Vegan avocado and pea soup with mint

Vegan avocado and pea soup with mint: a creamy recipe with avocado, young peas, lime, mint and pumpkin seeds for a fresh, satisfying bowl.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 20 min
• Calories: 340 kcal per serving
• Protein: 8 g
• Fat: 26 g
• Carbs: 15 g

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion
• 400 g frozen young peas
• 2 ripe Hass avocados
• 1 splash of plant-based cream (made without seed oils) and toasted pumpkin seeds
• Juice of ½ unwaxed lime
• 1 litre mild vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• A few sprigs of fresh mint

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · high-speed blender · stick blender · chopping board · knife · sieve · wooden spoon · ladle

1. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Pick the mint leaves, squeeze the lime, and halve and stone the avocados and scoop out the flesh.
2. Warm the olive oil in a pan and briefly sweat the onion until soft and translucent. Add the peas and vegetable stock and simmer gently until the peas are soft and bright green.
3. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the avocado, plant-based cream, lime juice and mint. Blend everything until smooth with a stick blender or in a high-powered blender.
4. Adjust the soup to the consistency you like with a little extra stock or cream. Season with salt and, if needed, a little more lime juice.
5. If you want a particularly fine texture, press the soup briefly through a sieve. That makes it even silkier.
6. Ladle into bowls and serve with toasted pumpkin seeds, a little plant-based cream and a few mint leaves.

Good to know

This soup is creamy, cool and still really well-rounded in flavour. I especially like it when things need to be quick but I still want something fresh on the table.

Swaps

Plant-based cream → unsweetened coconut milk or cashew butter with water (creamy, no seed oils) Olive oil → avocado oil, or leave it out and sweat the onion in a little stock (heat-stable, or simply less oil) Toasted pumpkin seeds → chopped walnuts or macadamias (milder flavour; macadamias bring more monounsaturated fats) 1 litre vegetable stock → homemade vegetable stock or water plus herbs and a little salt (often fewer additives)

Allergens

The soup suits everyday eating; possible allergens mainly depend on the plant-based cream. For children, season mildly, and in pregnancy make sure the mint is fresh and well washed and the cream alternative is pasteurised.

Frequently asked questions

What's in avocado, nutritionally?

Avocado mainly provides monounsaturated fats plus potassium, vitamin E and some folate. It makes the soup creamy without the need for lots of extra cream.

How do frozen peas compare with fresh peas?

They're not necessarily worse. Frozen peas are usually processed shortly after harvest, so many nutrients such as folate and fibre are well preserved.

Is the mint in the soup just there for flavour?

Mainly for flavour, but mint also brings essential oils and plant compounds. In a small cooking amount, their nutritional weight is fairly limited.

Why does lime juice suit the soup so well?

Lime juice brings a little vitamin C and fresh acidity. Vitamin C is sensitive to heat, so it makes sense to stir the juice in at the end.

Can pumpkin seeds feel heavy for a sensitive stomach?

Usually not, especially in small amounts as a topping. They provide magnesium, zinc and iron, but because of their fat and fibre they can feel a little heavy if your digestion is very sensitive.

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