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.
If you’re drowning in zucchini and tired of the usual zucchini bread and zucchini muffins, let my creamy zucchini soup be your delicious solution. Infused with distinct Mediterranean flavors, like dill, lemon and extra-virgin olive oil, it’s a testament to how versatile this vegetable can be. The soup is surprisingly healthy, foregoing heavy cream in favor of the rich, nutty thickness provided by toasted walnuts. And the best part? It’s incredibly easy to make—ready in just 30 minutes and delicious whether served hot or cold, making it the perfect dish for any time you’re in the mood for something light yet comforting.
Table of Contents
“Made this initially out of curiosity but it has instantly become a favorite! Wow—so good!”
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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Good Afternoon, Jenn!
Quick question: what would you recommend pairing with this soup to make it a complete dinner? A salad? Salmon? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Thanks!
Hi Bethany, a couple of options that come to mind: focaccia, this French Grated Carrot Salad, or for something a bit more substantial, this Chicken Salad. Hope that helps and that you enjoy whatever you try!
I assume that the walnuts are intended as a garnish? They are omitted from the instructions.
Hi Ann, the walnuts actually get incorporated into the soup and add a nice creaminess. See the fourth paragraph of the instructions for more guidance. Hope that helps!
This is a fantastic recipe and I’ll be making it again and again. Question: Could I use canned artichoke hearts or peas rather than the zucchini? And if so…how much? Thanks.
Hi Cynthia, Glad you liked it. I wouldn’t recommend artichokes here and if you want to use peas, I’d recommend this recipe (which you can thicken up a bit with walnuts if you’d like). Hope that helps!
This soup looks so delicious. In the photo, you have 4 medium sized zucchini. Would you please approximate the weight of the zucchini needed? Thanks in advance.
Hi Cassie, I haven’t weighed them, but I’d guesstimate that you’d need about 1 & 1/3 lbs (you’ll need 4 – 5 cups sliced zucchini). Hope you enjoy!
Silky smooth with a lively taste and a touch of richness – and so quick and unfussy! Perfect as-is, but I was thinking that next time I’d garnish with a dollop of sour cream instead of adding the lemon juice to the whole pot – just to change things up.
Absolutely fabulous! Simple, quick and yummy. Didn’t have fresh dill, so used a scant tablespoon of dried. And probably didn’t use all 3 tablespoons of lemon. Perfect for our taste. This time of year I like cold soups. My husband likes hot soups anytime. So we can do both. Love that you can freeze it too. Thank you so much!
I have made this soup many, many times. Today it was absolutely perfect! I was a little heavy with the zucchini (blessed with beautiful, big zucchini at the grocery). Added a little extra broth to compensate. Used dried dill and mistakenly added before simmering. Resulted in the best batch ever! Did not have to adjust any seasonings.
Would almonds or cashews work instead of walnuts??
Hi Heather, I haven’t tried it with either of those, but I suspect they would work. Please LMK how it turns out!
This is one of our favorite soups, healthy and delicious. I use a bunch of dill as in the picture instead of attempting to measure it. (I’m a huge fan of dill) Thank you for your amazing soup recipes!
Soup is my favorite food, and this was an absolutely beautiful recipe. So silky and the walnuts add a unique taste. I cooked it with shallots and added yellow squash. Perfect. I make it all the time now. Thank you!
Really delicious! Adding the walnuts was just sheer genius.. I don’t like thickening soup with potato so this was just the best idea.
Made it for a dinner party tonight and it was enjoyed by all. I did not use walnuts but instead, I added a couple of potatoes with the zucchini and substituted the last tablespoon of EVOO with 1 tbsp of macadamia oil . I also added some whole milk to the soup. I will definitely make the soup again as long as there is zucchini from the garden!
The best cold soup ever! My husband made it and it was delicious
Made this soup and loved it – thank you so much for the recipe! Can the asparagus soup or the green pea soup recipes here be adapted to use toasted nuts instead of cheese? My mother in law is allergic to cow’s milk and really liked this soup. I wanted to make some other varieties for her using nuts. Thanks again.
So glad you enjoyed the soup, Nora! Yes, I think the asparagus and pea soup recipes could be adapted to use toasted nuts in place of the cheese. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try them that way!
Jenn,
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
It was amazing. You have enriched my life.
I’ve made this soup several times, and it’s always a hit, served both hot AND cold.
The only thing that I did differently, was to grind the toasted walnuts in my mini blender, before adding it to the soup. That way, I could use my stick blender in the saucepan to purify the soup.
I’ve made cream of zucchini soup before but never used nuts. This recipe intrigued me and i am glad i gave it a try. It was really good. I also added parsley. Will definately make it again.
It is just amazing. The prep time is misleading .. it should account for the time spent prepping the veggies. But who cares when it’s this good? I could taste a little lemon .. walnut.. the flavors were somehow separate enough that they all came out in each spoonful. To heck with zucchini bread. This is what you should do with all that zucchini instead .
Hi I want to make this for xmas, however my sisters kids are allergic to tree nuts. Any idea of what I can use as a substitute, or should I omit the walnuts? I’m nervous it will change the consistency.
Hi Devi, you can thicken the soup with cream instead of walnuts – Hope you enjoy!
I’ve loved every other recipe of yours I’ve tried, but this wasn’t my favorite. It just doesn’t have much flavor to me, and I used more salt and pepper than the recipe called for. It may have been my fault, I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. I’m also not sure what a “medium” zucchini would be (the ones in my store were all the same size), so perhaps mine were too large and changed the ratios somewhat. I’ll finish the pot I made, but probably won’t make again.
First disappointing recipe here. We found it bland, not bad with extra dill upon serving. However I wonder if it lacked flavour because I used one gigantic zucchini instead of 4 small ones (September, so remaining zucchini’s are huge). Would not make again.
I’m so sorry to hear this didn’t turn out well – thanks for the follow-up!
Will one HUGE zucchini cut down on the flavour? It’s that type of year when they are huge at the farmers markets.
Hi Angie, I know they can grow to the size of a baseball bat!! That should be fine; you’ll need 4 – 5 cups sliced zucchini. Hope you enjoy!
What a welcome find… I have been looking for “Whole30” compliant recipes, and this was a great match for my current supply of vegetables. Against your recommendation, I used an immersion blender, and the result was chunky (and messy) but still tasty! I used regular (not low-sodium) broth and omitted the extra salt. I did not find it bland. Thanks!
😋 I added a dollop of sour cream. So satisfying and delicious.
I tried this soup and thought it was delicious! My blender isn’t very strong so after blending I ended up straining the soup so that it was smooth. Defínitely needs some more salt but other than the extra step it was a delicious summer soup.
Tried this soup last night for a dinner party. It was delicious and super healthy — with no cream! The nuttiness gets stronger as it sits. We served it warm….and because I am not a fan of dill we simply used one Tbsp vs two. We will make this again for sure!
This was a pleasantly tasty soup that is quick & easy to make as well as incredibly flexible. Lunches can be a pain due to the kinds of dinners that we eat in the summer, but this is great. Since one reviewer suggested that the flavors were a bit bland (which definitely CAN be an issue with zucchini), I added a few grates of fresh (organic) lemon rind during the final reheat (nod to my Grandmom!) which was just right.
Hi Jenn, could I use pecans instead of walnuts? Just found out that my husband and I are allergic to walnuts but pecans are ok.
Sure, Rose. Hope you enjoy!
Looking for a good cold soup, I gave this a try. Initially, I was disappointed with it, not thick enough, not as flavorful as I thought it would be. However, the next day, cold, it blew my mind…thick, delicious, I will be making it all summer. ..so easy…so good. Even hot the next day, it was better than when I first made it. Jenn, why DID IT REACT THIS WAY?
HI Carol, It’s not unusual for a soup to thicken up a bit when it sits in the fridge. Also, often times soups and stews are better the second day as the flavors have had more time to meld/blossom. Now you can plan to make this one a day in advance of serving it! 🙂
can I use a blender stick instead of processing in a blender…..would be a lot quicker and less clean-up…..getting lazy in my old age…always looking for simple..:))) Have made this soup many times with blender….it’s a winner!
Hi Elaine, Glad you like the soup! I prefer a blender over a hand-held immersion blender for this recipe because it’s more powerful and does a better job blending the nuts into the soup. Sorry!
I made this, it was great. Just make sure you use real dill, not the dried stuff. The fresh dill adds a lot of flavour. I love how creamy it is without actual cream. I’d make it again for a light lunch
Oh, so good!
Delicious vegan soup that the whole family enjoyed. Since I live in the land of the New Mexico green chile, I added 1/4 of a leftover green chile to the soup and it gave it that little bit of “kick” and flavor that we all love.
Love this recipe and make it often! Like to keep some in the freezer, too. Recently I’ve been using a mild homemade veggie broth and am liking that as much, if not more, than the chicken broth. And, when out of walnuts, I’ve used a cup of plain unsweetened almond milk – a lighter-than-cream way of achieving a creamy texture. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Hi Jenn!
Thanks so much for your amazing recipes-2018 seems so far away:-)
Was hoping to make this soup and wanted to know if I can substitute the fresh dill with ground dill? I have seeds I can grind but no access to fresh dill. Also: are the walnuts a complete must? Can I leave them out and not alter the recipe? Thanks!
Glad you like the recipes, Sarah! Yes, you can use dried dill here; you’ll just need 1 Tbsp. plus more for garnish. And if you’d prefer not to use the walnuts, you can thicken the soup with cream. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks Jenn. I did just that: talk about transforming zucchini!!! The Dill really does something to the soup. I’ll try and get my hands on walnuts the next time I’m able to: I can only imagine just how muxh more awesome the soup will be! A keeper 🙂
I have to admit, when I saw zucchini soup I was scepticle but omg this totally blew me away! It’s super creamy without the cream and the dill gives it such a unique and delicious flavor! I haven’t been disappointed yet with any of your recipes! Thank you for sharing.
A family favourite that has been passed along to many others, so delicious, a definite fan of this flavourful soup.
This was a delicious soup…. until I added the dill. My guests just didn’t go for that taste in a soup. So next time I’ll just leave that out because the rest was fantastic – especially the toasted walnuts.
This soup was a disappointment. The only flavor came form the dill; the nuts – although I blended like a demon – did not totally blend into the soup, gave no flavor, just an unwelcome crunch. I see no room for improvement here. Moving on.
Hi Jenn, I find it a bit hard to determine medium zucchini as I have seen really large ones and really small ones. Do you have an approximate number of cups of sliced zucchini so I can make sure mine are the right size? I am very excited to try this recipe!
Hi Jeanette, 1 medium zucchini should yield about 1 – 1/4 cups of sliced zucchini, so for this recipe, you’d want 4 – 5 cups sliced zucchini. Hope you enjoy!
Pleasantly surprised by how easy and delicious this recipe was. Calorie counter, as I am, this was a perfect choice. I didn’t miss the cream I would have added normally for the rich finish. The dill flavor was more pronounced when I served it chilled. Yum!
Hot or cold, this recipe is worth 5 stars.
Wow! Loved this, so tasty. I was looking for healthy recipes and this was a winner. Tasty and healthy and you could even serve this for a dinner party. Thanks Jen it is so hard to find tasty low calorie recipes!
I have made this recipe 3 times now. I made a double batch for the first course of our Thanksgiving meal. I can’t wit to introduce it to my family! For a double batch I toasted one cup of walnuts and blended it with the soup and ground a second cup in the food processor and mixed it in afterward. I also use a whole lemon, zest and all. It’s the BEST!
Could this be used with yellow squash instead??
Hi Jordan, Yes definitely 🙂
I am planning on trying this recipe as I planted zucchini this summer which is coming in now however any suggestions on replacing or eliminating the walnuts, I have someone in my house that is allergic to nuts…..thank you!
Hi Lila, You can thicken the soup with cream. Enjoy 🙂
This is so good. I added a bit more toasted walnuts 3/4 a cup. I pulsed the first batch in the vita mix so the soup would still have some texture, the rest I pureed. I have served this hot and at room temp either way it is amazing. Fresh Lemon is the key to really bringing the flavors out so I added quite a bit. Also for a finishing touch I sprinkled the soup just before serving with fresh graded Parmesan cheese. Unbelievably good. I had to share this. 🙂
Hello 🙂 Could I substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth? Thanks =)
Safia
Hi Safia, Yes, absolutely.
Quick, easy, delicious week-night meal. I thought I might want to add some cream or cheese, but it didn’t need it. The toasted walnuts added made it creamy and gave the soup body. We tried it hot tonight; can’t wait to try it cool for lunch tomorrow.
I learned something new with this soup. I thought creamy always meant using heavy cream and as someone who is lactose intolerant I was very happy to find something creamy and lactose free! I thought walnut and dill in soup was weird but this recipe changed my mind forever. Officially one of my most favorite go to soups now!
This soup tasted flat. The lemon juice gave it much needed acidity, but the flavor profile was dull and one dimensional. I made a double batch in my excitement, and now I am stuck with unfinished soup. I tried adding more dill to liven it up, but alas. The only good thing is that it is healthy.
I used 2 tablespoons cooking sherry and 1 tablespoon lemon juice and it was delicious.
I am swamped with summer squash- has anyone tried this yellow squash??
your soups are excellent! Can I freeze the Creamy Zucchini, Walnut and Dill Soup after I add the lemon juice???? Made a double batch!
Hi Elaine, Thank you! Yes, it is fine to freeze the soup.
This soup is amazingly good! I loved it, perfect for those extra zukes. Thanks!
Another delicious and easy to make soup recipe, thanks.
What a lovely soup! Perfect for all the zucchinis that are going to be popping up soon!