Creamy Chickpea and Rice Soup

Made with hearty vegetables and rich cashew cream, this Creamy Chickpea and Rice Soup is the perfect, warming meal this fall season!

Chickpeas and rice are staples in our diet.

So why not combine them into one creamy, comforting soup?!

With fall just around the corner, plant-based soups (including our favorite lentil soup!) will definitely be making an appearance for dinners every week.

In addition to this Creamy Chickpea and Rice Soup, we have some favorite go-to soups that we eat on a regular basis.

We love this Red Lentil Pumpkin Soup.

This Vegan Pizza Soup is always a winner.

And to get in lots of veggies, I always choose this Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup!

YAY for soups!

Let me show you how to make this creamy chickpea and rice soup.

I know you all will love it as much as we do!

Dairy-Free Heavy Cream Substitute

Lots of creamy soups call for heavy cream.

So how do you create a creamy, dairy-free soup?

Easy!

Just use cashews!

Soaked cashews blended with a little water create the best heavy cream substitute.

To make your own dairy-free cream at home, you'll need the following 2 ingredients:

• Raw cashews
• Water

That's it!

Soak ¾ cup of raw cashews in water overnight or for 15 minutes in boiling water.

Once soaked, drain and rinse the cashews and blend them with 1 cup of water until super smooth.

And voila! Heavy cream...but dairy-free!

Ingredients for Chickpea and Rice Soup

To make this comforting soup, you'll need the following ingredients:

-

• Onion
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Celery
• Vegetable broth powder
• Dried thyme
• Bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable broth
• Water
• Long grain white rice
• Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Cashews
• Optional: Leafy greens and/or parsley

As you can see, none of these ingredients are strange or hard to find.

I bet you already have most of these ingredients on hand!

How to Make Creamy Vegan Chickpea & Rice Soup

To make this chickpea and rice soup, follow the step-by-step instructions below:

1. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in water or olive oil until the onion is translucent.
2. Add in the chopped carrots and celery and sauté a few more minutes.
3. Stir in the vegetable broth powder, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
4. Add in the vegetable broth and water and bring everything to a boil.
5. Once the mixture is boiling, add in 1 cup of dry rice. Stir everything together, cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the rice to cook for about 20 minutes.
6. While the soup is simmering, blend together the pre-soaked cashews and water until smooth.
7. After the rice has been simmering for 20 minutes, add in the chickpeas, cashew cream and optional leafy greens. Stir everything together and allow the soup to warm through and the greens to wilt.
8. Remove the bay leaf, and, if desired, add in some parsley before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings.
9. Serve with more black pepper, red chili flakes, nutritional yeast, etc.

How to Store Leftover Soup

Soup is a great food to meal prep at the start of the week. It's easy to double or triple and stores beautifully in the fridge or freezer.

Fridge: To store any leftover soup in the fridge, simply allow it to cool completely before placing the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Freezer: To freeze soup, place it in a freezer safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months.

To thaw frozen soup, remove it from the freezer the night before you want to eat it and allow it to thaw in the fridge. If it's still frozen when you need it, you can place the bag or container of soup into a large bowl of water to help it thaw quicker. When the water gets really cold, swap it out for room temperature water until the soup has thawed.

Please let me know if you give this super simple and creamy chickpea and rice soup a try!

I'd love to know your thoughts so be sure to leave a comment down below and rate the recipe.

Also, be sure to share it with any friends who you think would enjoy it!

📖 Recipe

Creamy Chickpea and Rice Soup

Faith VanderMolen

Made with hearty vegetables and rich cashew cream, this Creamy Chickpea and Rice Soup is the perfect, warming meal this fall season!

4.59 from 12 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Calories 247 kcal

Equipment

• Vitamix 5200 Blender

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 carrots chopped
• 3 celery ribs chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable broth powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup long grain white rice*
• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• ¾ cup cashews soaked**
• 1 cup water

OPTIONAL:

• 4 cups leafy greens chopped
• ¼ cup parsley chopped

Instructions 

• In a large sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in water or olive oil until the onion is translucent.
• Add in the chopped carrots and celery and sauté a few more minutes.
• Stir in the vegetable broth powder, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
• Add in the vegetable broth and water and bring everything to a boil.
• Once the mixture is boiling, add in 1 cup of dry rice. Stir everything together, cover the pot, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the rice to cook for about 20 minutes.
• While the soup is simmering, blend together the cashews and water until smooth.
• After the rice has been simmering for 20 minutes, add in the chickpeas, cashew cream and optional leafy greens. Stir everything together and allow the soup to warm through and the greens to wilt.
• Remove the bay leaf, and, if desired, add in some parsley before serving. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Serve with more black pepper, red chili flakes, nutritional yeast, etc.

Notes

*You can use brown rice if desired, you will just need to adjust the simmering time and probably the liquid as well.

**Soak your cashews overnight if you don't have a high speed blender. If you have a high speed blender, you can soak your cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes to an hour to soften.

This recipe thickens up when chilled in the fridge. When reheating leftovers, add in some extra water or vegetable broth to thin it out a little bit.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 1087mgPotassium: 341mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5959IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!