This yellow split pea soup soup is hearty, satisfying, and loaded with flavor. It's also super easy to make in one pot. Pair it up with some crusty bread for a comforting meal that everyone will love. It's vegan and gluten-free too!
When it comes to winter meals, you really can't beat a big pot of split pea soup. I absolutely love the stuff, and find myself creating endless variations from classic vegan split pea soup to curried split pea soup to Middle Eastern-inspired split pea soup with basmati rice.
But did you know there's more than just switching up the seasonings when it comes to cooking up a delicious spin on split pea soup? You can also switch up the split peas! In this recipe we're using yellow split peas in place of the more common green split peas.
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Yellow split peas have a milder, slightly sweeter flavor than green. They're almost similar to lentils (yellow split pea dal is excellent!). With that in mind, I seasoned this yellow split pea soup with smoky, bright flavors like cumin, smoked paprika, and a bit of lemon juice. It's absolutely delicious and makes an excellent dinner on cold days!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. You can use another variety of high-heat oil if you'd like. Vegetable oil, canola oil, and coconut oil will all work.
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Garlic.
- Vegetable broth.
- Yellow split peas. Most grocery stores sell yellow split peas in the dried beans area (probably near the green split peas!).
- Spices. We're using ground cumin and smoked paprika.
- Potato. The recipe calls for a russet potato, but you could absolutely use a couple of red potatoes or yellow potatoes if you'd like.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed juice to give your soup the best flavor.
- Salt and pepper.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Cook the vegetables and aromatics. Heat your oil in a large pot, then add diced onion, diced celery, and sliced carrots. Sweat the vegetables until they start to soften, stirring them often so they don't burn. Add the garlic and cook it briefly.
Step 2: Boil. Stir in the broth, split peas, spices and diced potato. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a boil. Then lower the heat until it's just simmering.
Step 3: Simmer. Cover the pot and let your soup cook until the vegetables are soft and the split peas are creamy. Be sure to uncover it and give it a stir every so often.
Step 4: Season. Once the soup is done simmering, remove it from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: Your soup may need anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes of simmer time, depending on what consistency you're going for. Cook the soup longer for creamy soup, or more briefly for more texture.
Your yellow split pea soup is ready to serve! Ladle it into bowls and dig in.
Tip: This soup goes great with toppings! Try some hot sauce, chopped fresh chives, or crumbled tempeh bacon.
Variations
- Curried yellow split pea soup. Skip the smoked paprika, and instead add a few teaspoons of curry powder and/or garam masala to your soup.
- Make it spicy. Add some cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce to turn up the heat in this soup.
- Add veggies. You could throw all kinds of vegetables into this soup! Try broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, or leafy greens like kale and spinach. Just make sure to add your veggies towards the end so they don't overcook.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover split pea soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about four days, or in the freezer for about three months. It will probably continue to thicken up while in storage, so add a splash of water when you reheat it if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
You sure can!
If your split peas are still firm after a long simmer time it could mean that they're a bit dated. Unfortunately, you might need to go pick up a new bag and start over. Another culprit could be the addition of acidic ingredients too early during cooking, so make sure not to add the lemon juice until the end.
Nope! If you do they might cook quicker, but it's certainly not required.
Yes! It includes no gluten-containing ingredients.
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📖 Recipe
Yellow Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium celery stalks, diced
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 7 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound dried yellow split peas
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 medium russet potato, diced (½ inch)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sweat the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook it with the vegetables for about one minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the broth, split peas, cumin, smoked paprika, and potato. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow the soup to simmer until the vegetables are soft and the split peas are creamy, 45 to 60 minutes (Notes 1 and 2). Make sure to occasionally uncover the pot and give the soup a stir.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve.
Notes
- The simmer time will depend on what consistency you like for your soup. Cooking the soup longer will give it a creamier texture, while cooking it more briefly will retain some texture in the split peas.
- If you'd like a thicker soup, you can let it simmer for a few minutes with the lid removed at the end of cooking to reduce the liquid a bit. If you'd like it thinner, add some extra broth.
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I’m just wondering if cooking the carrots, celery, and potato for 45 to 60 minutes will make them extremely overdone. Is there a workaround for that?
You can add them later if you prefer your veggies firmer. I'd give them at least 20 to 30 minutes.
This has so much flavor and no meet! I added 6 cloves of garlic instead of 4.
I love this soup!
Never had a pea soup before, so had no idea what to expect. Soup was good, and I enjoyed the flavors from the cumin and smoked paprika