Ready in just 30 minutes, this vegan chicken noodle soup is a perfect one-pot lunch or dinner. It is packed with nutritious veggies, flavorful herbs, and tasty king oyster mushrooms in place of chicken pieces. Making a delicious meal that satisfies the entire family could not be any easier!
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We love vegetable soups because they are light enough to keep you from feeling weighed down yet hearty and filling enough to satisfy you. Check out our other vegan soup recipes, such as our vegan minestrone soup, vegan white bean soup, and vegan dumpling soup.
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What to expect?
Who says you need chicken to enjoy a delicious and comforting noodle soup? This vegan chicken soup combines tender king oyster mushrooms and egg-free noodles with several colorful veggies to create a nutritious and filling soup that will have you returning for seconds.
The shredded king oyster mushrooms are perhaps the best part of the soup, creating a chewy, gummy texture that closely mimics the texture of chicken. And it has absolutely no mushroom taste.
Meanwhile, the onion, garlic, and fresh parsley combined with the vegetable broth make a delicious flavor that brings out the natural flavors of the other vegetables in the soup. Some may not even know the difference between our vegan chicken noodle soup and regular chicken noodle soup!
Unlike some other vegetable soups, our recipe is only slightly thickened. It is closer to a clear veggie soup than a creamy veggie soup. However, it is no less filling and will have you feeling satisfied after just one bowl.
Why you will love this recipe:
- It is quick and easy to make, with just 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cook time.
- It is light yet very flavorful and filling.
- No fancy equipment or ingredients are required. Everything you need you can find in your local grocery store.
- It is a one-pot recipe, saving the hassle of dirtying up several dishes.
- It is easily customizable with other vegetables, herbs, and protein.
- It is easy to store and freeze, making batch cooking a breeze!
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Ingredients
This recipe uses king oyster mushrooms as a vegan substitute for chicken, noodles, and various vegetables and herbs for the soup. However, there are plenty of other ways to customize its ingredients! We will provide more ingredient and recipe ideas in the Variations section.
- Garlic
- Carrots (medium)
- Celeriac (small) – This is also known as celery root.
- Oyster mushrooms – We recommend king oyster mushrooms for the best results; however, you can try other oyster mushroom types. Here is where to buy them. See the Variations section for oyster mushroom alternatives.
- Celery stalk
- Parsnip (small)
- Sweet corn (canned)
- Green peas (frozen)
- Fresh spinach leaves
- Spaghetti
- Veggie broth – Use vegetable stock or a vegan option such as Bouillon ‘no chicken’ vegan chicken stock.
- Chopped parsley (fresh)
- Saffron seklice (optional) – This will make the soup a golden yellow color. Alternatively, you can substitute it with a mix of sweet paprika powder and turmeric in a 1:1 ratio.
- Salt and pepper
🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Making vegan chicken noodle soup is incredibly easy! Below we will walk you through all steps, from preparing the ingredients to cooking the oyster mushrooms along with the vegetables in a deliciously seasoned broth.
Preparing ingredients
- Cook noodles per the instructions on the package.
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic clove.
- Peel and slice the carrots, celeriac, celery, and parsnip.
- Use a fork to tear apart the stem of the king oyster mushrooms. Cut the top part to a similar size. Be sure to check out our guide on how to prepare oyster mushrooms for more tips! Don’t they just look like vegan chicken pieces?
Making vegan chicken noodle soup
- Preheat your Dutch oven or stockpot (or other heavy-bottomed pot) over medium heat. Next, add the olive oil and finely chopped onion and cook for approximately 2-3 minutes until tender.
- Stir in the finely chopped garlic and cook for one minute.
- Next, stir in the chopped celery, carrot, celeriac, and parsnip and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Add the oyster mushroom slices, chopped parsley, optional saffron seklice (or substitute), salt, and black pepper. Stir well.
- Add the vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the frozen green peas and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the spinach and sweet corn. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Lastly, add the precooked noodles and stir well. Serve and enjoy!
Cooking tips
- Cut the vegetables evenly – Make sure to cut the vegetables evenly so that they soften at the same time while cooking.
- Keep the soup simmering – If needed, increase the heat to ensure it is constantly simmering.
- Don’t cook noodles in the soup – We recommend cooking the pasta or noodles separately. Otherwise, the heat will release the starch content, making the soup cloudy and thick. This is especially true if you use gluten-free pasta made from corn flour. It will also cause the noodles to swell and have a soft, mushy texture.
Variations
One of the best things about vegan chicken noodle soup is that there is more than one way to make it! It is incredibly customizable so you can pack it with your choice of vegetables, herbs, and protein. Next time you make this recipe, try it with one or more of these delicious variations:
- Other vegetables: Try to add squash, mushrooms, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, or collard greens. You can add root vegetables such as potato, turnip, kohlrabi, or rutabaga.
- Other seasonings: Kick up the flavor of your vegetable broth with other fresh or dry herbs such as thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf, or sage (or a combination of all of the above)! Just keep the overall herb ratio the same as the original recipe.
- Other noodles: Switch out the vegan egg noodles such as linguini, fettuccini, fusilli, penne, orzo, jumbo shells, elbow macaroni, or brown rice pasta.
- Other chicken or protein substitutes: Instead of king oyster mushrooms, you can try soy curls as your chicken substitute. However, the shreds will be much larger, and the texture will be harder. You can use chickpeas, white beans, tempeh, TVP, or cubed firm/extra-firm tofu as another protein alternative.
Serving ideas
Vegan chicken noodle soup typically does not need to be served with anything else. It has everything in one dish and is filling on its own! However, to make your meal even more filling and delicious, try one of the serving ideas:
- With sides: Serve your soup with a fresh, crisp salad or slice of sourdough bread. Or, serve your soup inside a crusty bread bowl!
- With toppings: Top your soup with scallion or cilantro for additional flavor.
- With spices: Add some heat to your soup by topping it with chilies, jalapeno, or cayenne pepper.
Equipment
- Cast-iron Dutch oven – We used a 3-quart / 2.8-liter enameled oven.
- Stockpot – Or any other heavy-bottomed pot if you do not have a Dutch oven.
Storing tips
As delicious as this soup is, it is unlikely that you will have any left to store! But if you have leftovers or want to make a larger batch to save for another day, it is very easy to store and freeze. It is important to note that no matter how you store your soup leftovers, you must first bring them to room temperature.
In the refrigerator: Once the soup has cooled to room temperature, move it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
In the freezer: Once the soup has cooled to room temperature, move it to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to six months.
Reheating: If refrigerated, reheat in a small saucepan over medium heat or the microwave. If frozen, thaw the soup overnight in the refrigerator before reheating it on the stove or microwave.
Read our guide for how to store your oyster mushrooms in the meantime.
FAQs
To thicken vegan chicken noodle soup, you can create a slurry by mixing a small amount of cold water with cornstarch, adding it to the vegetable broth, and letting it simmer for a few minutes. For more ways to thicken and add richness, check out our guide with 20 ways to thicken any soup.
To add a richer flavor to any vegan chicken noodle soup recipe, stir in your favorite dairy-free milk or your choice of vegan butter.
More vegan soup recipes
Check out our other vegan soup recipes, or choose from the below list
THANK YOU so much for visiting our website. Please comment below if you have tried this recipe. We LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, please don’t forget to give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ RATING. We appreciate all of our readers.
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Vegan Chicklen Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- ½ Onion (small)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 Carrots (medium)
- 1 Celeriac (celery root) small
- 7 oz King oyster mushrooms
- 2 Celery stalk
- 1 Parsnip (small)
- 3.5 oz Sweet corn (canned)
- 3.5 oz Green peas (frozen)
- 1 oz Fresh spinach leaves
- 3.5 oz Noodles we used spaghetti
- 5 cup Veggie broth
- 2 Tbsp Parsley (fresh) chopped
- ¼ tsp Saffron seklice optional
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparing the ingredients
- Peel and chop the onion and garlic (finely).
- Peel and slice carrot, celeriac, celery, and parsnip.
- With the help of a fork, tear apart the stem of the king oyster mushrooms. Cut the top part as well to similar size.
- Cook noodles as per package instructions.
Cooking the soup
- Preheat your Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add olive oil and chopped onion. Cook them for approx. 2-3 minutes until they are tender.
- Add finely chopped garlic. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Add chopped celery, carrot, celeriac, and parsnip. Stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Add mushroom pieces, chopped parsley, saffron (or substitute), salt, and black pepper. Stir well.
- Add vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a boil. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add frozen green peas and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add fresh or frozen spinach and sweet corn. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add pre-cooked noodles. Stir well. Ready to serve.
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