This Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup is just like the classic soup you grew up eating. It's made with extra-firm baked tofu, homemade vegan chicken broth, and veggies. It's cozy, comforting, and tastes incredible, especially on a chilly day.
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This easy vegan noodle soup recipe has all the heartiness of classic chicken noodle soup - but is completely plant-based!
Made with minimal ingredients but tastes just as cozy and comforting as the soup you ate as a kid. It's a great option for a cozy, rainy day dinner or for when you're feeling under the weather.
Main Ingredients
- Vegetables
- Vegan Chicken Broth
- Noodles
- Baked Tofu
Ingredient Notes
- Vegetable Base: Onion, Celery, Carrots, & Garlic! These ingredients are essential for a delicious and flavorful soup!
- Vegan Chicken Broth: I used my homemade chicken broth seasoning mixed with water but you can use store-bought vegan chicken broth or vegetable stock.
- Fresh Parsley: I love the addition of fresh parsley- it’s a must! Dried herbs will work as well but fresh herbs are best.
- Fettuccine Noodles: I like the look of fettuccine noodles but you can use your favorite kind of noodles! For a gluten-free option, you can use chickpea pasta or pasta of choice.
- Extra-Firm Tofu: Instead of chicken, we are using extra-firm tofu that has been baked until crispy and chewy. It's the perfect protein for this soup!
How to Make This Recipe
There’s nothing quite like a bowl of vegan chicken noodle soup with tofu- so comforting, especially on a particularly rainy cold day. It’s easy to make as well so this is a good recipe to keep handy for the winter!
Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes. Pressing tofu will remove the excess water and help the tofu become chewy and crispy in the oven.
Cube the tofu and toss it in a large bowl with the seasonings. This is optional but if you have poultry seasonings handy, I highly recommend sprinkling some on the tofu cubes!
Place the tofu cubes evenly on a parchment-lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400F or until crispy and golden.
In a large soup pot on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes.
Once the onions are starting to soften and turn translucent, add the diced carrots and celery. Continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Then, add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the vegan chicken broth, fettuccine noodles, and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the noodles are cooked. Alternatively, cook the noodles separately and then add the cooked noodles to the soup when serving.
Toss in the baked tofu pieces. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper.
Stir in fresh parsley then serve your vegan chicken soup with a fresh baguette, croutons, or a vegan grilled cheese!
Vegan Chicken Broth
I’ve tried numerous vegetable broths and vegan chicken stocks but my homemade Vegan Chicken Broth Powder takes the cake! It’s an easy recipe to make and is made up of simple herbs and spices that you probably have already in your spice cabinet.
It's made from a base of nutritional yeast, spices, and dried herbs and tastes amazing in this vegan chicken noodle soup recipe!
If you don’t want to make it from scratch, you can use a store-bought vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth. Whichever broth you choose, you're sure to enjoy this cozy, warm vegetarian chicken noodle soup recipe.
Tips & Tricks
I cooked the noodles in the soup but if you're planning on having a lot of leftovers then I recommend cooking and storing the noodles separately so they don't get soggy and soak up the broth.
You may need to add another cup or two of the vegan chicken stock to the leftovers of your soup if you cooked the noodles in there. Another pinch of so of salt as well! It'll still be delicious on either route you take.
Press the tofu for best results! You want the tofu to get chewy and crispy in the oven so pressing the tofu for at least 15 minutes will speed up the baking and make for a tastier vegan tofu noodle soup.
Substitutions & Additions
Tofu: Not a fan of tofu? No worries! You can use seitan, soy curls, store-bought vegan chicken, or chickpeas, or leave it out!
Fettuccine Noodles: I used fettuccine noodles simply because I love the look but you can use any noodles you'd like! If you're gluten-free, you can easily swap in your favorite gf noodle to make this soup.
Serving Ideas
- Fresh Baguette, Toasted Bread, Garlic Knots, or Vegan Grilled Cheese.
- Green Salad with Vegan Bacon Bits and Italian Dressing.
Storage & Reheating
Storage: Allow the soup to cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: Simply add the soup to a pot on medium to low heat until warmed through or heat in the microwave.
Freezing: Let the soup cool completely before placing it in a freezer-safe container without the pasta, and freeze. When ready to serve, move the container to the refrigerator overnight, then warm in a pot and add noodles to the bowls with the soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Seitan, store-bought vegan chicken, chickpeas, or leave it out!
The recipe for Vegan Chicken Broth Powder is on my blog. Simply mix 8 tablespoons with 8 cups of water for this noodle soup recipe.
I haven't personally tried it but I think it would be fine. Allow too cool completely then freeze in a freezer-safe container. Allow thawing before reheating.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love:
- Best Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Creamy Vegan Potato Soup
- Easy Vegan Chicken and Dumplings
Recipe
Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup with Tofu
Ingredients
Baked Tofu:
- 1 Block Extra-Firm Tofu
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of Black Pepper
- ½ tablespoon Olive Oil
Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup:
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion finely diced
- 2 Ribs of Celery roughly 1 cup
- 2-3 Medium Carrots roughly 1 ½ cups
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 8 cups Vegan Chicken Broth see notes
- 6 to 8oz Fettuccine Noodles
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
- Salt & Black Pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Press the tofu for at least 15 minutes. Cube the tofu and toss in a large bowl with the seasonings. Place evenly on a parchment lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- In a large soup pot on medium high heat, add the olive oil and diced onion. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Once the onions are starting to soften and turn translucent, add the diced carrots and celery. Continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
- Then, add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Pour in the vegan chicken broth, fettuccine noodles, bay leaves, fresh thyme and dried oregano. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the noodles are cooked. Alternatively, cook the noodles separately and add to the individual serving.
- Toss in the baked tofu and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper.
Rachael M. says
I was shocked at how easy this was! Great tip about leaving noodles out of not serving right away. Will definitely be a fall/winter staple from now on.
Liv says
This recipe is definitely good to keep handy during the winter! Thank you for your kind review 🙂
Katheleen says
This was the best chicken noodle soup I have tasted!!. And the funny part is I went with what was in my cupboard which was not much. I had no carrots no celery. I had only dehydrated onion. Almost none of the spices, so I used dried Italian seasoning. The baked tofu which I have never even heard of tasted exactly like chicken. It was superb. I did have garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric and paprika though. I threw the noodles in without cooking them like suggested. I left my soup to stand for 2 hours before eating and the noodles did absorb 3/4 of the broth, but that only made it taste better. In addition this was a lot of fun to make my way with no measuring. This will become a staple in my household. Excellent recipe.
Liv says
I'm so glad you were able to make this recipe with what you had in your pantry already! Thank you for leaving this very kind and helpful review 🙂