Detox Soup
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Published Jan 03, 2022, Updated Jan 20, 2025
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Give your body a reset with this veggie filled detox soup. Itโs healthy, filling and packed with anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric, ginger, lemon and cayenne pepper. It comes together quickly in just one pot and is perfect for meal prep!
You are in for a treat with this detox soup recipe! It’s not just any ol’ detox soup with a broth base that’s loaded with veggies… no, it’s packed with flavor and is bound to be a family favorite! I love making a batch of this soup on the weekend and eating healthy all week long.

Why You’ll Love This Soup
- It’s made in just one pot! Yay for minimal dirty dishes.
- It’s loaded with vegetables and flavor… this is not a boring detox soup. Promise!
- Whether you’re sticking to your New Year’s resolutions or just want a delicious dinner, you have to make this recipe!
- It’s completely customizable based on your flavor preference or what you have in your kitchen.
Ingredients Needed
- oil โ olive oil or avocado oil will work great.
- vegetables โ yellow onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, red pepper, and curly kale.
- freshly grated ginger โ ginger is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It adds a delicious flavor and hint of spice to this soup!
- freshly grated turmeric โ turmeric is also anti-inflammatory and adds flavor depth and color to this soup.
- cayenne pepper โ an anti-inflammatory spice that can help with digestion. We’re just using a touch in this soup, but you you can add more or less to your liking.
- sea salt and black pepper โ to taste, brings out all of the flavors in the soup.
- chicken breasts โ you’ll cook the chicken right in the soup for added protein and flavor. Feel free to swap for turkey breasts, white beans or tofu/tempeh for a vegan version.
- vegetable broth โ the main source of liquid in this soup. You can also use chicken broth or bone broth if you’d like! I just recommend using low-sodium broth so you can control how salty the end result is.
- coconut milk โ adds a delicious flavor and creaminess to the soup! I like using full fat coconut milk for extra healthy fats and creaminess but you can use any type of coconut milk.
- fresh lemon juice โ just a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end of cooking brightens the soup and brings out the flavors! Plus, lemon juice is packed with antioxidants and can help aid with digestion, among many other health benefits.
- tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce โ any of these work! You can skip this, but it does add a delicious umami flavor to this soup.
- fresh cilantro โ add in fresh cilantro at the end of cooking and add more for serving. I love adding fresh herbs to soup for a flavor bonus.
How to Make Detox Vegetable Soup
We’ll be cooking this entire soup in one pot! In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sautรฉ for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables have softened a bit and are fragrant, add in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sautรฉ for 1 additional minute.
Add the bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and chicken to the pot. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and shred using two forks.
Add the kale to the soup and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the greens have wilted. Place the shredded chicken back into the soup and add fresh cilantro, tamari and lemon juice. Stir one more time and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes!! I’ve tested both version and both turned out delicious. See the recipe card for the instructions on how to make this in both the Instant Pot and slow cooker.
The best thing about this soup is that you can customize it based on what you have in your kitchen or what you’re craving! Feel free to swap or add in vegetables to this soup. You really can’t go wrong! Cabbage or broccoli would be delicious additions. You can also swap out the curly kale with a different green. I recommend using a sturdier green like swiss chard or lacinato kale so it doesn’t get too wilted.
Yes! To make this soup vegan, swap the chicken with 1-2 cans of chickpeas or white beans. Just add the beans in when you would add the chicken. Tofu or tempeh would also be a good plant-based substitute, I just recommend cooking it separately and adding it in at the end instead of earlier on during cooking.
Totally! I love cilantro but if you’re not a cilantro fan, parsley would be delicious as well!
If you can’t find fresh turmeric or ginger, use 2 teaspoons dried turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder.
Yes, if you don’t have tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos on hand feel free to skip it. I love the umami flavor it adds to this soup, but it’s still delicious without.ย
The coconut milk adds a nice creaminess and delicious flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand you can skip this or use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk instead. It might change the flavor a bit, but it should still add some creaminess. If you skip the milk all together, make sure to add more broth in its place!
How to Serve Detox Soup
What I love about soup is that it can be a meal in one! If you are a volume eater or want to pair this soup side dishes, here’s what I recommend serving a bowl of soup with:
- Almond flour crackers โ if youโre a fan of having crackers with your soup, you need to try making my homemade crackers. Theyโre easier than you might think.
- Sourdough bread โ a slice of fresh warm or toasted bread would pair perfectly with this soup.
- Strawberry salad or spinach salad โ if you love having hot and cool ingredients together, you might want to add a simple side salad to your meal!
How to Store Detox Soup
Allow the soup to cool slightly and then carefully transfer to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You could also try freezing for longer storage but the texture of the vegetables may change a bit.
More Soup Recipes to Try
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Classic Minestrone Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Potato Soup
- Quinoa Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Chicken Fajita Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Mushroom Barley Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Vegan Lentil Soup
- Cabbage Soup
Be sure to check out all of the soup recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a โญ star rating and let me know how it went in the ๐ comments below.
Detox Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped into ยฝ-inch rounds
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated turmeric
- ยผ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 1 bunch curly kale, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, juice from half of a lemon
- 1 Tablespoon tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce
- ยผ cup fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, add oil. Once hot add onion, carrots, celery and saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Saute for 1 minute longer.
- Add bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and chicken to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. When chicken is fully cooked, remove from pot and shred using two forks.
- Meanwhile, add kale and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until kale starts to wilt.
- Carefully place shredded chicken back into the soup and stir in fresh cilantro, tamari and lemon juice. Serve with extra chopped cilantro on top and side of choice. We like toasted sourdough or crackers.
Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
- Add oil to Instant Pot and put on sautรฉ setting. Add onion, carrots, celery and sautรฉ for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt and pepper. Sautรฉ for 1 minute longer.
- Add bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and chicken into the Instant Pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock lid and make sure the pressure release valve is closed. Press cancel on the pressure cooker and set the Instant Pot on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once the timer reaches 0, the cooker will switch to keep warm. Carefully switch the pressure release valve to open to manually release the pressure. (I use tongs for this). Once the steam is released, remove the lid and use a meat shredded or fork to shredded chicken. The chicken should be cooked through and will just fall apart without needed to remove it from the Instant Pot.
- Add kale, lemon juice, tamari and cilantro to Instant Pot while set to warm. Once kale has wilted a bit, portion soup into bowls. Serve with extra chopped cilantro on top and side of choice. We like toasted sourdough or crackers.
Slow Cooker
- Add oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cayenne, salt, pepper, red bell pepper, chicken, vegetable broth and coconut milk to slow cooker.
- Cook for 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. The chicken should be cooked through and will just fall apart.ย Once this happens turn the slow cooker to warm and kale, lemon juice, tamari and cilantro to slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Once kale has wilted a bit, portion soup into bowls. Serve with extra chopped cilantro on top and side of choice.
Video
Notes
- Veggies: Feel free to swap or add in vegetables to this soup. You really can’t go wrong! Cabbage or broccoli would be delicious additions. For the greens, I recommend sticking to a sturdier green like swiss chard or lacinato kale so it doesn’t get too wilted.ย
- Protein: You can swap the chicken breasts for turkey breasts or another protein of choice.
- Vegan: To make this soup vegan, swap the chicken with 1-2 cans of chickpeas or white beans. Just add the beans in when you would add the chicken. Tofu or tempeh would also be a good plant-based substitute, I just recommend cooking it separately and adding it in at the end.ย
- Herbs: I love cilantro but if you’re not a cilantro fan, parsley would be delicious as well!
- Ginger: If you can’t find fresh ginger, use 1 teaspoon ginger powder.ย
- Turmeric: If you can’t find fresh turmeric, use 2 teaspoons dried turmeric powder.ย
- Tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos: Feel free to skip this if you don’t have it on hand. I love the umami flavor it adds to this soup, but it’s still delicious without.ย
- Coconut milk:ย The coconut milk adds a nice creaminess and delicious flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand you can skip this or use unsweetened almond milk or cashew milk instead. If you skip it, make sure to add more broth instead!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So I started my detox this week (kind of a post vacation reset) and Iโm not going to lie, this is sinfully good! Super satisfying as well. Highly recommend it. The only thing I did differently was add a scotch bonnet pepper in because I love it extra spicy. 10/10!
Woo! This makes me so happy to hear. So glad you loved this soup. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
We love this soup! Great flavor and ingredients.
So glad you loved this recipe, Kerry! Thanks for the review!
So good!
So glad you loved this recipe, Melissa. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Just updating to say I froze a single serving of leftovers, and I thought it reheated well! Was happy to have some homemade soup on hand after returning from holiday travel to a snowstorm. Thanks!
This soup is absolutely delicious! I love the mix of flavors and colors – itโs hearty and so healthy and this will be my go-to detox soup from now onโฆ.I canโt get enough of it! I am dealing with a medical challenge and this soup will be a huge part of my healing and recoveryโฆIโm so grateful! I canโt wait to share the recipe with my friendsโฆthey are going to love it! Thank you so much for this!
Yay! So glad you loved this soup, Jackie! And I’m so glad it was helpful during your healing and recovery journey. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
This soup is truly something special! I can’t help but share it with everyone I know. As a vegetarian, I added Seitan, and let me tell you, it blew my mind! This has officially become my go-to detox soup.
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Kareena. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
This soup is SO GOOD. I made it for a much-needed detox. Itโs not the kind of thing we usually eat and my family was teasing me while I made itโฆuntil they tasted it. Now weโre all believers! I used beans instead of chicken and it was delicious. Keeping this one for sure!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Robin. I love that your family came around after tasting itโthatโs the best feeling. Thanks for making the recipe and for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
Thanks so much for the yummy coconut chicken soup recipe!!! We love all things coconut.๐ฅฐ Do you have any coconut based dessert/snacks too?:)
Thanks!!
Hi Shaswati! I am so glad you are enjoying this soup. YES! I have tons of coconut based desserts/snacks on my site. Just type the word “coconut” in the search bar and a bunch of recipes will show up. Can’t wait to hear which one you try next!
Love this soup! Fresh ginger and lots of garlic, the lemon juice, tamari, and cayenne give it so much flavor. I omitted the vegetable broth and it was still very flavorful with all of the vegetables. Thank you for this recipe!
Oh yay!! This makes me so happy to hear, Diana! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating!
Can we sub in pre made shredded chicken?
Absolutely! Hope you love this soup!
Absolutely spectacular!! Thank you!
YUM! I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe and it turned out great for you, Krista. Thanks so much for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!