Roasted Eggplant Soup with Crispy Chickpea Croutons

This creamy roasted eggplant soup is an easy-to-make recipe made with everyday ingredients. Try it topped with 15-minute roasted chickpea croutons for a little crunch!

I’m a big fan of eggplant, so it often appears on my dinner table. Whether it’s my Turkish Stuffed Eggplant or this eggplant soup, I can’t seem to get enough of it.

When eggplants are roasted, they become wonderfully creamy. They give the soup a luxurious texture, even though I don’t add cream to my recipe.

I always like a little crunchy topping when I serve cream soups, and for this one, I love roasted chickpeas. You could opt for croutons, like these mini soup croutons, if you’d rather.

Tips for roasting eggplant

The first step in making this eggplant soup is to roast the eggplant. I’m a big fan of making whole roasted eggplants, as it requires little hands-on time. It’s easy to make this step ahead of time, so I’ll often make a double batch and use half for this soup and half for recipes throughout the week. Here are three tips you should know:

1. Make sure to use a fork to poke the eggplant a few times before baking, allowing the steam to escape as it cooks.
2. Turning them often, about every 20 minutes, so they cook evenly.
3. While the skin is edible, for eggplant soup, you’ll want to remove it. Don’t worry if a little of the charred skin gets into your soup, though; it will add a bit of smoky flavor.

Store, reheat, and freeze

Store: Bring the soup to room temperature, then place it in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Reheat: Eggplant soup reheats well in a pot over medium-low heat or the microwave.

Freeze: This soup freezes very well. Transfer it to a freezer container and freeze it for up to 6 months.

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Roasted Eggplant Soup Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cooling time for eggplants: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

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This creamy roasted eggplant soup is an easy-to-make recipe made with everyday ingredients. Try it topped with 15-minute roasted chickpea croutons for a little crunch!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3 globe eggplants (medium-sized – approximately 2 ½-3 pounds)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 large onion (sliced)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
• ▢ 6-7 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock – see notes)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ ½ cup Italian parsley (chopped – plus more as garnish)

Chickpea Croutons (optional)

• ▢ 15 ounce can chickpeas (rinsed)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon everything but the bagel seasoning (optional)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside. Using a fork or tip of a sharp knife, poke 7-8 holes throughout each eggplant. Place eggplants on the sheet pan on a single layer and transfer them into the preheated oven.
  3 globe eggplants
• Roast the eggplants until they burst and have softened, turning them every 20 minutes. This process should take about 50-60 minutes depending on the size of your eggplants. Remove them from the oven and let them cool. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the roasted eggplants and set them aside. Do not turn the oven off if you're making the roasted chickpeas as a topping.
• To make the roasted chickpeas, mix the chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper on a sheet pan and spread them evenly around the pan. Roast them for 15 minutes then remove them from the oven and set them aside to cool.
  ½ teaspoon black pepper, 15 ounce can chickpeas, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon everything but the bagel seasoning
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cumin, and paprika into the pan. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
  2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large onion, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika, 4 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• Add the reserved roasted eggplant, vegetable stock, salt, and pepper. Put the lid on the pot and bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.
  6-7 cups vegetable stock, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Using an immersion blender, puree soup until no large chunks remain. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
  3 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ cup Italian parsley
• When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with chickpea croutons (if using), and more parsley. Serve while it is still warm.

Video

Notes

Immersion blender: If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a stand blender or a food processor. If you do so, puree the soup in batches and be careful, as it’s very hot.

Everything but the bagel seasoning: If you are living in the US and have access to Trader Joe’s, you probably know about this seasoning. It works wonderfully in this recipe. However, it is optional. 

Adjust the thickness of the soup: The recipe calls for 6-7 cups of vegetable broth. I like my eggplant soup rather thick, so I use 6 cups of liquid. However, if you want your soup to be thinner, feel free to use 7 cups of vegetable broth. Additionally, like any soup recipe, you can use chicken stock instead for a richer flavor.

Extra-smooth soup: If you want your eggplant soup to be silky smooth, run it through a medium-mesh strainer. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2 cups, Calories: 318kcal (16%), Carbohydrates: 45g (15%), Protein: 10g (20%), Fat: 13g (20%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Sodium: 2592mg (113%), Potassium: 1075mg (31%), Fiber: 16g (67%), Sugar: 17g (19%), Vitamin A: 1507IU (30%), Vitamin C: 27mg (33%), Calcium: 100mg (10%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Aysegul Sanford

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.