A thick, rich vegan parsnip soup is adorned with roasted chickpeas and a sweet, spicy harissa-maple sauce.

Make the most of parsnips in this rich, fragrant soup.
Parsnips are one of my favorite root vegetables. While you can buy parsnips year-round, their peak season is autumn until early spring. Parsnips bring a lightly sweet undertone to dishes with an irresistible earthy flavor.
In this soup, they are combined with potatoes, leeks, and garlic. I spice them with turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, cloves, and white pepper to create a savory and flavorful soup that pairs perfectly with the sweet and spicy harissa-maple sauce.


What you need
- Parsnips and potatoes: I use parsnips and potatoes for this soup. You can use all parsnips if you like, but I love the richness that potatoes bring to this soup.
- Aromatics: Leeks and garlic add a nice garlicky, oniony flavor to the soup. If you have shallots or yellow onions, you can use them instead of the leeks.
- Spices: I spice the soup with ground cumin, turmeric, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, and cloves. This gives the soup a savory flavor with just enough sweet spices.
- Chickpeas: I roast chickpeas and serve them on top for a little protein.
- Harissa-maple sauce: I make a simple harissa-maple sauce with harissa, maple syrup, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil.
How to make it





- Step 1: Prepare your ingredients. Peel and dice the parsnips and potatoes, rinse the leek and slice it into half moons, and peel and crush the garlic.
- Step 2: Sauté the aromatics and vegetables. Start with the leeks, then add the garlic, and finish with the diced parsnips and potatoes.



- Step 3: Add the spices to the vegetables. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.



- Step 4: Make the harissa-maple sauce. Combine the harissa, maple syrup, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Whisk until smooth, and add salt to taste.


- Step 5: Roast the chickpeas. Arrange the chickpeas on a baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast at 400ºF for 25 minutes. You can add a sprinkle of sumac to the chickpeas, but that is optional!

- Step 6: Blend the soup. Use an immersion or traditional blender to blend the soup until completely smooth.


- Step 7: Serve it up! I spoon the soup into a large tureen and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, freshly minced oregano, and parsley. I pile the roasted chickpeas on top and drizzle with the harissa-maple sauce. I serve the extra harissa sauce at the table so people can add more to their soup as they like.
The result is a luxuriously thick vegan soup with deliciously crisp roasted chickpeas and sweet spiciness from the harissa-maple sauce. It’s such an explosion of flavor and textures!

Vegan Parsnip Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 leek white and light green part only, halved lengthwise and rinsed thoroughly; sliced into half-moons
- 10 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 1½ pounds parsnips trimmed, peeled, and diced
- 1 pound russet potatoes peeled and medium-diced
- 2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 cups water
- 14.5-ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- Pinch sumac optional
- 2 tablespoons oregano loosely packed and minced; for serving
- 2 tablespoons parsley loosely packed and minced; for serving
Harissa-maple sauce:
- ¼ cup harissa paste
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Start the soup:
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often until fragrant.
- Add the parsnips and potatoes and season with salt. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, turmeric, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, and cloves. Toss to coat and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Simmer the soup:
- Pour the water into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Make the harissa-maple sauce:
- Combine the harissa paste, maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Taste and add a pinch of salt to taste. Set aside.
Roast the chickpeas:
- Add the chickpeas to a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Arrange the chickpeas in an even layer and transfer them to the oven for 25 minutes, flipping once midway through cooking.
- Remove the chickpeas from the oven and sprinkle a pinch of sumac on top if desired. Set aside and keep warm.
Blend the soup:
- Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Blend until completely smooth using an immersion blender or a traditional blender. Taste again and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
To serve:
- Transfer the parsnip soup to a tureen. Sprinkle the fresh oregano and parsley on top. Pile the roasted chickpeas on the soup and drizzle with the harissa-maple sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side. Enjoy!