This Chickpea and sweet potato soup is oil-free, creamy, packed with plant protein, fiber & simple seasonings. A perfect one-pot plant-based soup that's easy, healthy, and flavorful.

Why you'll love this chickpea sweet potato soup

• Naturally plant-based: A wholesome bowl of soup filled with flavorful chickpeas, delicious vitamin-rich sweet potatoes, plant-based milk, spinach, and fragrant seasonings.
• Oil-free: This soup is whole food plant-based, made with natural ingredients.
• Creamy without cream: Dairy-free soup that's creamy in texture and delicious.
• Perfect for meal prep: This healthy soup stores well and tastes even better the next day.
• Easily customizable: Add your favorite spices and herbs to make it your own. You can also experiment with the main ingredients, such as chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Add more or add less according to your liking.
• Easy one-pot recipe: No clean up. no mess. Easy meal for a busy weeknight.
• Nutritious: This protein-dense and fiber-rich easy chickpea soup is comforting.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.

• Chickpea: We love pressure cooking dry chickpeas that are soaked overnight in the Instant Pot. Then, drain and store them in air-tight glass containers in the fridge for meal prep. An economical option that tastes so much better. You can also use drained and rinsed canned chickpeas in this soup recipe.
• Sweet potato: Peeled and diced. Lends the soup a subtle sweetness and creamy texture.
• Other veggies: Celery and carrot.
• Aromatics: Onion, ginger, and garlic. We used fresh ginger root, peeled & minced. Highly recommended. If you do not have it handy, you can replace the fresh ginger root with ¼ teaspoon ground ginger powder. You can replace the yellow onion with chopped leek.
• For the blended sauce: Cooked chickpeas, ground black pepper, lemon juice, salt, and almond milk or any plant-based milk like soy milk or oat milk.
• Seasonings: Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes for little heat, smoked paprika, and Himalayan pink salt. Skip the red pepper flakes if you are heat-intolerant.
• Liquid: Water.
• Bay leaf.

Method

Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.

• Blend sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients (chickpeas, almond milk, lemon juice, ground black pepper & salt) in a blender jar and blend until smooth.
• Sauté onion: Set the instant pot to sauté mode. Add the onion and 3 tablespoons of water. Sauté until the onion turns soft. You may need to add 2 tablespoons of water while sautéing to prevent the onion from burning or drying out.
• Sauté veggies: Add the chopped veggies + 2 tablespoons and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the seasonings and sauté for 30 seconds. Turn off the sauté mode.

• Deglaze pot: Add the chickpeas, diced potatoes, and water. Deglaze the pot thoroughly by scraping the sides and bottom with a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles and prevent the burn error.
• Pressure cook: Throw in the bay leaf. Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a quick pressure release. Cancel the pressure cook mode and discard the bay leaf.

• Add blended sauce & spinach: Add the blended sauce and give everything a quick stir. Adjust the consistency by adding more water or vegetable stock. Add the spinach. Allow the soup to rest for 10 minutes. The residual heat will wilt the baby spinach leaves.
• Serve soup: Serve the soup immediately and enjoy!

Expert Tips

• For creaminess: Make the blended sauce by blending chickpeas, almond milk or any plant-based milk, lemon juice, ground black pepper, and salt. Add this to the cooked soup before adding the spinach. This sauce makes this plant-based chickpea soup extremely creamy, comforting, and delicious. You'll love it!
• Cooking without oil: We used water instead of oil to sauté the onion and the veggies. It works like a charm. Keep stirring the onion and the vegetables continuously to prevent them from drying out or burning. Whenever it feels dry or starts to stick at the bottom of the pot, add about 2 tablespoons of water to keep things moving.
• Adjust consistency: The soup tends to thicken as it sits. Add water or vegetable stock to adjust the consistency.

Stove top method

• Sauté: Set a heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch pot over medium-high heat on the stove top. Add the chopped onion along with 3 tablespoons of water and sauté, stirring continuously until the onion becomes soft. Now, add the chopped vegetables and 2 tablespoons of water, and saute for 30 secs. Add the seasonings and sauté for another 30 seconds.
• Cover & cook: Add water. Deglaze the pot thoroughly by scraping the sides and bottom with a spatula. This will help loosen any stuck food particles. Add the diced sweet potatoes, the chickpeas, and the bay leaf. Give everything a quick stir. Cover and cook for 20 minutes under medium-low heat or until sweet potatoes become tender.
• Make soup creamy: Make the creamy sauce by blending the chickpeas, lemon juice, ground black pepper, and the almond milk in a blender jar. Add this to the soup. Give everything a good stir. Add the baby spinach leaves. Stir well. Turn off the heat. Cover the soup and allow it to rest for 10 mins. The residual heat will wilt the spinach.
• Serve: Serve the creamy soup immediately. Enjoy!

Serving Ideas

We love to serve this simple chickpea and sweet potato soup with the following sides:

• Crusty wholegrain Sourdough bread.
• Teff or spelt bread.
• A light and satisfying salad like a roasted or air fried veggie salad or fresh garden salad.
• Moroccan couscous.
• Brown rice with vegetables.
• Air fried veggies like acorn squash, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes, smashed brussel sprouts, roasted beets, carrots and potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower, mushrooms and onion, baby gold potatoes, roasted radishes.

Leftovers & storage

Fridge:

Store the soup in air-tight glass containers in the fridge for 4 days.

Freezer:

You can freeze this soup for up to 2 months. Store it in heavy-duty, freezer-safe glass containers, and avoid filling them to the top—leave about 2 inches of space to allow for expansion as the soup freezes.

Reheat:

Stovetop: Reheat the soup over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or pot. Adjust the consistency by adding extra water or vegetable stock.

Instant Pot: You can reheat the soup in sauté mode in the Instant Pot until warm or hot.

MORE PLANT-BASED SOUPS MADE IN THE INSTANT POT

• Instant pot lentil soup with potatoes.
• Bean and potato soup instant pot.
• Potato leek soup instant pot dairy free.
• Instant pot vegetable soup with potatoes.
• Instant pot Portuguese bean soup.
• Dry Lima Beans Instant pot.
• Instant pot red lentil soup.
• Old fashioned vegetable barley soup.
• Sweet Potato and kale soup with coconut milk.
• Vegan mushroom barley soup.
• Instant Pot 15 bean soup vegetarian

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