Classic Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup is made vegan by simply replacing the chicken with healthy, hearty potatoes. Much healthier and still filling and comforting. This soup still has that classic comfort flavor and feel without the excess sodium. A bowl of this will fill you up and satisfy you perfectly.
CLASSIC VEGAN CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Today, I’m sharing a classic with you. I grew up eating chicken noodle soup…honestly, who didn’t? That warm bowl of comforting soup that was overly loaded with salt, was somehow so satisfying. Of course, looking at the can of ingredients now is pretty gross. I do remember how the chicken in the can was always really rubbery and I would end up spitting most of it out.
When I became an adult my mom started making a chicken noodle soup recipe that she picked up from a newspaper. It was creamy and slightly spicy and incredibly delicious. Come to find out, it was made using a cream of mushroom can of soup! What?! I thought it was homemade 100%. Lol. Regardless, it was really yummy and I always requested it.
Instead of using actual chicken or even vegan chicken, I used healthy whole food potatoes! They are just as comforting, filling and satisfying. I love comforting soups and stews so much and it’s something that I thrive at when being creative in the kitchen.
You can make this for 8 easy ingredients, so simple and nothing fancy and completely plant-based.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
Full recipe and details on recipe card below.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Red potatoes or yukon gold potatoes
- Veggie broth
- Vegan bouillon cubes (see recipe below for alternate version)
- Dried thyme
- Nutritional yeast
- Noodles: Use regular or gluten-free. I used gluten-free brown rice spiral noodles.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
Step 1: Add the water (or broth if using the alternate version) and bring to a boil. Add the bouillon cubes (or spices version) and whisk to ensure thoroughly mixed.
Step 2: Add all of the veggies except the pasta. Bring back to a boil and stir well. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes until veggies are becoming tender, but not fully.
Step 3: Add the pasta and raise the heat to medium-high and bring back to a boil. Cook about 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender to your liking. If using gluten-free, it will cook faster, so watch closely so that it doesn’t become mushy.
Step 4: Taste and add any more salt, if needed, as this can greatly vary depending on the broth or quality of bouillon cubes used. I like a good grind of freshly ground black pepper to serve on top.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS SOUP?
A perfect thing to serve with a delicious healthy vegan chicken noodle soup is my Vegan Caesar salad and have a really satisfying, healthy dinner.
MORE VEGAN SOUP RECIPES
- Vegan Red Lentil Curry Soup
- Low-fat Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry Soup
- Creamy Vegan Lentil Soup
- Hearty Veggie Potato Stew
- Lazy Day Vegan Tomato Bisque
- Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup
Classic Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4 large long carrots, sliced (you will need 1 1/2 cups sliced, 170 g)
- 4 large long celery stalks (you will need 1 1/2 cups sliced, 200g)
- 1 packed cup (160g) finely diced yellow onion
- 3 X-large garlic cloves, minced (about a tablespoon-15g)
- 3 small red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (you will need 2 1/2 cups, 370g)
- 6-7 cups water (or broth, see update under NOTES)
- 2 vegan bouillon cubes (see update under NOTES for alternate version!)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (depending on your bouillon cube, this may need adjustment)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 cups (170g, 6 oz) gluten-free brown rice spiral noodles
- optional garnish: fresh parsley and fresh lemon juice
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Prepare all of your veggies, spices and set aside.
- Add only 6 cups of the water (or broth if using the updated version below) to a large pot and bring to a boil, add the bouillon cubes (or all the additional spices listed under the updated version below in place using the bouillon cubes), thyme, salt, nutritional yeast and whisk to dissolve.
- Immediately add all of the veggies (carrots, celery, onion, garlic and potatoes). You are adding all of the ingredients except the pasta. Stir well and bring back to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn to the lowest heat, cover and simmer around 10 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are becoming tender, but not fully.
- Add the pasta and bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, leave the lid off and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender, but still firm. If using gluten-free pasta, it will cook much faster, so keep an eye.
- Taste and add any more salt, if needed, as this can greatly vary depending on the broth or quality of bouillon cubes used. I like a good grind of freshly ground black pepper to serve on top. If you want it more brothy, add more broth and adjust seasonings as needed to account for extra broth.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice right before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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I’m making this soup for the first time tonight. I always saute my vegetables before adding the broth, but I see the recipe says to just add the vegetables to the broth. I’m guessing the sautéing is not necessary? I’m so excited to make this.
Hi Michelle! Yes, it’s not necessary. Since I don’t use oil, there’s no sauteeing of the veggies prior. They all get cooked during the whole process with the broth while the soup cooks. I do this with all my soups and it works perfectly 🙂 Enjoy!
Awesome! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! It’s on the stove now!
Wonderful! I hope you enjoyed it!
This soup is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe. We are having it again tonight!
Thank you so much Michelle! I’m so happy to hear it was such a hit, thank you for the feedback and star rating!!
This soup is better than any chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had in days past. It has THE best flavors and we ate it in one sitting. I love the potatoes w the noodles and that shot of pepper w parsley at the end. Incredible.
Thank you so much Estee!! I’m so happy y’all loved it, I really appreciate the feedback!
This is the most delicious, authentic “chikin” noodle soup I’ve ever had. I used the broth alternative and my entire family gobbled this up like it was their job. Then, my husband proceeded to ask me for the leftovers for his lunch today. Huge, huge win at this household!!
Thank you so very much Lisa for such amazing feedback! I’m so happy you loved this so much and what a compliment, thank you!!
Made this yesterday and it’s GLORIOUS!
perfectly quenched my campbells chicken noodle craving.
I didn’t have red potatoes on hand so i used russets, it was great.
THANK YOU!
Yay Kelley! I’m so happy to hear you loved this so much, thank you so much for leaving feedback!
Another successful recipe Brandi! Thank you!! My kids love this comforting soup and it is super easy to make. We will sometimes add other veggies to clean out the fridge. I avoid adding salt as much as possible and this had no effect on the taste. I added the nutritional yeast and the extra pepper and it was TASTY! Definitely warms our bellies with this chilly weather we have had here in California.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that Tami, thank you so much for the feedback, I really loved hearing it!!
Love this recipe and I’m making it for the second time and can’t wait! I think I’ll try it in the crockpot today and add the noodles at the end. Yummy comfort food!! Thanks for your great recipes and all the work, trials, testing, and tasting you do to bring your followers this delicious vegan food. Have a sunny day!
What a wonderful idea Judy! Thank you so much for making it and your kind words! I really appreciate it!
A friend introduced me to your page with the chili cheese fries a while back (uh. yum.) And I spotted this post today and threw it together.
I didn’t have the boullion cubes, but I had the spices. SO I made the alternate version. I followed the recipe, except I did add a small scoop of this, which I usually use in hearty soups, which is similar to boullion, but powder 🙂 http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZU0SWC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
It was awesome!
Oh, I did have one question, in the alternate version, you say to use the listed ingredients in addition to the original, but you call for 6 cups of veg broth in the alternate and 6 cups of water in the original. If you do the alternate as you have it written, that would be 12 cups of liquid, I assumed you meant use the broth in place of the water, so that’s what I did. My noodles plumped up quite a bit and I will add extra water when I reheat leftovers because they soaked up all my liquid…
But the flavors were awesome! First non-meat “noodle soup” recipe I have made that I liked. (We’ve been vegetarian for 16 years, well, I have been. DH has been for 31 years)
Thanks!!
Hi Brandy! Nice name 😉 Haha! I’m so glad you found me and thank you to your friend for introducing you! I”m so glad you loved it! I actually have in the notes to “replace the water with the broth” so I hope that didn’t sound too confusing, but sounds like you figured it out anyways! So glad you enjoyed it and yes the leftovers will thicken up some, but we usually polish it all off in one night, haha! Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback!
😉 Thanks, it’s possible I overlooked it… too many kids running around my feet 😀
Great recipe! If I want to make it more creamy and ‘comforting’, what might I add? Thank you!
Hi! Thank you! I’ve never had classic noodle soup as creamy, but you can totally add some cashew cream or coconut milk if you want to turn it creamy! I would try that!
I made this soup and it was delicious! Would this recipe freeze well? I’m trying to stock our freezer before baby #2 arrives. Thank you!
Awesome! So glad to hear you loved it! I haven’t tried freezing it, but I would guess that it would freeze just fine. Just reheat it on low on the stove and I think that’d be fine.
This was gorgeous! We did what another commenter did and sauteed all the veg first before adding them to the broth. No nut’l yeast added to our batch. It was polished off but quick! Thanks again.
I’m so happy you loved this soup Nina! Thank you so much for leaving me feedback, I really appreciate it!
I tried this over the weekend, I made it on Saturday. It was so good it was gone by Sunday morning, and so I made another batch 🙂 Even my friend who hates vegetables loved it! It is the perfect chicken noodle soup replacement. Thank you so much… This website is amazing by the way! I absolutely love it. I have been vegan for 13 and a half years and your recipes are honestly my favorites. Great work!!! So healthy and whole food based. Yay 🙂 I hope your blog is around for a very long time.
This Soup Was amazing! I doubled the recipe. My boyfriend, 18 yr. old son, and his two friends devoured it! Oh … me too 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Keeper for sure.
Thank you so much Tammie-Jo for the wonderful feedback! I’m so happy to hear that everybody loved the soup so much!!
worcestershire is not vegan….
The worcestershire sauce I buy at Whole Foods is vegan. It does not have anchovies in it. I updated the recipe to state where I bought mine.
Hi there! I just stumbled upon your website via Pinterest. I read your recipe above and I will be pinning it to my soup board. I am really impressed with how you comment to EACH person that makes a comment! I know sometimes blogger will respond to a comment or two, but it isn’t often that I see a blogger who takes time to respond back to so many! This soup looks delicious, and I love the printer friendly button!
Thank you so much Joy! That is so sweet of you to say that and notice that! I truly value my readers so I do my best to acknowledge all comments…may take me a few days sometimes to get to them all, but I do my best. With questions though about the recipe, I get back very quickly. I hope you let me know if you try the soup!!
Another hit Brandi!!! This vegan noodle soup was so good, I actually like it better than chicken noodle soup! well, from what I remember about it, lol. Thank you for a yummy soup for the cold months:)
Awesome Kinsey!! I’m so happy to hear that, thank you so much for letting me know, I really appreciate it!
I’m really excited to try this soup, but I did notice it requires more than 8 ingredients, which seems to go against the website’s name and “mission statement”
Hi Vanessa! My concept is 8 ingredients or less, not necessarily including salt and/or water…..which I state on my about page and on my sidebar under my photo, which this recipe is exactly. My concept is only needing to purchase 8 ingredients since everybody should already have salt and water in their home….even being, most ingredients I use are fairly common and in most pantries anyways…making the recipes simple and requiring much less ingredients total than most recipes out there. Hope you enjoy the soup!
I added some fresh mushrooms and a little chopped kale …..yummy !
Oh that sounds wonderful, thank you for letting me know!
i made this soup tonight and it was amazing!!! Due to me having IBS, I try to eat Low FODMAP, so I changed up a few things that I thought I would share here. I can’t eat onions, so vegetable sock is out. However, I can eat the green part of scallions. So, I added scallions and a tablespoon of vegan Earth Balance butter to the water and spices. I also used zucchini instead of the chopped onions. Once the soup was done, I added some nutritional yeast to my bowl, along with fresh parsley and pepper. This was the most flavorful soup I have ever made!! It will definitely be made often at our house!! I know I always say this Brandi, but you are truly amazing!! Thank you SO much for all the hard work that you do and freely share all these incredible recipes with us!! 🙂
Awww thank you so much Melissa!! You are so kind and thank you so much for your sweet words! I’m so glad you love this soup and my recipes so much, it truly means so much to me!! Xx
Thank you for another wonderful recipe Brandi! My husband has a nasty cold and he wanted some comforting chicken noodle soup, which is a can of that condensed soup we all grew up with. I told him I would make him a bowl of something better and this was it! He loved it! Even went back for seconds! I didn’t have any bouillon cubes so I used Trader Joes organic low sodium veggie broth. I also used Ancient Grain quinoa rotelle instead of brown rice noodles because that was what was in the pantry and it came out delicious! I added lots of black pepper like you suggested. I love how easy this was! Thanks again!
Sorry for the late reply Diana! Sometimes my comments slip past me when several come in. Thank you so much for making it and the wonderful feedback! So glad your hubby loved it too, this is one of my hubby’s favorites! Glad it helped his cold
Hey! Happy 1 year anniversary! Thank you for sharing delicious recipes with the community. What you’ve been doing is awesome and helps a lot of people! P.s: I’m actually trying the recipe now. Best of luck to me! 😀
Thank you so much Eleaner!! Please let me know how it turned out!
Congratulations on your anniversary, Brandi! I can’t believe your blog is only a year old. The quality of your photography, design, and recipes indicate a seasoned, professional blogger. 🙂 This soup looks delish! We’ve had perfect soup weather lately. I’ll need to make this sometime!
P.S. Mark and I just bought a house, which partially explains why I have been absent lately; unfortunately, I’m also still not receiving your e-mails in my inbox. 🙁 Any idea how to fix it? I just tried subscribing again.
Hi Meredith! Yes, I see where you have just subscribed. Make sure you are “confirming” your subscription in the follow up email sent to you as soon after you subscribe. I checked the list and yours says “confirmation pending”, so that may be why you aren’t receiving the emails if you maybe didn’t confirm prior. That should be the only reason, as I haven’t heard from anybody else having issues 🙁
Thanks so much girl!! You are so sweet! I had a blog before for about a year before I ended it and started this new one, so I had my feet a little wet first, but I completely changed it all and created an entirely new blog and concept, so yes, definitely this one just a year old. 🙂
So excited about you and Mark’s new home!! That is SO exciting, a big congrats to you! Can’t wait until you blog some more again 🙂
I made this soup tonight and I wish I had made double. Thank you for this beautiful site full of recipes. I can’t wait to try your sweet potato caramel!
B
Oh, I’m so glad to hear it was such a success Brianna! Thank you so much for the feedback, I love hearing it! Oh, and I double the recipe everytime too, now. It’s my hubby’s favorite soup.
Oh! And you will LOVE the caramel…it’s dangerously good! Let me know when you do!!