As much as we love soups, it's not always easy to find high-protein soups. Sure, broth plus vegetables is tasty, but that combo doesn’t always equal a meal that will actually keep you full for more than 30 minutes.
In fact, with each meal, registered dietitians recommend eating between 15 and 30 grams of protein to truly be satisfied. For reference, a lot of soup recipes contain 14 grams or fewer, and that doesn’t quite cut if you’re trying to keep up a high-protein diet. There is a super obvious way to jack up the protein count of your go-to soup—just add meat, you might be thinking. And sure, that’s one solution, but if it’s your only trick, you’re gonna get super bored super fast.
Instead, spice up your soups with these nine easy hacks. Most of them elevate the protein count without using any meat or dairy, which is great if you’re trying to eliminate either of those ingredients from your diet. And if you’re not, they’re still exciting ways—that you may not have thought of before—to make all your soups high-protein soups.
1. Swirl in some nutritional yeast.
If you’ve seen this ingredient pop up at your local health food store, add it to your cart the next time you go grocery shopping. These dry yellow flakes (usually sold by the bottle) are a favorite of the vegan community for their subtly cheesy flavor. One tablespoon contains 4 grams of protein. If you are vegan, add it to “creamy” soups that you may have made with almond or coconut milk to give it a protein count more on par with actual dairy. If you’re not vegan, add a tablespoon to your creamy soups to boost the protein even more.
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2. Or protein powder (the unflavored kind).
No, adding vanilla protein powder to a bowl of tomato soup is probably not the best idea. But if you add a scoop of the plain stuff, you’ll be upping the protein without sacrificing flavor. Pea powder protein or brown rice protein are two great options, because they're naturally a bit more savory.
Just one quick note before you go tossing scoops into your soup: You’ll want to add it slowly while simultaneously whisking it in. Otherwise, you might end up with something gross and clumpy.
3. Instead of croutons or crackers, consider roasted chickpeas.
If you like a crunchy texture in your soup, consider swapping out croutons or crackers for roasted chickpeas. A tablespoon of chickpeas has 2.5 grams of protein. Make a big batch of them at once—they’re also great for topping salads and snacking.
4. Or nuts.
Nuts on soup? Trust us on this one. A palmful of chopped, roasted almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or whatever you prefer will give your soup both a nutty flavor you didn’t know it needed, and extra protein. Oh also, fiber!
