This healthy and hearty zucchini soup recipe is the BEST way to use up fresh garden zucchini! The broth is perfectly seasoned with herbs, spices, and potatoes that are blended in to thicken it with no need for additional cream or cheese. (But feel free to add some for extra indulgence!)
Have more zucchini? Be sure to try my Zucchini Parmesan next!
This is the first recipe in history, in all of my 7 years of blogging, that I emailed straight to my mom and best friend to make before it was even up on the blog. When I say that this is the best zucchini soup recipe, I am not kidding.
You will have no trouble using up all of your fresh garden zucchini once you taste this.
The best part is that there is no need to add any cream to it if you want to keep things lighter. It tastes perfectly good without it! (Of course, me being The Cozy Cook and all, added just a little bit.)
The cheese options are endless, I went with a sharp orange cheddar. White cheddar, Parmesan cheese, or even Gouda cheese would be excellent additions to this soup.
Ingredients
The bottom of this post also contains recipe card with ingredients and full instructions.
- 2 Tablespoons Butter- I used salted, but you may also use unsalted.
- 1 small Yellow Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ¼ teaspoon dried Rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried Thyme
- ¼ teaspoon Celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt- You may choose to save this for the end and taste it before adding it.
- 1 pinch Cayenne, optional- it’s particularly good if you add a bit of cream as they offset each other well.
- 5 cups Zucchini, cut into chunks
- 3 cups Chicken Broth– homemade is best in soups and stews.
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce– You can also use Worcestershire sauce, it enhances the flavors in the soup and adds umami.
- 2 Russet Potatoes, equal to 1 pound
- 1/2 cup Half and Half, or heavy cream
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese (this is my brand of choice as it melts really well.)
How to Make it
Cook diced onion and garlic in melted butter until softened. Add zucchini and seasonings, saute for 5 minutes.
Add chicken broth, soy sauce, and diced potatoes.
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes, until vegetables are very soft.
Use an immersion blender (you can buy one on Amazon here) or blender to blend until smooth.
Serve, or add cream or half and half if desired.
Shredded cheese may also be added. Options include Cheddar, Parmesan, and Gouda. Stir until combined and smooth. Serve!
Do You Peel Zucchini for Soup
If you are working with a very large zucchini, you may choose to peel it first as sometimes the skins can become tough and bitter if they’re overly large. Otherwise, no need to peel.
The ideal size for a zucchini is about 6 inches, this is when it’s at it’s most ripe.
How Do You Thicken Zucchini Soup
This zucchini soup recipe doesn’t require a roux or slurry in order to thicken it. Instead, potatoes are added to the soup and are blended into the broth until smooth and creamy. This makes the broth nice and thick without the need to add anything extra.
PRO TIP: I love the convenience of using my immersion blender to blend this soup, (you can get one on Amazon here), however others have had success using a potato masher as well! It will have a little more texture, but some prefer it that way.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or in the freeze for up to 3 months.
Health Benefits of Zucchini
As reported by Healthline, zucchini is rich in nutrients, high in antioxidants, aids in digestion, can improve heart health and reduce blood sugar levels and more. So feel good about eating this soup!
Try These Next
-
- Zucchini Parmesan
-
- Cream of Broccoli Soup
-
- French Onion Soup
-
- Italian Wedding Soup
-
- Potato Leek Soup
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- Cowboy Caviar
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Zucchini Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch cayenne, optional
- 5 cups zucchini, cut into chunks
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, (or Worcestershire sauce)
- 2 Russet potatoes, equal to 1 pound
- 1/2 cup Half and Half, or heavy cream
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Note: There is no need to peel the zucchini for this soup unless yours is jumbo sized, in which case it's possible that the skins are tough and slightly bitter.
- Shred the cheese from a block for best results. Set aside to allow to come down to room temperature. This will allow it to melt and combine into the soup smoothly.
- Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add diced zucchini and seasonings: (1/4 tsp each of: dried rosemary, thyme, celery salt, kosher salt, pepper, and an optional pinch of cayenne.) Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut them into small pieces of equal size so that they cook evenly and quickly.
- Add diced potatoes, chicken broth, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Scrape up any brown foam from the top if desired.
- Let simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are very fork tender. About 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender in batches to blend until smooth.
Optional:
- Transfer back to the heat on low. Stir in the half and half.
- Slowly sprinkle in the cheese and stir to combine. Remove from heat and serve!
Notes
The addition of soy sauce adds umami and enhances the other flavors in the soup, you won't be able to taste it, but it's a great cooking tool.
You can get an immersion blender on Amazon, it makes it easy to blend soups and sauces right in the pot without having to transfer it elsewhere and blend in batches.
There are 6 servings in this recipe, each with 226 calories, which includes the optional addition of half + half and cheese.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition facts are based on adding dairy.
This is excellent! My toddler loves it, too!
I saw in other comments it can be frozen. Is that even after the half and half and cheese is added?
Thank you!
Hey Michelle! I am so happy that it was a success! And YES! I always add the cream (and lots of cheese, hahaha), and it freezes great! 🙌🏻
Well I sure wish I had found this years ago! All that zucchini…. Andy van only eat so much zucchini bread or sauted zucchini. THIS.IS.SO.GOOD! AND FREEZABLE FOR COLD MONTHS! Thanks for this!! I used a HUGE zucchini for this and it was perfect for it! Mmmm!
Thank you so much Tamela!! It sounds like you have the same appreciation for this soup that I do, we are always swimming in Zucchini and I have already made a few batches of this soup this year, and my freezer is getting fully stocked! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
I have everything to make this except the potatoes. I hate to even suggest this, but could I add some potato buds as a substitute for actual potatoes?
Hi Sandy! I would prepare the potato buds like on the side so that they resemble mashed potatoes and then I would stir it into the soup until your desired consistency is obtained! (Cauliflower can be used instead of potatoes as well and blended into the broth.)
Can I use frozen shredded zucchini instead and how?
Hi Monica, if you have the same amount of frozen shredded then you should be okay to use 5 cups of that, you’ll add it in the same way as you could if using fresh.