Creamy spinach soup is a simple stovetop soup of spinach, carrot and onion, thickened with yogurt and ready in about 50 minutes. It feeds 4, comes together in one pot, and finishes with a spoonful of paprika butter.
Why This Recipe Works
The soup gets its body from a yogurt mixture, not cream. Yogurt, an egg yolk and a little flour are whisked together, then stirred into the pot. The flour keeps the yogurt from splitting, and the yolk makes the texture silky.
Warm the yogurt mixture with 1 or 2 ladles of hot soup before it goes into the pot. This tempering step brings the egg yolk up to temperature slowly, so it blends in smoothly and doesn’t turn into scrambled bits.
Cook the onion and carrot in olive oil before the spinach goes in. That gives the soup a sweet base. The spinach then sautés until it shrinks and darkens, so the flavor is deeper than if you dropped it straight into the water.
Creamy Spinach Soup Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 large bunch fresh spinach (9 to 10 1/2 ounces / 250 to 300 g)
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cups (1.2 liters) water (beef or chicken broth is even better)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the yogurt mixture
- 1 cup (240 g) plain yogurt
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon paprika (ground red pepper)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
How To Make Creamy Spinach Soup
Prep and sauté the vegetables
- Prep the vegetables: Wash the spinach well and chop it finely. Peel and grate the carrot, then dice the onion small so it softens quickly.
- Cook the onion: Heat the olive oil in a pot. Cook the onion until it changes color, which means it has softened and turned sweet.
- Add the carrot: Stir in the grated carrot and cook for one more round of stirring, so it starts to soften in the oil.
- Wilt the spinach: Add the spinach and sauté until it shrinks and turns a darker green. Cooking it first, before any liquid goes in, builds more flavor.
Simmer the soup
- Simmer: Pour in the water (or broth) and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
Thicken and finish
- Mix the yogurt: In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg yolk and flour together until no dry flour is left.
- Temper the mixture: Whisk 1 or 2 ladles of hot soup into the bowl. This warms the yogurt gently so it won’t curdle in the pot.
- Combine: Pour the warmed mixture into the pot while whisking. Bring the soup to a gentle boil once, then take it off the heat.
- Make the spiced butter: Melt the butter in a small pan and add the paprika and red pepper flakes. Stir the spiced butter into the soup.
Recipe Tips
- Keep the boil gentle: After the yogurt goes in, let the soup reach one gentle boil and stop. A hard, long boil can make the yogurt split.
- Whisk without pausing: Keep whisking while you pour the yogurt mixture into the pot. Steady movement spreads the egg yolk evenly and avoids lumps.
- Use broth for more flavor: Water works, but beef or chicken broth gives the soup a rounder, savory taste. Taste before you add more salt, since broth can be salty.
- Chop the spinach fine: Small pieces cook evenly and blend into the soup instead of hanging in long strands on the spoon.
What To Serve With Creamy Spinach Soup
Serve the soup hot with crusty bread or toasted garlic bread for dipping. A simple tomato and cucumber salad on the side adds something fresh next to the creamy soup.
How To Store
- Fridge: Cool the soup and keep it in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm it over low heat, stirring often, until it is hot all the way through. Don’t let it boil hard, or the yogurt can separate.
- Freezer: Yogurt soups can turn grainy after freezing, so this one is best eaten fresh or from the fridge.
FAQs
Can I use frozen spinach for this soup?
Yes. Thaw it, squeeze out the extra water, and chop it. Sauté it as you would fresh spinach, since the water would otherwise thin the soup.
Is creamy spinach soup vegetarian?
It is vegetarian when you make it with water or vegetable broth. Beef or chicken broth adds more flavor but means the soup contains meat. The recipe also has eggs and dairy, so it is not vegan.
Can I make this soup ahead of time?
Yes. Make it up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat gently over low heat and stir often so the yogurt stays smooth.
Why did my soup curdle?
The yogurt mixture was most likely added cold or the soup boiled too hard afterward. Warm the mixture with a ladle or two of hot soup first, then bring the pot to just one gentle boil.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 230 kcal
- Total Fat: 16g
- Total Carbohydrate: 15g
- Dietary Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
Creamy Spinach Soup
4
servings15
minutes35
minutes50
minutesA one-pot spinach soup with carrot and onion, thickened with yogurt and an egg yolk, then topped with paprika butter. Makes 4 bowls in about 50 minutes.
Ingredients
- For the soup
1 large bunch fresh spinach (9 to 10 1/2 ounces / 250 to 300 g)
1 carrot
1 onion
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups (1.2 liters) water (beef or chicken broth is even better)
1 teaspoon salt
- For the yogurt mixture
1 cup (240 g) plain yogurt
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- For the topping
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon paprika (ground red pepper)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
- Prep the vegetables: Wash the spinach well and chop it finely. Peel and grate the carrot, then dice the onion small so it softens quickly.
- Cook the onion: Heat the olive oil in a pot. Cook the onion until it changes color, which means it has softened and turned sweet.
- Add the carrot: Stir in the grated carrot and cook for one more round of stirring, so it starts to soften in the oil.
- Wilt the spinach: Add the spinach and sauté until it shrinks and turns a darker green. Cooking it first, before any liquid goes in, builds more flavor.
- Simmer: Pour in the water (or broth) and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.
- Mix the yogurt: In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg yolk and flour together until no dry flour is left.
- Temper the mixture: Whisk 1 or 2 ladles of hot soup into the bowl. This warms the yogurt gently so it won’t curdle in the pot.
- Combine: Pour the warmed mixture into the pot while whisking. Bring the soup to a gentle boil once, then take it off the heat.
- Make the spiced butter: Melt the butter in a small pan and add the paprika and red pepper flakes. Stir the spiced butter into the soup.
