Pea and Coconut Soup – Easy 15-Minute Recipe

If your freezer is anything like mine, there’s a reasonable chance you’ve got a bag of frozen peas lurking in there. I seem to buy them when I already have some and occasionally discover I’ve somehow accumulated enough peas to feed half the street.

This pea and coconut soup is a very easy way to use some of them. You don’t need to defrost the peas, there’s hardly any chopping involved and the whole thing takes around 15 minutes.

The combination might sound slightly unusual if you’ve never put peas and coconut together before, but it really works. The peas give the soup its lovely fresh flavour and bright colour, while the coconut milk makes it smooth and creamy without overpowering everything else. Coriander, basil and lemon finish it off and stop it feeling too rich.

Reader Poppy commented that although she loved peas and coconut, she’d never thought of combining them before. I think that’s probably true for quite a few people!

Ingredients for pea and coconut soup

For four portions you’ll need:

• 7 spring onions/scallions
• 1kg frozen peas
• 400g can of Blue Dragon light coconut milk
• 2 vegetable stock cubes, made up with boiling water to give 600ml vegetable stock
• A handful of fresh coriander
• A handful of fresh basil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil to serve, if wanted

You’ll also need a couple of sprays of cooking spray for the spring onions.

How to make pea and coconut soup

Finely slice the spring onions.

Spray a large saucepan with a little cooking spray and fry the spring onions for 2–3 minutes until they’re starting to soften.

Pour in the coconut milk and vegetable stock, then add the frozen peas.

Bring everything to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 3–4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the fresh coriander, basil and lemon juice.

Blend until smooth using a hand blender.

Serve as it is or add a small sprinkle of chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil.

That’s genuinely all there is to it. It’s one of those recipes that’s useful when you want homemade soup but haven’t got the patience to wait 40 minutes for a pan full of root vegetables to cook.

Do I need to defrost frozen peas first?

No. The frozen peas go straight into the saucepan with the coconut milk and vegetable stock.

That’s one of my favourite things about this recipe because there’s no remembering to take something out of the freezer earlier in the day.

Bring everything to the boil and make sure the peas are properly heated through before blending.

Why use coconut milk in pea soup?

Coconut milk makes the finished soup creamy and gives it a slightly different flavour from a traditional pea soup.

It also works really nicely with the coriander, basil and lemon.

The recipe uses a 400g tin of light coconut milk. That’s the amount I’ve made it with, so I wouldn’t automatically replace it with coconut cream or a much smaller quantity of another coconut product and expect exactly the same consistency.

If you’re buying coconut milk specifically for this, have a look in the world-foods aisle as well as the usual tinned-food section. I’ve often found ingredients such as coconut milk, tinned tomatoes and big bags of rice cheaper there.

Can I use different coconut milk?

The recipe uses Blue Dragon light coconut milk, so that’s the product the quantities are based around.

Other 400g tins of light coconut milk should be the closest substitute, although different brands can vary in consistency.

Full-fat coconut milk would make the soup richer and would also change its nutritional values.

I wouldn’t use a carton of coconut drink designed for tea, coffee or cereal as though it’s interchangeable with a tin of coconut milk. They’re different products and won’t necessarily give you the same soup.

Can I use fresh peas?

This recipe is designed around frozen peas, which are cheap, convenient and available all year.

If you grow peas or happen to have loads of fresh ones, you could certainly experiment, but I wouldn’t buy a mountain of fresh peas specifically for this when frozen peas make the recipe so easy.

And given my ability to kill herbs on a windowsill, growing enough peas to make a kilo of them is probably not going to be my next gardening project!

Can I use dried herbs instead?

Fresh coriander and basil give this soup a lovely fresh flavour, but I know buying packets of herbs for one recipe can be annoying, particularly when half the packet ends up going limp in the fridge.

If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use around a teaspoon each of dried coriander and dried basil instead.

The flavour won’t be exactly the same as using handfuls of fresh herbs, but it means you can still make the soup from ingredients you already have.

What does the lemon juice do?

There’s only one tablespoon of lemon juice, so this isn’t a lemon-flavoured soup.

That little bit of acidity works with the peas, herbs and coconut milk and helps balance the creaminess of the coconut.

I’d add the measured amount first and taste the finished soup before deciding it needs anything else.

Is pea and coconut soup spicy?

Not really.

The chilli flakes are sprinkled over the finished soup rather than cooked into it, so you can leave them off completely.

That’s handy if you’re making four portions for people who don’t all agree on how much chilli is acceptable. Everyone can add their own at the table.

Can I make this soup vegan?

The main ingredients are plant-based, but check the particular vegetable stock cubes and other packaged ingredients you’re using if you need the finished soup to be vegan.

You can also leave off the optional toppings or choose vegan ones.

For more meat-free ideas, have a look through my vegetarian and vegan recipes.

Is pea and coconut soup suitable for Slimming World?

If you’re following Slimming World, check the coconut milk, cooking spray, vegetable stock and any olive oil you use against the current plan.

The optional olive oil in particular needs to be included if you’re calculating the recipe rather than treating it as though it isn’t there.

I don’t give current Syn values because plans and branded products can change. It’s much more useful to check the exact ingredients you’re using.

For more ideas, browse my Slimming World soup recipes.

Can I make pea and coconut soup in a soup maker?

I wouldn’t simply transfer the full quantities into a soup maker without checking the capacity first.

A kilo of frozen peas plus a 400g tin of coconut milk and 600ml of stock is a substantial amount of food and liquid. It could easily exceed the maximum fill line of some machines.

The hob recipe is already extremely quick, taking only around 13 minutes, so there isn’t a huge time advantage to using a soup maker anyway.

If you want recipes better suited to your machine, have a look at my soup maker recipes.

What can I serve with pea and coconut soup?

For lunch, I’d keep things simple with bread, toast or a roll.

If soup on its own isn’t enough for you, there’s no reason it has to be. Have it alongside a sandwich or something else that makes lunch satisfying.

You could also serve smaller portions as a starter. The bright green colour makes it quite a pretty soup, especially with a few chilli flakes scattered over the top.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes. With four portions from one batch, it’s handy for making several lunches at once.

Cool any soup you’re saving and get it into the fridge promptly in a covered container rather than leaving it sitting around at room temperature.

Can I freeze pea and coconut soup?

You can freeze leftover soup in individual portions so you can defrost only what you need.

Because this contains coconut milk, give it a good stir after defrosting and reheating if the texture has separated slightly.

Make sure reheated soup is steaming hot throughout before eating it.

More recipes using peas

If the enormous bag of frozen peas was the reason you ended up here, I’ve got a couple of other ideas for you.

My spinach and pea frittata is useful for another easy meal, while my mushy pea curry is completely different but another good one if peas seem to be multiplying in your cupboards and freezer.

More easy soup recipes

For more quick lunches, have a look through my healthy soup recipes.

If you’re working your way through your freezer and vegetable drawer, you might also like my red lentil soup, easy mushroom soup or mixed pepper soup.

And when the weather gets colder, I’ve collected plenty more ideas in my healthy winter soup recipes too.

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