Pea Soup with Basil
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Made from sweet peas, fresh basil, lime, and vegetable broth, this pea soup is light, bright, and perfect for spring.
Most pea soups are made from dried split peas and flavored with a ham bone, making them hearty and rich. This pea soup is entirely different. Made from sweet peas, fresh basil, lime, and vegetable broth, it is light, bright, and perfect for spring. The soup is delicious hot or cold, depending on the weather, and it makes a satisfying light meal with a crusty wedge of fresh bread.
What You’ll Need To Make Pea Soup with Basil
Step-by-step instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat, and add the shallots.
Gently cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, peas, salt, and pepper. 
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lime juice.
Purée with a stick blender until smooth and creamy. Be patient; peas take a long time to purée and you want it as smooth as possible. (If you don’t have a stick blender, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow the steam to escape and cover with a dish towel so it won’t splatter.)
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, or chill and serve cold.
You may also like
- Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Parmesan
- Green Pea & Asparagus Soup with Feta, Mint & Pita Croutons
- Spring Risotto with Asparagus & Peas
- Creamy Zucchini Soup with Walnuts and Dill
Pea Soup with Basil
Made from sweet peas, fresh basil, lime, and vegetable broth, this pea soup is light, bright, and perfect for spring.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1¼ cups roughly chopped shallots, from 3 large shallots
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 pounds (6 cups) frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and gently cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not brown.
- Add the vegetable broth, peas, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, then add the basil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and lime juice. Purée with a stick blender until smooth and creamy. Be patient; you want it as smooth as possible. (If you don’t have a stick blender, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the center cap to allow the steam to escape and cover with a dish towel so it won't splatter.) Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with more basil, if desired. (Alternatively, chill the soup and serve cold.)
- Note: This soup will thicken as it cools. If necessary, add a bit of water to thin to desired consistency.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Calories: 217
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Sodium: 634 mg
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
I have made this soup twice. Once exactly as written and once using mint instead of the basil as I had mint and did not have basil.
Though both ways are delicious, I must say that I prefer it with the mint instead of basil. Also mint is a more spring herb and basil a summer herb.
Can this soup be made a day ahead?
Yep 👍
Just made this soup exactly as written and Hubby and myself liked very much. The only thing I would do different is to cut down on the pepper just a tad. I put some in a cup and drank it while still thin enough. Keep coming with these amazing recipes. We are having the turkey, spinach & cheese meatball for lunch. My granddaughter, 5, also likes them. They are delicious.
Me and my wife will have a dinner date tomorrow and this one will be an addition to our table. I hope she will like it. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
This soup is delicious! Made exactly as written. Served at room temperature and look forward to trying it chilled next. Fantastic fresh flavor. Perfect for spring.
I made this soup tonight for my first dinner with girlfriends in a long time! Thanks so much for this light and flavorful dish- it received rave reviews! Half the people went home with leftovers, others are getting a recipe texted to them !!
I loved the combination of basil and lime with peas- it’s brought it to a whole new level. Thanks for making me look good!
This was really good and easy.
Unfortunately, I did not have fresh basil but I had some little frozen pesto cubes from Trader Joe’s so I threw a few of those in at the end. I DID have fresh mint so I slivered it and served it with some of that.
My husband and I both really enjoyed it.
Thanks for another great recipe.
Where did! you get frozen SWEET PEAS? Online I found canned Sweet Peas but all frozen varieties say only green peas, regular or petite. Your picture of ingredients shows only a bowl of peas. It sounds delicious
Hi Barbara, Frozen green peas and frozen sweet peas are one in the same. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn I will soon have a large harvest of sugar snap peas from my garden, would they work as a substitute for the frozen shelled peas in this recipe? Love your recipes, we will be getting our hands on your new book as soon as possible!
Hi Jordyn, If you want to use sugar snap peas, you’d need to shell them first as I don’t believe the peas in their shell would purée very well. It sounds like a lot of effort to me, but if you have the patience to do it, I think it should work. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Are the frozen peas to be thawed prior to getting a 10 minute cook?
No, they don’t. The 10 minutes will be plenty of time to cook them. Hope you enjoy!
Omg I just recreated the pea soup from our favorite restaurant! I was a little skeptical because its only a few ingredients (shame on me!) but it turned out delicious! I put it in the blender to get it silky smooth and added more pepper. Only other change was I used chicken stock. Thanks again for another great recipe!
I have made so many of your recipes that friends no longer ask where I found the recipe! Loved this soup but Jen you are correct when stressing it takes time to fully blend this soup until smooth. I thought it was smooth but had to throw it back in the pot to blend it more.
My family loves this soup…..made many times, however, I have no shallots …..can I substitute onions? how much less, for they’re a stronger flavor? Thanks, Jen, Please stay safe Elaine
Sure, Elaine, you can use onion in place of the shallots. I’d stick with 1 cup. Enjoy!
I left out the cheese, only had chicken stock, otherwise followed your recipe to the book.
SO DARN GOOD.
As always. I ate a giant bowl, kiddo one ate a giant bowl, kiddo two didn’t pretend to gag- so that’s a giant win. Thanks for the awesome recipes time and time again!
Those are the same two changes I’m making tonight!
Hi Jenn,
Just wanted to say how much I’ve been loving your blended soups (including this one). I’ve been making most of my 10 month old son’s food and your soups have been great for easy lunches we both enjoy. We’ve made (and froze) your butternut squash and sweet potato soup (with coconut milk), black bean soup and this spring pea and basil soup. We make them with organic ingredients and freeze them for easy weekday lunches. Paired with a baked quinoa veggie ball and some fruit it makes a wonderful lunch for older babies and toddlers! Thank you for your great recipes!
Uhoh! I accidentally use different chicken broth instead of vegetable. Thoughts? How different will it taste?
That’s fine, Angela – it’ll be just as good!
This is delicious. This soup has a very fresh pea taste. Much better than using dried peas. The basil was a nice addition.
Hi Jennifer! After blending the soup with my stick blender, I was surprised by the amount of foam on top. I’m used to seeing that with split peas but was surprised to see it with frozen peas. Should I just spoon it off as best I can before serving the soup?
Hi Ann, the foam should dissipate a bit after it sits for a minute or two, but feel free to spoon any leftovers off the top. Enjoy!
I am hosting a luncheon for 25 ladies Can I make this two days in advance and store it in the fridge?
Sure- Just keep in mind that it will thicken up in the fridge; if necessary, add a bit of water to thin to desired consistency.
This is really one of my favorite soups. I am a soup freak and this one does not disappoint. So simple and so good. I follow the recipe exactly and it turns out perfect every time.
Can sweet onion be substituted for the shallot? Thanks.
Yes Deanie, I think you could get away with that.
A really beautiful spring/summer soup. Surprisingly complex flavor. While great hot, the flavor developed so much more overnight and was amazing cold.
So simple to make, healthful, colourful and just plain good.
Can I omit the cheese? I’m trying to go vegan and wondered if it will lose too much flavor?
Hi Lisa, Yes, it’s fine to omit the cheese, you might just need a bit more salt.
I made the soup. In addition to the recipe, I cook some bacon and add that to the soup. And finished with heavy cream and lots of parmesan cheese.
My husband and I have made this recipe twice and it is absolutely delicious! The first time we added lobster meat at the bottom and a little bacon on top. The second time we added king crab meat with a little bacon on the top. Both were really good and just added a little zing to an otherwise amazing recipe!!
Great suggestions, Misti. Thank you!
Can this soup be frozen? Woul you recommend adding the basil before freezing it or wait until defrost and then add the basil?
Hi Monica, Yes, this soup freezes well. If possible, I would add the basil after defrosting it. Hope you enjoy it and please come back and let me know how it comes out.
I love vegetables, soups, and sauces!
I have been feeling that winter should be over and went through your archives. Found your Spring Pea and Basil Soup recipe, it is so delicious and it lifted my spirits. Thank you.
I actually used all the flavors in this, and made it into a quick bastard version of “mushy peas.” It was lovely,
Perfect year round… using fresh basil from the garden for the next batch. This is healthy and delicious.
So fresh and so easy! I actually did this with English shell peas I picked up at the grower’s market. Yummy!
This looks so very appealing! Thank you
I am so ready for spring and summer! What a wonderful healthy soup!! I can’t wait to make this soon!!
I love most soups any time of year…This one sounds like one I must try!
Looks delicious. It’s on my list to try once the basil grows in my garden.
yummy! im so ready for spring – i like how simple this soup is – but i think i would add ham hocks b/c my husband likes a bit of meat in there!
I love this soup! I’ve made it twice and am making it again this weekend for a girls brunch.
I’ve made this soup three times already, once for company and it was a huge hit. So easy to make and healthy too. Thanks!
Hi Jenn! Could this be made with canned peas?
Sure, it should work, but I’d go easy on the salt in the soup as the peas may be salty. Please LMK how it turns out!
This looks so delicious. Especially when served with a thick slice of homemade bread! Yum! Thanks for the great recipe.
Last night we had Spring Pea & Basil soup (really great!!) and your big Italian salad. Really light, wonderful meal. Thanks so much. Keep these great recipes coming. I always need ideas.
Refreshing and aromatic, naturally sweet soup!
What a fresh and delicious soup
I love that you don’t have to sit down to shell peas! Yay FROZEN! This looks yummy and simple~ and of course your pictures are stunning! 🙂