It’s December 18, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve already eaten your fair share of holiday treats. Between the Triple Chocolate Cookies, Apple Spice Donuts, and Chocolate Cheesecake, I’ve had my hands full (of sweets). So, I thought it was time to share a really healthy recipe! A detoxifying Vegan Green Goddess Soup!
Will this soup actually detox your body? I have no idea. But what I do know is that this soup feels like a much-needed detox after a few weeks of eating rich holiday treats. But before you think that this recipe is for a green brothy soup à la the Cabbage Soup Diet, let’s get things straight: this is a creamy, satisfying, delicious soup. I will let the photos speak for the creaminess.
Why you’ll love this vegan green goddess soup
This soup starts off with anti-inflammatory garlic and crushed red pepper. Then it gets hit with two of my favorite cruciferous vegetables: Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Brussels sprouts are rich in glucosinolates, which help activate the detoxification of cancer-causing substances in the body. So maybe this soup does really detoxify your body! Brussels sprouts also offer numerous benefits in the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, digestive, and cardiovascular departments. And then there’s cauliflower, my favorite humble vegetable. In addition to boasting many of the same health benefits as Brussels sprouts, it also contributes a creamy texture to this soup.
Next come raw cashews, which bring a lot of creaminess to this soup, making it feel almost indulgent (no diet soup here!). They’re brimming with antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, which are linked with improved heart health and a reduction in triglycerides. Cashews are also an excellent source of copper and magnesium, both of which contribute to bone health (among many other benefits).
Finally, this soup gets a healthy dose of green things: spinach and fresh herbs. As you may already know, spinach is incredibly rich in a wide variety of minerals and vitamins. Just 1 cup of cooked spinach provides over 1/3 of your daily iron needs and almost 1000% of your daily Vitamin K needs (yes, 1000 with three zeros). And the fresh herbs—parsley, basil, and mint—aren’t here just to add flavor. They’re also packed with nutrients.
Parsley is exceptionally rich in myricetin, a flavonoid that has been shown to protect against both skin cancer and diabetes. Basil contains volatile oils that have the ability to inhibit unwanted bacterial growth and inflammation-causing enzymes. And mint is loaded with antioxidants that may reduce oxidative stress in the body, and is also a great home remedy for indigestion, gas, and upset stomachs.
Tips for preparing this soup
Now that we’ve gone through a nutritional deep dive in this soup, I’ll leave you with a few tips on preparing this soup.
I prefer to use vegetable broth instead of water, as it adds a more robust flavor, especially if you use a homemade or high-quality broth; however, if you’re a foodie and you want this soup to be pretty and perfectly green, you’ll want to use water.
For the Brussels sprouts, in order for them to cook down quickly, I use shaved or shredded Brussels sprouts. You can find pre-shredded Brussels sprouts at many grocery stores, but if you want to prepare them yourself, here are easy instructions on how to do so using a food processor.
Same thing with the cauliflower – to ensure they cook quickly, I chopped them into small florets. If you want to minimize the chopping, you can toss large florets into a food processor and pulse a few times until you have small pieces.
Once this soup gets puréed, it gets surprisingly creamy, but if you are looking for more creaminess, add in the optional coconut milk.
So, if your body is feeling like it needs a detox during the holidays, try this heart-healthy, antioxidant-rich Vegan Green Goddess Soup!
Vegan Green Goddess Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (to taste, optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 6 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 3 cups of shredded/shaved Brussels sprouts
- 1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cut into small florets
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
- 3 large handfuls of baby spinach (add more if you’d like)
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped + more for garnish
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped + more for garnish
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped + more for garnish
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeeze lemon juice
- 1 cup “lite” canned coconut milk (optional, for extra creaminess)
Garnishes
- Cucumber ribbons
- Black sesame seeds
- Vegan yogurt or coconut milk
- Toasted pine nuts
Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the onions and celery and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are starting to soften and turn lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the vegetable broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the broth for 10 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cashews and bring to vigorous simmer/gentle boil for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Transfer the soup to a high-powered blender and add the spinach, mint, basil, parsley, the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper to taste, lemon juice, and coconut milk (if using). Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to do this in batches. Remove the blender cap to prevent trapping the steam inside the blender and cover the hole with a dish towel. Blend the soup until it is completely smooth and thick. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add more broth or water as needed to thin out. Season to taste with salt/pepper. If desired, garnish with additional fresh herbs and cucumber ribbons, black sesame seeds, vegan yogurt, and toasted pine nuts.
really yummy and unusuall soup. Never made a soup like that before and was interesting to try mint and basil in a soup. I used cabbage instead of brusslles sprouts and it came out really creamy and yummy. Thanks Nisha for this wonderful healthy recipe.
We’re delighted you’re a fan of the soup, Elisheva! :) You’re very welcome for the recipe!
Looks very yummy and healthy. I wonder if I can replace the brussels sprouts with shredded green cabbage. Thanks, Elisheva
Hi Elisheva, that would probably work! They may not need to be boiled rigorously for the full 10 minutes, though, as they’re more delicate than brussels sprouts.
Thank you so much Nisha!
Does this recipe freeze well?
Hi Ellie, we didn’t test whether or not this soup freezes well in the RPL kitchen. By taking a look at the ingredients, I am thinking it would probably freeze well. If you’d like to test this, I’d start by freezing a cup of soup the day you make it, and then try it the following day to be sure. If it works, freeze the rest and let us know!
Made this today and it was SOO BOMB! My family liked it as well. We ate with ciabatta bread since we don’t have sourdough..sadly but it was good with the bread!!!
Thanks for sharing, Sammy!
I love this soup. It’s so delicious. I actually made it exactly as indicated, including adding the coconut milk. I usually tweak recipes but vegan cooking is new to me so I followed along! I took my time and prepped everything beforehand. Once prep was done everything came together easily. Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad to hear it, Bonnie! Thanks for the wonderful review :)
I love this soup!!! For me, it was a lot of effort to make it (I have chronic fatigue) but I’m very pleased with the result. I followed your recipe precisely. Yummy and SO SO HEALTHY! I never bother to make recipes with fresh herbs but I’m glad I did this time. Thank you!
Julie, So glad to hear you loved this recipe! :) Thanks for trying it out!
VERY nice soup!!! I’ve had it pinned for months, hesitant to try it because I don’t mind any of the ingredients, but I don’t love them either. It’s disappointing to try a new recipe (especially one that requires a lot of ingredients and a bit of time) only to find you don’t like it. I’m VERY pleased with how much I like the flavor of this soup, on top of the health benefits!! I need to counter the holiday junk I’ve been eating, and my stomach has been uncomfortable today…after enjoying a bowl of this, I felt better immediately! Not sure if it is a psychosomatic effect of knowing how good the soup is for my body, but I’ll take it either way! Bonus: both of my children liked it enough to each eat a whole bowl – including the one whose vegetable intake is strictly limited to asparagus, spinach, corn and sweet potatoes! Thank you so much for sharing! I think this will be a game changer for my family.
Writing this as I eat the soup. It’s SO GOOD. We didn’t have any mint but honestly it’s delicious without it. Also knowing how veggie packed this is makes it that much more delicious
Glad you loved the soup, Brittany!
I have not made this recipe but plan to. Here is my challenge to you. When I wasn’t eating a vegan diet I loved to make “cucumber soup”. It’s a very simple recipe. I peel and shred cucumbers, and combine them with COLD buttermilk. A little salt and some fresh dill (it must be fresh) and you have a great summer meal. Filling too. Most people shy away from this recipe due to the buttermilk, which I would never drink on its own, however, this combo is so good. Can you come up with a recipe that is vegan and replicates this tasty summer treat?
You could try using a dairy free yogurt and thin it with water. There is a Persian soup similar to what you describe that uses yogurt for that tanginess.
Such a great recipe, Nisha! I did this in this instant pot, 4 mins high pressure and then blended it in a blender. Soo good!
Hi Nisha! LOVE you and your recipes/videos! Would this be doable in the instant pot? My husband has loved all your instant pot soups, and it’s been the only way I can get him to eat veggies haha!
Hello :) do you think there would be a good nut free
substitute for the cashews? Sunbutter? This looks so delicious!
Erika, I’m wondering if you found a good substitute for the cashews in this recipe.
Hi Bonnie, you can use the coconut milk and omit the soaked cashews if you’d like. Soaked sunflower seeds could potentially work as well!
Making it again tonight. Can’t get enough of this recipe.
I wonder instead of using cashews, can you use canned coconut cream instead?
Wow amazing recipe took me four hours lesson learned lol going to start early but its the best soup hands down. I dd it almost exactly the same besides the black sesame I added toasted sesame and coconut milk garnished. Wow rate 20/20!!!
Thanks for this recipe! This soup has been a huge hit at our house. Curious: how long do you think leftovers would keep well in the fridge?
Hi Nikki, so glad to hear you and your family have enjoyed this soup :) It should stay good for 4-5 days.
My partner had an upset stomach for a few days from eating badly (take-out, fried goodies/badies) so I decided to give this recipe a try. This soup is magic! Not only does it taste delicious but it literally makes you feel worlds better. Her stomach felt better right after eating this! Thank you Nisha!
Just made this as I felt I needed it after the holidays. I added less brussel sprouts and cauliflower but replaced them with some shredded kale, cabbage and brocoli. It turned out absolutely super delicious!! Creamy and full of goodness! Thanks for this recipe, my body thanks you as well! :)
So happy to hear that you enjoyed this soup, Fabienne! I love the additions you made with kale and broccoli and cabbage – so wholesome and good for you! Thanks for stopping by :)
I think I need this soup in my life…my body is craving veggies after all the heavy holiday food!
Haha I don’t blame you! I feel the same way!
Made this soup. So delicious. I added less brussel sprouts though (my preference) and threw in some parsnips I had. Did not come as bright green but yummy nevertheless.
Hi Domenica! So happy you tried this soup and customized it to your own taste. I worked really hard to make it bright green (and then photo editing helps). But the taste is what really matters hehe so I am glad you enjoyed it!
I had to come see this soup up close because it was just so pretty on Instagram. Your photography is gorgeous, and since I have never used Brussels sprouts in a soup, I am excited to try this recipe as well.
You are so sweet, Naomi! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. I hope you enjoy the soup!