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This roasted red pepper soup recipe is made with fresh roasted red peppers and sour cream making this soup rich, creamy, and flavorful. An easy meatless dinner idea the entire family will love!
This Roasted Red Pepper Soup (just like our black bean soup) is a delightful option for an easy, healthy dinner the entire family will love. Ideal for the fall and winter seasons, this healthy soup is not only easy to prepare but also offers a comforting warmth on chilly days.
Learn how to roast red peppers to perfection and blend them with broth, onion, and garlic. Embrace the cozy goodness of this soup as a perfect addition to your Winter’s day menu!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Red Bell Peppers: Starting with fresh bell peppers and roasting your own gives the best flavor to the soup, if you are short on time use jarred roasted red peppers and drain from the oil.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use olive oil for sautéing the onions and garlic. Substitute with avocado oil or other cooking oil of your choice.
- Onion: Sweet yellow onion or white onion will work. Personally, I prefer the sweet flavor of the sautèd yellow onion in the soup.
- Broth: Use a low sodium chicken broth or a vegetable stock for a meat-free option.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: This is an optional ingredient and you can add as much to taste as you want to create warmth and heat in the soup.
- Sour Cream: This makes the soup thick and creamy, substitute with plain greek yogurt for a lighter option, or coconut milk for a dairy-free version.
Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.
How To Make Roasted Red Pepper Soup
This soup is quick and easy to put together with the main ingredient being red peppers. First, cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds.
The easiest way to roast peppers is to do it in the oven. Cover a large baking sheet with foil. Slice the peppers in half, remove the stems and seeds. Then flatten them as much as possible.
Bake the peppers under a broiler for about 15 minutes. The skin will blacken. When most of the peppers are blackened then they are done. Once you remove them from the oven you will want to place them into a bag or container, something that you can seal them in.
The steam from the roasted peppers will soften the skin even more and will make it super easy to peel the blackened skin off. Once the peppers are cool to the touch then you can peel the skin off. For the soup I never worry about getting all of the skin, just the black parts.
Next, in a dutch oven, sauté the onions with the olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
Place the bell pepper, onions and garlic into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Add the red pepper mixture back to the dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Pour in the chicken stock and add the salt, crushed red pepper, dried thyme, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes.
Lastly, remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Place the oregano in your hand and crush it up slightly to release the flavor and to make the pieces smaller, then pour into the pot. Stir until completely combined.
Serve with extra sour cream and fresh herbs on top if desired.
Tips for making this Roasted REd Pepper Soup
- Blending the Soup: Use a food processor, blender, or immersion blender for the soup. If you are using an immersion blender add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the pot with the broth and blend up. Use caution when blending hot liquids.
- Adjust seasonings as needed: Always taste the soup before serving. Adjust the amount of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to make this soup how you prefer. It’s always easier to start with less of each seasoning and add more as needed.
- Make Ahead of Time: This soup reheats nicely making it great for meal prep or make-ahead dinner.
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: Allow the soup to cool to room temperature then add to a freezer safe container. Seal and store the soup in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: This soup reheats nicely in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Make Ahead Option: Prepare this soup and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat.
Roasted Red Pepper FAQS
This soup recipe is thickened with the addition of sour cream. You can substitute this for plain greek yogurt, heavy cream or a dairy-free option such as coconut milk or cream.
Looking for some tasty sides for your red pepper soup? We like serving it with salads, crusty bread, extra roasted veggies, or a cheesy quesadilla on the side. Some of our favorites recipes include:
Mexican Salad
Roasted Mexican Vegetables
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Jalapeño Cheese Rolls
Buttermilk Cornbread
Ultimate Cheese Quesadilla
Yes, the skins are peeled off after roasting. Removing the charred skins prevents transferring a charred taste to the soup. You get all of the flavors of roasted peppers without anything tasting burnt.
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Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 red bell peppers
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with a nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Clean and dry the bell peppers. Cut them in half and remove the seeds and membranes.
- Place the bell peppers cut side down on the baking sheet, pressing them down to make them as flat as possible.
- Bake the bell peppers for 20-25 minutes until skin is blackened and peppers are soft. Remove from the oven and place the peppers inside a container that has a lid. Seal the peppers inside. This will allow the steam to soften them more. Keep in there for another 15 minutes.
- In a dutch oven, saute the onions with the olive oil until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.
- After peppers have cooled enough to touch, about 15 minutes. Remove from the container and peel off the burnt skin. (I only peeled the burnt parts that were easily removed and left the skin that was still red and attached).
- Place the bell pepper, onion and garlic into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the red pepper mixture back to the dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Pour in the chicken stock and add the salt, crushed red pepper, dried thyme, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the sour cream. Place the oregano in your hand and crush it up slightly to release the flavor and to make the pieces smaller, then pour into the pot. Stir until completely combined.
- Serve with extra sour cream and fresh herbs on top if desired.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published February 23, 2018. Updated January 22, 2024 with new images.
Made this today, it was wonderful! This is the first time I roasted the peppers, it was a bit time consuming, but worth it! I drink mine in a cup, it’s liquid sunshine!
This is fabulous…..I always wait until red peppers are on sale and then I buy them ALL :)- roast them and freeze them until I want to make soup. The piece de resistance is drizzling balsamic glaze (Trader Joe’s) over the sour cream. Be still my heart!!!!!!
Simple but good recipe. I added cayenne pepper and lump crab meat! Delicious!
I have six orange peppers, would that work?
I made this last night & it was good, but I thought it needed something more, so I added in a cup of grated cheddar cheese. Now it is perfect. It is definitely best with the sour cream.
This recipe was outstanding. We grew Bell and Anaheim peppers in the yard and weren’t sure what to do with them. The soup tasted like something from a restaurant. We felt that a little more sour cream was needed. We also used a blender rather than food processor. I roasted the garlic with the peels on.