One spoonful of this soup and you’ll be BEGGING for the entire pot! This Velvety Zucchini Basil Soup is a wonderful surprise. All the subtle flavors, the velvety texture, vegan, gluten-free, and only 5 ingredients. It may seem like another zucchini soup, but is really so much more. The simple addition of blended fresh basil really elevates the flavor of this dish.
This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Little Italy, San Diego. After becoming vegan, I ended up dropping a few of my favorite Italian restaurants, because most of the dishes I previously enjoyed contained dairy and their vegan options were limited and nothing special. However, in some instances, I actually ended up discovering new dishes at my favorite restaurants, such as this Velvety Zucchini Basil Soup. I would often crave this soup, which happened to be one of their vegan options. So, I knew I had to re-create it in my own kitchen.
Of course I wasn’t sure as to all the ingredients that went into the soup at the restaurant, but I knew I wanted my version to be very fresh and focused on getting the flavor of the zucchini and basil to come out. While you’re making this soup, I encourage you to try it before and after the addition of blended basil… it’s a wonderful element of surprise.
Try it…literally just 5 ingredients and so easy to make. I promise your entire family will love it. I can’t wait to hear what you think and see your creations on Facebook and Instagram, so don’t forget to tag me @vegetariangastronomy #vegetariangastronomy!
Velvety Zucchini Basil Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 9 cups zucchini , diced (~5-6 zucchinis)
- 2 cups white onions , diced (~1 white onion)
- 4 cups vegetable broth (see notes below)
- 8 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large non-stick pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and diced white onion. Saute, mixing frequently, until fragrant and the onions start to become translucent.
- Add all the chopped zucchini and saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and 1 teasp salt and combine.
- Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to keep a gentle simmer, and cover. Let the soup simmer until the zucchini is tender and cooked (to test, simply see if the zucchini easily mashes against the side of the pot).
- Blend all of the soup until completely pureed. I used my Vitamix, but any blender should do just fine. Most likely you'll have to blend in two batches because of the volume of the soup.
- While blending one of the batches, add 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves and completely blend/puree into the soup.
- Add all of the pureed soup back into the large pot and bring the soup to a gentle simmer, uncovered. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- The soup should already be at the desired consistency (on the thick side), but for some reason if it is too thin, simmer the soup until you reach the the thickness you prefer.
- Season with salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve hot with a side of your favorite toasted bread.
Rashmi
As the days are going by, we are approaching our winter very quickly…I always enjoy a nice hearty bowl of soup especially during the winter season, I have to say…this soup looks absolutely dreamy and delicious and the soup definitely fits the title of VELVETY, it looked silky smooth…Well-Done xx
Reshana
I have heard that zucchini and basil are a match made in heaven! And this bowl looks like a piece of heaven! Creamy, delicious and velvety!! I must say, your pictures are spot on, I want to devour this entire bowl 🙂 Definitely perfect for Winter x
Stephanie
This sounds yummy and I will try it soon – wanted to add that this is the perfect situation for an immersion blender – I do not know how ever lived without one! Thanks!
anjali
Yes, you’re right, it’s great for the immersion blender which is what I typically use for soups. I think since my Vitamix was there I didn’t even think twice, but yes, as long as you get the basil leaves completely pureed into the soup, using any method is fine. You will LOVE this soup…let me know if and when you try it!
Mahy
OMG this is so beautiful! I am craving this soup right now!!
anjali
Thank you! It’s become one of our favorites.
Sarah
This sounds delicious…and what perfect timing, as there’ll be tons of zucchini to be used in the coming months! 🙂
anjali
Thanks Sarah! Can you believe I had three 3-lb zucchinis and one 5-lb zucchini growing in my yard last year?? So much zucchini! Wish I had developed this soup last year =)
jayne
This soup looks so thick and silky and what a great colour! love the idea of zucchini soup
anjali
I honestly never would’ve gone for a zucchini soup, but the basil REALLY takes it up a notch making this one of my favs!
Diana
I added a can of coconut milk and some spices to taste. It was really good !
Thank you for the recipe
Anjali Lalani
Glad you enjoyed it!
Shelby
I will definitely try this – and will share with my mom, she would love it! Your photos are gorgeous.
anjali
Thank you Shelby…I’ve made this soup at least 5 times now and it’s always a huge hit. Hope your mom enjoys!
Jessica {Swanky Recipes}
Love how easy and delicious this recipe looks! The hubs and I are all about zucchini right now and so we’ll have to give this a try!
anjali
You will love it! If you do, let me know!
Reema
I can’t believe such a simple soup was so delicious!! I had my nose turned up because, you know, zucchini soup? But omg it’s so good!!
anjali
That’s so awesome!! Haha…love the ‘nose turned up’ part =) I can totally see that. This soup is such a surprise, and it’s all because of the addition of basil. Thanks for always trying out my recipes Reema!!
Susie
Have you tried this chilled? It’s blazing hot today and this sounds like it could be refreshing served cold!
anjali
Yes I have and love it! Let me know if you try out the recipe!
Sue Mullin
I have lots of yellow squash. Do you think that would also work with basil?
anjali
Yeah I think it should taste great still. Yellow squash is typically sweeter than zucchini, so the soup may turn out a little on the sweeter side if you’re fine with that, maybe need to add a little more salt, but otherwise should be great! Sorry for the delayed response, hope you still get a chance to try out this recipe. Let me know if you do!
Heather S.
Absolutely divine!!! Thank you!!! 🙂
anjali
Glad you loved it!! Thanks for trying it out! It’s one of my favorites…
Karen K
Hi….
About HOW LONG does it take to cook onions AND how long to simmer the soup before blending? Please write “time” guidelines in your recipes. Thanks. I’ve made great soups, but also terrible ones (bad recipe)
anjali
Hi Karen…I actually just made this soup tonight for dinner…SO SO good! Trust me this is an awesome recipe. Cook the onions for about 5-7 minutes, or until they start to become translucent. The time for simmering the soup is about 20-30 minutes. If you are easily able to smash one of the zucchini pieces up against the side of the pot, then it’s done. Zucchini should be tender and cooked. Then simply blend! I’ll add in approx. timings into the recipe. I know you’ll love this soup, let me know if you try it out.
Emily
Hi – I made this and it was delicious! It helped me use up a baseball bat sized zucchini. I subbed in some other herbs (some cilantro and parsley) because I was low on fresh basil and it turned out great.
anjali
So great to hear Emily! Glad you loved it and nice to know that it also works with other herbs! It definitely helps use up large zucchinis haha. I had a few 3-5 lb zucchini growing in my yard last year and this soup recipe was PERFECT! Thanks so much for trying it out!
Katie
This soup is phenomenal, and so so so easy. I used my new immersion blender and it worked perfectly. I added a couple extra cloves of garlic, and topped with crispy bacon for personal preference.
My husband couldn’t get enough of it, and has already asked me to keep this recipe handy.
I will definitely be making this again soon.
anjali
Awesome!! So great to hear Katie! It is so easy and it’s in our rotation as well…my kids love it! Thanks so much for trying it out and commenting!!
Uma @ Centsible Indian
I’m a sucker of soup recipes and this is something I definitely want to give a try considering I love pesto.
anjali
Oh you will LOVE it Uma! It is so delicious…tastes like butter is what i tell my kids ha! The basil is the key ingredient in this soup. Let me know if you try it. Thanks again!
Natalie Holst
How long will the soup keep for refrigerated – and how about frozen?
anjali
Hi Natalie! The soup will probably be fine for 2-4 days in the fridge. I’ve never frozen it, but I’m pretty certain you can! If you do, just defrost and quickly give it a whirl in the blender to make sure the consistency is the same and it should be good to go! Let me know how you like it…it’s one of my families favorite soups!!
EEE
This is absolutely delicious!! I made it thinking it would last a week and it lasted only one meal. Added rosemary since I needed to use it up. Thanks!
anjali
Thank you! I always make double the batch because of that same issue ha! Rosemary sounds like a great addition.
Leti
Hello, recipe listed doesn’t say the serving amounts?
I cook occasionally for my church and am trying this for our Senior Citizens luncheon. Wish me luck because as you know these group of youngsters can be very opinionated! Lol.
anjali
The recipe states above that it is 6-7 full size servings (probably about 10-11 cups?). Haha…I think they will LOVE it, and it’s super easy for you to make too! I’m very excited for them to try it out, so please do let me know how it went! Thanks so much!
Rachel
I come back to this recipe over and over and over again. And I recommend it to *everyone* I know. Not once has anyone not said, “The soup was amazing. I’m going to make it again!”
I cannot thank you enough. I discovered this recipe two years ago when looking for a way to use up the extra zucchini from my garden. I make a batch every week or so in the winter now!
anjali
You made my day!! Thanks so much for the awesome review!! I’m so glad you love it! This is also one of our favorites, and I created it as a way to use up my gigantic zucchini from the garden! Thanks so much!
Isabelle
Pretty good, but a little too rich. I’d just cut back on garlic a bit.
anjali
Glad you liked it…this soup is meant to be quite rich! Simple, but lots of flavors from the basil, zucchini, and garlic.
Echo
Amazing. 10 stars! Friends have been loading me up with giant zucchini and I’ve been grating, chopping, baking and cooking zucchini like nobody’s business. I have made several zucchini soups and this one is hands down my favorite, so much so that I will be tossing the other recipes. Thank you so much for sharing it 🙂
anjali
Haha…that’s awesome! I developed this recipe when I had giant zucchinis growing in my yard and wanted to use them up! The soup is so simple yet the flavors are delicious together! Glad you loved it and great to hear it’s by far your favorite! Thank you for the great review!
Lena
Aside from all the comments regarding “Wanting to try this! ” or “This looks so good!” I am posting a comment because I ACTUALLY MADE THE SOUP and followed the recipe and wow, it was really great to say the least. Will absolutely be making this again and again. I added a tbsp of Nutritional Yeast for extra flavor and it really added an extra boost of creaminess. Thanks for the recipe. <3
anjali
Haha…thank you so much! Yes totally helps to have readers that actually try out the recipe so thank you! This has been a popular recipe for awhile now and I’m so glad you loved it! The nutritional yeast addition sounds amazing!
Kanika Kapoor
was lovely. we only had 1/2 a zucchini and so we added 3 basil leaves which turned out to be a little less. next time i’ll get my cook to add more basil leaves. thanks for this lovely healthy recipe.
anjali
so glad you loved it, thanks!
Becky
So simple, but so good! This recipe is one of my favorite innovative ways to use zucchini.
anjali
Thank you! We just picked a ton of squash and zucchini from the yard and this is what we’re making! It’s my favorite zucchini recipe!
Bonnie
I was so happy to find a creamy zucchini soup that didn’t involve cream! I made it last night (very easy) and we loved it. My husband has health issues that require low salt and low cholesterol in his diet and this was a perfect fit.
anjali
So glad you loved it! It always amazes me when I make this soup. No cream, yet buttery, rich, and flavorful soup!
Jina
Hi there! What is the size for a serving? One cup?
anjali
It’s probably more than one cup…to be honest I did it based on a single serving portion size, but it’s probably more than one cup for sure.
Denise
Getting ready to try this recipe, but do not have fresh basil and am avoiding going into markets right now when I can. I have dry basil leaves. About how much dry basil would you recommend in place of fresh? I know it will alter the taste of the soup some, but want to try it anyway. Thank you,
anjali
hmm…honestly I think this recipe tastes best with fresh basil because of the flavor from the leaves. But if you still want to try it, it’s typically 2 to 1 fresh to dried for basil! Let me know if you try it this way…curious to know how it’ll come out!
Tani
LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup! It’s good cold and warm! I have also added unflavored pea protein to the soup just to up the protein count!
anjali
So great to hear you loved this soup! It’s definitely a favorite…and what a great idea adding in unflavored pea protein! I’ll have to try that to make it more filling next time!