Spinach Soup Recipe (Palak Soup)

Spinach Soup is a hearty and healthy vegetarian soup packed with a flavor punch! Serve it with a crusty bread or a cheese toast for a cozy weeknight dinner. All you need is a handful of ingredients & 30 minutes of your time. You will love this for everything – delicious, easy to make, so colorful & its gluten-free with a vegan option. Spinach is the prima donna of this flavorsome and creamy soup lending its unique flavor & vibrant color to this dish.

With milk & cream providing the richness, spices like cinnamon adding a nice punch, this spinach soup scores high on taste and health ratings.

Spinach soup is one of those hot and yummy soups that will become a family pleaser. Kids who usually have an aversion to eating greens will enjoy eating spinach in this soup form.

This is a wonderful way to sneak in vital nutrients from green leafy veggies. It makes for a tasty snack meal when hunger pangs strike you at odd hours.

About Spinach Soup

As the name suggests, this soup celebrates the goodness and taste of spinach. Spinach leaves are stir fried, pureed and then simmered in a pot filled with spice enhanced liquid and gets a rich texture with the addition of cream.

The nutritional value, flavor profile, and the vibrant color make this a must-have soup in your meal rotation.

You’ll find different versions of this soup across the globe. Some use whole or chopped spinach while others use it pureed.

Did you know the Chinese have a version called “Emerald and White Jade” soup with tofu and spinach as the primary ingredients?

My Spinach Soup is more on the creamier side as I have used milk and cream to provide it with both a mild sweet note and great texture. The soup has been thickened and given a dose of fiber with the use of oat flour. If you do not like oats you can use all-purpose flour or wheat flour.

It is very easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients in the pantry. You can make a large batch anytime you have fresh or frozen spinach available.

Make this broth-based or opt for the tastier cream based one like my recipe below.

More Spinach Recipes
Spinach Curry
Palak Chicken
Palak paneer
Dal palak
Palak paratha
Chana saag

How to Make Spinach Soup (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Rinse 120 grams (4 cups) spinach leaves well, slice 2 medium garlic cloves, and keep aside 2½ cups milk and spices ready (1 ½ inch cinnamon and 1 bay leaf). Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a saucepan or soup pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to low and add 2 sliced cloves of garlic. Sauté for one minute.

2. Add 4 cups (120 gm) of spinach. Sauté the spinach until it wilts and loses the raw smell.

3. You need to cook the spinach for at least 5-6 minutes.

4. Cool the cooked spinach and add it to a grinder or blender. Add ½ cup of water or stock/broth.

5. Blend the spinach into a smooth puree and set aside.

Make the Soup

6. Return the same pot to the stovetop and melt 2 tablespoons of butter.

7. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 bay leaf and 1½ inch of cinnamon. Let the spices sizzle in the butter for a minute.

8. Now add 2 ½ tablespoons of oats flour and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until the raw taste is completely gone. You can substitute oat flour with 2 tablespoons wheat flour or all-purpose flour. To make your own oat flour, grind 3 tablespoons of rolled oats to a fine powder in a small grinder. Use only 2 ½ tablespoons flour.

9. Be careful not to brown the flour or it will add a bitter and burnt taste to the soup.

10. Slowly pour 2½ cups of milk and stir well to combine. I use cashew milk here. You can make your own cashew milk or almond milk for this recipe by following my tips in the notes section. You can use any plant based milk here.

11. Simmer and let it cook until the soup turns slightly thick.

12. Now is the time to add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar to the simmering spinach soup.

13. Also add ½ teaspoon of crushed black pepper and the pureed spinach along with ½ cup of liquid (stock/broth or plain water).

14. Mix well and bring this to a gentle boil.

15. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cream.

16. Let the soup simmer until it thickens and the raw flavor of spinach is gone (this will take about 3 to 4 mins). Taste test and adjust the seasonings.

17. When you feel the raw flavor has vanished completely turn off the heat. The bay leaf and cinnamon will continue to infuse their flavors. Keep them in the soup until you’re ready to serve.

Pour spinach soup equally into serving bowls and garnish with ¼ teaspoon of red chilli flakes. Garnish with more cream and ground black pepper, if desired. Serve the spinach soup hot or warm with croutons or cheese toast.

Pro Tips

Spinach: Use fresh baby spinach or at least young spinach. Mature spinach tastes bitter, especially the stalks so avoid that. Retain the young stalks but discard fibrous and long stalks. Other kind of leafy greens may not work with this recipe.

Oat flour: You won’t taste the oat flour in the soup. It not only helps to make a gluten-free soup but also thicken and imparts a rich and milky aroma. It won’t make it slimy either.

Cinnamon imparts a earthy flavor to the soup without making it over powering. You may use ground but in small quantities.

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