This easy homemade vegetable soup is a light, warm bowl you can make any night of the week. It is full of fresh veggies, mild herbs, and a little pepper, with a thin corn flour finish. This post shows you how to make it just like the clear soup you get at restaurants.
About Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup
This is a light, restaurant-style soup made from a mix of everyday vegetables. You sauté a little garlic and veggies in butter, add water, and finish with a quick corn flour slurry to give it body.
The taste stays mild and clean, with pepper, herbs, and a splash of vinegar.
Clear veg soup like this is a favorite starter in many homes and Indo-Chinese restaurants. People often serve it before a meal or enjoy it on its own on a cool day.
You can change up the vegetables based on what you have, so it is an easy way to use up odds and ends from the fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and easy – It is ready in about 20 minutes from start to finish.
Light and warm – A clean, mild soup that is nice before a meal or on a cold day.
Flexible veggies – Use whatever you have on hand. It works with most mixed vegetables.
Simple to adjust – Make it thin or thick by changing how much slurry you add.
Ingredient Notes
- Cabbage, carrot, capsicum, onion – Your main veggies. Chop them small and even so they cook fast and stay a little crunchy.
- Garlic – Chopped fine. It gives the soup a warm, savory base.
- Corn – Adds a little sweet bite. Fresh, frozen, or canned all work.
- Butter – Just a tablespoon to sauté the veggies. You can use oil instead.
- Corn flour – This is corn starch. Mixed with water, it thickens the soup. Leave it out if you want a thinner soup.
- Black pepper and mixed herbs – These give the soup its mild taste. Adjust the pepper to how you like it.
- Vinegar – A little splash for a light tang.
- Salt and water – To taste, and 3 cups water for the soup plus ½ cup for the slurry.
How to Make Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup
1. Wash all the vegetables well. Chop the cabbage, onion, capsicum, garlic, and carrot small. Heat a pan and melt the butter in it. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add all the chopped vegetables and the corn. Sauté on low heat for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in 3 cups (720 ml) water and let it come to a boil.
4. While it heats, mix 1½ tablespoons corn flour with ½ cup water in a bowl. Stir well so there are no lumps.
5. Once the soup boils, add the black pepper, salt, mixed herbs, and vinegar. Stir well. Slowly pour in the corn flour slurry while you keep stirring, so no lumps form.
6 Cook on low heat for a few minutes, until the soup starts to thicken a little and turns glossy. The veggies should still have a slight bite.
7. Want it thicker? Cook it a couple of minutes more. Then turn off the heat and serve it hot.
Expert Tips
- Chop the veggies small and even. They cook faster and give that restaurant-style texture.
- Mix the slurry well right before you add it, since corn flour settles at the bottom fast.
- Add the slurry slowly and keep stirring. This is the easy way to skip lumps.
- Do not overcook the veggies. A little crunch keeps the soup fresh and light.
What to Serve With Vegetable Soup
This soup is nice on its own, but a side makes it a full meal. Serve it hot, right off the stove.
- Crusty bread or soft dinner rolls
- Garlic bread, or a few croutons on top
- A side of roasted air fryer vegetables
Storage and Reheating
Let the soup cool, then keep it in an airtight box in the fridge for up to 2 days. It will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of water when you reheat.
Warm it gently on the stove and stir often, since the corn flour can turn pasty if you rush it. This soup is best fresh, so try to make only what you will eat soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Beans, mushrooms, peas, or spring onions all work well. Use what you have.
You can. The soup will be thinner and more like a broth. Just simmer it a little longer.
The slurry was likely added too fast or not mixed well. Stir the slurry smooth, then pour it in slowly while stirring the soup.
It is best fresh, but you can keep it for a day. Reheat gently and loosen it with a little water.
More Soups to Try
Easy Homemade Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- ½ cup cabbage (chopped)
- ¼ onion (chopped)
- ¼ capsicum (bell pepper, chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- ¼ carrot (chopped)
- ¼ cup corn
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1½ tablespoons corn flour (corn starch)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon mixed herbs
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 3 cups water (plus ½ cup for the slurry)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash and finely chop the cabbage, onion, capsicum, garlic, and carrot.
- Melt the butter in a pan.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add all the veggies and corn, and sauté on low for 2 minutes.
- Pour in 3 cups water and bring to a boil.
- Mix 1½ tablespoons corn flour with ½ cup water until smooth.
- Once boiling, add black pepper, salt, mixed herbs, and vinegar. Stir.
- Slowly add the slurry while stirring, so no lumps form.
- Simmer on low until the soup thickens a little and veggies stay slightly crunchy.
- Cook longer for a thicker soup, then serve hot.
Notes
- Chop veggies small for quick, even cooking.
- Mix the slurry well right before adding it.
- Add the slurry slowly and keep stirring to avoid lumps.
- Soup thickens as it sits, so loosen with water when reheating.
Nutrition
