This comforting, nutrient-packed vegetarian soup combines wholesome pantry staples - including brown rice, russets, and fresh vegetables - with a flavorful kick of minced Serrano pepper. Its secret creaminess comes from mashing some of the chickpeas right in the pot and whisking in some mashed avocado. It's a total comfort soup.
There's some meal prep at the beginning but it goes very quickly. Check out the below Meal Prep Ahead tips to make this a perfect weeknight soup. And if you want to make this soup in your slow cooker or electric pressure cooker, I've included those instructions for you in the Recipe Card.
🏃♀️ Post Summary
In a hurry? This summary covers the essential points.
- Meal Prep: 30 minutes. Cook Time: 30 minutes.
- Feeds a Crowd: A hearty soup of 10 servings.
- Made from pantry staples. Broth, brown basmati rice, russet potatoes, thyme, and chickpeas, with no fancy ingredients or techniques.
- Great for meal prep. The veggies can be diced ahead, and kept in the fridge.
- Secretly creamy without any cream. Partially mashed chickpeas and a mashed avocado thicken this soup.
- Make it your way: Slow cooker and Instant Pot versions are included. Swap the chickpeas for roast chicken for meat eaters at the table.
Want to make this recipe perfectly the first time? I want to help with that. So, check out this Table of Contents to see which sections of this post will help you the most.
Jump to:
🍜 Soup Love
A vegetable soup is a great way to create a meal without a recipe from bits a pieces of veggies you have on hand combined with legumes, pasta, bread, rice or other whole grains. If you want to do that too, here's how to make soup in 5 easy steps without a recipe.
I created this soup years ago for a Washington Post columnist, and it's become one of my favorites.
Other simple comfort soups I make often (I'm a big soup girl) include this summer farro soup with vegetables and white beans, or this vegetarian barley soup with potatoes and mint, or Persian yogurt soup (seriously, you must try this one!).
🧅 Ingredient Notes
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes. For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions for this easy vegetable rice soup, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
- Yellow onions - White onions are also fine but not red onions.
- Carrots - To ensure purchasing the freshest carrots, it's best to buy ones that still have their leafy tops. Pre-packaged ones will be much older and therefore not as nutritious.
- Vegetable broth - I use Better Than Bouillon-Roasted Vegetable Paste diluted in water. You can substitute homemade vegetable broth or purchase it pre-made in cartons but you'll need to add some salt to the finished soup with those two options.
- White potatoes - I use russets in this soup but Yukons are fine if that's what you have.
- Brown Basmati Rice - Brown rice is more nutritious than white rice but both work great in this recipe. Remember that brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice.
🔪 Prep Ahead Plan
Life is busy. If you want to make this soup during the week but don't have time or energy to do both the meal prep and finish the soup on the same evening, here's a prep ahead plan to follow. Feel free to pick and choose which items you want to do ahead.
👉 Prep the onion celery, carrot, and chile ahead and store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days in an airtight container. Or purchase onion, celery, and carrots already diced.
👉 Mash the chickpeas and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
👉 Mash the avocado, squeeze a little lime juice over it to keep it from browning, and store in the refrigerator with the avocado seed for 1 day in an airtight container.
👩🍳 Making This Soup in the Slow Cooker and Instant Pot
Most soups are very adaptable to multiple cook methods. Below are instructions for making this recipe in your slow cooker and Instant Pot.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and Serrano pepper on the stove top. Some slow cookers have an aluminum insert that can be used on the stove top and then re-seated into the slow cooker. If your slow cooker insert is ceramic, perform this step in a skillet and then add the sautéed veggies to the slow cooker.
- Add everything else except the lime juice and Parmesan cheese. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2 ½-3 ½ hours. If using white rice instead of brown rice, add the rice in the final 30 minutes of cooking to prevent it from becoming mushy.
- Stir in the lime juice and plant-based cheese and serve.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Warm the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and Serrano pepper until softened.
- Add everything else except the lime juice and plant-based cheese and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Set it on HIGH and cook for 15 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release. If using white rice, reduce the cook time to 5 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release.
- Stir in the lime juice and plant-based Parmesan and serve.
💡Ideas for Variations
- Swap out rice for quinoa, farro, or a wild rice blend.
- Use white beans instead of chickpeas.
- This is not a spicy soup, but if you're concerned about the Serrano pepper you can use ½ jalapeño pepper instead.
🍽️ Make it a Meal
This soup is hearty enough to serve as a main dish with some crusty bread on the side and a simple green salad. However, if you want to provide more options for your table, here are some ideas.
- Roast some carrots for a side dish or make these baked sweet potato fries.
- These garlic roasted cabbage steaks go well with just about anything. They've been one of the most popular recipes on the blog for years.
- I'm a huge fan of artichokes and make them in the slow cooker and Instant Pot and then keep them in the refrigerator to add as a quick side dish to soups, salads, and sandwiches. This artichoke recipe includes tabbouleh, but you can omit that part if you're short on time.
🧊 FAQ
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze in a freezer-safe container for 2 - 3 months.
Chickpea and Vegetable Rice Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ large yellow onions diced
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 Serrano chile seeded and minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 cups water see Ingredients Notes
- 3 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Paste (to taste), see Ingredient Notes
- 1 cup uncooked brown basmati rice rinsed
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained
- 1 large avocado
- 2 limes juiced
- ½ cup grated plant-based Parmesan-style cheese such as Follow Your Heart or Violife
Instructions
⏰ Time-Saving Do-Ahead Tips
- 👉 Prep the onion celery, carrot, and chile ahead and store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days in an airtight container. Or purchase onion, celery, and carrots already diced. 👉 Mash the chickpeas and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days in an airtight container. 👉 Mash the avocado, squeeze a little lime juice over it to keep it from browning, and store in the refrigerator with the avocado seed for 1 day in an airtight container.
Recipe
- Prep the onion, celery, carrot, and Serrano chile using a sharp chef's knife. It's best to peel the carrot before dicing, and if you want to minimize the heat from the Serrano, scrape out the seeds and cut away the pith.
- Warm the olive oil in a heavy, large pot suitable for making soup over medium heat. Add the diced onions, celery, carrot, and chile. Sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes while you peel and dice the potatoes. Add the potatoes and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Mash about one-third of the chickpeas using a fork, immersion blender, or potato masher and add both the mashed and whole chickpeas to the soup. Mashed chickpeas add a creamy texture to the soup without using any cream. The more mashed the chickpeas are, the creamier the texture of the finished soup.
- Mash the avocado using a fork and stir into the soup with the lime juice and plant-based Parmesan-style grated cheese. Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the rice is tender.Serve piping hot with crusty bread on the side.
Notes
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and Serrano pepper on the stove top. Some slow cookers have an aluminum insert that can be used on the stove top and then re-seated into the slow cooker. If your slow cooker insert is ceramic, perform this step in a skillet and then add the sautéed veggies to the slow cooker.
- Add everything else except the lime juice and Parmesan cheese. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2 ½-3 ½ hours. If using white rice instead of brown rice, add the rice in the final 30 minutes of cooking to prevent it from becoming mushy.
- Stir in the lime juice and plant-based cheese and serve.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Warm the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, and Serrano pepper until softened.
- Add everything else except the lime juice and plant-based cheese and lock the lid on the pressure cooker. Set it on HIGH and cook for 15 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release. If using white rice, reduce the cook time to 5 minutes followed by a 10-minute natural release.
- Stir in the lime juice and plant-based Parmesan and serve.
For Meat Eaters
Replace the chickpeas with 2 cups of shredded roast chicken for meat eaters at the table. I purchase chicken already roasted at my market for my husband's servings.Make More With This Recipe
Need meal ideas? Let AI help you plan.
AI suggestions may be inaccurate. Please verify recipe details.
Nutrition
Disclamer
Nutrition information is provided as an estimate for informational purposes only. Actual values may vary depending on the ingredients and brands used, substitutions, portion sizes, and preparation methods. If you have specific dietary or medical needs, please consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian.
Choc Chip Uru
This soup looks so warming 🙂
Yum!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh it is CCU. Next snowy day you have, you should totally make it. I think you'd really like it!
Twinkle
Just made this soup with a few variations and it was great. I used a jalapeño instead of a Serrano chili, and leftover green lentils instead of chickpeas. It was quick and easy, a really good basic soup recipe that can handle most anything you have on hand. I don’t comment often, but I make lots of soup and this deserved a shout out.
Susan Pridmore
I am so happy you enjoyed it so much and really appreciate the shout out!! Thank you!
Rosemary
Gorgeous photo, Susan! Love the blend of background textures and I can almost put my spoon into the soup!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Rosemary!! Soups aren't always easy for me to photograph; something I'm really working on right now.
Rebecca
Heading out to get the rest of the ingredients now. *I* am in the mood for a little comfort food myself!
Rebecca
Wow -- this is ridiculously good! I used (homemade) chicken broth, omitted the step with the bones, and used whole-wheat orzo because I had it on hand. Amazing! I was a tad concerned about the avocado and lime, but they add a light "zing." This is going on my soup rotation. Thanks. 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm sooooo excited that you made this soup so quickly, Rebecca!!! You really made my day. And I'm so glad you liked it. Yay!!! Yeah, the avocado adds a little *creaminess* without the cream, and the lime just sharpens those flavors. Best of all, it's a forgiving soup, and welcomes little twists and shortcuts, as you found out. This was actually a riff on a quinoa soup I made a couple of years ago - which I still haven't gotten around to adding to my blog 🙂 Someday I need to do that 🙂 Thanks again!!
Julia
This soup looks so yummy and since spring still hasn't arrive (and may never) I have time to make this!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Julia! It's such a wild winter. Some areas of the country getting slammed, and we barely had any winter at all here in the Sierras. Crazy!
apuginthekitchen
I could use a bowl of this soup right now, looks delicious Susan, You are so right, soup, cookies and cake are the ultimate comfort foods!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Suzanne! I was just over at your blog - I had no idea how poorly you've been feeling. And I'm so glad Nando is doing better. Hope you both are feeling back to normal soon. If we were neighbors, I would have brought some of this soup over to with your friend's stuffed apple 🙂
TasteFood
I could do with a bowl of this right now - so warm and comforting.
Cass @foodmyfriend
Tyler always requests this in Winter. i guess it is nearly that time again!
Spoonful of Comfort
Preparing my ingredients for this soup now. I am sure my hubby will love it. He loves soups and is always excited to try something new.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Oh I hope you liked it!! We love soups too, and this is one we've really enjoyed!!