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!)
Be sure to try my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Lemon Chicken Soup next!
Zucchini Soup
This is the first recipe in history, in all of my years of recipe development, where I emailed my mom and best friend to make this right away- before it was even up on the blog. When I say that this is the best zucchini soup recipe, I am not kidding.
(It definitely made the cut for The Cozy Cookbook!)
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, being The Cozy Cook and all, I add 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.
How to Make it
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook diced onion and garlic in melted butter until softened. Add zucchini and seasonings, sauté 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 or regular 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. This soup freezes/reheats super well!
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!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4-Quart Dutch Oven– This is the perfect size for this soup. This one is high quality and you’ll have it forever. (I use one almost every time I cook!)
- Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Measuring Spoons– To measure out the seasonings.
- Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time to add them.
- Immersion Blender– To blend this right in the soup pot without transferring to a blender.
- Box cheese grater – I always shred cheese from a block in my recipes. It melts and tastes better than packaged shredded cheese.
- Garlic Twister– it’s much more flavorful to mince fresh garlic. This twister does it in seconds and is easy to clean and store.
- Soup Bowls –(I love these!)
- 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
Try These Next
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Tried This Recipe?
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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. Skim up any brown foam from the top if needed.
- 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 dairy is optional, this soup tastes great without it. If adding cheese, feel free to experiment with different varieties such as Sharp White Cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda, or a combination of different cheeses.
- 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.
- Need more ways to use Zucchini? Try my Zucchini Crust Pizza, Zucchini Parmesan, and Minestrone Soup!
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 67!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or in the freeze for up to 3 months. This soup freezes/reheats super well!
Nutritional information:
- Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe. Cheese/Dairy are included in the calculation.
This soup was delicious! It tasted even better the next day!!
I am so happy to hear that Shona, I love this soup too, it’s the best! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! 🙂 -Stephanie
An absolutely lovely soup. I tasted before adding the half and half and cheese and thought it was perfect. Since I had already shredded the cheese and had the half and half I figured I’d add them. Those ingredients added so much richness and made it even better. Thank you so much for posting and sharing this recipe!
You’re very welcome Claudia, I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup! Thanks so much for the great review!😃
My husband and I loved it. Of course, I didn’t expect my teen to. It went good with garlic bread. I’ll definitely be making it again.
I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it, thanks so much for the great review!😃
Just made this recipe and is absolutely delicious. Have you ever made it vegan? I had thought about trading the chicken broth for veggie broth. I did not put the cream in mine and was very good without it. Next time I make this soup I will switch broths and see how it taste.
Thank you for the yummy soup.
Susan
Hi Susan! I haven’t personally made this vegan but I believe that others have and have really enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie
Susan, I make this vegan all the time and recommend tossing in some extra nutritional yeast to amplify the flavor. Another nice variation I’ve found is to toss all the veggies on a pan and roast them at 400 degrees until they caramelize a bit, then use the veggie broth to deglaze the pan and blend it all. I sub Braggs Amino for the soy/Worcestershire.
OMG!!! This is so delicious and Keto friendly.
Thanks so much for the great review Louise! This is my favorite way to use garden zucchini. I actually stock my freezer full of it every season! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!😃
Hi,
Just wanted to say I made this tonight.I did not add milk or cheese nor did I use a emersion blender .My husband wouldn’t have eaten it .So I had him taste he liked it just as it was.
Thank you for sharing
Excellent! I am so happy that you enjoyed this soup! I actually reheated some from the freezer for lunch today, haha! 😉 Thank you for taking the time to leave this review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Thank you so much for this recipe. My family hate zucchini and yet loved the soup. We didn’t have cheddar or heavy cream and so I added a small tub of low fat cream cheese and it was yum yum! I imagine you could also add a tub of greek yoghurt in place of the cream and it would be delicious.
You’re very welcome Merle! My family was the same way, I could never get my husband or daughter to eat zucchini, but they love this soup. It’s such a great use for garden zucchini. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
I had less than 5 cups zucchini so I used a smidge less of all the spices and the 15% cream. I didn’t read the directions correctly since one of my kids was screaming and I didn’t sauté the zucchini. So I just dumped them in with the potatoes. This was really good and easy to make.
I have been there, done that with the screaming child, LOL. I am so happy that it still turned out well! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! -Stephanie
This is by far the best cream of zucchini soup I have ever eaten. It could easily be served in a high-end restaurant. I have made it 3 times this summer alone and I always double the recipe so I can share it. Everyone loves it.
Thanks so much for such great comments Carmelle, I love hearing from people who love this as much as I do! I made this all summer and have a bunch frozen to get me through the winter. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!❤️
This soup is delicious. It has a rich taste which is very satisfying. We ate half and I froze the rest. I will definitely be making this again.
That’s so great to hear Betty! I just reheated some that I had frozen last night. It’s one of my favorite soups that I enjoy year round. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!❤️