Clear Soup Recipe (Clear Vegetable Soup)

Updated: June 30, 2023, By Swasthi

Clear Soup Recipe with video & step by step photos – A detailed post on how to make healthy & delicious vegetable clear soup at home. Clear soup is a soup that is made by simmering veggies, & or meat in a liquid until all the flavors are released. These soups are clear and are great for those on a liquid diet. Clear soups are made without the addition of any spices, starch or any other flavoring ingredients. But there are so many versions made across the world and some are made even without the addition of any oil or fats.

Clear soup with vegetables

Recipe Comments

About Clear Soup

Clear soup is made differently in various cuisines. I have shared the method I follow at home. It is a 2 step process where firstly all the veggies are simmered to make a vegetable stock. Next some more veggies are sautéed with ginger & garlic. Then simmered in the prepared stock.

This 2 step process makes the clear soup extremely flavorful & delicious similar to the one you get in Asian Restaurants.

In this post I have shown making vegetarian clear soup but have also added the details of how I make the chicken clear soup. It is just one step process that is different from the veggie version so thought of sharing it here in the same post.

Some times I am left with lots of veggies at the end of the week and don’t know what to do. Then I resort to this awesome way of using up all of them at one time.

Wow! the clear soup tastes awesome when served piping hot with some noodles or fried rice on the side. My kids usually love dumping their noodles in the soup and add some pepper and dried herbs.

You can flavor up with whatever you like but the basic clear soup is made and served as is plain without any spices.

What vegetables to put in clear soup?

Clear soup is usually made with veggies like carrots, french beans, mushrooms, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, yellow onion, celery stalks & sweet corn.

How is clear soup made?

  • Simmer all the veggies in water and strain the vegetable stock.
  • Saute garlic, ginger and some more veggies in oil. Then pour the vegetable stock and simmer for a while.
  • Season with salt and serve.

More Soup recipes,
Vegetable soup
Manchow soup
Tomato soup
Sweet corn soup

Chicken soup

Photo Guide

How to Make Clear Soup (Stepwise Photos)

Prepare Veggie Stock

You can use any amount of vegetables to make this clear soup but a well balanced quantities will yield you a delicious soup. Avoid using too much of cabbage in this as it will leave an off flavor to the soup.

1. Add 1 large yellow cubed onion. Avoid using red onions as the flavor will be different.

adding onions to pot to make clear soup

2. Add 1 cup celery stalks.

celery to make soup

3. Add 10 French beans and 2 medium sized carrots.

adding carrots and beans

4. Next add half medium cabbage and 1 to 2 celery stalks with leaves or coriander leaves.

adding veggies

5. Pour water just enough to cover the veggies. I used 2.5 cups water.

adding water to make clear soup

6. Cover and simmer until the veggies turn soft.

simmering clear soup

7. The veggies must turn mushy and flavorless.

making clear soup in pot

8. Strain them to a large bowl

strained veggies

9. If you don’t intend to eat the veggies then mash them well. I get about half a cup of stock from this.

mashed veggies after straining clear soup

10. This was the veggie stock I got.

vegetable stock

Make Clear Soup

11. Add 1 tbsp oil and saute 1 teaspoon each of chopped ginger & garlic for a minute. If you prefer to make it without oil then just skip the oil. Pour the stock, ginger & garlic and the veggies. Simmer until they are slightly tender.

frying ginger garlic

12. Then add mushrooms and saute well until a nice aroma comes out. You can also skip mushrooms here and just add some carrots, beans, sweet corn and peas.

sauteing mushrooms to make clear soup

13. Pour the veggie stock.

14. Simmer and boil until the mushrooms are done to your liking. Then add the spring onion greens. Add some salt if you prefer. Some restaurants serve it with soya sauce.

clear soup in clay pot

Serve clear soup hot with some fried noodles or fried rice. You can also simply add some boiled noodles to the soup and have.

Clear soup recipe

Pro Tips

  • You can skip using oil in the recipe. Add garlic, ginger and mushrooms to the soup after straining and boil until the mushrooms are done.
  • I discard the strained veggies as they become tasteless. However you can also season and eat them on the side as they are fiber rich.
  • Use the organic veggies to make the clear soup and not the vegetable stock as the veggies are discarded. I always prefer to use the organic vegetables at the final step. This time I had only organic mushrooms so I sauteed and left them in the soup.
  • You can replace mushrooms with mixed veggies.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Clear soup recipe

Clear Soup Recipe (Clear Vegetable Soup)

5 from 97 votes
Clear soup is a soup made by simmering veggies or meat in a liquid until it turns flavorful. This vegetable clear soup is comforting, easy to make and tastes delicious.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Servings3
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 1 large yellow onion (avoid red onion)
  • 1 cup celery stalks ( you can also add more) chopped
  • 2 carrots diced or cubed (can add more)
  • 10 french beans (lesser if also fine)
  • ½ cabbage diced
  • 1 to 2 stalks celery leaves or coriander leaves
  • cup mushrooms sliced (or ½ cup mixed veggies or broccoli )
  • 8 florets cauliflower (optional)

Optional

  • 1 tsp garlic chopped
  • 1 tsp ginger chopped
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 stalk spring onion greens or scallions
  • ½ tsp crushed pepper or ground pepper


Instructions

Preparation (make vegetable stock)

  • Add all the veggies except mushrooms & spring onions to a large pot.
  • Pour water just enough to immerse them. I used 2½ cups of water.
  • Cover and simmer on a low flame until the veggies wilt off completely and turn flavorless.
  • Place a strainer over a large pot and strain the veggies.
  • If you intend to eat the veggies then skip this step. Mash the veggies well & leave in the strainer for 20 mins. You will get about half cup soup.

How to Make Clear Soup

  • Heat the same pan with oil.
  • Saute ginger and garlic for a minute.
  • Then add the mushrooms and saute well until they begin to smell good.
  • Pour the strained clear soup to this and simmer until the mushrooms are done to your liking.
  • If desired add some salt to taste. You can also serve the veggies on the side if you desire.

To make Chicken Clear Soup

  • Add 250 grams bone-in chicken along with veggies & 3 cups water to the pot.
  • Cook until the chicken falls off the bone.
  • Remove the chicken aside and then strain the clear soup.
  • Shred the chicken and set aside.
  • Heat oil and saute ginger garlic until aromatic.
  • Saute the shredded chicken and pour the clear soup. You can also saute mushrooms first and then add chicken.
  • Let the soup come to a boil to bring out the flavors of ginger and garlic.
  • Add spring onion greens and season with salt.


Notes

Usually clear soup does not have any spices or seasoning. But we usually add chilli flakes or pepper and fresh lemon juice. 

Video

Watch Clear Soup Video

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Clear Soup Recipe (Clear Vegetable Soup)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 141 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 89mg4%
Potassium 739mg21%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 7260IU145%
Vitamin C 68.1mg83%
Calcium 106mg11%
Iron 1.4mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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5 stars
Turned out amazing

5 stars
What a beautiful way to use up the veggies? I made a batch of this last week and have been using it in my rice and porridge.

5 stars
Thank you so much for your clear soup reciepe. Do you have any suggestions for freezing?

5 stars
This recipe is very helpful to me. I make clear soup twice a month because I fast & consume only a liquid diet. I don’t add the mushrooms but still it tastes good. Thank you.

5 stars
I love how the mushrooms are added later in this clear soup. Thank you. It was delicious and a good way to use all the leftover vegetables.

All the soup recipes look good but yet to try. I bet will come out well.
However…
There is some error while clicking on Mushroom soup…it directss me to clear soup but only has a image of a Mushroom soup but the recipe is of a clear soup…pls recity it. Thanks

5 stars
Hi Swathi gaaru, hope you are doing good.. how to make mashroom soup which is available in restaurant Andi (creamy white thick soup )

5 stars
Turned out really well. Thankyou for the superb recipe.

5 stars
hi me no englash me no like theois so byae i sae no mater two replaye ok

5 stars
Love it. This was a savior for me on my clear liquid diet for a procedure.

Wonderful recipe but I wish there was a way to print it.

Hello sawasthi
What is the substitute for celery stalks..french beans and yellow onion? I stay where i dnt get these vegies

5 stars
Thank you so much for the clear soup recipe. Now I know what to do with the left over vegetables on the weekend. Will surely try this recipe

5 stars
It will useful this rainy season, I will definitely try it