Vegan chicken noodle soup is a plant-based version of a classic dish! Chicken is replaced with jackfruit for a similar texture, while the rest of your favorite soup remains the same. It's healthy, hearty, and tastes like home.
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Vegan chicken noodle soup is the perfect recipe to warm up with on a cold day, or a great meal to make when you're feeling a bit under the weather and craving nostalgic flavors. My vegetarian pot pie recipe is a big hit in colder months, so I thought you might enjoy this vegan version of another classic comfort food!
If I'm being honest, I can't say if it tastes exactly like the real thing since I haven't had it in so long, but this vegan version is just as cozy. It's incredibly nourishing, full of flavor, and easy to throw together on a busy weeknight.
What makes this the best vegan chicken noodle soup
This recipe is warm and comforting. It's just what you're looking for on a sick day, when the weather turns cold, or any time you need a simple, wholesome dinner.
The jackfruit mimics the look and texture of real chicken, and by soaking it in the broth we're adding lots of plant based, chicken-y flavor. I also love a good noodle in my soup, and found these little curly flat shapes to be the best.
Ingredients
- No chicken base, from Better Than Boullion
- Hot water
- Canned jackfruit
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Vegetable broth
- Bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Egg free noodles
- Parsley
- Dill
- Lemon
How to make vegan chicken noodle soup
- In a medium sized, heat safe bowl, combine no chicken base and hot water until dissolved.
- Tear the jackfruit into bite sized pieces and place in the bowl to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
- Add the jackfruit, vegetable broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
- Cook the pasta separately, draining and rinsing it with cold water 2 minutes before al dente.
- Remove the soup from the heat, remove the bay leaves, and add the pasta, parsley, dill, and lemon juice.
Top tips
How to cook pasta for soup
When adding pasta to soup, it will absorb some of the broth as it sits. Because of this, you'll want to cook it for a shorter time than usual before adding it to the soup. I check the package on my pasta and cook it 2 minutes less than al dente.
Where to find jackfruit
For a while I was able to find canned jackfruit pretty easily, but it has been more difficult lately. Your best bet is to look in the organic section of a high end grocery store.
I recommend using jackfruit packed in brine rather than syrup to prevent it from having a sweet taste. If packed in brine, the ingredients would most likely read as jackfruit, water, salt, and lime juice.
How to store vegan chicken noodle soup
This will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months. I recommend freezing individual portions to make reheating easier!
For best results, I suggest storing the pasta separately from the soup so it doesn't absorb all the broth.
Tips for customizing
- If you don't like jackfruit, simply leave it out or replace it with drained, rinsed white beans or chickpeas, or store bought meatless chicken
- Swap the vegetable broth for a "no chicken" broth if you're able to find it
- Mix and match your favorite veggies such as leaving out the celery but adding extra carrots
- Serve with crusty bread for dipping
FAQ
Al dente is often used to describe pasta that has been cooked but still has a little bit of a bite to it. When cooking pasta for soup, it can quickly become overcooked and soggy.
To prevent this, check the package directions on your pasta and cook it 2 minutes short of al dente for the perfect texture.
Egg noodles are the classic pasta in chicken noodle soup. However, they are not vegan because they contain egg, and therefore cannot be used in vegan chicken noodle soup.
You may be lucky enough to find egg-free egg noodles, otherwise just use any small shaped pasta that doesn't contain animal products.
Yes, you can use fresh jackfruit in this recipe. However, I do not have this available to me where I live so I haven't been able to test it for recommendations.
You will likely need to be familiar with fresh jackfruit and prepare it properly to use it in this recipe. You can learn more in this post about how to cook jackfruit.
More soup recipes
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Vegan Carrot Ginger Soup
- Butter Bean Soup
- Easy Vegan Minestrone Soup
- Red Wine Tomato Soup
- Vegetarian Jackfruit Tortilla Soup
- Vegetarian Ramen
- Easy Vegetarian Chili
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon no chicken base, from Better Than Boullion
- 1 cup hot water
- 14 ounces canned jackfruit in brine, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ounces egg free noodles, such as mafalda
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill
- ½ a lemon, juiced
Instructions
- In a medium sized, heat safe bowl, combine no chicken base and hot water until dissolved.
- Tear the jackfruit into bite sized pieces and place in the bowl to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
- Add the jackfruit with its soaking liquid, vegetable broth, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cook the pasta separately, draining and rinsing it with cold water 2 minutes before al dente.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Remove the bay leaves and add the pasta, parsley, dill, and lemon juice.
Notes
Tips for customizing
- If you don't like jackfruit, simply leave it out or replace it with drained, rinsed white beans or chickpeas, or store bought meatless chicken
- Swap the vegetable broth for a "no chicken" broth if you're able to find it
- Mix and match your favorite veggies such as leaving out the celery but adding extra carrots
- Serve with crusty bread for dipping
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