Autumn's best hearty vegetable soup recipes | Family-Friends-Food (2024)

Ready for soup season?! Check out this list of the best vegetable soup recipes to warm you from the inside this Autumn.

Autumn may be the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, but to me it will always be the season of soup!

As the days shorten, the temperatures fall, and the weather takes a turn for the wetter. And what’s required is a bowl of piping hot vegetable soup! It’s a delicious and comforting way to ease the transition from Summer into Autumn.

From the glorious fragrance that fills your home as it cooks, to the moment you settle down with a steaming bowl of cosy deliciousness. Making and eating soup is a perfect Autumn activity!

No accompaniment required

My favourite vegetable soups are those that need little or no accompaniment to make a whole meal. These vegetable soup recipes contain grains, beans, pulses, or pasta (or all of the above) as well as chunky vegetables. Some may even veer dangerously close to ‘stew’ territory! But if you can eat it from a bowl with a spoon, then it’s a soup in my book.

Less waste, more taste

Chunky soups can be a great way to use up odds and ends of veg, finish off half-used bags of pulses and grains, and even clear out bits and pieces from the freezer that aren’t quite enough to make a whole meal. Some of my best vegetable soups over the years have been ‘clear out’ soups – never the same twice! As well as helping to avoid waste, they also make thrifty family meals. So you can feel extra smug as you enjoy a hot and delicious bowlful.

Vegetable soup recipes

All of the vegetable soup recipes here are rib-sticking, ‘meal-in-a-bowl’ types that will warm you up from inside on the coldest and wettest of Autumn days. Close the curtains, light the fire, and snuggle up with a comforting bowl or mug of one of these delightful soups.

The best vegetable soup recipes for Autumn (and beyond!)

Sweet and sour cabbage and tomato soup with rice

Sweet and sour cabbage and tomato soup with rice is a chunky, filling and delicious bowlful, with all the flavour of classic stuffed cabbage rolls (holishkes). Serve it chunky or blend till smooth – it’s great either way!

Chunky mushroom soup with freekeh

This filling vegan mushroom soup is rich and delicious. The freekeh gives it a lovely smoky flavour and a wonderful texture.

Roasted butternut squash and red lentil soup

Thick, rich and creamy, this gorgeous mildly spiced soup has a vibrant colour and a wonderful naturally sweet flavour. Serve with some buttered toast for a lovely Autumn supper.

Roasted cauliflower and vegetable chowder

Creamy and delicious, this filling vegetable chowder is made with savoury roasted cauliflower, buttery fried onions, and hearty carrots and potatoes.

Authentic Scotch Broth

This gorgeous vegetarian soup recipe from Scottish food blog Farmersgirl Kitchen uses plenty of chunky veg plus a mixture of barley, lentils, and dried peas, to create a wonderfully flavoursome thick and filling soup.

Mexican bean soup

Somewhere between a soup and a stew, this chunky, spicy bowlful from Tin and Thyme is a satisfying meal.

Ribollita – a vegan Tuscan soup

Another gorgeous vegetarian soup recipe from Tin and Thyme, this traditional Ribollita uses plenty of beans, vegetables, herbs and spices, and is thickened with rustic bread.

Winter Minestrone soup

With beans, pasta and butternut squash, this gorgeous minestrone soup from Tinned Tomatoes will definitely fill you up. I love the topping of pesto and grated cheese.

Sweet potato and lentil soup

This velvety soup from Thinly Spread is flavoured with smoky paprika, ginger, chilli and cumin, for real depth of flavour and gentle heat.Crispy roasted chickpeas add texture and a beautiful garnish.

Vegan lentil soup with turmeric and ginger

With root vegetables, greens, fresh ginger and a squeeze of lemon, this zingy lentil soup from The Veg Space is a terrific pick-me-up on a grey Autumn day.

Bean and pasta soup with harissa

This gorgeous chunky vegetable soup from Ronnie Fein has a kick of heat from the harissa. Just the thing to warm you up on a cold day.

Vegetarian mushroom and barley soup

With tons of root vegetables and a bunch of fresh dill, this fabulous vegetable soup recipe from Kosher by Gloria really packs in the flavour.

Creamy courgette and potato soup

Flavoured with garlic, ginger, chilli and a drizzle of sesame oil, this creamy vegan soup is wonderfully fragrant and has a fabulous depth of flavour. Serve with buttered toast for a feel-good treat.

Grandma’s stick-to-your-ribs soup

Just like Grandma used to make! This hearty soup is packed with pulses and grains for a really warming bowl.

It’s soup to you!

What’s your favourite soup for Autumn? Which of these tickle your fancy? I hope you’ll find some soup season inspiration in this list of delicious vegetable soup recipes.