Soothing Garlic Chickpea Soup

This soothing, comforting and healthy chickpea soup recipe will warm you heart and fill your tummy! It’s a load of love flavored with lots of lime, cilantro and spiced up with chilli flakes. 

This authentic winter Turkish street food recipe you can’t miss! Simple as can be, yet as comforting as can be!

It’s hard to believe how this combo of just a few, simple ingredients can yield such an insanely delicious recipe. I can’t urge you enough to make this one! 🙂 Full Recipe Video below!!

CHICKPEA SOUP

This one pot, easy Chickpea Soup is beyond delicious – it’s pure LOVE.

Imagine melt in your mouth cooked chickpeas, infused with a garlicky tomato broth and dressed up with plenty of lime juice, fresh herbs, and some chilli peppers.

The best way to get though tough days or harsh winters is bowl of chickpea soup like this one!

The magic question you may be thinking:

Is Chickpea Soup Good For You?

Yes, Yes and Yes! Oh and can I say Yes!! Lots of protein and fibre are found naturally in chickpeas. Vitamins and minerals too. I would say my favorite reason to eat chickpea soup is that it’s filling.

Seriously filling that you won’t miss any meat or chicken. And you won’t miss the carbs either! It’s really comfort food that fills you up.

CHICKPEA SOUP RECIPE

I wish I could take credit for coming up with such a simple recipe, but the truth is it’s classic Turkish and Egyptian winter street food!

I remember when I was a kid and visited my grandparents in winter, this chickpea soup would be sold at every corner. It’s like the food trucks in NYC. It was like food for the soul. Healthy, filling, delicious, melt in your mouth chickpeas, flavorful, comforting and seriously soothing.

Every time I crave it now, I make it this Turkish-inspired chickpea soup home. It comforts me, and it takes me back to those memories. 🙂

Now on to chickpeas!

Can I boil Canned Chickpeas?

While my recipe calls for dry chickpeas that are cooked from scratch, you can definitely make this with two cans of chickpeas. Since canned chickpeas are already cooked, you’ll only be boiling them to infuse the flavor of the broth. More on making this recipe using canned chickpeas below!

Should I Cook Canned Chickpeas?

No, they’re fully cooked and today we’re only boiling them to infuse flavors.

Can I overcook Chickpeas?

If you’re using canned chickpeas, I would say no. However if you’re using dried chickpeas and cooking them from scratch, then you may end up overcooking them. That’s probably one of the rare times an overcooked thing is a good thing! It will just be melt in your mouth soft, which is luscious!

Turkish Chickpea Soup

There may be several chickpea soups, or several ways to add chickpeas in a soup. Chickpeas actually thicken any soup and add plenty of nutritional value. This chickpea soup version revolves entirely around chickpeas.

MAKE CHICKPEA SOUP

While I mentioned this a few times, I can’t stress enough how you’ll be surprised at how delicious these simple ingredients blend together. Here’s basically how easy this chickpea soup comes together.

Video Recipe

First of all, cook your chickpeas with a whole onion, peeled. If you have an instant pot, slow cooker, pressure cooker, any of those work fabulously!

If not, you can cook the chickpeas on your good old stove. The onion here adds a nice depth of flavor to the chickpeas, but not a strong one. So it’s important to leave the onion whole—not sliced or chopped.

Once the chickpeas are cooked, you’ll drain them and save the water. In the same pot, you’ll sauté plenty of garlic in some olive oil, add in fresh grated tomatoes or crushed canned tomatoes, some cumin and the chickpea water.

Finally, you’ll add the chickpeas and let them simmer in this garlic tomato broth for at least half an hour.

Now for the final step: Squirt in some lime juice, throw in some fresh chopped parsley and cilantro, and finish off with some chopped green chilli or jalapeños.

While the spicy chilli is absolutely optional, I highly recommend it! You probably need just a small hint of spice, no more.

Now you’re in for a treat!! Just one sip and you get all these amazing flavors with creamy, smooth cooked chickpeas. 

Another thing, if you’re one of those people who feel chickpeas are bland. First of all, how? And second of all, here’s the good news—you will LOVE this chickpea soup recipe!! 🙂

Now if you’re a chickpea person, then you’ll be BLOWN away by this one 🙂 Give it a try and ENJOY 🙂

SOUP TIPS

• The sliced green chili and chopped cilantro on top are absolutely optional, yet I highly recommend it as it just rounds up the whole dish and adds just the right amount of heat!
• As a shortcut, you can cook the dried chickpeas in an instant pot but it also works on a traditional stovetop.
• If you didn’t find any fresh limes, use lemon juice instead but don’t leave this part out as it adds a wonderful freshness and pleasant acidity which is essential to this chickpea soup.

How to Make This Chickpea Soup Using Canned Chickpeas:

If you don’t have dried chickpeas, or if you’re rushed on time. Follow these steps:

1. Drain two cans of chickpeas and rinse them under water in a sieve.
2. Proceed with the recipe where you see the chickpeas removed and set aside from the pot.
3. So you’ll start by sauteing the garlic, adding tomatoes, chickpeas and instead of the chickpea water, you’ll add vegetable broth.
4. Allow the chickpea soup to boil as per the recipe and finish off with the line, cilantro, green chillies and serve!

MORE CHICKPEA RECIPES 

• Best Roasted Chickpeas Wrap
• Roast Lamb And Chickpeas
• Balsamic Kale Quinoa Chickpea Protein Bowl
• Spicy Vegan Chickpea Moroccan Couscous
• Moroccan Lamb and Turmeric Lentil Soup
• Fall Harvest Bowl with Lamb Meatballs Recipe

HOW TO EAT MORE PULSES:

Pulses can be used in so many dishes! Even something like this Mexican Style Detox Salad or Balsamic Kale Quinoa Chickpea Protein Bowl.

Another favorite and a hit at my cooking classes is this Spicy Vegan Chickpea Moroccan Couscous recipe. But salads and main dishes are not all I use pulses for!

Do you remember this Cauliflower Hazelnut Pear Soup recipe? The secret to making my soups thick and creamy minus the heavy cream is adding white navy beans.

In fact, probably all my soups involve pulses! This Moroccan Lentil Bean Soup, Quinoa Sweet Potato Lentil Soup, Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup and many more!! And finally, every time I crave Miami and the amazing years I lived there, I make myself some Cuban Black Beans Chicken with Rice to put a smile on my face. 🙂

4.25 from 16 votes

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Soothing Garlic Chickpea Soup

This easy, one-pot Soothing Garlic Chickpea Soup recipe is beyond delicious. Picture melt in your mouth cooked chickpeas in a garlicky tomato broth and finished off with plenty of lime juice, fresh cilantro, and some chili peppers.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Keyword chickpea recipes, chickpea soup, chickpea soup recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 280 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Chickpea Soup:

• 2 cups raw chickpeas
• 1 small onion peeled and left whole
• 5 cups water more or less depending on how you’ll cook the chickpeas
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt more or less to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup crushed tomatoes or 1 cup of grated fresh tomatoes

Topping:

• 1 lime juiced
• Fresh chopped parsley and cilantro
• Green chili or jalapeños chopped
• Chili flakes optional

Instructions

1. Cook the chickpeas with the water and the whole onion until the chickpeas are soft and melt in your mouth. You can cook the chickpeas in the stovetop, slow cooker, instant pot, pressure cooker or any way you prefer. Salt the chickpeas when it’s cooked.

2. Strain the cooked chickpea, saving the chickpea water and discard the onion.

3. In the same pot, over medium heat, add the olive oil and sauté the garlic for a few minutes until nearly golden and add the tomatoes.

4.  Stir the tomatoes for a minute until it warms up and then add in the cooked chickpeas, some of the reserved water and allow that to simmer for at least 30 minutes. Feel free to add extra water if you need and adjust the salt to your taste.

5. Serve the chickpea soup in glass cups and top with your favorite toppings! Enjoy 🙂

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• The sliced green chili and chopped cilantro on top are absolutely optional, yet I highly recommend it as it just rounds up the whole dish and adds just the right amount of heat!
• As a shortcut, you can cook the dried chickpeas in an instant pot but it also works on a traditional stovetop. 
• If you didn't find any fresh limes, use lemon juice instead but don't leave this part out as it adds a wonderful freshness and pleasant acidity which is essential to this chickpea soup.

• How to Make This Chickpea Soup Using Canned Chickpeas:

  If you don't have dried chickpeas, or if you're rushed on time. Follow these steps:

  1. Drain two cans of chickpeas and rinse them under water in a sieve.
  2. Proceed with the recipe where you see the chickpeas removed and set aside from the pot.
  3. So you'll start by sauteing the garlic, adding tomatoes, chickpeas and instead of the chickpea water, you'll add vegetable broth.
  4. Allow the chickpea soup to boil as per the recipe and finish off with the line, cilantro, green chillies and serve!

Nutrition Facts

Soothing Garlic Chickpea Soup

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 280 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Sodium 622mg27%

Potassium 659mg19%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 12g50%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 13g26%

Vitamin A 65IU1%

Vitamin C 8.8mg11%

Calcium 91mg9%

Iron 4.4mg24%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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