Green Pea Soup
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This light and flavorful pea soup, made with sweet peas and fresh basil, comes together in 35 minutes—perfect for a quick, delicious meal any time of year.
Most pea soups, like my traditional split pea soup, are made from dried peas and flavored with a ham bone, making them hearty and rich. This pea soup recipe is entirely different. Made with sweet peas (frozen, so it can be made year-round), fresh basil, lime, and vegetable broth, it’s light, bright and flavorful. The soup is delicious hot or cold and makes a satisfying light meal with some crusty bread.
Table of Contents
“Outstanding! We were licking our bowls!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Green Pea Soup
- Olive Oil: Adds a rich, smooth base for sautéing the shallots, enhancing the overall depth of flavor in the soup.
- Shallots: Provide a mild, sweet onion flavor that complements the peas without overpowering them.
- Vegetable Broth: Acts as the liquid foundation, adding savory depth while keeping the soup light and balanced.
- Frozen Peas: The star of the soup, giving it a bright, fresh flavor and vibrant green color.
- Salt & Pepper: Essential seasonings that enhance the natural sweetness of the peas and bring balance to the dish.
- Fresh Basil: Adds a fragrant, herbaceous note that pairs perfectly with the sweet peas and gives the soup a fresh finish.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano: Adds a savory, umami-rich depth to the soup, rounding out the flavors.
- Lime Juice: Brightens the soup with a touch of acidity, balancing the richness of the olive oil and cheese.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-low heat, and add the shallots.
Gently cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, peas, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lime juice.
Purée with a stick blender until smooth and creamy. Be patient; peas take a long time to purée and you want it as smooth as possible. (If you don’t have a stick blender, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow the steam to escape and cover with a dish towel so it won’t splatter.)
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, or chill and serve cold.
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Green Pea Soup
This light and flavorful pea soup, made with sweet peas and fresh basil, comes together in 35 minutes—perfect for a quick, delicious meal any time of year.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1¼ cups roughly chopped shallots, from 3 large shallots
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 pounds (6 cups) frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and gently cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not brown.
- Add the vegetable broth, peas, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, then add the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lime juice. Purée with a stick blender until smooth and creamy. Be patient; you want it as smooth as possible. (If you don’t have a stick blender, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow the steam to escape and cover with a dish towel so it won't splatter.) Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with more basil, if desired. (Alternatively, chill the soup and serve cold.)
- Note: This soup will thicken as it cools. If necessary, add a bit of water to thin to desired consistency.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 217
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 634 mg
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Me and my wife will have a dinner date tomorrow and this one will be an addition to our table. I hope she will like it. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
This soup is delicious! Made exactly as written. Served at room temperature and look forward to trying it chilled next. Fantastic fresh flavor. Perfect for spring.
I made this soup tonight for my first dinner with girlfriends in a long time! Thanks so much for this light and flavorful dish- it received rave reviews! Half the people went home with leftovers, others are getting a recipe texted to them !!
I loved the combination of basil and lime with peas- it’s brought it to a whole new level. Thanks for making me look good!
This was really good and easy.
Unfortunately, I did not have fresh basil but I had some little frozen pesto cubes from Trader Joe’s so I threw a few of those in at the end. I DID have fresh mint so I slivered it and served it with some of that.
My husband and I both really enjoyed it.
Thanks for another great recipe.
Where did! you get frozen SWEET PEAS? Online I found canned Sweet Peas but all frozen varieties say only green peas, regular or petite. Your picture of ingredients shows only a bowl of peas. It sounds delicious
Hi Barbara, Frozen green peas and frozen sweet peas are one in the same. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn I will soon have a large harvest of sugar snap peas from my garden, would they work as a substitute for the frozen shelled peas in this recipe? Love your recipes, we will be getting our hands on your new book as soon as possible!
Hi Jordyn, If you want to use sugar snap peas, you’d need to shell them first as I don’t believe the peas in their shell would purée very well. It sounds like a lot of effort to me, but if you have the patience to do it, I think it should work. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Are the frozen peas to be thawed prior to getting a 10 minute cook?
No, they don’t. The 10 minutes will be plenty of time to cook them. Hope you enjoy!
Omg I just recreated the pea soup from our favorite restaurant! I was a little skeptical because its only a few ingredients (shame on me!) but it turned out delicious! I put it in the blender to get it silky smooth and added more pepper. Only other change was I used chicken stock. Thanks again for another great recipe!
I have made so many of your recipes that friends no longer ask where I found the recipe! Loved this soup but Jen you are correct when stressing it takes time to fully blend this soup until smooth. I thought it was smooth but had to throw it back in the pot to blend it more.
My family loves this soup…..made many times, however, I have no shallots …..can I substitute onions? how much less, for they’re a stronger flavor? Thanks, Jen, Please stay safe Elaine
Sure, Elaine, you can use onion in place of the shallots. I’d stick with 1 cup. Enjoy!