Spinach Soup Recipe (Palak Soup)

overhead shot of spinach soup drizzled with coconut cream and sprinkled with crushed black pepper in white bowl on a black board

4.79 from 74 votes

Spinach soup is a healthy soup made with fresh spinach and basic ingredients. This Palak Soup recipe is easy to make and does not require cream or thickener. It is light, nourishing, and suitable for everyday meals. The soup is naturally vegan and gluten-free.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

2 cups chopped spinach (palak)
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ teaspoon chopped garlic or 2 to 3 small to medium-sized garlic cloves
1 tablespoon gram flour or chickpea flour - swap with cornmeal or all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cumin (cumin powder)
1 bay leaf - small sized, swap with tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 or 1.5 tablespoons olive oil or butter
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or add as required
salt as required
2 to 3 tablespoons coconut cream for topping, optional
2 to 3 pinches of crushed black pepper - optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparation

First rinse the spinach leaves very well in water a few times. Then drain all the water.
Chop the spinach leaves and keep aside. If the stems are tender, you can use these too.

Sautéing and cooking spinach soup mixture

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add the bay leaf or tej patta and sauté for 2 to 3 seconds on low heat.
Now add the chopped garlic and sauté till the garlic is light browned or browned. Don't burn the garlic.
Sauté the garlic on a low heat. Add chopped onions and sauté till the onions are softened.
Add the chopped spinach. Stir and season with black pepper and salt.
Now add the besan or gram flour. Mix well.
Pour 2 cups water and mix again.
Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add ground cumin and stir well.
Switch off the heat and let the soup mixture cool a bit.

Making spinach soup

When the soup mixture's heat has reduced or has become warm, first remove the bay leaf or tej patta and discard it.
Then blend with a hand blender or in a blender until fine and smooth.
Check the seasonings and add some more salt or pepper if required.
If the soup looks thick, then add about ¼ cup water and stir.
Keep the well blended soup back on the stove for simmering for 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve spinach soup hot sprinkled with some freshly crushed black pepper and coconut cream.

Video

Notes

Use tender, fresh spinach. You can also use baby spinach or frozen spinach. For frozen spinach thaw the leaves first. Once the leaves are thawed, press and squeeze all the water from the leaves.
If the stems are tender, you can use them. But if they are fibrous or stringy, then discard them and use the leaves only.
Use any neutral tasting oil or even olive oil for this recipe. For a vegetarian Spinach Soup, you can add butter.
This is a thin light soup. To thicken the soup, you need to add some form of starch in it. Add some chopped potatoes – about ¼ to ⅓ cup to the soup mixture. First, add potatoes and water. Cook till the potatoes are almost done. Then, add the spinach leaves and simmer till the leaves are wilted. Some carrots can also be added, but then, the soup will have a sweet taste.
The soup stays good for 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze for a few weeks without the coconut cream.
A topping of bread croutons also tastes good with this Palak Soup.
This recipe is for 2 servings. But can be easily scaled up to make a big batch.

Nutrition