If you are looking for a light and filling soup that is low in calories, then this Creamy Courgette Soup is for you. Just 5 ingredients and a mere 75 calories for a large bowl and can easily be made vegan too. This silky smooth Courgette Soup is a great way to use up a lot of courgettes if you have them growing in your garden.
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It doesn't get much lighter than a courgette soup and the chives gives it a stronger onion flavour and they pair beautifully with the courgettes, without adding a lot of extra calories.
Even if you don't have any courgettes growing in your garden, they are really cheap to pick up at this time of year which makes this a budget friendly soup if you stick to the basic recipe.
Looking for some other ways to use courgettes? Why not try our Courgette Fritters, Courgette Risotto, Courgette Frittata, or Courgette Pizza Bites?
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Why You Will Love It
- A light meal - There are just 75 calories for a big filling bowl of this courgette soup and it is low in fat too.
- Boost your daily vegetable intake - We could all do with some extra vegetables in our life, right? This soup is an easy way to eat more vegetables.
- Use up a glut of courgettes - If you are growing courgettes, then they are probably taking over your garden. This is an easy way to use a few up so nothing goes to waste.
- The perfect summer soup - Soup isn't just for the colder months and this soup is the perfect way to bridge between summer and autumn.
- Budget friendly soup - When in season, courgettes are pretty cheap in the shop and this soup is made with very few extra ingredients.
- Can easily be made vegan - We added creme fraiche to give it some creaminess, but you could easily leave it out or use a vegan alternative.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Courgettes (zucchini) - Choose ones that are no longer than 8 inches and are free of nicks. A really fresh courgette will have very tiny hairs on the skin.
- Onion and garlic - The basic base to any delicious soup.
- Creme fraiche - You can use yogurt or cream, or leave it out to make the soup vegan.
- Vegetable stock - Either a home made stock or a good quality shop bought stock. If you are making this for young kids, then make sure it is a low salt stock.
- Chives - To finish off the dish.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Courgette Soup
- Step 1: Heat the oil in a large soup pan and then add the onion, garlic and courgette. Gently cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Step 2: Add the vegetable stock and chives to the pan and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 3: Blend the soup until smooth and stir in the creme fraiche.
- Step 4: Serve in bowls with a dollop of creme fraiche and chives for serving (both optional).
Courgette or Zucchini?
Courgettes and zucchinis are essentially the same vegetable but are called different things in different countries. In the UK, they are known as a courgettes, but in the US, they are called zucchini.
Technically though, there is a difference between the two. The names are used to refer to that same plant, but which is growing at a different stage of plant's development. The courgette is younger and therefore slightly smaller than the older and larger zucchini.
For any recipe on this blog that uses courgette we are also referring to a zucchini too. For more UK/US food terms see our chart of food translations.
Serving Suggestions
To give our courgette soup a bit of texture, we love serving it with some crunchy croutons on top.
We make our own easy croutons by chopping up some bread into squares and drizzling over a little olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic granules and dried herbs. Put them in the oven for about 5 minutes to crisp up. Perfect for adding to soups and salads.
You could keep it simple and serve the soup with some French bread fresh from the oven. Garlic bread is also great to dip in it, and that is a favourite with our kids.
This time, we served it with our Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia, which is a really easy and delicious homemade bread that goes perfectly with courgette soup.
Storage
Store: If you have leftovers of this soup, it will store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freeze: You can freeze this soup in freezer bags or containers with lids for up to 3 months. When defrosted, it may be a bit watery, so mix in some grated cheese to thicken it up and add some more flavour. This recipe is easy to double or triple the batch and then freeze in individual portions for quick work lunches.
Reheat: You can either reheat it in the microwave or heat it through on the hob.
Dannii's Top Tips
- If the soup is too thin and watery, you can thicken it with a flour slurry. Mix equal parts plain flour and water (say 2 tablespoons of each) in a cup and then mix that into the soup until you get desired thickness.
- Chives work well with this courgette soup as they have a nice onion flavour, but you could use basil, mint or parsley instead.
- Add a little extra vibrant green colour and a nutrient boost by cooking some peas with it and blending them up too.
- You could use plain yoghurt or cream instead in this zucchini soup if you don't have any creme fraiche.
- Make this vegan by leaving out the creme fraiche.
- Use shallots instead of onion for a sweeter flavour.
- If you want to give this soup a flavour boost, then roast the courgettes before adding to the pan.
- We have used vegetarian stock to keep this soup vegetarian, however you could swap it for a really good quality chicken stock to give it a richer flavour.
- If you are making this for your children, then use a low salt stock and don't season the whole soup, just do individual bowls if wanted.
- If you are using a jug blender to blend this soup, then wait until it has cooled first as you could crack the jug if it is too hot.
- Crumble some feta on top with a little indulgent twist.
- If you want to bulk out the soup, then some cooked rice or orzo pasta works well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you call it a courgette or a zucchini, it makes a delicious soup and the creamier the better! We make this courgette soup feel a little more indulgent by stirring in some creme fraiche to make it nice and creamy, but you could use plain yoghurt or single cream instead.
Something else that adds a lot of flavour and creaminess is grating a bit of parmesan on top just before serving.
We usually just make soup by eye without measuring anything and that can sometimes mean the soup ends up a little too thin and watery. If you find yourself in the same position, then all you need is a flour slurry to thicken it up.
Simply mix together equal parts flour and water and then whisk that mixture into the soup. Usually 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of water mixed together does the job. You can use this tip for thin stews too.
I would add a little extra chives if you do this, as it can sometimes make the soup taste floury.
Yes, you can make this in advance and then leave it to cool in the pan, cover and refrigerate the whole pan. Then, when you want to serve it you can put the whole pan (uncovered) on the hob and heat it through.
More Soup Recipes
If you've tried this Courgette Soup recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Creamy Courgette Soup (Zucchini Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil
- 5 Courgettes (zucchini) - diced
- 750 ml (3.25 cups) Vegetable stock
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 5 g (2 tablespoon) Fresh chives - finely chopped
- 1 Onion - small; diced
- 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoon Reduced fat crème fraîche
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon Vegetable oil in a large soup pan and then add 1 Onion, 2 Garlic clove and 5 Courgettes (zucchini). Gently cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Add 750 ml Vegetable stock 5 g Fresh chives and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper to the pan and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
- Blend the soup until smooth and stir in 4 tablespoon Reduced fat crème fraîche.
- Serve in bowls with a dollop of creme fraiche and chives for serving (optional).
Recipe Tips
- If the soup is too thin and watery, you can thicken it with a flour slurry. Mix equal parts plain flour and water (say 2 tablespoons of each) in a cup and then mix that in to the soup until you get desired thickness.
- Chives work well with this courgette soup as they have a nice onion flavour, but you could use basil, mint or parsley instead.
- Add a little extra vibrant green colour and a nutrient boost by cooking some peas with it and blending them up too.
- You could use plain yoghurt or cream instead in this zucchini soup if you don't have any creme fraiche.
- Make this vegan by leaving out the creme fraiche.
- Use shallots instead of onion for a sweeter flavour.
- If you want to give this soup a flavour boost, then roast the courgettes before adding to the pan.
- We have used vegetarian stock to keep this soup vegetarian, however you could swap it for a really good quality chicken stock to give it a richer flavour.
- If you are making this for your children, then use a low salt stock and don't season the whole soup, just do individual bowls if wanted.
- If you are using a jug blender to blend this soup, then wait until it has cooled first as you could crack the jug if it is too hot.
- Crumble some feta on top with a little indulgent twist.
- If you want to bulk out the soup, then some cooked rice or orzo pasta works well.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Beverley says
Tried this today as my neighbour who has an allotment gifted me a rather large courgette, I must admit it was delicious and I will certainly make this again, thank you for sharing.
Cari says
Made this with a monster courgette tonight, partially peeled and roasted (which changed the final colour)... But it was absolutely delicious!! Will try with younger courgettes sometime in the future.
Thanks so much for sharing it. Will save me mega chutney-making sessions in the coming weeks ;)
Dannii says
So glad you enjoyed it. Great tip about roasting them first!
Gemma says
We had this for lunch today and it was lovely and creamy, with lots of flavour. I thought it might have been too watery, but it wasn’t. We will definitely be making it again.
Kelly Anthony says
I've never thought to make zucchini soup, but it is seriously one of my favorite vegetables! This is so perfect for the transition from summer to fall!
Jillian says
I love creamy soup. I love being able to freeze soup. I love this post!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme says
Yum! A perfect way to use up the last of that great summer zucchini.
rebecca says
I've got a lot of zucchini, this is the perfect use of it!
Lisa Bynum says
Ahhh, this looks so creamy. I can almost taste it!
Traci says
I really need to try this sometime! We always have lots of zucchini during most of summer. Love the idea of doing something different. Just pinned!
Meredith says
I need to make this delicious looking soup! I have tons of late summer squash and it is suddenly soup weather. Thank you!
Jaclyn Anne says
I have never made my own zucchini soup before, but this creamy zucchini soup looks so amazing I am going to have to try to make it for myself. I love that it is low in calories as well!
Kelly Anthony says
What a great way to use up all the zucchini that is growing. I also like the tip to freeze the soup that way we can have this soup all winter long.