Creamy vegan spinach soup with lemon

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Two bowls full of vegan spinach soup, slices of bread and two spoons in the background.

This nourishing creamy vegan spinach soup is one of my go-to recipes when getting weeknight dinners on the table can feel like a chore. It takes just 20 minutes to make, I always have these basic ingredients on hand and there’s barely any clean up! 

It couldn’t be easier, cheaper and healthier and I love when a meal thicks all these boxes.

Frozen spinach is fantastic to keep on hand, it saves you a massive amount of time and it works great in a soup. This vegan spinach soup is creamy, light and nutrient especially with the addition of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
No half and half, no butter, no sour cream, only a large potato and plenty of spinach.

What ingredients you need

  • Frozen spinach
  • Large potato
  • Vegetable broth
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • Lemon
  • Basil (optional)
  • Salt & pepper

The ingredients for this vegan spinach soup are arranged over a white background.

How to make it

  • Saute’ onion and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes
  • Add potato chunks, broth, salt, pepper and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft
  • Add thawed spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes
  • Turn off the heat and stir in some fresh basil leaves (optional)
  • Blend to a smooth and creamy soup
  • Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a wedge of lemon on the side

Close-up of a bowl full of vegan spinach soup with a spoon, another bowl and bread in the background.

This creamy vegan spinach soup is ready in 20 minutes and costs less than $1 per serving!

IS SPINACH GOOD FOR YOU?

YES, I did some research and I found that Spinach is a terrific superfood: it’s low on calories and packed with protein, iron, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
It’s great for skin, hair, and bone health, eyesight, muscles and cancer prevention.

Top view of a bowl full of vegan spinach soup, lemon wedges and a spoon in the background.

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

FROZEN SPINACH

Spinach is frozen quickly after harvesting, locking in nutrients, and allowing it to keep for months. It’s inexpensive and it cut down on the amount of time and effort without compromising on taste and nutrients.
I usually keep fresh spinach for salad or wilted spinach, but I go for frozen spinach when it comes to recipes that call for volume.

However, if you rely on convenient bags from the freezer aisle all year round, you might have a look at these easy, delicious, and healthy recipes: baked spinach frittata and pea and feta soup.

LEMON JUICE

Squeezing over some fresh lemon juice will enhance the absorption of iron and will add a refreshing and delightful touch to this simple and humble soup.

HOW LONG DOES THIS VEGAN SPINACH SOUP KEEP?

It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

If you make this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you!

A delicious creamy vegan spinach soup ready in no time and packed with nutrients.
Print Recipe
4 from 2 votes

Creamy vegan spinach soup

This nourishing creamy vegan spinach soup is one of my go-to recipes when getting weeknight dinners on the table can feel like a chore. It takes just 20 minutes to make, I always have these basic ingredients on hand and there's barely any clean up! 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: vegan, vegetarian
Keyword: Vegan spinach soup
Servings: 4
Calories: 103kcal
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450 grams) (16-oz) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
  • 1/2 lb (220 grams) potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 3 cups (720 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced
  • 1 medium white onion, sliced
  • ¾ Tbsp olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juice
  • 1 a handful of basil leaves (optional)
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 minutes or until soft.
  • Add potatoes, vegetable broth, a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Add spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes until spinach is tender.
  • Turn off the heat and add a handful of basil leaves (optional). 
  • Using an immersion blender, puree the soup to a smooth consistency. Taste it, you might want to adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
  • Serve with a good drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, and a wedge of lemon juice on the side (1 tsp of lemon juice per serving is perfect). 
    You can enjoy this soup hot or chilled.

Notes

  • I usually make my own vegetable broth cooking for about 5-10 minutes vegetable scraps and herbs. However, when I'm short on time I go for hot water and vegan low salt vegetable broth cubes.
  • Seasoning: If you use a vegetable or chicken broth that tastes quite salty on its own, it's important to adjust the seasoning at the end and not at the beginning as you never really know how strong the salt from the broth is. In this case, I would start only with a good pinch of salt, no more than that.
  • Lemon: dd a little lemon juice at a time and see which level of acidity fits your taste. 
  • Leftover: it keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Nutrition facts: Please note that the nutrition values are an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator.  It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. The nutrition value is for one serving (without basil, but including 1/2 tsp of salt).
 

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 639mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 13193IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 3mg

13 Comments

  1. Can you freeze it and re-heat?

    1. Yes, Jessica!
      Have a great week. x

  2. 4 stars
    I made last night. Added 3 clove garlic, I tsp nutmeg and I tsp of
    garlic powder after reading the comments.
    Very yummy

  3. Hey, I am looking forward to making this tomorrow. Can you just let me know if this is 96 kcals per potion? Or 96kcals in total? Thankyou. Looks lush. Will # a photo of mine tomorrow x

    1. Hi Kelly, calories are per serving. Looking forward to seeing your photo then! 😉 x

  4. Could you use fresh spinach for this? Would the measurements be the same?

    1. Hi April, I’ve never made this recipe with fresh spinach and I can’t give you the right measurements for the swap.
      I think you need more than 1 lb of fresh spinach to make the equivalent of 1 lb of frozen spinach (probabily about 1 1/2 lb).
      Sorry if I can’t be more precise! x

  5. How much is one serving size? 1 cup, 2? Trying to accurately calculate how many calories I’d be eating. Thanks so much… Recipe looks amazing and can’t wait to try it! (:

    1. It’s a generous cup, let’s say 1 cup + a couple of Tbsps 😊 x

  6. 5 stars
    This is sooo good! I didn’t change a thing. The taste reminds me of palak paneer but this is like a healthy version without the cheese. It’s so quick and easy too. I would definitely make this over and over again.

    1. I’m so pleased you loved it, Norie! Thanks for your lovely feedback 💛

  7. 4 stars
    I like how it came out, but I did have to tweak the recipe. At the end it needs a good bit of salt, and I would definitely add more basil leaves. I also ended up using 3 garlic cloves because the 1 in the beginning cooked down so much it wasn’t really detectable. (At the end I used a pinch of garlic powder too.)

    Next time I make this I think I want to incorporate some rosemary as well.
    I liked this recipe a lot though, and the lemon at the end 100% makes it!

    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Sheridan! I like the way you tweaked it, and I’m thinking now I might test again the recipe adding more garlic, I love the idea 😉 x

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