Spring is such an exciting season food-wise. When the ground starts to defrost and green stuff starts popping up, freshness is all around. In the spring, I love picking stinging nettles from the side of the road and make nettle soup. And this is my favourite Nettle Soup recipe!
Nettle Soup with a twist!
Nettle soup is eaten in various parts of the world, and traditional recipes vary. But in general, most nettle soup recipes have potatoes and cream, and are blended until smooth.
This nettle soup recipe is a little bit different. I don't see any reason to stick to tradition (unless you want to) but why not think about stinging nettles as we would any other green leafy ingredient? The only rules for this nettle soup are:
- Stir in some delicious flavour
- Keep it simple
- Don’t overcook it
It's kinda liberating, right?
This unconventional nettle soup is creamy and brothy, and has just the right amount of salt and heat to make it interesting. It's a must-try, in my humble opinion.
What Ingredients do you need for this nettle soup?
- Stinging Nettles: But honestly, this could be any leafy green vegetable.
- Onion: Kinda important for soup in general (that’s a rule I rarely break).
- Oil or Butter: I’m into butter for this, but if you’re not into that, coconut oil is a great option. Olive oil works too.
- Ginger: Fresh is preferred, but powdered, ground ginger is nothing to scoff at. Just use less than you would fresh.
- Garlic: Again, a soup staple that I rarely do without. I think garlic powder would also work here.
- Red chilli: For a gentle kick. If you’re not into heat, use finely chopped tomato or bell pepper instead. The red flecks really add something.
- Water: Yep, no fancy stock required here. Water does the trick.
- Potato: There are few things I enjoy more than biting into chunks of waxy potato in soup. It also adds a nice body and thickness to the broth.
- Coconut aminos or soya sauce: They both add a salty richness to the broth. Coconut aminos are a great option for folks who are sensitive to soy.
- Coconut milk: Use the thick part! If you only have runny coconut milk, you might reduce the amount of water that goes in, or the soup will be too watery.
How to make this Nettle Soup
This jazzed up Nettle soup recipe is super simple to make. Here’s how you put it together:
Step 1 - Pick the stinging nettles - Haha ok, this step is a bit more involved than the others. But instead of diving into explaining this process (because we’re here for soup), I encourage any nettle-newbies to read this article which explains the harvesting process very well.
Step 2 - Wash the nettles by agitating them vigorously in a large volume of cold water. A sink or large bowl works great. All the little bugs or bits of dirt should sink to the bottom. (Keep your gloves on for this part.)
Step 3 - Blanch the nettles by cooking them in boiling water for about 90 seconds, and then plunge them into very cold water to stop the cooking. At this point, the stinging nettles won't sting anymore and you can do away with the gloves.
Step 4 - Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat and add the butter (or oil).
Step 5 - Chop the onion, garlic, and ginger and add to the pot along with a pinch of salt, and stir/sweat for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.
Step 6 - While the onion mixture sweats, chop your potato into whatever size you like. I tend to end up with scrabble-tile-sized pieces, but you can go finer if you prefer. Add the potato to the pot.
Step 7 - Add the coconut aminos (or soya sauce, depending on what you’re using). This will deglaze any bits of onion that might've stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Step 8 - Add the water and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat back to medium, pop a lid on, and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Step 9 - While the potatoes are softening, chop the blanched nettles and the chilli pepper as finely as you can and add them to the soup.
Step 10 - Finally, add the coconut milk to the soup. Adjust the consistency with extra water if needed, and check for seasoning. It should be spot on, but if you need a hint more salt, now’s the time to add it. If you find that it’s too salty (whoops), you can add more coconut milk to tone it down.
Step 11 - Serve in your favourite bowls and enjoy! Add a few cracks of black pepper if you fancy!
What goes well with this Nettle Soup?
This soup is perfect on its own. It would also be great with a bowl of rice beside it, or a scoop of rice right on top. This soup makes a lovely light dinner or can be eaten as a first course.
This Nettle Soup would also be wonderful with some homemade flatbread for dipping!
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Tips
- This soup is best eaten right away, but it will also keep in the fridge for 4-5 days in a sealed container.
- To reheat from the fridge, use a small pot over medium heat on the stove until the soup comes to a gentle boil. A microwave also does the trick. (I like using a glass measuring jug when reheating soup in the microwave).
- You can also make this soup in larger batches and freeze it. If you have lots of nettles to work with, freezing is a perfect option!
- To reheat the soup from frozen, defrost it in the fridge first, then bring it to a boil on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
No problem! Just use spinach instead. You can even use frozen, chopped spinach if you’d like! Just squeeze out all the water before you use it.
Sure thing. Just finish the soup with sour cream or heavy cream. It’ll be great!
Sure! If you want your soup to be silky smooth, use an immersion blender to blend it before serving. You can also do a partial blend if you want a bit more texture in your soup.
Since this is such a quick-cooking soup, I don't recommend using the slow cooker. In order for the nettles to stay nice and bright green, it's best to cook the soup just until the potatoes are soft. It comes together really quickly!
For this soup, the freshness of the greens is super important. If you don't have fresh nettles, I'd recommend using kale, swiss chard, or spinach instead.
This recipe can easily be made vegan by using oil instead of butter. The coconut milk already makes it dairy-free, so with this simple swap, you'll have a delicious vegan Nettle Soup!
Yes! Nettles are known for their high nutrient content, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like iron and calcium. They're also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, always consult with a healthcare professional for specific health advice.
Sure! This recipe is super versatile. You could add carrots, celery, or leeks along with the onions for extra flavor and nutrition. Just be mindful that adding more vegetables might require adjusting the liquid content and cooking time.
The soup is nice with a gentle kick, but the spice level can be adjusted to your preference. If you're sensitive to spice, start with a small amount of chili or omit it altogether. If you love heat, feel free to add more chili or even a dash of hot sauce at the end.
Check out this roundup of nettle recipes from BBC food. There are some good ones in there!
Still Hungry?
If you’re into this recipe, I think you might also enjoy these other vegetarian soups:
- Coconut Corn Chowder
- 5-Ingredient Celery Root Soup
- Spring Minestrone
- Carrot Ginger Lentil Soup
- Deluxe Beet Soup
I hope you love it! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram @howtomakedinner.
Happy spring!
Fresh Nettle Soup With Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons oil or butter
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons ginger
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ red chilli
- 500 ml water
- 1 small waxy potato like Yukon Gold
- 200 grams blanched squeezed out stinging nettles
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or soya sauce
- ½ can coconut milk - use the thick part!
Instructions
- Heat a medium-sized pot over medium heat and add the butter (or oil).
- Chop the onion, garlic, and ginger, add them to the pot along with a pinch of salt, and sweat for 2-3 minutes.
- While the onion mixture sweats, chop your potato into whatever size you like. I tend to end up with scrabble-tile-sized pieces, but you can go finer if you prefer. Add the potato to the onions.
- Add the coconut aminos (or soya sauce, depending on what you’re using).
- Add the water and bring the soup to a boil. Then, reduce the heat back to medium, pop a lid on, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- While the potatoes are softening, chop the chilli pepper, and the nettles as finely as you can, and add them to the soup.
- Finally, add the coconut milk to the soup, adjust with extra water if needed, and check for seasoning. It should be spot on, but if you need a hint more salt, now’s the time. If you find that it’s too salty (whoops), you can add more coconut milk to tone it down.
Mariane says
I love foraging nettles in the fall and in the spring. Finding your soup has been amazing because I get to use a lot of them. And it’s so easy! thank you
Paula Hingley says
It's so nice, isn't it? I love busting out the ol' dish gloves! I'm glad you like the soup!
Emmelina Settle says
I loved this recipe! I didn’t understand or like that all other nettle soup recipes were blended and wanted one using it as you said “like any other green”. This hit the spot and will be a spring staple in our home, thank you!
Eline Burggraaf says
Just made the soup. Loved it! Thank you for sharing. I am challenging myself this week to, not do any grocery shopping and using up all that I have stored in my pantry and fridge. Nettles are all around the house and garden so that’s making it easy to add some fresh greens to my meals. This is the second nettle soup I made this week :). And it’s way better than the other one! I was out of onions, but had some fresh chives in the garden and onion powder. I didn't have a pepper, so I added two tablespoons of sambal oelek. And I replaced the tomato by stirring in a little tomatopaste after adding the potato. The indian style ingredients, inspired me to go and try a sort of palak paneer with nettles later this week.. Love your channel :). Greatings from The Netherlands!
Paula says
Fantastic! Glad you found some good substitutions!
Rozbed says
Great recipe but please don’t pick and eat food that grows on the side of the road! So much pollution, both oil and gas and chemicals leaching into the ground and from the exhaust.
Paula says
I would argue that plants growing on the side of a small country road probably have less chemicals and pollution than a lot of things we buy in the grocery store, but you do you!