This vegetable soup recipe is a light, clear mixed veg soup: finely chopped vegetables cooked briefly in garlic and ginger, then simmered in water until just tender, so the broth stays clear and the vegetables keep their bite. It is the kind of soup you can make on a weeknight with whatever is in the fridge.
Below the recipe card you will also find short formulas for the soup recipes people ask for most at home: manchow, sweet corn, pumpkin, broccoli, mushroom, palak, lemon coriander and moringa (drumstick) soup, each with quantities for four bowls. Learn the clear soup once and the rest are small changes.
30 minServes 4Vegan37 kcal
Jump to recipe
Recipe card
Clear Mixed Vegetable Soup
A clear, peppery broth with small pieces of carrot, beans, cabbage, capsicum, corn and peas, flavoured with garlic and ginger.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Makes 4 bowls (about 1.1 litres)
- 1 tsp oilsesame or any neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 inch gingerfinely chopped
- 2 tbsp spring onion whiteschopped
- ⅓ cup carrotcut into small dice
- ⅓ cup French beansfinely chopped
- ½ cup cabbagefinely chopped
- ¼ cup green capsicumsmall dice
- 2 tbsp sweet corn kernels
- 2 tbsp green peasfresh or frozen
- 4½ cups water or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp soy sauceoptional
- ½ tsp black pepper powderfreshly crushed
- 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
- saltto taste
- 2 tbsp spring onion greenschopped, to finish
- 1 tbsp coriander leaveschopped
You will need
- Deep pot or kadai
- Sharp knife and board
Method
Chop everything small
Cut all the vegetables into small, even pieces about the size of a pea. Small pieces cook in the same few minutes, and every spoonful gets a bit of each.
Cook the aromatics
Heat the oil in a pot on medium flame. Add garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant but still pale; browned garlic makes the broth bitter. Add the spring onion whites and stir for 30 seconds more.
Add the firm vegetables
Add the carrot and beans and stir fry for 2 minutes on high flame. They should look brighter in colour and smell sweet.
Add the soft vegetables
Add cabbage, capsicum, corn and peas and toss for 1 minute. Do not let them brown.
Simmer
Pour in the water or stock, bring to a boil, then lower the flame and simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes. The carrot should be tender but not mushy when pressed with a spoon.
Season
Add salt, pepper and the soy sauce if using. Taste; the broth should be peppery, lightly salty and clean.
Finish off the heat
Switch off the flame and stir in the vinegar or lemon juice. Adding it off the heat keeps the flavour fresh rather than sour.
Serve hot
Ladle into bowls and top with spring onion greens and coriander. Serve straight away while the vegetables still have some crunch.
Tips that make the difference
- Keep the flame high when you stir fry the vegetables so they sear lightly instead of stewing.
- Soy sauce is salty; add it first and then adjust the salt.
- For a heartier bowl, add 50 g tofu cubes or a handful of boiled noodles in the last 2 minutes.
- Homemade stock from vegetable peels and stems, simmered 20 minutes and strained, gives a fuller taste than water.
- Any mix of vegetables works; keep the total to about 2 cups chopped for 4 bowls.
Storing: Best fresh. Leftovers keep 1 day in the fridge in a covered steel or glass container; the vegetables soften on standing. Reheat just to a boil and add a fresh squeeze of lemon.
Why this clear vegetable soup recipe works
A good veg clear soup recipe is about timing, not ingredients. A quick stir fry on high heat gives the vegetables a light toasted flavour that plain boiled vegetables never have. A short simmer of 6 to 8 minutes then pulls that flavour into the water while the pieces keep their shape. Long boiling does the opposite: the broth turns cloudy and the vegetables taste tired.
Pepper and a little acid at the end do the work that cream or thickener does in other soups. They make a light broth taste complete. Many people call this a mix veg soup; in Hindi it is simply sabziyon ka soup, and the same method answers the common search for a veg soup recipe in Hindi kitchens across the country.
Soup recipes: 8 quick formulas for four bowls
Each formula below serves four. The method notes assume you have read the clear soup recipe above.
Veg manchow soup recipe (and hot and sour)
Use the clear soup vegetables but chop them very fine. Sauté 1 tbsp each of garlic and ginger, 1 green chilli and 2 tbsp chopped coriander stems in 1 tsp oil. Add the vegetables, 4 cups water, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp vinegar and 0.5 tsp pepper. Thicken with 2 tbsp corn flour stirred into 0.25 cup water, simmering 2 minutes until glossy. Top with half a cup of boiled noodles crisped on a tawa or in an air fryer instead of deep fried. For a hot and sour soup recipe, skip the noodles, double the vinegar and add 1 tsp chilli sauce.
Sweet corn soup recipe
Pressure cook 1.5 cups corn kernels with 1 cup water for 2 whistles. Blend two thirds of it coarsely and keep the rest whole. Simmer with 3 cups water, 2 tbsp chopped carrot and beans, salt and pepper for 5 minutes, then thicken with 1.5 tbsp corn flour in 0.25 cup water.
Pumpkin soup recipe
Cook 400 g peeled pumpkin cubes, 1 small onion and 2 garlic cloves in 1 tsp oil for 3 minutes, add 2.5 cups water and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Blend smooth, add 0.25 cup milk, salt, pepper and a little grated nutmeg, and simmer 2 minutes.
Broccoli soup recipe (with an almond option)
Sauté 1 small onion and 3 garlic cloves in 1 tsp butter, add 250 g broccoli florets and the peeled, sliced stem, and 2.5 cups water. Simmer covered for only 6 minutes so it stays green. Blend with 0.5 cup milk. For broccoli almond soup, blend in 10 soaked, peeled almonds.
Mushroom soup recipe
Cook 1 small onion and 3 garlic cloves in 1 tsp butter, add 200 g sliced mushrooms and cook on high until their water dries up and they turn golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp atta for 1 minute, then 2 cups water and 1 cup milk. Simmer 5 minutes, blend half, and season with pepper and a pinch of dried thyme or oregano.
Palak soup recipe (spinach soup)
Blanch 250 g washed palak leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes and dip them in cold water to keep the colour. Separately cook 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves and 2 tbsp moong dal with 2 cups water for 2 whistles. Blend everything together, add 0.25 tsp roasted cumin powder, salt, pepper and a little milk if you like, and heat through without boiling hard.
Lemon coriander soup recipe
Make the clear soup above with 0.5 cup finely chopped coriander stems added with the garlic. Thicken lightly with 1 tbsp corn flour in water, then switch off and stir in 0.5 cup chopped coriander leaves and the juice of 1 lemon.
Moringa soup recipe (drumstick soup recipe)
Cut 4 drumsticks into 2 inch pieces and pressure cook with 1 tomato, 4 shallots, 2 garlic cloves, 0.25 tsp jeera (cumin seeds), 0.25 tsp turmeric and 2.5 cups water for 3 whistles. Scrape the soft pulp out of each piece with a spoon, discard the fibrous skins, blend the pulp with the liquid, strain and season with pepper and salt. Some homes add a handful of moringa leaves in the last 2 minutes of simmering.
Chicken clear soup and other non-veg soups
For a simple chicken soup recipe, cook the garlic and ginger as above, then add the water with 200 g boneless chicken cut into small strips and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Add all the vegetables after that and finish the clear soup as written. The chicken must be white all the way through with no pink in the centre. A mutton or paya soup recipe needs far longer: pressure cook mutton bones with onion, ginger, garlic and whole spices for 30 to 40 minutes, or trotters for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on your cooker, and skim the fat after cooling. A tom yum soup recipe is a Thai sour soup built on lemongrass, lime and chilli, which is a different style from the Indian soups here.
Healthy soup recipes: keeping a soup light but filling
Clear soups like this one have very few calories per bowl. By our estimate the recipe above is about 37 kcal a bowl, so on its own it will not keep you full for long. To turn a soup into a meal, add protein and fibre: tofu or paneer cubes, boiled chana, moong dal cooked into the base, or a side of sprouts.
People searching for weight loss soup recipes usually do best with a bowl of clear soup before dinner and a smaller main afterwards, not soup instead of food. A thick soup made with cream, butter and corn flour can carry as many calories as a full plate, so lean on vegetables, dal and milk instead. The healthy dinner recipes page has full plates that pair well with soup.
More vegetable soup recipe ideas from Indian kitchens
- Lauki (bottle gourd) soup: 300 g peeled lauki, 1 tomato, 0.5 tsp jeera and 2.5 cups water, 2 whistles, blend, season with pepper and lemon.
- Moong dal soup: 0.25 cup moong dal, 3 cups water, turmeric, ginger, 3 whistles; whisk smooth and temper with jeera in 1 tsp ghee.
- Beetroot soup: 1 beetroot, 1 carrot, 1 small onion, 2.5 cups water, 3 whistles, blend and strain, finish with lemon.
- Ragi soup: whisk 2 tbsp ragi flour into 0.5 cup cold water, pour into 3 cups simmering clear soup and stir for 5 minutes until it thickens.
For a smooth, strained red soup, see the tomato soup recipe; that page covers the blending and straining method in detail.
Troubleshooting your soup
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Broth tastes like plain water | Use stock, add more pepper, and finish with lemon. Season with salt in small steps and taste each time. |
| Cloudy broth | Simmer gently instead of a rolling boil, and do not over-cook the vegetables. |
| Corn flour soup has lumps | Always mix corn flour in cold water first and pour it in while stirring. |
| Thickened soup turns thin next day | Corn flour loosens on standing. Reheat and add a fresh teaspoon of slurry. |
| Green soup turned brown | Blanch greens briefly and add them at the end; do not pressure cook palak or broccoli for long. |
Questions cooks ask
Which vegetables are best for clear soup?
Carrot, beans, cabbage, capsicum, corn, peas, mushrooms and spring onion all work well. Avoid potato in a clear soup because its starch clouds the broth.
Can I make vegetable soup in a pressure cooker?
Yes, for blended soups. For a clear soup with crunchy vegetables, the open pot is better because one whistle already overcooks small pieces.
How do I make soup thicker without cream?
Use a corn flour slurry, blend in some cooked dal or potato, or add a little milk at the end. Simmering uncovered also reduces and thickens it.
What can I serve with vegetable soup?
A slice of toast, a besan chilla or a bowl of savoury dalia makes it a complete light meal.
Is soy sauce necessary?
No. It adds colour and depth, but salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon are enough for a good clear soup.
Can I freeze vegetable soup?
Blended soups such as pumpkin and sweet corn freeze well for a month. Clear soups with chunky vegetables lose their texture, so make them fresh.