This split pea soup recipe comes from our vegetarian restaurant! Savory and delicious, bursting with Mediterranean flavors, it’s vegan & gluten-free. Video.
Back when Tonia and I had our vegetarian restaurant together, this split pea soup recipe was in constant demand. Wholesome and nourishing our guests loved it! Honestly, I was always amazed that Tonia could make a split pea soup taste this good without adding a ham bone!
Here’s the secret: it’s packed with savory ingredients like sundried tomatoes, smoked paprika, and lively herbs. The fresh rosemary brings it over the top.
The best part? It only gets more flavorful with time! Filled with nutritious veggies and healthy plant protein, its a wholesome meal that’s perfect for making ahead.
Why You Will Love This Split Pea Soup!
- Incredibly Flavorful! Rich and savory flavors get even better the next day.
- Nutritious and Satisfying! High in protein, it will keep you full and satisfied while providing essential nutrients.
- Easy to Make and Perfect for Meal Prep! It’s ideal for making ahead, as the flavors intensify over time, making it a convenient and delicious option for busy days.
Split Pea Soup Ingredients
- Onion– we used yellow onion for a savory depth.
- Carrots– add nutritious sweetness and hearty texture.
- Garlic cloves- for savory depth.
- Split green peas– use dried split peas, make sure to check the expiration date, old peas may not soften.
- Vegetable broth– good flavored broth really enhances the soup.
- Sun-dried tomatoes– adds a sweet rich flavor burst.
- Herbs– bay leaves, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, dried marjoram, fresh parsley add savory aromatic flavor.
- Smoked paprika– gives a nice smoky essence.
- Sea salt & black pepper to taste for balance.
How to make Split Pea Soup
Step One: Rinse split peas and add to a pot with 1 quart of unsalted water bring to a boil and simmer for 30 mins to soften.
Meanwhile, prep the ingredients, chopping the veggies and herbs.
Step Two: In a soup pot, sauté onion in olive oil for 10 minutes over medium heat, the onion will get brown edges and start to caramelize. Add the garlic and the carrots, sauté 5 minutes more.
Step Three: Add the veggie broth, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, and dijon. Drain split peas and add them in.
Step Four: Simmer gently, covered, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cooking until peas are broken down and soft.
Step Five: Add in fresh parsley just before serving and a squeeze of lemon to taste. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.
Meal Prep and Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days in a sealed, airtight container. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
A bowl of this soup is hearty enough on it’s own, or serve it with sourdough bread, rolls, or biscuits, and a Caesar Salad!
Chef’s Tips
- Start with cooking the split peas in unsalted water while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This will give them a jump start on softening without overcooking the veggies.
- Make sure your split peas are not expired, as they may not soften completely.
- Lightly caramelizing your onions will give so much more flavor depth to your soup.
- Use this easy recipe for homemade vegetable broth for even more fresh flavor.
Split pea soup Faqs
No, you do not need to soak split peas before cooking. Unlike other legumes, split peas cook relatively quickly and do not require soaking. However, make sure your split peas are fresh as older peas tend to not soften with cooking.
Split pea soup is naturally thickened by the breakdown of the peas during the cooking process. As the split peas cook, they dissolve into a creamy consistency that thickens the soup.
Using fresh, high-quality ingredients like fresh herbs, vegetables, and a good vegetable broth will enhance the flavor of your soup. The soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld and develop over time. Consider making it a day ahead for maximum flavor.
More split pea Soup Recipes
- How to make FLAVORFUL Vegetable Broth!
- Black Eyed Pea Soup
- Mushroom Lentil Stew with Fennel and Sage
- Moroccan Lentil Quinoa Soup
- Brothy Chickpea Soup with Lemon, Fennel and Sumac
- Smoky Tomato White Bean Soup
- Creamy White Bean Soup with Gremolata
- 25 Delicious Vegetarian & Vegan Soup Recipes
Stay warm, eat mostly healthy and find something beautiful to ponder 💛.
Split Pea Soup Recipe Video
Split Pea Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 90
- Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: vegan, soup, stew
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Mediterranean Split Pea Soup recipe is so savory and flavorful! Simple, clean ingredients create a hearty soup that tastes even better the next day. Vegan & gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry green split peas, (337 grams) sorted and rinsed
- 4 cups (1 quart) water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, 1 1/2 cups, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 cups (1 1/2 quarts) vegetable broth (chicken stock is fine if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut in small pieces (dry, not in oil)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- a squeeze of lemon to serve
Instructions
- Rinse off split peas and add to a pot with 1 quart of unsalted water bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
- In a separate soup pot, sauté onion in olive oil for 10 minutes over medium heat, the onion will get brown edges and start to caramelize.
- Add the garlic and the carrots, stir 5 minutes more.
- Add veggie broth, sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram, smoked paprika, sea salt, black pepper, and dijon.
- Drain split peas and add in.
- Simmer gently over medium-low heat, 30 minutes, with a lid-vented, stirring occasionally. Cook until peas are soft and broken down.
- Add in fresh parsley just before serving and a squeeze of lemon.
Adjust to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
We adjusted the original recipe as a few people had issues with split peas fully softening. The revised version starts with cooking the split peas in unsalted water.
Serve the Split Pea Soup topped with croutons, bread crumbs or crostini if desired.
Soup will keep up to 4 days in the fridge or can be frozen.
Alternatively cook in instant pot- use sauté function for steps 2 and 3. Set pressure cook setting on high for 15 minutes. Add more broth to desired consistency.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ⅓ cups
- Calories: 149
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 357.1 mg
- Fat: 7.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.1 g
- Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 9.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Absolutely delicious. I was looking for a way to lower calories but still have a protein rich dish, and this does it. We didn’t use quite as many veggies, but great seasoning!
So glad you enjoyed!
I added turmeric, spinach and a tsp of curry powder and it was sooo delicious!
Sounds yummy!
Can you use sun dried tomatoes in oil in this?
sure!
So delicious! I have made so many amazing meals- thanks to to you guys!
So happy to hear this Julie!
Super easy and yet very tasteful and hearty. Perfect for a Sunday afternoon
Glad you enjoyed this Sylvia!
I have to start by saying that I love most of your recipes, thank you for sharing!!
thanks so much!
Perfect for cold winter nights! My in laws are notoriously picky eaters but they loved this recipe.
Wonderful to hear Amanda!
I added chick peas and just before serving added some fresh spinach – will make again for sure!
Sounds great!
So this is delicious!! Great flavours and texture. I did add about 1/4 tsp chilli flakes for warmth, and used white pepper cos its my fav. Highly recommend!
Perfect, great to hear!
I’ve made this multiple times and it’s always a winner. The sun dried tomatoes add a flavor that leaves meat-eaters satisfied. Willing fall weather this week as I make it again.
Great to hear Ana!
What is the serving size (in nutrition box)?
1 1/3 cups 🙂
I really enjoyed this soup and it’s many layers of flavor. I’ve shared this recipe with others as a result.
Hi Christine, so happy you are enjoying and thanks for sharing!
SOOO good! Doubled the recipe and added some diced potatoes and slightly less broth because I like a thicker soup and it turned out AMAZING. The seasoning is perfect and boiling the split peas for 30 mins before was perfect. Going into the recipe rotation!
Thanks Julie! Love that you adapted to your preferences.
Wonderful! Split pea soup is a national dish here in Sweden. My husband loved it this way. So much flavor.
I had no idea, I love knowing that! Really appreciate you letting us know you enjoyed it!
This is one of the most interesting and delicious soups I have tried in a very long time. This soup has intriguing flavor combinations that I would never have come up with on my own. The only changes made were adding 1-1/2 C potatoes (small dice) and substituting oregano for marjoram. Thanks for nudging me out of the “standard split pea soup” box! It was well worth the journey.
So glad you enjoyed this Cheryl! Thanks for sharing your changes, sounds great!
I left out the tomatoes and mustard as I am not fond of them. Added celery. Couldn’t find marjoram so I used oregano. It was perfect. Thank you!
Perfect making it your own!
Made this last night. It was so flavorful and unique. It hit the spot since it’s been a chilly snowy week in the Pacific NW. looking forward to having it for lunch!
Thanks so much Candice! Enjoy the snow and stay warm.
This is an incredible split pea soup! I was intrigued by the ingredient combinations and made it last night. I made it exactly per the recipe. Absolutely delicious and I can’t wait for the leftovers today! I will definitely be putting it on my soup rotation. Thanks for being creative and broadening the flavors of this traditional soup.
Thanks Karen, really appreciate this!
This was amazingly delicious. Even my husband that doesn’t like split peas loved it. Easy to make as well. Thank you!!
Great to hear Jill!
The flavors were super herbaceous and savory in the most fantastic way, but my split peas never broke down and remained somewhat crunchy despite being pre-soaked for 6 hours and then cooked for almost 3 hours. My only thought is perhaps the acidity of the sun-dried tomatoes prevented the breaking down of the peas (the addition of tomatoes in general have caused this problem for me in the past). I do plan to try this recipe again, but will attempt to add the sun-dried tomatoes much later in the cooking process once the peas have softened.
Thanks Dana for the super helpful feedback. I have played with the recipe and discovered that if you cook the split peas in unsalted water first they soften up great. The recipe is now revised. Let us know what you think!
A new favorite!!!!! The sundried tomatoes and dijon mustard really adds amazing flavor to this soup.
Awesome Kendra!
Very tasty. I’m glad that I tried this variation on pea soup. Couple notes/advice for this. I make split pea soup often. I think it’s best to combine the peas and broth in a large pot first and start the covered simmer earlier. I usually let it go for an hour or so while I prep/clean everything else and come back later. I then sautéed the vegetables in a separate pan (x2 carrots) and added them in once the peas had broken apart. Simmered 5 more minutes & then served.
Thanks for this Caroline, that method makes sense!
I simmered for an additional 30 minutes and the peas never truly softened. Next time I’ll try soaking as suggested. The flavor of this soup was wonderful though. This recipe is a keeper!
Shoot! I have found that with older split peas, sometimes it is hard to know how fresh they are. Glad you liked the flavor though!
Tried this recipe over the weekend and substituted whatever I had in the house for some of the ingredients and added a splash of cinnamon. What a wonderful dish! So many flavors dancing across your palette and superb texture. Goes very well with toasted french bread.
Glad you enjoyed!
Is it possible to make this in a pressure cooker to cut down the cooking time? If so, how long would you recommend? Thank you!
I would pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. Also you may start with 4 cups of broth and add more if needed after it finishes.