This vegan split pea soup is creamy, rich, hearty and satisfying! It’s easy to make, high in protein and makes the best comfort food.
When you want a hearty comforting bowl of soup then this vegan split pea soup is exactly what you’re looking for.
It’s great as an appetizer, but also makes a filling main course. It’s easy to make, stores and freezes extremely well, and it’s high in protein too!
Sound good? Let’s get cooking!
You’ll also love our vegan pea soup (made from frozen peas), vegan zucchini soup and vegan broccoli soup.
How To Make Vegan Split Pea Soup
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sauté chopped onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are softened.
- Add dried split peas, potatoes and carrots along with vegetable stock.
- Bring to the boil and then cover the pot, turn down the heat, and let it simmer for around 45 minutes, stirring now and again until it’s soft and cooked.
- Blend with an immersion blender and then stir in coconut milk.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and your soup is ready to serve.
Appetizer or Main?
This soup is so filling you can easily have it as a main course. In fact I would recommend it. It’s a really thick, hearty and delicious soup.
We tend to think of soups as appetizers and of course this can be an appetizer, but I also think you might skip your main course. It’s just so filling.
Also, since it is so high in protein, it really is a fully balanced meal on its own.
Storing and Freezing
This recipe makes a big pot of soup which is totally fine because it keeps really well in the fridge for a few (3-4) days and you can reheat it as you like.
If you find it really too thick when reheating, then feel free to thin it out with a little more water or coconut milk.
It is also freezer friendly if you want to freeze it.
More Vegan Soups
- If you like the ‘soup as full meal’ idea then you’ll also love our vegan minestrone soup which is a full meal in one pot.
- Our vegan tomato soup and vegan tomato basil soup are both so good, try both if you’re a fan of tomatoes!
- Our vegan sweet potato soup and vegan potato leek soup are both creamy and delicious and our vegan cauliflower soup is ultra creamy.
- If you’re keen on another high protein option then our vegan lentil soup is the one to try.
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
- 1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 2 cups Dried Green Split Peas (450g)
- 2 Large Carrots Chopped
- 2 Large Potatoes Peeled and chopped
- 8 cups Vegetable Stock (1920ml)
- 14 ounces Canned Coconut Milk (400ml) Full Fat, Unsweetened
- Sea Salt to taste
- Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic to a pot with the olive oil and oregano. Sauté until softened.
- Add the dried green split peas, chopped carrots and potatoes and the vegetable stock.
- Bring to the boil and then cover and turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer for around 45 minutes, stirring now and again (be careful it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot) until everything is soft and cooked. It will become very thick, like a very thick stew.
- When cooked remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender if you have one. If you don’t have one then either leave the soup chunky or transfer in stages to a blender jug and blend it.
- When blended it will be very thick and smooth. Now add in the coconut milk and stir in.
- Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Serve with chopped spring onions to garnish and bread for dipping.
Notes
- You can use dried yellow split peas as well, it won’t make any difference. I have used either/or with this soup.
- This is a very filling soup, so it will serve at least 8 as an appetizer or 6 as a main course.
- This recipe was first published in March 2017 and has been updated with new photos and extra tips.
Tanya says
My nan used to make yellow split pea soup with some smoked meat in it. Of course I dont eat meat anymore, but this soup definitely reminded me of my childhood. I have gobbled a bowl before adding coconut milk and it was amazing. Coconut milk made even better! I love both versions! thanks Alison !
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that Tanya! Thanks so much for the awesome review!
Zita Jones says
Been on my vegan journey for almost 3 months now and I loathe being in the kitchen, so I’m always looking for simple quick recipes. Made this tonight for my family and it was an absolute hit. It was delicious! My children range from 2 years old to 10 years old and they all loved it. Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
That’s wonderful Zita! Thanks so much for the great review.
Kathy says
So here’s what I did; I added an extra cup of broth, an extra carrot, potato, garlic & 1 heaping tblspn of oregano. Then I cooked some ‘smart bacon’ (the whole pack) in a pan w/ coconut oil until crispy. Crushed those, added that after the blending. THEN the ‘piece de resisitance’…drumroll… Stubbs Liquid Smoke. OMG! SO FRIGGIN GOOD! This took me about 3 hours btwn prep time & cooking but I was in the mood. I got so into it. lols. Thank you. xox
Alison Andrews says
Sounds delish! Thanks for sharing Kathy!
Kathy says
I can’t wait to make this. Buying the ingredients fresh this weekend.
what if I added some Smokey Sauce to this? How much do you think? If I dont hear from you, I’ll take a small batch aside and try a bit w/ the smokey sauce…you know, to make up for the ham.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kathy, honestly I have no idea how much to add, but I think it’s a great idea!
gayle says
Best Pea Soup EVER!!!
Bella says
Really yummy! I added chilli, nutritional yeast, turmeric and half a bag of wilting spinach. Hearty and perfect for winter.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Bella!
Marjorie Smith says
Surprisingly tasty from such basic ingredients. I didn’t have any oregano so used fresh thyme instead which seemed to work and I didn’t have any coconut milk so just left it out.
A word of warning, you do need a very large cooking pot. I used my very largest saucepan but had to decant some veg into another cooking pot to get all the stock in.
Claudia says
This was my first time making this soup. I made it for my mom who loves split pea soup and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer 8 wks ago. This is delicious! I also made the lentil soup earlier which she had for lunch. Superb! Thank you
Alison Andrews says
So glad it was delicious Claudia! So sorry to hear that about your mom, so good that she has you to make her delicious food. Thanks so much for the wonderful review. Wishing you everything of the best! 🙂
Lucy says
I think this soup came out delicious. I was worried the coconut milk would make it taste coconuty, but it really didn’t seem to add to anything except to make it more creamy and smooth. I did use half homemade vegetable stock (and 2 cups ready made low sodium and 2 cups water for the rest) which I think had to help with its full flavor. Also left skin on potatoes as I was lazy. Will definitely make again and dont see making any changes at all.
Alison Andrews says
So glad it came out delicious! Thanks for sharing and the awesome review. 🙂
Abigail says
Any thoughts about converting this recipe to a slow cooker recipe? Cooking times etc
Alison Andrews says
Hi Abigail, sorry I am totally clueless when it comes to a slow cooker since I don’t have one (yet!).
Kate says
A bit slow to the party here…. I have just made it in the slow cooker. I put in 6 cups of water with my stock cube instead of 8 and threw the coconut milk in at the start along with everything else. I figured things stay wet in the slow cooker and it was easier to add more water at the end if needed. It turned out great!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Kate!
Amanda says
I was so pleasantly surprised by this soup. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but I really do and I love that it is so high in protein per serve. It’s a keeper. Thanks for the recipe!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Amanda, I know what you mean, I found it a pleasant surprise too! And yay for all that protein. Thanks so much for the great review. 🙂
Rachelle says
This is so delicious. It’s also just as filling as you described, definitely will make again.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you liked it Rachelle! Thanks so much for posting. 🙂
Steph says
Tried this recipe tonight. Love the idea and I’m always looking for new vegan recipes! I used a masher to break apart the potatoes and stuff since I don’t have a blender. For some reason I didn’t really need the coconut milk. It wasn’t as thick as I expected. It tasted good but I agree more seasoning worked better for my taste buds. Maybe because I used low sodium veggie broth. Thanks for the recipe!
Tamar says
A lovely soup base! Nice and hearty, as you describe. I’ll be making it again.
However, when I finished your instructions and tasted the soup, it had a pretty bland flavor, mostly just tasted of peas. I then added an extra can of coconut milk, and seasoned further with garlic powder, more oregano, thyme, paprika, smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, and finally it really hit the jackpot. So I ended up with a fabulous soup, it just needed some tweaking in my opinion.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for the review Tamar, glad to hear you were able to tweak it perfectly to your taste. 🙂
Anna says
My absolute favourite soup made with a definite finesse