Easy fava bean soup

This simple fava bean soup is warm, comforting, and full of wholesome flavors. Made with canned fava beans and basic spices, it’s an easy, nourishing meal perfect for cozy lunches or light dinners. You can make it within 35 minutes!

Course Soup

Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 62kcal

Author Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

1 Large cooking pot
1 Spatula
1 Masher or blender
Knife and chopping board

Ingredients

2 cans fava beans 450 grams each (drained weight-293 grams each)
1 medium red onion finely chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock

Instructions

Heat oil in a pot. Add chopped onion and cook until the onion turns translucent.
Add minced garlic and saute for around 30 seconds.
Add tomato paste, cumin powder, red chili powder, dried oregano, and ground black pepper. Saute for another few seconds.
Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Cook on medium heat until the tomatoes turn mushy and are no longer raw.
Add canned fava beans and cook for 2 minutes.
Roughly mash the beans with a masher.
Add vegetable stock and cook for 10-12 minutes on medium heat. Turn off the heat.
Add lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Mix.

Video

Notes

Instead of using canned beans, you can also cook dried beans from scratch and use them in the soup. However, remove the outer skin of the cooked fava beans before adding them to the soup.
I prefer rinsing canned beans before using them in the soup but if you want, you can use the liquid of canned beans. Just add less vegetable stock if doing that.
I roughly mash a portion of the beans and keep some whole beans too. If you prefer a creamy texture of soup, blend it completely using an immersion blender, stand blender, or food processor. You can also skip the step of mashing or blending the beans if you want to keep whole beans in the soup.
Canned crushed or diced tomatoes can also be used in this recipe instead of fresh tomatoes.
Coconut milk can also be added to this soup to make it creamier.
For more nutritious and flavorful version, add vegetables like carrots, celery, bell pepper to the soup.
For a spicier version, add chili flakes or drizzle some chili oil on top.
Add a spoonful of tahini for a nutty creaminess.
More recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions are shared in the post above.

Nutrition