Creamy potatoes, tender greens, and a touch of white wine and lemon make this spring onion soup both soothing and refreshing. This comforting vegan soup is easy to make, and absolutely perfect for those chilly early spring days!
I love seeing my favorite spring veggies pop up at farmers' markets during this time of year, and since the weather is still chilly, I love using those veggies to make soup! Vegan cream of asparagus soup, fresh pea soup, and Thai carrot soup are some of my most beloved early spring recipes. But this year I have a new favorite: spring onion soup!
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Like most of my favorite spring vegetables, you can get spring onions year round, if you look hard enough. I can usually find them at my local Asian market. But locally grown ones generally start showing up in my area around early April, and I always love to treat myself to a bunch.
If you've never had spring onions before, you're probably in for a surprise. I used to always confuse them with scallions (also known as green onions), but they're not the same thing. Spring onions are actually immature onions, which is why they're typically harvested in spring. They're quite a bit sweeter than scallions. They're also much, much milder than regular old yellow onions. This soup is very different from, say, my vegan French onion soup, but no less delicious!
Spring onion soup is creamy and vibrant, with a delicious mix of sweet and savory flavors. It's just what you need on a chilly day!
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.
- Spring onions. Look for these in farmers' markets and places like Whole Foods during the spring months. They look quite a bit like scallions, but are fatter and have small white bulbs.
- Garlic.
- Dry white wine. Varieties like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc work well in this dish. Not all white wine is vegan, so be sure to run your brand through Barnivore before you buy.
- Vegetable broth.
- Yellow potatoes. We're using yellow potatoes because they're less starchy than baking potatoes, which I don't recommend using. This gives the soup a nicer, creamier texture (and prevents it from turning gummy!). If you need a substitute, try another waxy potato variety, like red potatoes.
- Baby spinach.
- Fresh parsley. I like flat leaf parsley for this recipe. It's so flavorful! Having said that, curly parsley will work just fine in a pinch.
- Lemon juice. Use freshly squeezed juice to give your soup maximum 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!
Steps 1 & 2: Sweat your chopped spring onions in olive oil, just cooking them until they soften up. Add minced garlic and cook it with the spring onions for about a minute.
Step 3: Add the white wine to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook until it reduces by about half, which will take about four minutes.
Step 4: Stir in the broth and potatoes. Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat and let the soup simmer until the potatoes are just pierceable with a fork.
Step 5: Stir the spinach and parsley into the soup, and let the soup continue to simmer very briefly, just until the spinach wilts.
Step 6: Blend the soup just until it's almost totally smooth. Leave a chunk or two — this will prevent you from overblending it.
Step 7: Finish your soup off with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, along with some salt and pepper to taste.
Tip: I like this soup best when made with an immersion blender. It gives you maximum control! It's also a super cheap and handy tool that I use for most of my blended soups.
Step 8: Your spring onion soup is ready to enjoy! Ladle it into bowls. If you have some extra parsley or spring onions, use them as garnishes. You could also top your soup with a drizzle of olive oil or some vegan Parmesan cheese.
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover spring onion soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. I don't recommend freezing this soup, as this can mess with the texture of the potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is!
Pretty much! Just slice off the roots, along with any wilted portion of the greens. Aside from that, you can chop and include the whole thing — from bulb to tip.
You could try using scallions or leeks, but you'll probably end up with something completely different, flavor-wise. I'd recommend trying a different recipe, like my vegan potato leek soup, instead.
Variations
- Chunky spring onion soup. Leave some chunks when you blend! You can either stop before the soup is smooth, or ladle soup soup out of the pot before blending.
- Spring onion and pea soup. Replace the spinach with a cup of thawed frozen peas. Your soup will be a touch sweeter and slightly thicker.
- Add some heat. Add a few pinches (or more!) of crushed red pepper flakes to the soup.
- White bean spring onion soup. Add a can of cannellini beans to the soup to make it extra hearty.
- Extra creamy soup. Replace a half cup of the broth with full-fat coconut milk or vegan heavy cream alternative.
More Soup Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spring Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound spring onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1-inch pieces)
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with the olive oil and place it over medium heat. Allow the oil to heat up for a minute, then add the chopped spring onions. Cook the spring onions for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften. Keep an eye on them and avoid letting them brown.
- Stir the garlic into the pot and cook it with the spring onions for about one minute, until the garlic starts to become fragrant.
- Stir in the white wine. Raise the heat briefly and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let the wine simmer until it has reduced by about half, about four minutes.
- Stir in the broth and potatoes. Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat until the broth is cooking at a low simmer. Let the soup simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until the potatoes are fork tender. Don't overcook the potatoes.
- Stir in the spinach and parsley. Continue simmering the soup just until the spinach wilts, which should take a minute or less.
- Blend the soup until it is relatively smooth with just a few small bits of veggies. An immersion blender works best for this soup, because it will give you a lot of control and allow you to avoid overblending it. Alternatively, you can transfer it to a regular blender — just be careful not to blend too long or the soup will become gummy. Always be careful when blending hot liquids. Return the soup to the pot if you used a regular blender.
- Stir in the lemon juice, then season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle into bowls and serve. Optionally, you can garnish each bowl with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of fresh parsley, and/or some sliced fresh spring onions, if you have any extra.
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I liked this spring onion recipe! I found it slightly lacked flavor, but I also didn’t have any parsley to add to it. A little extra lemon juice helped with the flavor I was missing. The onion plus white wine combo was great. I’m curious to add the peas next time instead of the spinach. Wanted to leave a review as I always look for positive reviews before I make something. This is worth trying!