The most flavorful vegetarian split pea soup recipe! Vegan split pea soup brightened with fresh dill and topped with quick blackened onions.
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Hello, Rhubarbarians! Today you're getting a reminder of just how DELICIOUS split pea soup can be. None of that boring stuff here!
This split pea soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food. It's thick and stew like, super flavorful, warm and hearty.
I guarantee you won't miss the ham in this vegan version!
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More vegetarian soup recipes to try:
Why you'll love this
This split pea soup recipe is inspired by Danish split pea soup, which is usually served with dill, rye bread, and mustard.
I made a vegetarian version of Danish split pea soup, and WOW. So amazing. The addition of dill adds brightness, while the crispy onion topping adds richness. The result is a soup loaded with flavor.
Because split peas are packed with protein (8 grams in just half a cup of cooked peas), this soup will fill you up and keep you full for quite a while.
What are split peas? Split peas are field peas that have been removed from the pod, dried, and split in half to speed up the cooking process.
Ingredients and equipment
Here's what you need to make a flavorful vegetarian split pea soup at home! Full ingredient amounts with instructions are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
Ingredients:
- Olive oil.
- Lots of onions.
- Celery stalks and celery root.
- Carrots.
- Vegetable broth. My favorite is Better Than Bouillon seasoned vegetable base.
- Green split peas. Yellow is fine too.
- Fresh thyme and dill.
- Salt and pepper.
Equipment:
- Stove top or cook top.
- Large dutch oven or soup pot. I love my Lodge dutch oven!
- Measuring spoons.
- Measuring cups.
- Cutting board and sharp knife. For chopping vegetables and herbs.
- Stirring utensil. I love my spoonula, but a wooden spoon will work as well.
- Medium to large skillet. For cooking the blackened onions. Cast iron is best for this!
- Bowls and spoons for serving.
Have you tried hearty vegan quinoa chili recipe yet?
Step by step instructions
Here is a visual guide to making a Danish inspired split pea soup at home. Full instructions with ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this article
- Heat the olive oil in your cooking pot.
- Add the onions.
- Cook the onions until they are golden brown.
- Add the celery, carrots, celery root, vegetable broth, split peas, thyme sprig, and 2 Tablespoons of the dill.
- Stir well to combine.
- Cover and simmer.
- While the soup is simmering, blacken your onions. (Instructions are listed here, but if you need more info, here's our guide to making blackened onions)
- Start by adding your onion slices to a hot pan.
- Cook the onions, stirring often, until they blackened and crispy.
- Taste the soup and add salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve topped with blackened onions and the remaining fresh dill.
- Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
This split pea soup is so hearty and filling, that it makes a fabulous main dish for dinner. You won't need much on the side to fill you up!I like to serve this on snowy fall or winter nights or cold spring evenings.
Recipes to serve with split pea soup:
- Sliced rye bread with butter, mustard, and pickles for the ultimate Danish inspired dinner.
- Garlic herb butter potatoes
- Simple crusty bread for dipping
Check out our what to serve with split pea soup guide for more recipes!
Recipe tips and substitutions
- If you can't find celery root, you can replace it with potatoes, rutabaga, turnip, or even parsnip.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end for a hit of acidity.
- For a creamier, thicker soup, puree ⅓ to ½ of the soup in a blender and then stir it back in.
- Add a touch of flour to the sliced onions while blackening them for super crispy onions.
Storing and freezing
- Storing: store any leftover soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend storing the extra dill and blackened onions separately. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
- Freezing: This soup freezes very well. Freeze in an air tight freezer safe container for up to 6 months. Reheat from frozen on the stove top or let thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. I don't recommend freezing the blackened onions or the extra dill for topping.
My favorite way to freeze soup is in individual portions in silicone Souper Cubes. It makes reheating so easy!
FAQs
Yes, it is! Vegetarian split pea soup has a lot of protein, fiber, and nutrients. Depending on your vegetable broth, it could contain a lot of sodium, so consider low sodium broth.
For vegetarian split pea soup, build flavor with deeply browned onions, vegetable broth, and flavorful toppings.
For split pea soup, the peas should be creamy and very tender, but you should still have some texture in the peas.
Nope! Soaking will cut down only slightly on the cooking time, but they will absorb more flavor when cooked from dried with the soup ingredients.
More recipes with dill:
Check out this list of the best fresh dill recipes!
Did you make this recipe? Leave us a review and star rating in the comments below! We read every single review and appreciate your feedback.
Recipe
Vegetarian split pea soup recipe with dill
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- ¼ medium celery root diced
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups dried green split peas rinsed
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 4 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
- 2 medium yellow onions sliced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 15 minutes.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 2 medium yellow onions
- Add the celery, carrots, celery root, vegetable broth, split peas, thyme sprig, and 2 Tablespoons of the dill. Bring to a boil. Stir to combine.2 medium celery stalks, 2 medium carrots, ¼ medium celery root, 6 cups vegetable broth, 2 cups dried green split peas, 1 sprig fresh thyme, 4 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
- Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until peas are soft and soup is fragrant.
- Season the with soup with salt and pepper to your liking.salt and pepper
- Meanwhile, saute the sliced onions in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring often, until blackened and crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside for topping.2 medium yellow onions
- Serve the soup topped with the blackened onions and the remaining fresh dill.4 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
Notes
- If you can't find celery root, you can replace it with potatoes, rutabaga, turnip, or even parsnip.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end for a hit of acidity.
- For a creamier, thicker soup, puree ⅓ to ½ of the soup in a blender and then stir it back in.
- Add a touch of flour to the sliced onions while blackening them for super crispy onions.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians
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Lauren
Love this soup! So simple, but the onions and dill on top are SO GOOD. It’s cozy and fresh at the same time—give it a try!
Cass
I decided to try coating and frying the onions, almost like onion rings. It was such an incredible addition! The soup itself was "stand at the fridge at 2am and eat out of the tubberware" good! I highly recommend!
Patricia Bozeman
Those onions sound fantastic! I'm so glad you loved this soup. 🙂
Julia
Those onions look incredible! And I love onions and dill together. Such a delicious and cozy looking soup!
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks Julia! It's a fave this time of year for sure. Let me know if you give it a try.:)
Sarah
I just made this tonight and it is so good. I love the addition of dill to the soup. It was also my first time using celery root! I'm thinking this soup would be good with some added lemon juice as well to brighten it up even more.
Patricia Bozeman
Yay! I'm so glad you liked it! I agree, lemon juice would be amazing. 🙂
Sandra
This looks gorgeous!
Nellie & Bellie (@miznelliebellie)
Love how simple this recipe is to pull together! Thanks so much for sharing!
Jasmin
You made the right thing sharing this spring soup on your blog - and the pics are amazing and simply yummy...