Vegan Roasted Garlic and Lemon Soup

By
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams is a restaurant professional and workshop instructor with a specialty in dairy-free cooking and baking.
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Updated on 02/15/22
Lemon soup
whitewish/E+/Getty Images
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 90 mins
Total: 2 hrs
Servings: 4 servings

Roasted garlic soup is typically served with cheeses, but this vegan soup skips the cheese and offers extra flavor instead. The recipe combines two favorite ingredients: garlic and lemon. It takes a bit of time to make, owing to the roasted garlic, but it's well worth your effort. Lemon soups have the lightness and brightness that some savory soups miss. This vegan soup recipe joins the savory of garlic with lemon for a fresh-tasting finish.

Ingredients

  • 1 large head garlic

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to drizzle on garlic cloves

  • 2 cups chopped yellow onion

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

  • 15 cloves garlic, peeled

  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, divided

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh

  • 1/2 cup soy milk, preferably a refrigerated variety

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

  • Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

  • Lemon zest, for garnish

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

  3. Drizzle the garlic head with olive oil, wrap in foil and place in the oven for 1 hour, or until lightly golden and very soft and fragrant. Let garlic cool until it can be handled. Using your fingers, gently squeeze the cloves to release them from their skins into a bowl, and set aside. Discard the skins.

  4. In a medium-sized, heavy-bottom stock pot or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, parsley, and thyme and cook until the onions are just softened - about 3 minutes. Add both the fresh and roasted garlic, and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the vegetable stock and lemon juice, turn down the heat and let the soup simmer, covered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the garlic is very tender.

  5. Working 1 to 2 cups at a time, process the soup in a blender, transferring the soup to another bowl or saucepan. (Note: be careful not to overwhelm the blender; never fill a blender with a hot liquid more than half-way full and make sure the lid is on securely before processing.) Transfer the pureed soup to the saucepan, add the dairy-free soy milk and salt, and return the mixture to a simmer. (Do not bring to a boil.)

  6. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, garnish with fresh parsley and lemon zest, and serve.

  7. Enjoy!

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender, and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.

Tips

  • The citrus notes in this light soup make it just as good of a summertime meal as it is a winter warmer-upper. 
  • Add prepared lentils, chickpeas, or quinoa to the recipe for an added boost of protein.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
155 Calories
8g Fat
20g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 155
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 458mg 20%
Total Carbohydrate 20g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 18mg 90%
Calcium 105mg 8%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 347mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)