Recipes Soup 17 Fresh Soups to Make for Spring By Food & Wine Editors Updated on December 28, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: © Con Poulos While winter soups are warming and hearty, as soon as spring starts, we seek out recipes that are lighter and packed with seasonal ingredients. Our favorites include English pea soup flavored with herbs, Meyer lemon, crème fraîche, and Dungeness crab; Carla Hall's creamy asparagus soup, and a fresh herb matzo ball soup. Keep reading for more essential spring soup recipes. 01 of 17 Asparagus Vichyssoise © James Baigrie This creamy soup is best the next day, after the flavors have blended; season it generously before serving. Get the Recipe 02 of 17 Chilled Spring Pea Soup Quentin Bacon Chef Daniel Boulud puts this deliciously light and clean-tasting soup — a mix of sweet peas, favas, pea shoots, snap peas, and snow peas — on the menu each spring. To make the dish even easier, skip the labor-intensive fresh favas, as well as the snow peas and pea shoots. Instead, just use sugar snaps and frozen baby peas. Get the Recipe 03 of 17 Spring Vegetable Soup with Tarragon © Quentin Bacon This light soup is laden with nutrient-dense root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onions. When the weather turns warmer, winemaker Stéphane Vivier purees the soup and serves it chilled with the freshest herbs he can find. Get the Recipe 04 of 17 Zucchini and Watercress Soup © Jan Baldwin Food writer Sophie Dahl likes eating peppery watercress in the spring and has figured out a way to highlight its bright flavor in this silky soup. A single tablespoon of cream gives the vivid green soup a touch of richness. Get the Recipe 05 of 17 Spicy Avocado-Cucumber Soup © John Kernick This tangy, luscious soup is an excellent make-ahead dish: Simply puree everything except the garnish, then chill. For a milder version, scale back on the serrano. Get the Recipe 06 of 17 Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Herbs, and Parmesan Broth © Yunhee Kim This wonderful soup features carrots, celery, leeks, fennel, and tomato. Cookbook author Viana La Place simmers Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds in the broth to give it a rich, cheesy flavor. Get the Recipe 07 of 17 Chilled English Pea Soup with Crab and Meyer Lemon Eric Wolfinger This refreshing, verdant English pea and watercress soup is the perfect base for a zesty crab salad. Chef Sarah Heller folds sweet Dungeness crab with Meyer lemon, crème fraîche, and a host of delicate spring herbs before mounding atop each serving of the soup. Get the Recipe 08 of 17 Lemony Roasted Asparagus Soup © Con Poulos Chef Cassie Piuma prepares her version of the lemony Greek soup avgolemono with a broth made from asparagus trimmings. Her other unconventional additions include roasted asparagus and oyster mushrooms. Get the Recipe 09 of 17 Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Shortbread Coins © David Malosh "I adore savory cheese cookies with creamy asparagus soup," says television chef Carla Hall. "Both are dead simple to make." Get the Recipe 10 of 17 Chicken-Orzo Soup with 10 Vegetables © John Kernick Any combination of vegetables will work in this satisfying soup from chef Hugh Acheson. If including 10 vegetables isn't a priority, you can also cut some and double up on others. Get the Recipe 11 of 17 Creamy Spinach Soup with Dill © John Kernick This soup, adapted from The Nordic Cookbook, has the rich flavor of creamed spinach but a much lighter texture. Get the Recipe 12 of 17 Fava Bean Pasta e Fagioli © Paul Costello Chef Mike Lata’s spring version of pasta e fagioli, the Italian soup, uses fresh fava beans in place of borlotti or cannellini beans, along with meaty bits of bacon and a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Get the Recipe 13 of 17 Big Heart Artichoke and Parmesan Soup © Dana Gallagher This simple soup, with its intensely earthy artichoke flavor, makes the most of exemplary Big Heart artichokes. It's also a great way to use leftover Parmesan rind: Toss it into the soup while it simmers, then discard it before pureeing. Get the Recipe 14 of 17 Rocket Soup (Shorbat Jarjir) Greg DuPree A blend of spinach, cilantro, and arugula anchors this delicate, vegetal soup. Warming spices like nutmeg, allspice, and turmeric amplify the verdant flavors of the greens; a single potato adds light, silky texture; and a drizzle of olive oil and dollop of yogurt enrich the soup without weighing it down. Get the Recipe 15 of 17 White Asparagus Soup with Pickled Ramps and Hazelnuts Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Winemaker and restaurateur André Mack's silky white asparagus soup is buttery and creamy with a mild sweetness from the asparagus and a touch of acidity from the pickled ramps that brightens the entire dish. Roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut oil lend a deliciously nutty body to the soup and make a beautiful garnish. Get the Recipe 16 of 17 Creamy Scallion-Mushroom Soup © William Meppem This luxe soup from the late cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli packs in a full two pounds of green onions. Be sure to use both the white and the green parts to maximize flavor. Get the Recipe 17 of 17 Herb Garden Matzo Ball Soup Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Matzo ball soup gets a glow-up in this version by cookbook author Leah Koenig, with fresh parsley, dill, chives, and fennel fronds in the matzo balls themselves, plus more herbs, lemon zest, and edible flowers adding color and bright, spring flavors to each finished bowl of soup. Get the Recipe Updated by Bridget Hallinan Bridget Hallinan As an Associate Food Editor, Bridget Hallinan primarily focuses on home cooking content for Food & Wine.com. She writes and edits recipe content, interviews chefs for helpful tips and tricks, and works on franchises such as our cookbook roundups and taste tests. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit