A healthy and creamy zucchini soup recipe that's ready to eat in less than 30 minutes! An easy vegetarian soup that makes a tasty lunch or midweek dinner. Plus it's a great way to use up those excess zucchinis when in season!
If you're anything like me, you probably get a little (actually, a lot!) soup obsessed during the colder months.
Whether it's a batch of classic roasted pumpkin soup, Chinese takeout style chicken and corn soup, creamy cauliflower soup, or a hearty potato and leek soup, there's a whole lot going for a big bowl of soup on a cold wintery day!
So when it's cold outside and warm inside, it's the perfect time to whip up a healthy and nutritious winter soup.
The smell of those delicious flavours wafting through the kitchen only add to that 'wrapped up in a cosy blanket' feel, don't they?
Serve this soup with crusty bread or with my soft & fluffy homemade white bread rolls.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Budget friendly - when zucchinis are in season, they are literally EVERYWHERE, and if you haven't grown some yourself, you've probably been given some, or they are cheap, cheap, cheap to buy!
- Quick and easy - zucchinis don't take a lot of cooking, and so this soup will be ready in less than half an hour.
- Healthy and low in calories - full of fresh veggie goodness, this soup can also be made lower in calories just by using light milk and/or cream if you prefer.
- Dairy-free option - switch the cream and milk for coconut cream and coconut milk for a dairy-free, vegetarian meal.
- Kid-Friendly - with a little parmesan on top, and its creamy texture, zucchini soup is a great way to fill up little tummies and smuggle healthy veggies in.
- Freezer-Friendly - when zucchinis are abundant, why not make a huge pot of soup and freeze some in containers for those meal times when you're completely time poor!
What You Need
To make this zucchini soup you'll need just a few basic ingredients.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- onion - choose a large brown or yellow onion
- olive oil
- garlic - fresh or minced garlic are both suitable to use
- zucchinis - also known as courgettes in some countries such as the UK and NZ, is a popular summer squash
- liquid vegetable stock - choose either homemade, powdered stock mixed with water or store bought liquid stock
- milk - I prefer full-fat or full-cream milk in all my recipes, however you can use light milk if you prefer
- cream - I use full cream, however choose a light cream if you want to reduce calories.
You might also like to add some extra cream, sour cream, grated parmesan or croutons on top when serving for extra winter richness!
Step By Step Instructions
A quick and simple soup to make full of creamy veggie goodness!
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and the full detailed method.
Step 1 - Saute Onion And Garlic
Heat the oil in a large pot and saute the chopped onion and crushed garlic until soft and translucent.
Step 2 - Add Chopped Zucchini
Add the chopped zucchini and stir for one minute over heat.
Step 3 - Add Stock
Pour the liquid stock into the pot and bring to the boil.
Then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 4 - Add Milk And Cream
Allow to cool slightly before adding milk and cream.
Note: Do not boil after adding milk and cream - simply heat through.
Step 5 - Blend
Use either a food processor, stick blender or Thermomix to puree the soup in batches, ensuring that it has cooled slightly before doing so.
Serving Suggestions
This healthy zucchini soup is delicious served on it's own - but even more amazing when served with a yummy side.
Here's a few of my favourite options:
- crusty sourdough
- soft white bread rolls
- cheese and bacon muffins
- savoury muffins
- ham and cheese scrolls
And don't forget to add an extra swirl of cream, or sour cream and some grated parmesan to the soup if you like!
Expert Tips & FAQ
This recipe has 180 calories per serve when made exactly as per the recipe below (using a combination of milk and cream). If you'd like your soup to be lower in calories and fat, simply replace the cream with extra milk, and use low-fat or light milk. I find the best flavour comes with full cream milk and cream, but if you're watching calories, then these substitutes are great!
And of course, you can always serve the soup on it's own (without the croutons, extra cream and parmesan cheese).
To make this a dairy-free zucchini soup, simply substitute the milk and cream for coconut milk and coconut cream.
You're going to love the answer to this!! You do NOT need to peel the zucchinis (courgettes) before using them in soup. The skin is full of flavour and healthy goodness. Just give them a wash then simply chop them up, pop them in the saucepan, let them simmer until softened and then puree with a stick blender or food processor.
Ensure that the soup has cooled slightly before pureeing to avoid any scalds from the steam and hot liquid.
Nothing! Courgette is the European name, while zucchini is the American name. That’s the only difference!
This zucchini soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
This recipe also freezes really well - so make a few big batches when zucchinis are abundant and freeze for up to 3 months in airtight containers.
Related Recipes
When zucchinis are in season, it's the perfect opportunity to whip up some simple, healthy light meals, and to stock up the freezer too!
Here's some more recipes using zucchinis:
- Healthy Zucchini Fritters - a great veggie smuggling hit with fussy eaters, and toddlers learning to feed themselves
- Healthy Sweet Potato, Zucchini & Bacon Slice - a great light lunch or dinner, add a salad and kebabs if you have big mouths to feed
- Cheesy Quinoa, Zucchini & Sweet Potato Fritters - serve with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce for a vegetarian meal the whole family will enjoy
- Healthy Ham, Cheese & Zucchini Muffins - 100% kid approved and ready in less than half an hour
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread - ok, so there had to be one for the 'sweet' taste buds of the world! And made with greek yoghurt, honey and coconut oil - this bread makes a healthy 'no-guilt' addition to lunchboxes.
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Creamy Zucchini Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 brown onion diced
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 kg zucchinis chopped into 2cm chunks
- 4 cups liquid vegetable stock
- 1 cup milk full fat
- ½ cup cream light or thickened
- croutons, extra cream, parmesan for serving
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add the chopped zucchinis and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the liquid vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before adding the milk and cream and pureeing with a stick blender or a food processor until smooth.
- Serve with croutons, some grated parmesan and extra cream or sour cream drizzled over the top (optional).
Thermomix Method
- Place the onion into chop for 5 seconds, Speed 8.
- Add the olive oil and minced garlic and cook for 3 minutes, 100 degrees, Speed 2.
- Add the chopped zucchini and liquid vegetable stock and cook for 20 minutes, 100 degrees, Speed 1 (place the rice simmering basket over the hole to catch any splashes).
- Allow to cool slightly before adding the milk and cream and then pureeing by very slowly increasing to Speed 9 (see notes).
- Serve with croutons, some grated parmesan and extra cream or sour cream drizzled over the top (optional).
Anna says
I scaled the recipe down (using the sliding tab on the recipe) to suit the weight of my single zucchini. 20 minutes later I had an amazing soup. It was probably the easiest soup I’ve ever made & really delicious. I love the option to create the amount of serves you want, as I’m always wasting large recipes. I’ll definitely make this again!
Lucy says
Fantastic!
Amanda M says
Yum, yum and more yum - such a quick and easy recipe with maximum taste.
Thanks - will definitely be making this one again
Lucy says
I'm so happy to hear that!