Creamy Zucchini Soup with Walnuts and Dill
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This creamless yet creamy zucchini soup is thickened with walnuts. Serve it hot or cold, depending on the weather.
Flavored with dill, this creamy zucchini soup is surprisingly healthy. There’s no heavy cream or dairy in it — just a handful of toasted walnuts thickens it up. You can throw it together in 30 minutes, and it’s good hot or cold.
What you’ll need to make creamy zucchini soup
STEP-By-STEP instructions
Begin by heating 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot, then add the chopped onions and garlic.
Cook over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the sliced zucchini, chicken broth, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and simmer for about ten minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.
Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a 350-degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the toasted walnuts and chopped dill to the pot.
Using a stick blender, purée the soup (alternatively, purée the soup in batches using a regular blender).
The soup should be completely smooth.
Stir in the fresh lemon juice and remaining olive oil, then taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with more olive oil, and sprinkle with dill. The soup may be served hot or cold.
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Creamy Zucchini Soup with Walnuts and Dill
This creamless yet creamy zucchini soup is thickened with walnuts. Serve it hot or cold, depending on the weather.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, cut into quarters
- 4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth (such as Swanson Organic)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, or 1 tablespoon dried, plus more for serving
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy clean-up.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Do not brown.
- Add the zucchini, chicken broth, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.
- Meanwhile, place the walnuts on the prepared baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. (Keep a close eye on them as nuts can burn quickly.)
- Add the dill and walnuts to the soup. Using a stick blender, purée the soup until smooth. (Alternatively, purée the soup in batches in a blender. Be careful not to fill the jar more than halfway, and leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape.)
- Add the lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of oil to the soup, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add about ¼ teaspoon more salt). Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with dill, and serve.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, until completely thawed. Serve cold or reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 166
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 6g
- Sodium: 629mg
- Cholesterol: 5mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this Thursday night for a light supper and paired it with an artesan bread from publix bakery. Delicious!
Jenn, I have 2 ratings for this soup. After making it yesterday and trying it I would give it 3*. BUT today, straight from the fridge it is 5*. I’ve never used dill but like the distinctive taste. My only sub was pecans for walnuts. This is a very good way to use excess zukes. I’m now waiting for another to ripen.
My neighbor gave me 4 zucchinis yesterday. I saw your recipe and made it tonight. It was delicious!!
Thank you.
A delicate and delicious soup in which the flavours blend beautifully. A nice way to use up your prolific zucchini.
This is delicious, Jennifer. Tastes similar to cream of broccoli and I love that there’s no dairy. The lemon adds an element of sophistication! I used Litehouse brand freeze-dried dill and it worked beautifully. Will definitely make this again.
Oops… you go by Jenn!
Jennifer is fine too!! 🙂
I use lighthouse dill also. So close to fresh
Hi Jenn,
I know the recipe states 6 servings. Can you give me an approx. in cups as to what a serving is?
Hi Brenda, I haven’t made this in a while so it’s a definite guesstimate, but I think a serving would be just over a cup.
Mm yum, this is so good!!
Cooking for someone with a nut allergy…what would you recommend as a substitution for walnuts?
Hi Ben, you can thicken the soup with cream instead. 🙂
Excellent, as usual.
How much zucchini by weight? We got a huge one from the garden.
Hi Erica, I’d guesstimate you’d need about 1-1/3 pounds. Enjoy!
This was delicious. I used half my giant zucchini, seeded. And let it cook down a bit with the onion. I also used cashews, because it is what I had on hand. . I had to eat a bowl, before I could freeze the rest.
Wow I actually hate zucchini but my daughter gave me some to use and I made this soup, it is awesome!
Subbed pecans for walnuts. Otherwise followed the recipe as written. We prefered the soup warmed. Enjoyed it with lunch for several days. I used dried dill weed. The dill flavor was stronger on days 2 and 3.
Even yummier than anticipated! I had a bunch of dill from my aero garden and some zucchini that was on its way out. This helped me use both. I scarfed it down. Thanks!
Hi Jenn
Is there another herb that would work other than dill? My family is extremely dill-averse.
Hi S, Tarragon would be a good substitute. Hope that helps!
Bless you! I’m on an all-liquid, low-carb diet for a couple of weeks for medical reasons. I was struggling to find non-protein shake recipes. This certainly hit the spot! I subbed pecans because my walnuts had gone rancid and it was delicious.
Hi I didn’t see my question so thought I would ask again. I made the soup yesterday and it tastes overwhelmingly like dill. Can I fix it by adding more zucchini? I would sauté it in onions first. Thanks
Sure, Marsha – that should work. The dill flavor might be less pronounced today as well.
I tweaked it into a Latin flavor, because my husband is allergic to dill. I added a chopped roasted poblano pepper, 1 t. cumin, which I sautéed with the onion, and substituted a handful of cilantro for the dill. Was yummy. Thank you!
I used my Vitamix to whizz this up. Creamy and delicious!
I’m making your Zucchini-Basil Pistou right now, which calls for using only the outer part (containing the skin) of the zucchini. Can I use just the inner seed-containing part of the zucchini that’s leftover from the pistou for this soup, or does it require the entire skin-on zucchini? Thanks!
Hi Kate, that should be fine. Hope you enjoy both the pistou and the soup! 🙂
I just made this for lunch accompanied with home baked sourdough, ham and cheese. It was delicious, the lemon juice adds just the right tanginess. I had enough leftovers to freeze for another time. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
This soup is fabulous! Bought fresh walnuts and followed the recipe exactly the first time. Definitely creamy without the cream. I love it hot or cold. I have also use yellow squash to make a variation on the soup but substituted white pepper as it gives a wonderful touch.
I followed directions precisely and shared this with two friends who are “foodies”. Our reactions were identical. We all felt that the soup was creamy as promised, but that the walnuts imparted a somewhat unpleasant taste. Unfortunately, unlike most of the wonderful recipes we get from this site, this one is not a keeper.
Perhaps your walnuts were old
I agree – high-quality and fresh walnuts are key here.
Delicious hot or cold. Follow directions and you will have a creamy, delicious soup.
Thanks, Jenn! This is a great recipe. I live in an apartment in a city, so don’t have the space to keep a full-sized blender. So, instead, I ground up the toasted walnuts in my mini blender, then added them to the zucchini about half-way through the cooking (I kept it bubbling for about 16 minutes in total). Then, with the more softened zucchini and the now softer walnuts, I was able to use my immersion (stick) blender . It worked perfectly. I didn’t have quite enough fresh dill, so I put what I had in the soup and used a good olive oil, croutons, and fresh-ground black pepper as garnish. It tasted awesome. Next time I will make sure I have more dill on hand.