This pea and mint soup is so light and refreshing and simple to make.
It's even naturally gluten free.
Although it's delicious all year round, it makes a perfect starter for Easter or Mother's day. It can be made ahead of time too, to make entertaining easier.
It takes just 15 minutes to make with frozen peas, as there's no need to use fresh, so it's quick, easy and frugal too.
Read on to find out about my secret ingredient that helps the peas to keep their gorgeous natural colour.
Enjoy!
If you are are entertaining these days, you are probably worrying about cost, as prices seem to be spiralling, so it's important to find dishes that are affordable and delicious.
This soup recipe really does deliver because you are likely to have the main ingredients at home already, and none of them are expensive.
Best of all it's really easy too. There are no peas to shell and the recipe comes together in 15 minutes. Great for a quick lunch or make ahead entertaining.
Why you will love this dish
- Store cupboard ingredients
- Frugal
- Simple to make
- Light and delicious
- Vegetarian
- Naturally gluten free
- Prepare in advance and reheat
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
- Onion - brown or yellow onion.
- Stock - vegetable stock or chicken if you are not vegetarian.
- Peas - frozen peas, the cheapest ones are fine. This equates to about 40p for the 4 servings.
- Potato - preferably a floury potato like a maris piper ofr russet, as the starch helps to thicken the soup.
- Mint - fresh mint leaves for colour and flavour.
- Sugar - a small amount of sugar enhances the natural sweetness of the peas.
- Lemon juice - from a bottle is fine as it's a small amount.
- Cream - double or heavy cream for the soup and garnish.
- Garlic - garlic cloves.
- Oil - vegetable oil or olive oil for cooking the soup base.
- Seasoning - freshly ground black pepper and flaked sea salt.
- Bicarbonate of soda - to keep the natural green colour.
See recipe card for quantities.
🍽 Equipment
- large saucepan with lid
- sharp knife
- wooden spoon
- blender or stick blender
🔪 Instructions
Peel the onion, garlic and potato.
Chop the potato into small chunks, and finely chop the garlic and onion.
Take the mint leaves off the stem and roughly chop.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until they turn translucent without colouring.
Mix in the chopped garlic and cook for a minute to release the flavour.
Add the chopped potatoes and stock to the saucepan.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on, until the potatoes are tender.
Add the peas, bicarbonate of soda and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the mint, sugar and lemon juice.
Blend until smooth and return to the pan.
💭 Top Tip
- If you are using a standard blender the only fill it up to half way. Hot liquids can quickly increase in volume when being blended and spill over.
Add the salt and pepper to taste then transfer into bowls.
I like to garnish with some extra chopped mint and a swirl of cream.
This soup is delicious hot or warm.
🥗 More soup dishes
- London Particular
- Cream of Onion Soup
- Celery and Leek Soup
- Seafood Bisque
- Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
- French Onion Soup
- Broccoli and Stilton Soup
- Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Leftover Duck Soup
Substitutions
- Cream - garnish with plain yogurt.
- Fresh mint - use a teaspoon of mint sauce and add more if necessary. This is a great idea if you don't have mint in your garden. Take care, as some sauces are overly sweet or are heavy on the vinegar. Use a teaspoon of dried mint as an alternative.
📖 Variations
- Vegan - use vegan stock cubes and plant based cream instead.
- Bacon - fry some bacon pieces and garnish the soup.
Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - transfer to containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat - defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer the pea and mint soup to a saucepan and heat gently.
FAQs
When the soup has been blended, cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
The bicarbonate of soda turns the water slightly alkaline, which helps to preserve the chlorophyll in green vegetables.
It also breaks down the tougher outer layer of beans and peas to make them more tender.
However, this method can result in losing some nutrients in the peas so, if you are cooking green vegetables to use cold in a salad, it is best to plunge them into iced water as soon as they are cooked. This will stop the cooking process and stop the vegetables turning a dull gree colour.
More starter recipes
- Smoked Salmon and Avocado Mousse
- Chicken Liver Parfait
- Baked Breaded Garlic Mushrooms
- Duck Terrine with Asparagus
- Salmon Timbales
- Smoked Salmon Pate
📋 Recipe
Pea and Mint Soup
Equipment
- Large Saucepan with lid
- Sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
- blender or stick blender
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 600 g frozen peas
- 1 potato large
- 4 tablespoon mint chopped
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- pinch bicarbonate of soda
For the garnish
- 4 tablespoon double cream
- 1 teaspoon mint chopped
Instructions
- Peel the onion, garlic and potato.
- Chop the potato into small chunks, and finely chop the garlic and onion.
- Take the mint leaves off the stem and roughly chop.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes until they turn translucent without colouring.
- Mix in the chopped garlic and cook for a minute to release the flavour.
- Add the chopped potatoes and stock to the saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on, until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the peas, bicarbonate of soda and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the mint, sugar and lemon juice.
- Blend until smooth and return to the pan.
- Add the salt and pepper to taste then transfer into bowls.
- Garnish with the mint and a swirl of cream
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I love to read them and answer your questions. However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Ieva
We regularly have pea soup with sourdough bread for lunch at weekends, but we never added lemon juice or potato to it! Tried your recipe on Friday, and we are definitely keeping it! Potato makes it more filling without making the soup heavy and lemon definitely lifts all the flavours. Thanks for another great recipe!
Dijana
This is a wonderful soup, and the color is absolutely stunning!
Danielle
This sounds so refreshing and perfect for spring! I love mint and peas together.
Dana Sandonato
This is the perfect Spring soup! It's so vibrant and the mint is so nice and cooling.
Mahy
Healthy, flavorful and so easy to make! Just perfect soup for this time of the year!
Helen
This looks like a perfect Springtime or Summer soup - so fresh and delicious!
Danielle
Pea an mint are such a great combination of flavors! This soup came out great!
Katherine
The perfect spring soup! And this will be a great starter for our Easter dinner.
Juliane
The perfect soup that I have been looking for! Thank you for sharing this recipe!