This lemony chickpea soup is so warming and flavorful! The broth is infused with fennel bulb and sumac, then drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with fresh herbs. Vegan and Gluten-free.

Why You’ll Love This
I love brothy soups! This lemony chickpea soup is no exception. We have more than 100 satisfying soup recipes on the blog, most of which are from our vegetarian restaurant, including this one!
The broth feels so healing and nourishing. It’s vegan and gluten-free, and just what the doctor ordered on a cold winter’s night.
I love making this with fennel bulb, but know that celery is always a good substitute! Sumac infuses the soup with tangy, earthy goodness! The soup is so bright and cheery, the aroma alone uplifts.
Ingredients

- Chickpeas: Use dry chickpeas, soaked for 8-24 hours. The flavor and texture are so much better! Or you can sub canned.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice infuses the soup with vibrant flavor.
- Yellow onion, fennel bulb, celery, and garlic cloves: These aromatic veggies provide a savory and flavorful base for the soup. Fennel adds such a unique taste that we love, however you can sub with extra celery.
- Vegetable broth: Try our Homemade Vegetable Stock for even more umami and depth of flavor. Because this is a brothy soup, the quality of the broth really matters!
- Cumin, coriander, sumac, dried thyme or dill, and bay leaves: The sumac is optional, but gives the soup a tangy, earthy flavor that is so delicious!
- Chili flakes: Or use Aleppo or Urfa Biber (Turkish chili flakes). These are optional, but add a lovely, subtle heat to the soup just before serving.
- Garnish: Fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley (or both, which is even better!), olive oil, or Zhoug. Mint, fresh thyme, oregano, black pepper, and lemon zest are all lovely too.
How to Make Lemony Chickpea Soup

Step one: First, remember to soak the dry beans in a large bowl of water for 8-24 hours. If you are using canned beans, move on to the next step.

Step two: Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Once warm, add onions and sauté 5 minutes while stirring.

Add fennel, celery, and cloves garlic, and stir. Reduce heat to medium, sautéing the aromatics 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Add broth, water, chickpeas, salt, cumin, coriander, sumac, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer on medium-low for 25-35 minutes, or until chickpeas are tender.

Step three: Remove the lid and add lemon juice. Taste and adjust for salt. Add the optional chili flakes.
The lemon and sumac give the chickpea soup life, waking it up with a delicious brightness. Perfect for winter.
Step four: Divide soup among bowls and garnish with olive oil or zhoug and a generous amount of fresh herbs. The zhoug sauce, with its hint of cardamom, really elevates this Brothy Chickpea Soup to its highest potential – so give it a try if you have time!

Chef’s Tips
- Use dry chickpeas: It is really easy to use dried chickpeas in this recipe, as long as you remember to soak them overnight. They have the best flavor and texture!
- Use homemade broth: It never hurts to make a large batch of our Homemade Vegetable Stock to keep on hand for recipes like this. Homemade broth adds so much more flavor to brothy soups!
- Add more veggies! Carrots, cauliflower, or Yukon gold potatoes would all make nice additions to this soup. You could also toss a handful of dark, leafy greens, like spinach, into the pot near the end of cooking.
- Add more protein: The chickpeas add a healthy dose of protein, but if you’re not vegan and you’d like to add even more substance, you could easily add chicken to the soup!
- Add orzo: Make a Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup by adding orzo to the pot for a heartier Mediterranean-inspired recipe! You could also do this with white rice.
- Make this in the Instant Pot: Soak the dried chickpeas beforehand, then cook the soup for 12 minutes on the high setting. Nice and quick, plus it keeps the fennel in tact!
Storage
Cool the soup, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4 days. Simply reheat leftovers on the stovetop until warmed through, or reheat in the microwave. You can also store Lemony Chickpea Soup in the freezer for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this brothy soup with warm, crusty bread like our Sourdough, or with our Homemade Pita Bread. Or to create a sort of stew, serve the soup over a bowl of cooked grains like quinoa or brown rice!
You can also serve this healthy soup with one of our favorite salads, like Roasted Cauliflower Salad, Kale Salad, or Rainbow Salad.
FAQs
Not unless they are mashed or blended. If you’d like, you can use a fork to mash some of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to add a little creaminess.
If the soup tastes bland, it probably means you haven’t added enough salt. Add salt, taste, and adjust. Make sure your spices aren’t expired and that you are using fresh ingredients!

Hope you enjoy this easy Lemony Chickpea Soup recipe!
xoxo
More Brothy soup Recipes you may enjoy

Lemony Chickpea Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: soup, vegan, stew
- Method: stove top or instant pot
- Cuisine: middle eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked 8-24 hours (or sub 2 14-ounce cans, drained)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced.
- 1 extra-large fennel bulb,chopped ( about 2 cups)
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 2 cups water
- 1–2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 2 teaspoons sumac (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or dill
- 2 bay leaves
- —–
- 2–4 tablespoons lemon juice
- Pinch of chili flakes, aleppo or Urfa Biber (Turkish Chili Flakes)
- Garnish: fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley ( or both- even better), olive oil or zhoug sauce.
Serve with pita bread, crusty bread or serve over cooked grains (like quinoa). All optional.
Instructions
If using dry beans, soak in a big bowl of water for 8 to 24 hours.
In a large dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 5 minutes, stirring, add fennel, celery and garlic, lower heat to medium and cook 3-4 more minutes until fragrant. Add broth, water, chickpeas, salt, cumin, coriander, optional sumac , bay leaves, and dried thyme. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer gently on medium-low for 25-35 minutes, or until chickpeas are tender.
Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and taste. It if tastes bland, it needs salt. Add the optional chili flakes.
Divide among bowls and garnish with olive oil (or zhoug) and a generous amount of fresh herbs. Serve with pita bread or crusty bread, or ladle over a bowl of cooked grains (like quinoa).
Notes
You could make this in the instant pot, but make sure to soak the chickpeas first. My first attempt failed. I tried this with unsoaked dry chickpeas, 35 minutes on high pressure, but the fennel bulb turned out WAY overcooked. Soaked garbanzos took only 12 minutes in on high setting in the Instant Pot, and fennel kept its shape.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 244
- Sugar: 8.5 g
- Sodium: 507.6 mg
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.3 g
- Fiber: 7.2 g
- Protein: 9.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I don’t have any fennel bulb on hand. Is there anything I can substitute?
Hi Allison, celery would work but the fennel does really elevate!
Lovely soup! Do you have any storage instructions / recommendations?
I updated the notes Janie. Store in the fridge up to 4 days.
Organic dried chickpeas in local indian spice store or non organic dried chickpeas from Palouse? What would be your recommendation if you can give one?
Haha! The million dollar question. I live in near the Palouse, but I still opt for organic. I feel like a traitor. 🙂
A favorite of mine. Definitely use the sumac. Added depth using a homemade veggie stock.
Thanks Marta!
My first time cooking with fennel. Nice and simple. Such a great surprising flavor. I added roasted poblanos.
Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious! The zhoug really enhances it. Question? Is this a soup that I may freeze?
I think this should freeze well!
5 star for me, amazing flavour and I even made the Zhoug…..looooved it!
Awesome, great to hear Denise!
Why is this soup so high in salt? I’m having a bowl right now and it is very flavourful and delicious!
Hi Denise, glad you are enjoying. Feel free to adjust salt to your taste. If using dry beans vs. canned beans, I usually add more salt. The veggie broth here is also quite salty. 🙂
WoW! So easy and quick, soooo tasty, so healthy …absolutely winner recipe. Another for my repertoire! Ever so thankful for your ideas , you make my cooking so much more enjoyable varied and always healthy…3 in 1! 🤩 Last year I started to eat only vegetarian/ vegan during the weekdays and got quite a few of your recipes on rotation, I’m keeping this routine because it’s been such a success… with it I help my health , the planet’s plus I have learnt lots from you and Tonya. Keep up the good work please! 😍
Thanks so much María! We are thrilled you are enjoying💛.
Hi, Maria. I love your idea of eating vegetarian during weekdays! Can you share what’s in your rotation currently to get me started? Thanks for considering!