Roasted Garlic Chickpea Soup

This roasted garlic chickpea soup is a simple and comforting soup with creamy, roasted garlic and some crunchy roasted chickpeas on top. It has all the textures, yet minimal ingredients - and healthy too! It is even naturally vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. 

 

 

Soups are versatile, fantastic for make-ahead, freezer-friendly, and warm your soul on cold winter days. For more soup ideas, try this Moroccan butternut squash soup, Thai chicken noodle soup, or a super simple tomato soup! 

 

Why you’ll love this recipe

 

I've mentioned some of this already. You will love this if you love the mellow and sweet flavor of roasted garlic, and if you love different textures. Also, it is super easy to make with minimal ingredients.

 

And lastly, soup warms our souls. It's as simple as that.

 

Ingredients

 

• 1 full head of garlic - it sounds like a lot, but when roasting it you need the whole thing. It sweetens and gets more mellow when roasted so don't worry. It's a crucial step!
• Seasonings - ground paprika, rosemary, freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, and salt. Things you should always have on hand anyway. These flavors go so well together with garlic and a creamy chickpea soup. 
• Chickpeas - I use 2 cans in the soup and 1 can for roasting. The perfect vessel for all our spices! High in protein and a good source of fiber, make them an ideal base for a healthy and filling soup. 
• Vegetable stock - to thin it out to desired consistency while still bringing flavor to the soup.
• A large potato - to thicken the soup. This makes it a fabulous gluten-free soup as well!
• Chili oil - to serve, I love that extra punch, but it's totally optional. You can also make your own: Heat ¼ cup canola oil and 1 teaspoon chili flakes until simmering. Take it off the heat, stir in 2 pinches of salt and then strain it. Easy peasy!

 

 

Step-by-step instructions

 

To make this chickpea soup, start by preheating the oven to 375℉ (180℃) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

 

Place the rinsed chickpeas of one can into a cloth and dry them well and rub them against your hands to remove the skin (1-2). The skin contains a lot of moisture so it should be removed. You can also press them gently between your fingers to pop them out of the skin.

 

 

Combine the rinsed chickpeas with all the spices (apart from the salt) and olive oil (3) and place them on the baking sheet (4). Roast for 45-60 minutes or until golden and crispy (5).

 

Stir once halfway through. Sprinkle with salt. They will crisp up more once they cool. 

 

Cut the top of the garlic head off, to reveal the garlic cloves. Add into an oven-proof small container and drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil on top. Loosely cover with foil.

 

 

Bake for 45-60 minutes (you can place it on the baking sheet with the chickpeas) or until the garlic cloves have a golden color. If they haven't browned after 45 minutes, take the foil off. Let cool a little.

 

While the chickpeas and garlic are roasting - make the soup. Heat 2 teaspoons of neutral oil in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add the spices and give it a stir, then add the chickpeas and give it another stir (6).

 

 

Add vegetable broth and a cubed potato (7-8), and bring it up to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes or however long until the garlic is done. 

 

Blend using a blender or an immersion blender (9-10). Squeeze the garlic paste out of their skin and blend it with the soup as well. Taste and add more salt if needed. You can also add more vegetable broth if you find it too thick.

 

Re-heat if needed. 

 

Serve the chickpea soup with the crispy, roasted chickpeas, chili oil, and crusty bread if desired.

 

 

Storage

 

The soup can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for about 4 days. But it is also great to freeze it! Make sure you leave a little room in the container as it expands once it freezes. Keeps for 4-5 months in the freezer.

 

To re-heat, it is best to let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You can also thaw it on low heat and stir it often. Once it all has melted, increase the temperature and heat until warmed through. 

 

The roasted chickpeas are best on the same day. However, you can store them in a closed container in room temperature for about a week. These are also great for snacking! 

 

 

Recipe FAQs

Do you peel chickpeas for soup?

There's no need to peel chickpeas for soup, especially soup where you blend the chickpeas. It can get a little smoother if you do, but it's generally not worth it.

 

For the roasted chickpeas, however, it is best to peel them. This is because the skin has a lot of moisture, making the chickpeas less crunchy.

 

Can you use chickpea water (aquafaba) in soup?

You can use aquafaba to make vegan macarons, so you can use aquafaba in soups too. It will thicken the soup.

 

Keep in mind that you need to cook raw legumes before you eat them, which is also true for the water. Raw legumes are toxic because of their high phytic acid content. 

 

This is not an issue for canned chickpeas, as they have been pre-cooked and so this chickpea water is safe to consume. 

 

 

What can I do with a can of chickpeas?

There are so many things to do with a can of chickpeas! Some of my favorites include:

 

• In soups, obviously. Both blended or kept whole work beautifully.
• "Raw" (canned) in salads, like this lemon chicken winter salad
• Roasted chickpeas, like in this butternut squash kale salad, Cajun halloumi tray bake or this roasted cauliflower chickpea salad
• Bonus; the aquafaba is great for vegan macarons!

 

Why are my roasted chickpeas not crunchy?

You probably did not roast them for long enough. They should have that crunchy sound when you stir them. Otherwise, keep baking them. It usually takes between 45-60 minutes to keep them crunchy even the next day.

 

You should also try your best at removing the skins of the chickpeas before roasting because the skin has a lot of moisture in it. And moisture keeps things soggy!

 

Expert tips

Variations

As chickpeas are rather plain in flavor, you can add pretty much any seasoning to them and they will feel like a brand new dish. Here are my tips to make this soup in three different ways:

 

1. Middle Eastern flavors - instead of the seasonings in this chickpea soup recipe, go for 1 tablespoon baharat instead. The warm and spicy flavors are so comforting in a soup. 
2. Herbaceous - use more fresh and/or dried herbs. My favorites include fresh parsley and dill, and dried rosemary. Thyme is delicious too. And to top off the green, add this garlic butter kale straight into the soup!
3. Bright and lemony - even though it is a creamy soup, adding a touch of lemon juice can really brighten it up. Start with 1 tablespoon (right at the end), and see how you like it. 

 

But of course, this roasted garlic chickpea soup is more than delicious enough on its own. I recommend trying it as in the recipe card the first time, and then seeing how you would make it the next time. 

 

Either way - enjoy!

 

 

Did you like this recipe? Here are more soups I think you’d love:

 

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later! To make sure you’re never missing another recipe, please feel free to subscribe to my newsletter. 

 

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