Got a surplus of garden variety zucchini? We thought so!
In this summer soup recipe, zucchini is cooked with a bit of onion in broth until tender. Once tender, it’s pureed until smooth and simmered with a bit of cream.
Zucchini soup is one of the easiest soups you’ll ever make! Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with crusty bread.
A Perfect Summer Soup
You can never run out of things to do with zucchini, but this soup is so easy and yummy—it really is a great way to enjoy the excess bounty at the end of summer!
- Budget-friendly and elegant, this zucchini soup is delicious too!
- This soup needs very few ingredients and is packed with fresh summery flavor.
- It’s quick to prepare so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal.
- Enjoy as an appetizer or light meal alongside a tossed salad or with bread for dunking!
Ingredients/Variations
Zucchini – Of course, zucchini is the star here! Whether it is picked fresh from your (or your neighbor’s) garden or fresh from the farmer’s market, choose zucchini that are deep green, heavy, and firm with no soft spots or broken skin.
Onion/Garlic –Sauteed onion and garlic give the broth its savory flavor.
Broth – Chicken broth can be substituted for vegetable broth but I really do love the flavor the chicken broth adds to this soup. A splash of heavy cream adds a bit of richness.
Garnish – A dollop of sour cream and a garnish of dill make this summer favorite elegant enough for a party. A light sprinkling of croutons for a great topping too!
Variations – We love this soup because it’s light and fresh. You can add in extras like celery, diced potatoes, carrots, or even cannellini beans.
How to Make Zucchini Soup
No need to peel the zucchini in this zucchini soup recipe! The skin on zucchini is very soft and since it gets cooked into the recipe, a little bit of color only adds to the presentation!
- Cook onion and garlic in butter. Add zucchini and saute until slightly tender.
- Add broth, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender. Stir in cream.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of fresh dill.
What to Serve with Zucchini Soup
Garnish: Ladle the soup into a bowl and garnish with fresh basil, dill, or other herbs. You can sprinkle on a little bit of parmesan cheese or even a squeeze of lemon juice.
Sides: We love this next to a fresh light salad like kale salad or tomato salad.
I serve most soups with bread for dipping! Add crusty bread, French bread, or even cheesy garlic breadsticks or drop biscuits so sop up every last bit in the bowl.
Leftovers
- Refrigerate it in a container with a tight-fitting lid for up to 5 days.
- To reheat, gently bring it to the desired temperature on the stovetop, stirring so as not to scald the cream. Adjust salt and pepper and serve.
- Freeze zucchini soup in zippered bags with the date labeled on them. Store flat in the freezer and once they are frozen they can be stored upright (like books) saving freezer space!
More Must Have Zucchini Recipes
Grilled Zucchini
Lemon, herbs, and seasonings make this grilled zucchini an easy side dish. Ready in just a few minutes, this is the perfect recipe for any summer meal.
Crispy Fried Zucchini
Have a surplus of zucchini in your garden? This recipe is a fun and creative way to use up your leftover zucchini. Just slice, coat in a breadcrumb mixture, and fry until golden brown and crispy. Delicious!
Did you love this Zucchini Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Zucchini Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds zucchini about 2 medium
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 ¼ cups chicken broth not low sodium
- salt and black pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- sour cream and fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
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Dice zucchini into ½ " pieces, do not peel.
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Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cook until tender, about 5 minutes more.
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Stir in broth, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook 10-15 minutes or until the zucchini is very soft.
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Puree soup using a hand blender or immersion blender*. Stir in the cream and simmer 1 minute more.
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Taste and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with sour cream and fresh dill.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
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I never had Zucchini soup before and this recipe was delicious and so simple to make. The small amount of cream made this the perfect “creamy” soup! The flavor is mild but so good. I usually do not eat soup in the summer but so glad I tried!
So glad you tried this soup, Carol! It is so delicious.
Soup was very good. Thank you for the recipe. I have abundance of zucchini. I froze it for a latter date.
Our first time eating zucchini soup and we absolutely loved it! We made the recipe as is, and topped our soup with the dill, sour cream, and oyster crackers. Thank you for sharing this easy and economical recipe – we will definitely make it again during summer zucchini season.
I have not yet made this soup but already know it will be yummy — and I WILL make it! My one suggestion is to use Greek yoghurt rather than the cream or sour cream. I have substituted yoghurt for all the soup recipes that call for cream, etc., and have found it even more flavorful than cream (the cucumber soup, for instance, and the carrot and coriander).
Thanks for sharing that tip, Judith! I will have to try it out with this recipe.
Hi, Holly! I’m just wondering why you specified “not low sodium”, after the listing for the chicken stock, on the recipe card? No mention was made of this in the narrative.
Many thanks!
Hi Terry, using low sodium broth can result in a less flavorful soup.
In your zucchini soup recipe you say don’t use low sodium chicken broth. Why?? l am a dibetic with high blood pressure and have to watch my carbs. and sodium. You can always add salt or sugar. But you can’t take it out. Why do people and Corporations always load recipes with salt and sugar instead of spices that gave same flavor, but, not the health problems. Why don’t you include more recipes that dibetics and people with high blood pressure can safely eat??. I know I am smart enough that if I can’t safely eat your recipes to just unscripted you. Thank you and GOD BLESS YOU!!
Hi Curt, we find this recipe turns out best when not using low sodium broth but for dietary reasons you can adjust the recipe to be made with less sodium. I hope that helps!
Holly, thank you for introducing me to this soup. It was excellent. As much as I love zucchini, I have never thought to make zucchini soup.
Mine, however, did not come out as thick as your soup did. What could I have done differently? I would like it a bit thicker, I believe.
PS: I did add a small amount of grated fresh carrot for color, but it just disappeared in the soup. Next time I make it, I may add more of your suggested variations. And I will be making this again.
Hi Sharon, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Your zucchini might have had some extra liquid compared to ours. You could try mixing a small amount of cornstarch into an equal portion of the heavy cream before you add it in to help thicken the soup. Diced potatoes are also a great option to add some thickness to the soup when blended.
Great idea. I spiced mine up by adding some habanero peppers while I was doing the onions. It was amazing! Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I’ll be definitely using it again.
Sounds delicious Lody!
Very delicious low carb soup! I peeled my zucchini since I had mongo ones that got away from me in the garden, and I used half and half cream because I was out of heavy cream! Still super delish but will buy heavy cream for my next batch, I think that will make it even better. I’m so glad I ran across this recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed this soup Leslie!
Can you use yellow zucchini for this soup? I have a bunch to use in things.
Yellow zucchini should work just fine in this recipe Susan, it just may make the soup slightly sweeter as typically yellow zucchini has a slightly sweeter profile than green zucchini. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turns out!
Great recipe. I have one suggestion for a little bit healthier version….leave out the dairy or add it last. You may just find that it has a very small, almost unnoticeable impact on the soup. If you really want some form of cream, coconut cream is as option.
My family loves it without any dairy, even the extremely picky child that thinks I put dairy in, but can’t tell the difference.
Thanks again for posting this great recipe!
I am so glad your family loved this recipe Ray!
You didn’t take the seeds out of the zucchini?
Hi Anne, if the zucchini is extra large (from the garden) you may need to scrape out some of the seeds.
My son al always has a ton of zucchini out of his garden so I thought I’d try something new and I must say this was wonderful, defiantly something I’ll make again and again. I didn’t have any heavy cream so I used half and half it was still great, even my picky husband liked it.
So glad you both loved it Sandie! It’s such a great way to enjoy garden zucchini.
Hi,
With what can I substitute the heavy cream? I am on a diet and it is to calorie wise!
Thank you!
You could use canned evaporated milk or try a light sour cream which will change the flavor and add some tang. Light cream cheese might be another good option to add some creamy texture.
Hi this recipes looks really yummy, I was wondering if you had instructions for doing it in an instant pot? I love all your recipes, they are all wonderful and delicious :)
Thank you for the kind words Lisa! I haven’t tried this recipe in an instant pot but I would think after browning the onion and zucchini it would only need a couple of minutes under pressure. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! My wife and I both agree we will be making it through the winter
So glad you both enjoyed it, Pete!
Just made this with some organic marked down zucchini I got for less than $2! The soup was absolutely delicious and made such an economical meal effortlessly!!
This is so good!
So glad you loved it Susie!