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    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Vegetarian Soups & Stews

    Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup

    Published: Dec 13, 2011 · by Nicole · Updated: Nov 1, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This vegetarian chicken noodle soup taste just like the real thing - but it's meatless! If you're looking for a big bowl of comfort food, this recipe will do the trick.

    Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup
    Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup with Tofu
    Jump to:
    • A Few Tips
    • More Tasty Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Whenever the weather goes back and forth between cooler days and warm ones, do you ever find yourself getting sick? There's something about this kind of temperature fluctuation that makes people sick.

    We've been getting that kind of weather lately, and what can we do? Obviously, there's only one solution: chicken noodle soup.

    So how does one go about making vegetarian chicken noodle soup? Well, in the past, We've avoided this question entirely by purchasing Amy's canned no-chicken noodle soup.

    But that is cheating, and really nothing beats a home cooked soup. 

    We adapted this recipe from Tyler Florence's popular Chicken Noodle Soup,  because it is awesome. I thought about using seitan in place of the chicken, but went with tofu instead.

    A Few Tips

    By freezing the tofu first, it gives it a nice chewy texture - don't skip this step! We also reduced the amount of noodles to cut calories a little.

    To replace the chicken broth, we used a chickenless chicken broth-- you can find these at most natural food stores. (Oh, and if you want to make vegan chicken noodle soup, use noodles that aren't made with eggs. Like these rice noodles!)

    If you prefer a homemade broth, try your hand at making your own vegetable broth from kitchen scraps. So tasty and easy!

    Clearly tofu is not chicken, but the texture comes pretty close to the chicken bits in canned soup.  This might not be chicken noodle soup that your grandma makes it, but it's pretty darn close.

    More Tasty Recipes

    If you love this vegetarian chicken noodle soup, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:

    • 75+ Vegetarian Soup & Stew Recipes
    • Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
    • Best Vegetarian Comfort Food Recipes

    Recipe

    Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

    Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup

    A vegetarian chicken noodle soup recipe made with tofu!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 294kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Equipment

    • dutch oven or large stock pot with lid

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp. olive oil chopped
    • 2 medium onions
    • 6 garlic cloves minced
    • 4 medium carrots sliced
    • 4 celery ribs sliced
    • 8 fresh thyme sprigs
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 14 oz firm tofu frozen overnight, thawed, pressed for 30 minutes (I use the Tofu Xpress), and cut into bite-sized pieces
    • 4 quarts vegetable broth
    • 12 oz egg noodles
    • ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
    • salt and pepper to taste
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat.
    • Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for 3 minutes; add tofu. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened, but not browned.
    • Add broth and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, add egg noodles and simmer for 8 minutes. (The noodles will be slightly undercooked, but don't worry--they'll continue cooking after removed from heat. This way, the noodles won't be mushy.)
    • Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley before serving.

    Notes

    No-Chicken broth and bouillon cubes are sold at Whole Foods, natural grocery stores, and many supermarket chains. If you can't find either of these, you can use vegetable broth.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 12gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 1930mgPotassium: 283mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6504IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « Chai-Spiced Sweet Potatoes
    Recipe | Smashed Red Potatoes & Leeks »

    Vegan Main Dishes, Vegan Recipes, Vegan Soups & Stews, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes, Vegetarian Soups & Stews comfort food, Make it Meatless Series, soup

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth says

      December 18, 2013 at 12:35 pm

      Love this soup so much - as does my 15 mo old. The only difference is I baked small tofu pieces in the toaster oven with garlic powder and a little soy sauce for about 15 mins at 375. adding the tofu pieces in at the very end. yum!

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        December 18, 2013 at 7:40 pm

        I love the idea of baking the tofu first! 😀

        Reply
    2. Claire says

      January 17, 2014 at 6:52 pm

      Does this freeze well?

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        January 20, 2014 at 2:49 pm

        Yes, I've frozen this soup many times and it freezes beautifully!

        Reply
    3. Sheila says

      February 01, 2014 at 12:54 pm

      love this soup! it's what I crave whenever I'm sick.

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        February 02, 2014 at 8:14 am

        It's perfect for when you're under the weather, isn't it? 🙂 I'm glad you enjoy it!

        Reply
      • Darlene Ahearn says

        October 17, 2020 at 9:49 am

        5 stars
        Best Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup I have made. All my non vegetarian friends love it as well.

        Reply
    4. Rottenham says

      September 06, 2014 at 10:56 am

      I gave up meat voluntarily. I do not look for recipes that are "almost like meat." If I wanted chicken, I would eat chicken. If I want tofu, I'll eat tofu. This recipe would be just as good without the tofu.

      However, I would use LS chicken broth, as it is healthier and tastier.

      My 2 cents.

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        September 07, 2014 at 9:29 am

        Well then by all means, make the recipe without tofu!

        Reply
        • Natalie says

          September 17, 2014 at 4:33 pm

          I've made this soup several times, and it hits the spot, and sorry, Rottenham, but there ARE some voluntary vegetarians who crave comfort foods of their past at certain times, chicken soup while sick is one of them. And the last time I checked, tofu isn't simply a meat replacement like mock meats. I like the inclusion of it in this soup to add protein, which helps a lot when you're feeling down and achy. But to each their own -- no need to be nasty about it. This is why carnivores think vegetarians are super judgmental mega douches. Kiersten, thank you for sharing your fantastic recipe. It has helped both veggies and meat-eaters in my family feel better.

          Reply
          • Kiersten Frase says

            September 18, 2014 at 1:33 pm

            Yeah, in my years of blogging, I've learned that it's impossible to make everyone happy! 🙂 I don't find myself craving meat, but I do find myself craving the comfort foods I ate when I was a kid, which is why I love doing vegetarian remake recipes. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!

            Reply
          • Cere says

            December 24, 2015 at 3:06 am

            Uh, Rottenham clearly isn't a vegetarian, as evidenced by the fact they state they'd use chicken broth. So you're completely wrong, because Rottenham is a judgmental and superior animal-eater (not a carnivore, as humans are not carnivorous - please revisit your science classes), not a superior and judgmental vegetarian. So not only have you smeared vegetarians by spitting a tired cliche, you've also insulted them by lumping them in with their ideological opposite simply because they act the way you think vegetarians act. A spectacular fumble all around for you.

            Reply
            • Dee Cee says

              February 10, 2018 at 10:41 am

              Name says it all......rotten ham

      • Meg says

        January 15, 2021 at 6:52 pm

        Then don’t look for a vegetarian soup!

        Reply
    5. Renée says

      September 28, 2014 at 9:52 am

      Instead of the noodles i put in 3 small potatoes and i baked the tofu before-hand also and it was super good!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        September 30, 2014 at 4:15 pm

        I'm glad to hear it worked out well like that!

        Reply
    6. Jane says

      November 01, 2014 at 9:51 pm

      What does freezing the tofu before pressing and cubing it do?

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        December 28, 2017 at 7:17 pm

        I found this answer on Google: Some people don't love the texture but freezing your tofu is a great way to change the texture without much extra effort. Freezing tofu removes the excess water which makes tofu able to soak up your marinade better. It also makes your tofu less 'sponge-y' and gives it a sort of 'chewier' texture.

        Reply
    7. Jess says

      January 11, 2015 at 4:24 pm

      I loved this soup! I made it on a really yucky winter day and just when I thought I had everything, I realized I wasoit of tofu! I didn't want to drive the bad roads, so Irwin a can of chickpeas for
      Protein. Turned out great! Hank you!

      Reply
      • Kiersten Frase says

        January 14, 2015 at 2:54 pm

        I love the idea of adding chickpeas - I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    8. Amy says

      May 04, 2015 at 9:47 pm

      Absolutely love this soup! Freezing the tofu definitely gives it a great texture.

      Reply
    9. Kristin says

      October 18, 2015 at 6:35 pm

      Getting ready to make this delicious looking soup. Just wondering, does it really use 4 quarts of broth? It just seems like a lot.

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        October 20, 2015 at 8:20 pm

        I know, it is. It makes a BIG batch of soup - but the good news is that it freezes beautifully. I make a big batch every month or two in the fall & winter for easy dinners and lunches. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Jules says

      November 09, 2015 at 2:35 pm

      Is there a way to adapt this to a slow cooker / crockpot?

      Reply
    11. Rene' says

      October 04, 2016 at 4:29 pm

      WONDERFUL recipe! My sister is a vegetarian, and I'm not, so I had only ever made regular chicken noodle soup for sickie friends. 🙂 When she came down with a cold, I went on the hunt for a veggie version. Yours hit the spot!

      I made homemade veggie stock in my pressure cooker instead of using the No Chicken stock (though I LOVE No Chicken!!) I also used the Quorn veggie chicken breasts instead of tofu. Everything else I did the same, and it came out simply fantastic!

      Reply
      • Kiersten says

        October 04, 2016 at 6:43 pm

        I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I have a cold right now too and I was thinking about making it myself this week. 🙂

        Reply
        • Rene' says

          October 05, 2016 at 9:38 pm

          Oh, I hope you feel better! Forgot to mention I added a little fresh lemon juice and a bit of lemon zest. Something about the lemon really brings out the flavor - and a tad of Vitamin C never hurts! 🙂

          Reply
    12. sandra says

      November 14, 2016 at 9:39 pm

      Hi this looks great. One question: when I freeze the tofu, do I take it out of its plastic container and drain it before putting it in freezer or do I just stick the container with tofu and liquid in it and freeze it? thanks for your help

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        November 14, 2016 at 10:36 pm

        Hi Sandra! I think you could do either. I've frozen tofu after draining it, as well as right in the package with the water, and the result is pretty much the same either way.

        Reply
    13. Anna says

      January 29, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Legitimate question... Why not simply call this "tofu noodle soup"? Why keep the chicken in the name, if there isn't any in it and it's meant to be vegetarian?

      Reply
      • Katie Trant says

        January 30, 2018 at 9:13 am

        Good question, Anna. I think it's because chicken noodle soup is a recipe name that people can identify with, and are often looking to find a vegetarian substitute for. Tofu noodle soup doesn't have the same ring to it.

        Reply
    14. Lisa Field says

      January 12, 2019 at 7:20 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much. My 14 year old daughter has IBS and meat has given her so many problems. For New Years she decided to try going vegetarian and now with a cold this really hit the spot for her. I have been trying to eat her specialty foods for support and she really LOVED this. I'm still learning how to cook with tofu and everything. This recipe was easy to make and and delicious to eat.

      Reply
    15. Jennifer says

      January 19, 2019 at 3:01 pm

      I'm making this right now but kind of skeptical about 4 quarts of broth?

      Reply
    16. Rita says

      March 08, 2019 at 7:12 pm

      Hi, I just need to comment - I've made this recipe several times and love it! I follow the recipe exactly, except instead of tofu, I use Quorn chick'n tenders.
      The seasonings are spot on and my family likes it! Thank you for the excellent recipe!

      Reply
    17. Kasey says

      October 18, 2019 at 10:33 am

      This recipe came out amazing! I used Edward and Son's not chick'n bouillon, and the broth came out flavorless. I added some Better than Bouillon vegetable broth and it brought it to life. The tofu came out the perfect texture. Exactly what I've been craving!

      Reply
    18. Kat says

      October 21, 2019 at 2:43 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this for my work lunches this week and it turned out great!

      Reply
    19. Mary Mcintyre says

      January 14, 2020 at 7:00 pm

      Love this!!!! I use gardien chick’n strips instead of tofu

      Reply
    20. Karolina says

      March 03, 2020 at 4:26 pm

      What’s the point of freezing and thawing

      Reply
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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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