10+ Clear Soup Recipes: Light, Healing Broths & Vegetable Soups
Clear soups are light broths or consommés made by simmering vegetables, herbs, or protein in water until fully transparent. Unlike cream soups, they contain no thickeners, making them low in calories but rich in minerals. Most clear soup recipes are ready in under 30 minutes and form the base of many Asian and European cuisines.”
Now that the cold season is approaching, there is only one thing on my mind: soups! And what could be more satisfying, filling and warming than a big bowl of hot, clear soup?! Clear soups have the power of being soothing but also filling, and the process of making them is very easy and fast most of the time. Just boil a flavorful broth and add your favorite veggies – and that’s it!
One of the reasons why I love clear soups so much is that they remind me of my childhood when my grandmother used to feed me a big bowl of clear veggie soup almost every day. I was always so delighted by the mild flavors of the soup, always topped with fresh herbs, usually parsley, in astronomical quantities! 🙂
Whether you are looking for something warming and light on a cold evening, a quick lunch that won’t weigh you down, or a starting point for exploring Asian or Indian soups, you will find the right recipe below. Each soup in this list is vegetarian or vegan, and most can be made in under 30 minutes with pantry ingredients.
1. Vegan Pho | Asian Noodle Soup
This vegan pho is a clear rice noodle soup built on a star anise and ginger-infused broth, loaded with bok choy, tofu, and fresh herbs. It looks and tastes like the Vietnamese original but is fully plant-based. The broth simmers in about 20 minutes and the toppings come together in the time it takes to soften the noodles.
2. Japanese Onion Soup with Mushrooms
A light, restaurant-style Japanese clear onion soup made with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and a delicate dashi-style broth. It is the classic soup served before meals at Japanese steakhouses — incredibly simple but deeply satisfying. Low in calories and ready in under 20 minutes.
3. Thai Clear Soup, Thai Tofu Veggie Soup In Homemade Aromatic Broth
If you need a comforting soup that will also give you a much-needed amount of protein, then this vegan Thai clear tofu soup with homemade aromatic broth is your answer! The homemade aromatic broth uses only 3 ingredients and it resumes all the magical Thai flavors: galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves! I guarantee you will love it!
4. Easy Clear Onion Soup With Carrot Noodles
A clear onion broth with spiralized carrot noodles instead of pasta — colorful, light, and naturally gluten-free. The mild, slightly sweet broth lets the carrot noodles shine, and the recipe is endlessly adaptable to whatever vegetables you have on hand. A great option for a light lunch or a warming starter.
5. Pineapple Rasam / Clear Soup
Rasam is a South Indian clear soup known for its sour, spicy, and aromatic profile — and this pineapple version adds a tropical sweetness that makes it unlike anything else on this list. Made with freshly ground rasam powder, tamarind, and pineapple, it is both a digestive tonic and a genuinely delicious soup. Unexpected and absolutely worth trying.
6. Clear Veggie Noodle Soup
This is Ruxandra’s own clear veggie noodle soup — the Romanian-style broth she grew up with, made with carrots, parsley root, celery, and egg noodles simmered until the broth is golden and deeply flavored. A generous handful of fresh parsley on top is non-negotiable. Simple, comforting, and ready in 30 minutes.
7. Cilantro Tofu Soup
A light Asian-style clear broth with silken tofu and a generous amount of fresh cilantro. The tofu keeps the soup high in protein while staying completely clear and light. The combination of ginger, garlic, and cilantro makes the broth taste much more complex than the ingredient list suggests. Ready in 15 minutes.
8. Lemon Coriander Soup
A simple Indian-inspired clear soup with bright lemon, fresh coriander, and a lightly spiced vegetable broth. The sourness of the lemon cuts through and wakes up all the other flavors, making this one of the most refreshing soups on the list. It is ready in just 15 minutes, making it perfect for a quick lunch when you want something light and warming at the same time.
9. Sweet corn clear soup
An Indo-Chinese sweet corn clear soup with a gently thickened broth (less thick than a chowder, more flavorful than a plain clear soup), sweet corn kernels, and a hint of soy and ginger. Step-by-step photos make it very easy to follow. A great introduction to Indo-Chinese cooking for anyone new to that fusion style.
10. Chickpea Soup
A minimal, clean chickpea broth with lemon and cilantro — the kind of soup that tastes like it is doing you good with every spoonful. The broth is clear, light, and deeply savory from the chickpeas themselves. An excellent option when you want something nourishing but genuinely light, or as a reset after heavier holiday eating.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
If you enjoyed these clear soup recipes, you might also love these other warming soups from Gourmandelle: the vegan pho is the most popular soup on the blog for good reason, and the clear veggie noodle soup is the simplest weeknight option. For something heartier, the mixed mushroom soup is rich and deeply flavored while still being fully plant-based.
Frequently Asked Questions
A clear soup is a broth-based soup in which the liquid remains transparent rather than creamy or thickened. It is made by simmering vegetables, herbs, and aromatics in water until the liquid becomes deeply flavorful, then straining or simply serving the broth with the ingredients left in. Clear soups are common across Asian, Indian, European, and Middle Eastern cuisines, each tradition using its own aromatics and add-ins.
Yes — clear soups are among the most nutritious and low-calorie meals you can make. A vegetable clear broth is typically under 100 calories per serving while providing hydration, minerals, and the benefits of whatever vegetables and herbs are simmered in it. Adding protein sources like tofu or chickpeas, as several recipes on this list do, makes the soup genuinely filling without adding fat or heaviness.
Start with cold water and add your aromatics: onion halved and lightly charred, garlic, a piece of ginger, celery, carrot, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 30-45 minutes. Strain if you want a clean broth, or leave the vegetables in. Season with salt and fresh herbs before serving. The key to a flavorful clear soup is using enough aromatics and allowing enough time for the broth to develop depth.
Carrots, celery, onion, leek, parsley root, and garlic are the classic Western clear soup vegetables — they create a golden, mildly sweet broth. For Asian-style clear soups, ginger, lemongrass, galangal, and shiitake mushrooms are common. Bok choy, spinach, zucchini, and sweet corn are good additions that cook quickly and stay light. Avoid very starchy vegetables like potato if you want the broth to remain clear.
Yes, plain clear broth freezes exceptionally well for up to 3 months. If your soup contains noodles or delicate vegetables like bok choy, freeze just the broth and add fresh noodles and vegetables when reheating. Soups with tofu can be frozen but the tofu texture changes — it becomes chewier and more sponge-like, which some people enjoy and others do not. Always cool the soup completely before freezing and store in portions for easy reheating.
Broth is the plain cooking liquid — what you get after simmering vegetables or meat in water and straining it. Clear soup is broth that has been seasoned and served as a dish in its own right, usually with vegetables, noodles, tofu, or other additions in the bowl. In practice the terms are often used interchangeably, but a clear soup is always the final, finished, seasoned dish while broth is an ingredient that can be used in many ways.
