Simple Chickpea Soup
Updated Sept. 2, 2025
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3tablespoons olive oil, more for serving
- 1clove garlic, slivered
- 2(15½-ounce) cans chickpeas
- Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan, optional
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
277 calories; 11 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 433 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil until onion is translucent and has lost its bite. Add garlic and cook until slightly colored.
- Step 2
Rinse chickpeas in cold water, then add to pot. Add water to pot until chickpeas are covered to the depth of 1 inch.
- Step 3
Cook over medium heat (soup should bubble, but not come to a full boil) for an hour, or until the chickpeas are soft and silky. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with grated Parmesan or a drizzle of good olive oil if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
This is great base soup, easy to whip up with almost no prep. I suspect you can add almost anything (veggies, sausage, etc), but if you do, I'd recommend making sure to scale up the amount of lemon juice you use; the freshness is a critical flavor component.
I added kale, (which I didn't quite cut small enough so we did a lot of chewing...). I also used a potato masher to soften things up a bit at the end for a creamier soup, and added a bit of paprika and cayenne.
Great recipe!
If you're using canned chickpeas, why would this need to cook for an hour?
This was really good... after it had the chance to sit for a day or two. I took some hints from a similar recipe that I make often (Chickpea Stew with Orzo & Mustard Greens), and sauteed some fennel & a shake of red pepper flakes with the onions, & threw in some chopped cherry tomatoes halfway through the cooking time. Also added a few handfuls of baby spinach & some lemon zest at the end. Finally, I had used all my Parmesan rinds, so added a 2-in chunk of cheese to cook down.
I love a recipe that delivers maximum flavour with little effort. I can see how this concoction could be subject to infinite variation (fresh rosemary, mushrooms, bits of kale that need a new home) but sometimes is nourishing to make something so simple that delivers beyond one's expectations. This is when cooking soup becomes alchemy. I woudl love more recipes like this one. A new NYT category please? No work great results.
Add chopped carrots and celery after step 2 and use (chicken) broth instead of water for more flavor. I also recommend adding a chunk of fresh ginger and fresh parsley.
Add a half teaspoon of ground cumin to the onions and garlic before adding the chick peas. I use the juice of a whole lemon, or add a bit of finely grated lemon zest