Detox Soup
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Published Jan 03, 2022, Updated Feb 20, 2023
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Give your body a reset with this veggie filled detox soup. It’s healthy, filling and packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric, ginger, lemon and cayenne pepper. It comes together quickly in just one pot and is perfect for meal prep!
You are in for a treat with this detox soup recipe! It’s not just any ol’ detox soup with a broth base that’s loaded with veggies… no, it’s packed with flavor and is bound to be a family favorite! I love making a batch of this soup on the weekend and eating healthy all week long.
Why You’ll Love This Soup
- It’s made in just one pot! Yay for minimal dirty dishes.
- It’s loaded with vegetables and flavor… this is not a boring detox soup. Promise!
- Whether you’re sticking to your New Year’s resolutions or just want a delicious dinner, you have to make this recipe!
- It’s completely customizable based on your flavor preference or what you have in your kitchen.
Ingredients Needed
- oil – olive oil or avocado oil will work great.
- vegetables – yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, red pepper, and curly kale.
- freshly grated ginger – ginger is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It adds a delicious flavor and hint of spice to this soup!
- freshly grated turmeric – turmeric is also anti-inflammatory and adds flavor depth and color to this soup.
- cayenne pepper – an anti-inflammatory spice that can help with digestion. We’re just using a touch in this soup, but you you can add more or less to your liking.
- sea salt and black pepper – to taste, brings out all of the flavors in the soup.
- chicken breasts – you’ll cook the chicken right in the soup for added protein and flavor. Feel free to swap for turkey breasts, white beans or tofu/tempeh for a vegan version.
- vegetable broth – the main source of liquid in this soup. You can also use chicken broth or bone broth if you’d like! I just recommend using low-sodium broth so you can control how salty the end result is.
- coconut milk – adds a delicious flavor and creaminess to the soup! I like using full fat coconut milk for extra healthy fats and creaminess but you can use any type of coconut milk.
- fresh lemon juice – just a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end of cooking brightens the soup and brings out the flavors! Plus, lemon juice is packed with antioxidants and can help aid with digestion, among many other health benefits.
- tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce – any of these work! You can skip this, but it does add a delicious umami flavor to this soup.
- fresh cilantro – add in fresh cilantro at the end of cooking and add more for serving. I love adding fresh herbs to soup for a flavor bonus.
How to Make Detox Vegetable Soup
We’ll be cooking this entire soup in one pot! In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables have softened a bit and are fragrant, add in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 additional minute.
Add the bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and chicken to the pot. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and shred using two forks.
Add the kale to the soup and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the greens have wilted. Place the shredded chicken back into the soup and add fresh cilantro, tamari and lemon juice. Stir one more time and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes!! I’ve tested both version and both turned out delicious. See the recipe card for the instructions on how to make this in both the Instant Pot and slow cooker.
The best thing about this soup is that you can customize it based on what you have in your kitchen or what you’re craving! Feel free to swap or add in vegetables to this soup. You really can’t go wrong! Cabbage or broccoli would be delicious additions. You can also swap out the curly kale with a different green. I recommend using a sturdier green like swiss chard or lacinato kale so it doesn’t get too wilted.
Yes! To make this soup vegan, swap the chicken with 1-2 cans of chickpeas or white beans. Just add the beans in when you would add the chicken. Tofu or tempeh would also be a good plant-based substitute, I just recommend cooking it separately and adding it in at the end instead of earlier on during cooking.
Totally! I love cilantro but if you’re not a cilantro fan, parsley would be delicious as well!
If you can’t find fresh turmeric or ginger, use 2 teaspoons dried turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder.
Yes, if you don’t have tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos on hand feel free to skip it. I love the umami flavor it adds to this soup, but it’s still delicious without.
The coconut milk adds a nice creaminess and delicious flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand you can skip this or use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk instead. It might change the flavor a bit, but it should still add some creaminess. If you skip the milk all together, make sure to add more broth in its place!
How to Serve Detox Soup
What I love about soup is that it can be a meal in one! If you are a volume eater or want to pair this soup side dishes, here’s what I recommend serving a bowl of soup with:
- Almond flour crackers – if you’re a fan of having crackers with your soup, you need to try making my homemade crackers. They’re easier than you might think.
- Sourdough bread – a slice of fresh warm or toasted bread would pair perfectly with this soup.
- Strawberry salad or spinach salad – if you love having hot and cool ingredients together, you might want to add a simple side salad to your meal!
How to Store Detox Soup
Allow the soup to cool slightly and then carefully transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You could also try freezing for longer storage but the texture of the vegetables may change a bit.
More Soup Recipes to Try
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Mushroom Barley Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Vegan Lentil Soup
- Cabbage Soup
Be sure to check out all of the soup recipes here on EBF!
Detox Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped into ½-inch rounds
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 1 bunch curly kale, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, juice from half of a lemon
- 1 Tablespoon tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, add oil. Once hot add onion, carrots, celery and saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Saute for 1 minute longer.
- Add bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and chicken to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. When chicken is fully cooked, remove from pot and shred using two forks.
- Meanwhile, add kale and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until kale starts to wilt.
- Carefully place shredded chicken back into the soup and stir in fresh cilantro, tamari and lemon juice. Serve with extra chopped cilantro on top and side of choice. We like toasted sourdough or crackers.
Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
- Add oil to Instant Pot and put on sauté setting. Add onion, carrots, celery and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute longer.
- Add bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and chicken into the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock lid and make sure the pressure release valve is closed. Press cancel on the pressure cooker and set the Instant Pot on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once the timer reaches 0, the cooker will switch to keep warm. Carefully switch the pressure release valve to open to manually release the pressure. (I use tongs for this). Once the steam is released, remove the lid and use a meat shredded or fork to shredded chicken. The chicken should be cooked through and will just fall apart without needed to remove it from the Instant Pot.
- Add kale, lemon juice, tamari and cilantro to Instant Pot while set to warm. Once kale has wilted a bit, portion soup into bowls. Serve with extra chopped cilantro on top and side of choice. We like toasted sourdough or crackers.
Slow Cooker
- Add oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt, pepper, red bell pepper, chicken, vegetable broth and coconut milk to slow cooker.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. The chicken should be cooked through and will just fall apart. Once this happens turn the slow cooker to warm and kale, lemon juice, tamari and cilantro to slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Once kale has wilted a bit, portion soup into bowls. Serve with extra chopped cilantro on top and side of choice.
Video
Notes
- Veggies: Feel free to swap or add in vegetables to this soup. You really can’t go wrong! Cabbage or broccoli would be delicious additions. For the greens, I recommend sticking to a sturdier green like swiss chard or lacinato kale so it doesn’t get too wilted.
- Protein: You can swap the chicken breasts for turkey breasts or another protein of choice.
- Vegan: To make this soup vegan, swap the chicken with 1-2 cans of chickpeas or white beans. Just add the beans in when you would add the chicken. Tofu or tempeh would also be a good plant-based substitute, I just recommend cooking it separately and adding it in at the end.
- Herbs: I love cilantro but if you’re not a cilantro fan, parsley would be delicious as well!
- Ginger: If you can’t find fresh ginger, use 1 teaspoon ginger powder.
- Turmeric: If you can’t find fresh turmeric, use 2 teaspoons dried turmeric powder.
- Tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos: Feel free to skip this if you don’t have it on hand. I love the umami flavor it adds to this soup, but it’s still delicious without.
- Coconut milk: The coconut milk adds a nice creaminess and delicious flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand you can skip this or use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk instead. If you skip it, make sure to add more broth instead!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Not only did I enjoy it, my kids loved to “taste the rainbow” of colors and flavors incorporated in the soup! Excellent recipe!
WOO! I am so glad this recipe is a hit for you and the family, Ashley! Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
Such a great soup! It warms! It refreshes! It’s light, can be vegetarian, can be spicy or not.
Love!
YUM! Glad you gave this soup a try and it is a hit, Tiffany. Thanks for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!