This creamy vegan parsnip soup recipe is flavoured with grated apple and finished with a swirl of pesto and cream.
I'm craving soup now it's getting so cold.
The fact I'm trying to keep the heating off as much as possible (as many other people are with these high energy prices), may also be fuelling my obsession.
Easy to make, budget-friendly, super-healthy, and warming, soups are the perfect option.
This vegan parsnip soup is made with cheap seasonal veg and it's absolutely delicious.
Jump to:
- 🥦 Seasonal vegetables
- 🥣 Why soup is so good for lunch or dinner
- 👩🏻🍳 What you need to make parsnip and apple soup
- 📖 Variations
- 💭 Why grate the parsnips?
- 💭 Parsnip FAQs
- 🍲 How to serve cream of parsnip soup
- 🍞 Easy homemade bread to serve with parsnip soup
- 🥣 Storing soup
- 💭 Can you freeze apple parsnip soup?
- 📋 More vegan parsnip recipes
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make parsnip apple soup
- 📖 Recipe
- Comments
🥦 Seasonal vegetables
So why is it so important to look for seasonal vegetables when you are planning meals?
- Cheap - seasonal vegetables are cheaper
- Local - most season produce is also local, so you are supporting local farms
- Less travel - no air miles and less carbon footprint with local produce
- Fresh - local produce reaches shelves sooner with less travel and storage
- Flavour - fresh seasonal food always tastes better
🥣 Why soup is so good for lunch or dinner
Soup is one of the most filling and healthy lunch options and it's perfect for dinner too.
- Easy to make
- Simple ingredients
- Can be served chunky or smooth
- Nutritious
- Low calorie
- Low fat
- Cheap to make
- Great for using up vegetables
- Filling for longer
- Warming when you're feeling chilly
- Delicious
- Can be stored in the fridge or freezer
If you have a soup maker, try this gorgeously creamy baked potato soup, you will love it.
👩🏻🍳 What you need to make parsnip and apple soup
Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this easy vegan parsnip soup.
- Olive oil - or rapeseed oil
- Onion - white or brown onion
- Garlic- add more if you like
- Parsnips
- Apple
- Ginger - fresh or ground
- Cumin - ground
- Vegetable stock
- Salt & pepper - to season
- Cream - vegan cream (optional)
- Pesto - to serve
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities, method and calories.
📖 Variations
Here are a few ideas to tweak this vegan parsnip soup.
- Coconut milk - instead of cream
- Pear - instead of apple
- Carrots- add grated carrots
- Chilli - add fresh chilli, chilli powder or chilli flakes to give the soup a kick
Love soup? Try my easy roasted butternut squash and red pepper soup.
💭 Why grate the parsnips?
There are a few reasons I grate vegetables in soup and in this case parsnips.
Grating parsnips saves a lot of chopping.
It also makes the soup less chunky, which is great (or should I say grate) if you have kids and they don't like a chunky soup.
It also makes the soup quite thick and creamy, even before you blend it.
Loving the idea of a grated vegetable soup? Try this grated carrot & red lentil soup with cabbage.
💭 Parsnip FAQs
Parsnips are in season in the UK from August to March, from the baby roots to the bigger parsnips, which are sweeter after they have grown through a winter frost.
A portion of parsnips counts as one of your five fruit or vegetables a day.
They are high in folate, potassium, and vitamin C. Also rich in fibre and antioxidants, they are a healthy option.
You can keep parsnips in the salad drawer in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and sometimes longer.
If they come in a plastic bag, remove them from that and make sure they are dry before adding them to your salad drawer.
Some kitchen paper in the bottom of your salad drawer will catch any moisture.
🍲 How to serve cream of parsnip soup
Here are a few ways to serve and zhuzh up this delicious vegan soup.
- a swirl of cream - I'm loving Elmlea plant cream and use it for pouring and whipping
- a swirl of pesto - you have to try this, the combination is amazing
- croutons - for a bit of crunch
- fresh herbs - parsley, basil or dill
- a scattering of seeds - for crunch once again
🍞 Easy homemade bread to serve with parsnip soup
Dunking bread is an important part of enjoying a bowl of soup.
Any bread is great for dunking, but homemade bread is that wee bit more special and easy to make too.
Here are a few easy vegan bread recipes to have a go at making to enjoy with your soup.
- Basic Wholemeal Bread - with yeast and a bit of kneading, but slices well.
- Black Olive Beer Bread - no yeast and no knead.
- Cheese & Chive Beer Bread - a quick and easy-to-make bread, no yeast and no kneading.
- Chickpea Farinata - a flatbread made with gram (chickpea) flour.
- Quick Air Fryer Garlic Bread - made with flour tortillas and can be baked in the oven too.
🥣 Storing soup
Once cool this soup can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
To cool it quickly, pour it in container with the lid off, then once cool add the lid and pop it in the fridge.
Reheat in a pot or in the microwave.
💭 Can you freeze apple parsnip soup?
Vegan parsnip soup freezes well.
Once again, cool it first, then freeze in portions, in freezer soup bags or in tubs for up to 3 months.
Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight or in the microwave then heat and serve.
📋 More vegan parsnip recipes
Here are a few more tasty parsnip recipes for you to try (all from my other blog Tinned Tomatoes).
- Curried Parsnip & Sweet Potato Soup - with a kick of spice
- Hearty Sweet Potato, Chickpea & Parsnip Stew - the perfect winter dinner
- Home-baked parsnip crisps - use maple syrup or agave instead of honey
- Parsnip, Carrot & Lentil Soup - a hearty Scottish soup
👩🏻🍳 How to make parsnip apple soup
Step-by-step photos. Keep scrolling for the full printable recipe (with full ingredient list, calories and nutritional info).
Step 1
- In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft.
- Add the grated parsnips and the grated apple.
Step 2
- Add the spices and mix well.
- Now add the vegetable stock and mix well again, then bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 20- 30 mintues at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally until thick.
Step 3
- Once the soup is cooked, remove from the heat and use a stick blender to whizz until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper and taste to check the seasoning.
- Mix pesto with some olive oil to thin and serve the soup with a swirl of vegan cream and a swirl of pesto.
- Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Parsnip Soup with Apple
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed or finely grated)
- 4 large parsnips (coarsely grated)
- 1 apple (coarsely grated, no need to peel and remove the core)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger (or fresh, grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ litres vegetable stock
- 1 pinch salt & pepper
to serve
- 5 teaspoons vegan cream
- 3 teaspoons vegan pesto
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (to mix with the pesto to thin it)
Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for a few minutes until soft.
- Add the grated parsnips and the grated apple and mix well.
- Add the spices and mix in, then add the vegetable stock.
- Bring to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove from the heat and blend until smooth with a stick blender.
- Season with salt and pepper and taste to check the seasoning.
- Serve in bowls with a swirl of cream and a swirl of pesto.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- To cool leftover soup fast, ladle it into a container.
- Once cool, add a lid and store in the fridge for a few days and reheat to serve.
- To freeze soup, ladle into freezer tubs or bags and allow to cool, then seal, label and pop in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Defrost in the fridge overnight or in a microwave using the defrost setting, then reheat and serve.
Jill says
Oh cannot wait to try this one. eating lots of soups right now. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Yes, it is definitely soup season again. I hope you enjoy it Jill!
Jill says
We loved it and some left for the freezer. Jill x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh brilliant. I am pleased to hear that and you will be glad to have soup in the freezer when you get home tired one night.
Sam says
I actually have everything I need to make this. Even the cream (always have pesto in the larder and parsnips were cheap this week).
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Well that was obviously meant to be. I hope you enjoy your parsnip soup.
Fiona says
Adding this to my list for this week. All printed out and ready to go
Jacqueline Meldrum says
Oh fabulous! Enjoy it then Fiona and let me know what you think.