Spinach Soup Recipe (Palak Soup)
Updated: August 16, 2023, By Swasthi
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
Photo Guide
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.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Spinach Soup Recipe (Palak Soup)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 120 grams (4 cups) spinach (discard the stalks)
- 2 garlic cloves (medium)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ inch cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 ½ tablespoons oats flour (or 2 tbsps wheat or all-purpose flour)
- 2½ cups milk (or ¼ cup cashews or vegan milk, refer notes)
- 1 cup water (or stock or broth, divided)
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cream
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes (for serving, optional)
Instructions
How to Make Spinach Soup
- Pour 1 teaspoon oil to a pot and saute sliced garlic for 1 minute.
- Add the spinach and saute until it wilts and the raw smell has gone completely. This will take about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Cool this and blend to a smooth puree with ½ cup water or stock/broth.
- Melt butter in the same pot and reduce the heat to low. Add 1 bay leaf and cinnamon. Let them sizzle in the butter for a minute.
- Add flour and saute until it loses the raw flavor, for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown the flour.
- Pour milk slowly and mix well. Simmer and let it cook until slightly thick.
- Then add sugar, black pepper, spinach puree and ½ cup more liquid (stock/broth or plain water).
- Bring this to a gentle boil and add cream.
- Let it simmer until the soup thickens and all the raw flavor of spinach is gone. (for about 3 to 4 mins). Taste test and adjust the seasoning.
- Turn off the heat and cover the spinach soup. Bay leaf and cinnamon will continue to infuse their flavors so keep them in the soup until you serve.
- Pour spinach soup to serving bowls and garnish with cream, black pepper and red chili flakes. Serve hot or warm with croutons or cheese toast.
Notes
- To make oat flour, grind 3 tablespoons rolled or quick cook oats in a grinder to a fine powder. Use only 2½ tablespoons flour in this recipe.
- Baby spinach works well for spinach soup. You can use the regular spinach but it is important to discard the stalks of the spinach as they can impart a metallic taste to the soup.
- If you are a vegan, use oil and any plant based milk.
- To make vegan milk, I soaked ¼ cup cashews (35 grams) in ¼ cup hot water for 10 mins and made a smooth paste in a grinder. Later I poured 2 ¼ cups more water and blend it to make 2.5 cups milk. You can also use overnight soaked almonds. Peel the skin and use them.
- You can experiment with different spices. If you like the Indian flavors you can add ¼ tsp garam masala or 1 tablespoon kasuri methi.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
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About Swasthi
Iโm Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโs Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
My whole family relished the spinach soup. Yummy recipe. Thankyou.
The spinach we get here is bitter so I blanch it briefly before it goes into the blender. Turns out awesome every single time with almond milk. Thank you for the amazing recipes you share.
OMG! Love this spinach soup. It is so delicious and easy to make. I am growing a lot of spinach and have been making this and your palak paneer in turns. Both are fabulous recipes.
Never thought spinach soup can taste so good. I followed the recipe to the T and turned out fantastic. Thank you
Thanks for trying Anjali. Glad you like it
Delicious! Loved this spinach soup. Didn’t have oatmeal so used all-purpose flour. Still it was great!
Made exac5as shown. Turned out amazing.
Glad to know Mink
thank you
I have never made spinach soup before. I searched all different recipes. This one caught my eye cause it seemed simple enough and oatmeal was a great addition. It is literally perfect and the flavors were amazing. My husbands loves the chili flakes.
Thank you so much Sarah. Glad you like it.
Hello Swasthi! This spinach soup was delicious. I served it with cheesy baked potatoes and crusty bread. The garnish of cream, red pepper flakes, and crushed peppercorn were a wonderful touch.
On a personal note, I’ve been following your blog for some time. I’m American-born, and my partner was born and raised in Mumbai. We live in Maryland. Having no other family in the U.S., he’s been very down these last 12 months not able to make his annual trip home due to the pandemic. I’ve been cooking your recipes for him to help lift his spirits, and he always eats second and third helpings. His sister, mother, and grandmother are above average cooks. I’d like to think your recipes provide both him and I a bit of comfort. Thank you for sharing your talents!
Hello Tara,
So happy to read this. Thank you so much for trying the recipes and leaving a note. Yes it’s true that a lot of us have been missing the family. Thanks again.
Swasthi Thank you for all the recipes. I made it tonight for dinner and it tasted amazing. I added some Thai chillies for heat. Will be making this again
Hi Ravi
Glad it turned out good. Thank you