tastes even better the next day. Bonus? It freezes well, too. I love keeping my freezer stocked with hearty soups and defrosting one whenever I need a quick but nutritious meal.
This soup is vegan unless you want to top it with Parmesan cheese, which isn’t a bad idea if you ask me. The ingredients list, while a little on the long side, includes mostly pantry items. Every single one of them is nutritious!
Quinoa Vegetable Soup Recipe Development
Confession: the idea for this soup recipe came from Trader Joe’s. (You know what they say about grocery shopping while hungry.) A few years ago, their “vegetable soup with quinoa and kale” caught my eye in the refrigerated section right as my stomach grumbled.
I was initially skeptical about quinoa in soup (will it get mushy? does the flavor play nicely with the other ingredients?), but now I’m only wondering what took me so long to try it.
Quinoa was meant for soup. It lends some extra protein and hearty texture. Unlike most other vegetable soups, which are too light to count as a full meal, this is a true meal-in-a-bowl if you eat enough of it.
I adapted this recipe from my lentil soup, which has gotten quite a few raving reviews. I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
Recipe Notes & Tips
I wrote the recipe so it’s easily adapted to seasons. Winter squash would be lovely in place of the zucchini that I used.
This soup straddles the line between soup and stew, but whatever you call it, it’s delicious.
If you want more of a soup, use 3/4 cup quinoa and 1 cup seasonal veggies. If you want more of a stew, use a full cup of quinoa, two cups of seasonal vegetables and throw in some extra greens.
Watch How to Make Quinoa Soup
Please let me know how you like this soup in the comments! I love hearing from you.
If you enjoy this soup, be sure to check out my minestrone, lentil soup, Megan’s quinoa stew, and the hearty soup recipes in my cookbook.
Quinoa Vegetable Soup
This healthy homemade vegetable soup recipe is full of veggies, kale and quinoa. It’s easy to make and good for you, too! This soup makes great leftovers. It’s gluten free and vegan, as long as you don’t top it with optional Parmesan cheese. Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings of soup.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 to 2 cups chopped seasonal vegetables, like zucchini, yellow squash, bell pepper, sweet potatoes or butternut squash
- 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
- Scant 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well in a fine mesh colander (use less for a lighter, more broth-y soup)
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup or more chopped fresh kale or collard greens, tough ribs removed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice, to taste
- Optional garnish: freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, seasonal vegetables and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme. Cook until fragrant while stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often.
- Pour in the quinoa, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 2 bay leaves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and add the beans and the chopped greens. Continue simmering for 5 minutes or more, until the greens have softened to your liking.
- Remove the pot from heat, then remove the bay leaves. Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice until the flavors really sing. (You might need up to ½ teaspoon more salt, depending on your vegetable broth and your personal preferences.) Divide into bowls and top with grated Parmesan if you’d like.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Trader Joe’s organic vegetable soup with quinoa and kale. Recipe adapted from my lentil soup recipe.
Seasonal vegetable preparation tips: If you’re using dense vegetables like butternut or sweet potato for your seasonal vegetables, be sure to chop them as small as you’re chopping your carrots so they cook in the same amount of time.
Slow cooker option: I haven’t tried, but Sarah reports that her soup turned out well after 8 hours on low heat.
Storage suggestions: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days. It freezes and defrosts well if you want to freeze extra portions for later!
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t garnish with Parmesan.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Absolutely delicious. Had it at my daughter’s home last night and enjoyed it so much I made it today at my home for dinner tonight. I used about 6 cups of veggies and added a little jalapeno and I used red kale. Will be a “do again” many times recipe.
Great! Happy the family enjoyed this, Michael.
If you have never used the instant pot this recipe can be done in one pot. Many of your yummy recipes can even vegan yogurt using soy milk I’ve made it in the instant pot. You should check it out. I love it for souls, rice, pasta and sauce all in one pot. Great recipe. Thank you!!
Forgot to mark 5 stars and correct typo soups not souls. Thanks. Dang auto correct.
Thanks, Robin! I’ve never used one, and I’m always hesitant to start using new appliances that not everyone has—but I’m certainly intrigued.
Robin, how did you handle the quinoa in the instant pot version? Pre-cook and add at the end? Cook in the soup?
I have a bunch of leftover plain, cooked quinoa. How would you recommend using it for this delicious sounding soup?
Hi D, I’m sorry, I missed your question earlier. I’m sure your extra quinoa is gone now but for anyone wondering the same—I would just omit the water and add the cooked quinoa at the end.
Does the quinoa need to be cooked prior to adding it?
No, it cooks in the soup!
I’ve got a cold right now, so I decided to make this soup. It was delicious and filling! The only change I made was using spinach as my green. My seven year old really enjoyed this, which is great, since her taste buds can be difficult to please.
Oh, I hope this gives you the boost you need to kick your cold, Krystal!
Just made this delicious soup and already know it will be a staple in my kitchen! A few tweaks that worked for me: I added the juice from the tomatoes because I like that extra zing and upped the lemon juice to about 1 1/2 tsp. I also opted to add two cups of seasonal vegetables instead of one [extra celery, red peppers and zucchini]. I put a few dashes of a ghost pepper hot sauce in my own bowl and voila! a fantastic meal. Great recipe, Kate! Thanks so much for all the wonderful inspiration!
Ooh, sounds zingy, hot and chock-full of veggies. Yum! Thanks, Julie.
i made it today – i didnt have canned tomatoes so i used sauce instead. very yummy and easy
:)
Great! So glad it worked out, Safir.
Made this soup for the first time today and it was amazing! Thank you for the recipe!
Ps forgot to add the lemon but still great!
You’re welcome, Angela! Happy it came out great on the first try :)
I made this recipe tonight. I modified it by using the vegetables I had at home: carrots, butternut squash, zucchini, onion, kale and spinach. Used quinoa and added tumeric. Topped it with parmesean cheese. Delicious.
I love this soup! It’s very hearty and filling. It turned out great and freezes well. I forgot to add the kale, but we just add some fresh when we warm it up.
Yum! Thanks, Regina.
I made this soup yesterday – delicious!! I used frozen organic Kale, sweet potatoes and half of an acorn squash that I had in the fridge. All organic,along with the carrots, from our local CSA. Thanks!
Sounds delicious, Jan, especially that acorn squash. Yum!
This was delicious! Even my carnivore husband loved it. I will be making this again and again. Thank you!
I am trying this tomorrow in the crockpot for Good Friday supper. Also will be serving it to Very Important Houseguest, so here’s hoping it turns out OK! :o :)
Best of luck, Kat! Have a great Easter weekend.
how did it turn out in the crock pot?? i was thinking of trying it that way and would love advice.
I made the quinoa vegetable soup this evening and it was delicious!! I did substitute spinach for the kale due to my family’s preference.
Sounds delicious, Cathy!
I was looking for an easy quinoa recipe and came across this one. I’m not big on soups in general, but I thought I’d try it and – holy moly!! Absolutely delicious. I left out the celery ’cause I don’t like cooked celery, used fresh instead of canned tomatoes, for greens used kale and dandelion, and spiced it up with masala and cumin. I could eat the whole pot in one sitting, it’s so delish! Thank you!!
That sounds absolutely delicious, Lorraine!
This is the best veggie soup I have ever had. It beats out my other homemade soups and any store bought soup I’ve tried. We used Orzo pasta because we were out of quinoa and added more veggies since we had to use them up. It turned out perfect. Thanks for being such a healthy, vegetarian/vegan friendly blog! I’ve mad one of your soups a week for the past 2 months but this one is my favorite (second favorite is the butternut squash chili with avocado!) :)
Orzo pasta sounds great with this, Claire! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the soups. :)
This was *excellent* – I never expect much from vegetable soup for some reason, but all of us (including the 3-year old who says “Eww!” to everything!) loved it. I only had green beans for the “seasonal vegetables” so I increased the carrots, celery, and kale. I also just noticed that I used a 14 ounce can of tomatoes instead of 28 oz (oops!) – but I would do it exactly the same next time. Looking forward to the leftovers today – and thinking about making another batch just for the freezer for later (especially since we have TONS of kale in the garden)
I’m glad this exceeded expectations, Tamilee!
Soooooo Yummy- I used fresh veggies from the garden- Love it!
Yum! Thanks, Stephanie!
Make this soup last night. I used frozen spinach because that is what I had (and I didn’t see the kale/collards until I started to cook). Otherwise followed the recipe exactly as written. It was wonderful. And, I felt healthier for it. My spouse actually had it this a.m. for breakfast as he likes savory. Thanks again for a lovely recipe.
Made this soup last night and loved it! We didnt have any fresh thyme in the house so I used ground thyme and that was fine. Had a lot of veggies that we wanted to use up so we threw them in. We went more heavy on the veggies since we didn’t have any beans in the house and I didnt want to run to the store just for that. Loved the quinoa touch – it surprised me how thick it got while cooling. Might add another cup or two of water/broth next time. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Kate, Thank you! This recipe was amazing. I used white quinoa and red lentils, so it came out more like a stew, but my husband loved it. I put it in the kids lunch thermos and they ate it and said it was good. It’s usually so hard for me to get them to eat veggies at school, but this soup was loaded with healthy nutrients. I am enjoying the leftovers, too. I look forward to making it with different veggies, like you suggested. Great share.
Why do you drain the tomatoes?
Hi Robin, I don’t recall my reasoning for that, but let’s make it optional. :)
This comment is for your favorite quinoa salad. We loved the flavor of the lime, and it just tastes so healthy. The salad was easy to make, producing leftovers for the next day. Great for potlucks, and as a Thanksgiving vegetarian dish.
I am trying the quinoa lvegetable soup today.
This turned out fantastic! I’m not the cook in my household and i still managed this recipe without any hiccups. Woo Hoo!!
Side Note: I am soooooo appreciative of you and your fantastic recipes which help my boyfriend and me stay healthy without sacrificing any flavor. That brown rice mushroom risotto recipe is like the best thing I have ever tasted in my life! Thank you!
That is a win! And thank you, Christy for your kind words. I am happy to provide recipes that are approachable to almost any type of cook :) I appreciate your review!
Great spices, recipe was great and easy. Thank you!
Welcome! Thank you, Tiffany for your review.
Delicious!!! Thanks Kate . We love this soup. We also added hot sauce, yucca, egg yolks & white cheddar just for good measure .
You are welcome! Thank you, Todd for your review.
I would agree with Sarah on the slow cooker method! It tastes great! Thank you!
You are welcome, Lisa!
not saying anything new but I just had to pipe in on what a wonderful soup this is. I modified just a bit (not too much) as the only thing I changed was using a pressure cooker. This will certainly be a regular rotation in our meal plans and more so during this the soup season.
Thanks for sharing
I love to hear it, Dale! Than you so much for commenting and for your review.
I made this recipe at home last night and it was better than I expected. Soup is so underrated. This is a very hearty flavorful recipe. I already have friends asking for the recipe!
Great! I love hearing that. Thanks so much for your review.
just finished my quinoa soup ingredients.it is now simmering on low cant wait until I add the beans/kale /lemon.this make my 5th time making this soup and it is the most delicious vegetable soup I have ever made or eaten..thank you soooo much kate.this soup freezes very well and all the ingreidents compliment each other even after unthawing,, thank you and merry x-mas
Thank you! I love to hear that. Merry Christmas to you as well :)
Hi – I made this recipe yesterday and my husband and I are still enjoying it. I cook some chicken and used the broth instead of the vegetable broth and water. Also, I shredded the chicken and put it in the soup….delicious.
Happy New Year!!!!!
Sandra
I’m happy you are still enjoying it! I like soup almost better the next day or so. I appreciate your review.
It’s January. It’s cold. The holidays are over and I want to be healthy but also warm and full! I made this tonight with butternut squash as the seasonal veg, and it was the answer to my prayers :-)
Hearty, warm, delicious and healthy is what I like to think about this soup! I’m happy it was just what you needed, Claire. Thanks for the review and for sharing.
I love this recipe so much! I buy ingredients to make this soup instead of can soup. I have made this several times now and it just gets tastier every time. I added spinach instead of kale, tomato sauce, paste to give it more of a thicker sauce, and added a few more spices like rosemary, basil, oregano, and chilli powder. Thank you so much!
It’s nice when you find ‘that one’ soup during the winter months! I’m happy this one is yours. :)
My wife and I are obsessed with this! We make a hug pot and eat it all week. We don’t get tired of it.
We do a few modifications. A generous cup of quinoa. We add two chopped up sweet potatoes, 2 to 3 cups of chopped spinach, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can cannellini beans, 2 cans of tomato sauce and another two cups of water. Significantly more garlic and also basil, oregano, and a few others. Probably talking a cup of various spices by the time we’re done. That is really what makes it addictive to us!
And this comes from a man who once proclaimed that he’d rather eat dirt than be subjected to quinoa…
Thanks for posting a great idea!
You’re very welcome! Thanks for sharing your variation. Sometime you just have to try quinoa (the right way) and you will be hooked. :)
Thanks, Kate! I’ve made this soup maybe 4 times since December—each time with minor tweaks for variety—and everyone just loves it. It’s so simple, healthy and delicious, and is quick to prepare. I appreciate your help in making me look like I ‘got skillz’ in the kitchen.
Excellent flavor. I’ve made this twice already in less than a one-month time period. Very filling too. The first time I added more quinoa for a stew-like soup. The second time less quinoa and more broth for a soupier soup. Just delicious! Thanks.
I think that’s a success! You’re welcome. I appreciate your review, Janet.
Kate,
Made this amazing recipe. It tastes wonderful. Very cold day today and this soup is very hearty – hits the spot.
Thank you so much !
Nancy
You’re welcome! It’s the perfect soup for a cold day, Nancy.
Will definitely try this lovely soup. Without any Parmesan,
Thanks for sharing
Welcome, Anni!
This soup was great on a rainy spring day. Best of all, my kids loved it. We are recently vegetarian and this recipe is being put into the rotation!
Win! Yes, great recipe for a rainy day. Thanks for the review, Amanda.
Love this soup!!! All the vegetables give a great flavor the soup.
I’m happy you love it! Thank you, Maria for sharing.
I just made this recipe. I did not change anything however, I used canned chickpeas and kale for the green…wow…incredible flavors…I loved the photo with the bright vegetables and gorgeous appearance…et voila, mine looked the same! The soup is nourishing and flavorful…I am very well sated indeed!!!!
Thanks for sharing what you did, Cynthia! And, hooray! I’m so glad it looked the same. :) My goal is to make sure you get the same result as I do.
Your Quinoa Veg Soup is one of the best soups I’ve ever made! I agree with you on the Quinoa; I never thought to put it in a soup, and I make soup every Sunday. From St. Louis to Kansas City, thank you!
Love it, Liz! Soup every Sunday sounds like the best way to finish a weekend.
I made the veggie quinoa soup today and it is amazing-exactly what I was looking for. I love that it is vegan, but I added some chicken sausage for the hubby. Amazing! Thanks for the great recipe.
You’re welcome, Carly! It’s a great one.
Lovely soup! Swapped the kale for silverbeet from my garden and as I had to double the recipe for the hordes (and had to accommodate various eating preferences), I added a can of chickpeas, a can of lentils and a can of canneloni beans and it was supurb with all those fresh veges. Even my partner (who isn’t vege mad) actually really enjoyed it! Loved the pepper flakes in it! Thanks for a great recipe. Will definitely make this again!
Thanks, Kirsten for sharing!
thanks for sharing a lovely recipe,love the use of potatoes together with the vegetables.
You’re welcome, Dannie! Thanks for your review.
This soup is delicious and super healthy. I add quinoa, extra bulgur and spinach instead of kale. My 2 yo also loves this soup :)
Thank you
I love that your kiddo loves it! Thank you, Aga for your review.
Made this over the weekend because I was craving soup. This is so easy to make in the crock pot. I threw all the ingredients (except the oil) into the pot, put it on low for 8 hours and it came out perfectly. I gave some away, froze some and kept some for immediate enjoying. This is incredibly good and filling. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Amy!
I’ve made this soup a couple of times now, adapting ingredients to what’s in the fridge/cupboards, and I vote it the best vegetable soup I’ve ever made or eaten over the past thirty years. It’s a crowd pleaser too.
Well, thank you!
anyone know how much calories would be in a serving of this?
The nutrition information is below the notes section of the recipe. You just need to click to expand! :)
This was sooo good! I made it with zucchini & yellow squash, & collard greens instead of kale. I added some basil & oregano in addition to the thyme, and am just now realizing I forgot to add the lemon juice at the end. Otherwise followed to the letter for a perfect summer soup. I used chickpeas this time, but will probably go with great northern next time. Thank you for being my recipe go-to, your recipes are amazing! <3
You’re sweet, Morgan! Thanks for your comment and review.