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Eggplant Soup Recipe – creamy, flavorful and nutritious, this eggplant soup is quick and easy to make and perfect for lunch or dinner. Naturally Vegan and Gluten free.
Why make this amazing eggplant soup?
If you like eggplants, this soup is a must try. Very simple ingredients, naturally creamy (no heavy cream or milk necessary) and just 40 minutes to make.
Try a different veggie soup of just use the eggplants you have. I usually use eggplants for dips, Eggplant Moussaka or just grill them for salads or bowls, so using them in soups was something new to me. Definitely liked the final result.
Falvour
The flavor in this soup comes from the combination of eggplant, a good amount of garlic, seasonings like cumin, coriander, thyme and sumac. Eggplants have mild and sweet flavor, which benefits from adding a good amount of seasoning.
Storing
Store this Eggplant Soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
Serving size
The serving size is 1 cup.
Pairing
This soup goes well with a slice of crusty bread, like this this No Knead Bread. Serve along salads or sandwiches for a light, but filling healthy meal.
Ingredients for Roasted Eggplant Soup:
What kind of eggplant to use?
While I prefer Italian or Japanese eggplant for cooking, especially, when grilling or Air frying it for a side dish, this soup can be made with any eggplant variety from the store. Globe (American Eggplant) is pretty popular and will work well in the recipe.
This time I was able to find come good “Graffiti” Eggplant, which is perfect for pureeing, because of its thin skin and small seeds. Keep in mind, that the smaller the seeds the creamier the eggplant soup will be.
How do you cut eggplant for soup?
Peel the eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch slices lengthwise, then chop into 1/2-inch cubes. This way the eggplant pieces cook quickly.
You can roast eggplant for soup in larger pieces, but it may take slightly longer time.
Do you need to peel eggplants?
The short answer is it depends.
It depends on the size and type of eggplant. I used to never peel eggplants before roasting or grilling, but last summer I had some cases, where even though the eggplants were small in size and appeared “young” the skin was too tough and hard to eat after cooking. This is why I have started to peel my eggplants ever since. You can peel the whole eggplant using a potato peeler or a small sharp knife, or just partially peel it.
If you are not sure about the type of eggplant and its skin, you can easily cook it skin on and then remove it, after the flesh has softened and the skin can easily be separated.
Eggplant cooking method
The cooking method that I chose for this creamy eggplant soup recipe was oven roasting. I peeled the whole eggplants and trimmed the ends, then cut them into small 1/2-inch cubes. This way the eggplant cooked much faster and I was able to enjoy the soup in no time.
Alternatively, you can roast eggplants whole, by just cutting a small incision on the top side, then scooping out the flesh and using it in the soup.
Seasoning
Just a combination of cumin, coriander, garlic, thyme and sumac.
Topping
You can serve this soup without any toppings, but if you’d like to add some, here are a few options:
- Croutons
- A drizzle of olive oil
- Chopped fresh herbs like parsley, coriander, mint or thyme
- Bacon (for meat lovers)
- A scoop of sour cream
- Nuts and seeds of your choice
Tips:
- Roasting the eggplants – you have some options here. Roast them whole, cut in half and roast with the skin on, or just like me – peel, chop and roast the eggplant cubes, then add to soups. You can also grill the eggplants whole, then peel and scoop out the flesh to use in the soup.
- Immersion blender – I personally have one, but rarely use it. Since I have two pretty good, high quality blenders I use one of them for smoothies and the other one for soups. Be careful when you transfer the hot to the blender and then blend the soup, so the hot liquid doesn’t splash. Make sure the blander canister is closed and put a towel on top of its lid, to prevent splashing.
- Adjust the thickness of the soup – if you like your soup thicker, reserve like 1 to 1.5 cups of the liquid and blend the rest. Then add some of it to thin the soup if necessary. If you are a fan of creamy soups, that are not that thick, you can add extra chicken or vegetable stock to the blender to thin the soup. You also have the option of reserving some eggplant pieces not blended and make the soup “chuncky”.
- Toppings – while I’ve already mentioned that this soup does not require any toppings/croutons, keep in mind that by adding those, they will enhance the soup flavor and change its texture.
More eggplant recipes:
Roasted Eggplant Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp sumac, optional
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, pressed
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (204 C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Peel and chop eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Spread on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until soft and golden brown.
- *See alternative eggplant cooking methods in the blog post.
- Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a pot/Dutch oven.
- Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of chicken (or vegetable) stock. Add the tomato paste, ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, salt, Sumac and stir to combine. Add in the eggplant and and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Blend the soup with a blender and thin with the remaining stock to the desired consistency.
- Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious eggplant soup. Love the recipe. Very healthy, nutritious and easy to prepare. Perfect to prepare my family every 2-3 weeks. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Vicky!
Do you know approximately how much eggplant that is in cups? I grow Japanese eggplant, and don’t cook often with the big ones, so I’m trying to figure out how much eggplant I’d need for the soup.
It is about 8-9 cups.