Cream of Zucchini Soup
Oct 20, 2021, Updated Jul 09, 2024
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Simple and savory, this cream of zucchini soup is made with roasted zucchini, onions, and garlic, then blended with rich, real cream to create a velvety texture. It’s bursting with flavors and perfect for a cozy meal that will leave you wanting more.
If you love creamy soups, you’ll like my creamy tortellini soup and creamy crack chicken soup, too!
Reasons To Make This Zucchini Soup Recipe
- Right up there with the classics: If you love a bowl of cream of mushroom soup, potato soup, or cream of asparagus, this homemade cream of zucchini belongs in that same cozy lineup.
- Simple but satisfying: It’s light enough for lunch but pairs perfectly with an Italian dinner like chicken puttanesca. Add a hearty salad and some crusty bread, and dinner is done.
- Picky-eater approved: Since it’s blended, there’s no noticeable zucchini texture! Cream of zucchini is just a smooth, garlicky, buttery soup that’s packed with flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Zucchini: No need to peel it; just slice or chop the zucchini.
- Olive Oil: For roasting the zucchini.
- Butter: For sautéing.
- Onion: You can use a sweet, white, or yellow onion, whichever you prefer.
- Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic to really make this recipe shine.
- Parsley and Thyme: Again, fresh is best, but dried herbs would be fine as well.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Simple seasoning to enhance all the flavors.
- Vegetable Broth: You can substitute chicken broth if you prefer. Either way, I recommend using low sodium broth so that you can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Cream: Heavy cream gives the richest result, but half and half would also work.
- Bacon and Croutons: Crisply cooked diced bacon and croutons are great options for serving this creamy soup.
Recipe Tips
- Make It vegan: Substitute full-fat coconut milk for the heavy cream, and use vegan butter or your favorite oil for sauteing.
- Use frozen zucchini: Soup is a great way to use frozen zucchini. Just thaw and gently squeeze out as much moisture as possible before roasting it.
- Use different squash: This basic soup recipe can also be used with yellow summer squash or even delicata squash!
- Add cheese: Make the final product a cheesy, indulgent soup by stirring in half a cup or so of your favorite shredded melting cheese, like Colby, cheddar, Gruyere, or mozzarella.
Serving Suggestions
- Starters. I like to serve my soups with a Caesar salad and these crispy air fryer onion rings. Additionally, a hearty main course salad, like this apples and cheddar chicken salad, is full of flavor and color!
- Bread. Serve with Macedonian dinner rolls for a flavorful twist, or keep it classic with focaccia bread.
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Cream of Zucchini Soup
This cream of zucchini soup is made with roasted zucchini, onions, and garlic, then blended with heavy cream for a smooth, flavorful finish. It’s an easy homemade soup that’s light enough for lunch but satisfying enough for dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 pound zucchini, sliced or chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream, you can also use Half & Half
- 4 slices bacon, diced and cooked to a crisp, for serving
- croutons, for serving, optional
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Roast the zucchini. Toss the chopped zucchini with olive oil, then transfer it to the baking sheet. Roast for 10 to 11 minutes or until tender.
- Sauté the aromatics. In the meantime, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onions to the melted butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds. Stir in parsley, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Add the zucchini and broth, and simmer. Remove the roasted zucchini from the oven, stir it into the soup pot, and cook for a minute. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer; simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Blend. Remove the cover and blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy. You can also use a regular blender.
- Finish. Return the blended soup to the pot and stir in the heavy cream; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through. Taste the soup for salt and pepper; adjust accordingly.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish it with cooked crumbled bacon, croutons, and parsley, and serve.
Equipment
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 287mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 733IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
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How to Make Cream of Zucchini Soup
Since this creamy soup is blended, it’s good to have your blender out and ready before you start cooking. I think an immersion blender is easiest, but a regular blender is fine, too. Just be careful when blending hot soup.
- Roast the Zucchini. Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Toss chopped zucchini with olive oil and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 10 to 11 minutes, or until tender.
- Sauté the Aromatics and Seasonings. In the meantime, melt butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add onions to the melted butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 20 seconds. Stir in parsley, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper.
- Add Zucchini and Broth, and Simmer. Carefully add the hot roasted zucchini to the Dutch oven and cook for a minute or so. Pour in the vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce heat to a simmer; simmer for 5 minutes.
- Blend. Remove the cover and using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy and smooth. You can also use a blender. Stir in the heavy cream; cook for a minute or two, or until heated through.
- Finish the Dish and Serve. Taste the soup for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with cooked bacon, croutons, and parsley (if using).
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Fridge or Freezer. To store leftover soup, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. However, I don’t generally recommend freezing creamy soups, as the base often separates after freezing and thawing, resulting in a clumpy, grainy texture. If you do freeze leftovers, try blending the soup again after reheating to make it smoother.
- To reheat, place the desired portion in a covered saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot.
Love this soup! Really easy and flavorful. Only modification was to add some potato flakes to thicken it up just a little
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I’ve done this and frozen the soup WITHOUT the cream. Then when I use it I thaw, heat, and add the cream
Delicious. I only used 3cupa of stock and 750g (11/2lb) of zucchini Wouldn’t want it any thinner. Great taste tho.
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I just made this and it is fantastic! Instead of veggie broth, I used Better than Buillon’s Chipotle broth. It was a little spicy (next time I’ll use 1/2 veggie and 1/2 chipotle broth) but the smoky profile of the peppers, the silkiness from the heavy cream and the earthiness from the zucchini was amazing! Thank you for this recipe.