The Best Spices for Vegetable Soup

If you love a delicious, warming bowl of vegetable soup, you need to know how to add lots of flavor to it.

The best way to quickly add flavor to soup is to use spices or spice blends. You can make your own spice blends or purchase them pre-made. Here are some of the best spices for vegetable soup.

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The Best Single Spices for Vegetable Soup

These spices can be layered on top of each other or used on their own. These are essential spices to have in your pantry if you love making soup recipes.

Kosher Salt - salt makes food taste more like itself. It doesn't impart a separate flavor, but rather enhances food and brings out its natural flavoring. It's an essential component for a great soup or broth.
Whole Peppercorns - peppercorns have a strong aroma and add a deep flavor to dishes. When freshly ground, they are a great addition to soup.
Dried Oregano - Oregano has an earthy, pungent flavor that adds depth to milder soups.
Dried Shallots - Shallots are a milder allium and taste somewhere between a sweet onion and garlic. These dried shallots add a ton of flavor to soup.
Smoked Paprika - Paprika is made from ground sweet pepper pods, and while it has a deeper flavor, it's not spicy. It's great in chilis and heartier vegetable soups.
Dried Basil - Dried basil is less anise-flavored than fresh basil, and it takes on an almost mint-like flavor. It's wonderful in lighter soups.
Ground Coriander - Ground coriander has an earthy, tart taste and adds great flavor to many kinds of soup.
Dried Thyme - Thyme is a pungent herb (a little goes a long way) but it blends well with other spices. It tastes citrusy and earthy.
Cumin - Cumin has a deep, warm flavor with a hint of heat. It's a wonderful addition to chili, lentil soups, and other hearty soups.
Dried Lemongrass - If you can't find fresh lemongrass, dried lemongrass is an excellent addition to Thai or other Asian soups.
Sichuan Peppercorns - Sichuan (or Szechuan) peppercorns are an aromatic spice from the Sichuan region of China. They have a lemony flavor.

Homemade Spice Blends for Soup

You can make your own delicious spice blends to use in soups, stews, and chilis. These are some of our favorites.

Ras el Hanout Spice - great for lentil soups, roasted carrot soup, and potato soup.
Herbs de Provence - wonderful in a creamy leek soup, a split-pea soup, lentil soup, or a hearty winter vegetable soup.
Chinese Five Spice - excellent for noodle soups, potato & apple soup, and carrot soup.

Where to Purchase Spice Blends for Soup

These spice blends are ready to go and will add great flavor to your soup recipes.

Maharajah Curry - this blend combines saffron, cardamom, ginger, fenugreek, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and more for an aromatic and flavorful punch. It would be great in a curry stew, carrot soup, or potato soup.
Homestyle Herbs Soup Blend - this salt-free herb blend contains parsley, chives, chervil, thyme, marjoram, and bay leaves. It's great for vegetable soups and consommé.
Italian Herb Blend - this herb blend combines oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, and crushed rosemary. It's wonderful for Italian wedding soup or minestrone.

Tell us your favorite spices for soup in the comments below.