Kohlrabi Soup (with Kohlrabi Greens)
Not sure what to do with kohlrabi leaves? Make this beautifully orange Kohlrabi Soup with kohlrabi greens, sweet potato, and carrots! It’s a gluten free vegan soup, perfect for when you want a meatless meal.
Have you heard of kohlrabi?
I bet it’s a vegetable most of you have never heard of, let alone eaten.
It translates into “cabbage turnip,” which is the best way to describe this vegetable. Eating it raw reminds me of a radish without such a strong bite.
Not only are the bulbs edible, so are the leaves. That’s why my Kohlrabi Soup with Kohlrabi Greens incorporates both. No food waste!
It’s a bright orange vegetable soup with kohlrabi and sweet potato. After some changes I made it a gluten free vegan soup, but you would never know after taking a bite.
I first learned about kohlrabi when I was reading my always-reliable vegetable cookbook – Greene on Greens.
One of the chapters is dedicated to kohlrabi, which I skipped because I’ve never heard of it. Then one day I was shopping at my local farm when I spotted some for sale.
I have a habit of buying new things and figuring out what to do with them later. Remembering the chapter I skipped, I grabbed a bunch and made them for dinner.
This was back in 2011. Turns out I was developing recipes way before I realized it because I made a bunch of changes to the original kohlrabi soup recipe.
It called for boned-in chicken to be cooked in the broth, but I didn’t have time. Plus I had a sweet potato ready to go rotten, so I added that instead.
I also omitted the bacon because I was afraid it would overpower the kohlrabi. Turns out I accidentally made this soup vegan.
My kohlrabi soup gets its beautiful orange color from pureeing carrots. Sure, it’s one extra step, but the carrot base builds an extra layer of flavor.
Serve it with stuffed butternut squash, vegetarian quiche, or pita pizza to make it a complete meal.
What is kohlrabi?
Kohlrabi is a cruciferous vegetable, which is fancy botanist speak for being in the cabbage family. If you enjoy cabbage, broccoli, and even roasted Brussels sprouts, there’s a high chance you’ll also love kohlrabi.
Can you eat kohlrabi leaves?
Absolutely! Kohlrabi greens are similar to eating kale or Swiss chard, so if you’re lucky to find them with the leaves, grab them. The stems are edible as well.
What does kohlrabi taste like?
The kohlrabi bulbs have a sweet yet peppery flavor, much like a radish. The kohlrabi greens taste similar to kale leaves with a mild leafy flavor.
When is kohlrabi in season?
Like most produce you can often find kohlrabi all year long. However, kohlrabi peak season is from winter to early spring (roughly November – April).
That would make my kohlrabi soup a great side or main dish for your Thanksgiving Dinner For Two.
If you have a farmer’s market during those months, you’ll have a higher chance of finding kohlrabi intact with its leaves.
Although my local grocery store had kohlrabi with greens, the leaves were a bit wilted.
How To Prepare Kohlrabi
To prepare kohlrabi, there are two parts:
For the bulb: Cut off the stems and leaves until you’re left with the bulb. Peel then thinly slice the ends so it sits flat on your cutting board.
Cut the bulb in half then cut the halves into half so you have 4 quarter pieces. Remove the core from each quarter.
For diced kohlrabi, cut each half into slices then cut each slice into cubes.
For step by step photos, check out The Kitchn’s how to cut up kohlrabi guide.
For the greens: Wash the leaves then dry. If you’re not using the stems, cut and discard those.
Next, cut the greens into bite-sized pieces.
How To Make Kohlrabi Soup
First, heat your oil in a Dutch oven or similar large pot. You can also use butter (which no longer makes this soup vegan but still a delicious vegetarian dinner).
Once hot, add your onion, carrot, and a big pinch of salt. Cook until they start to brown.
Next, add some of the broth then cook until the carrots are soft.
Add the mixture to your blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the carrot puree back into the pot then add the remaining broth. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, add your kohlrabi and sweet potato. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
Add your leaves then cook another 3-5 minutes or until the greens are softened. Stir in lemon juice and enjoy!
If you really want to go all out with this soup, learn how to make vegetable stock from Table Matters rather than buying a box.
Did you change this recipe?
Busted! If you’ve made my kohlrabi soup recipe between 2011-2022, you may notice the directions are different.
For whatever reason the original recipe was unnecessarily complicated with extra pans. Plus it used flour to thicken it, but honestly it doesn’t need it.
I was tempted to skip the blending as well, but the carrot puree adds a lovely layer of flavor as well as a beautiful orange color rather than your typical brown broth soup.
Trust me – that little extra effort is totally worth it.
More Vegetarian Soup Recipes
- Roasted Jalapeno Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Cream Of Onion Soup (omit the bacon)
- One Pot Lasagna Soup
- Creamy Carrot Soup by Rachel Cooks
Kohlrabi Soup with Kohlrabi Greens
Not sure what to do with kohlrabi leaves? Make this beautifully orange Kohlrabi Soup with kohlrabi greens, sweet potato, and carrots! It’s a gluten free vegan soup, perfect for when you want a meatless meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt (preferably kosher), to taste
- 1/4 cup diced white or yellow onion
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 5 cups vegetable broth/stock
- 1 pound kohlrabi, bulbs peeled and diced and leaves chopped
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced (roughly 8 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, add the oil. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, and a big pinch of salt. Cook until they start to soften and brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add 1 + 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil. Cook until carrots are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. There should be enough broth but if it's too thick to blend, you can add a little more.
- Pour the carrot puree back into the Dutch oven. Add the remaining 3 + 1/2 cups broth then bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the kohlrabi bulbs, sweet potato, and a big pinch of salt. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
You should have enough broth, but if your vegetable amounts are bigger than indicated, it's possible you may need to add more as the vegetables will absorb the broth. - Add kohlrabi leaves and cook 3-5 minutes until the leaves are softened. Add lemon juice then taste and adjust for salt.
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Originally published January 9, 2011
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I don’t know if you’re still out there as it’s now 2019, but I just found this while trying to figure out what to do with some kohlrabi I was given. I already had the bulbs roasting in the oven and was looking for something to do with the leaves. This soup looks delicious! I may get some broth and carrots to try it today and make it with the roasted kohlrabi or just cook the leaves like I would collard greens and try this soup another day :) I can’t decide!
Yes I’m still here! You can see my latest posts on my home page :) Let me know what you think of the soup if you try it!
II am not actually replying to this comment, but hoping you are still reading about the soup. I too was looking what to do with kohlrabi leaves and saw your recipe. I have some growing but not ready to harvest. This recipe is a keeper and I will make it as soon as I get them out of the ground. I used the kohlrabi bulb raw in salads. Thanks!!
Yes I’m still here! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and great idea using the bulb in salads.
Looks like a great soup to freeze. Has anyone tried to?
I haven’t personally tried it, but you should be able to.
I just made this soup since I had Kohlrabi and always wanted to use the leaves too. Omg, it is sooooo good!!! Thank you for this!
Oh and I also live in Pittsburgh ????
Wow! I stumbled here as I’m about to make a vegan soup with the rest of the veggies from last week’s farmer’s market finds: whole kohlrabi, sweet potato, carrot, a piece of pumpkin… and thought let’s see how other’s treat the leaves this time because usually I’d use the leaves on their own but it’s the perfect day for a yummy soup. To my amazement, there’s a connection with my hometown! I’m from Pittsburgh and headed home next weekend for a super quick visit and your shout out to the Strip district just reminded to me leave room in suitcase for the many treasures that await in the land of the black and gold!
Thanks for sharing.
Oh fun! Might need a second suitcase when you’re done 😂
I’m UK based and have grown kohlrabi for the first time. Have lots of them ready to go. The soup looks lovely, & perfect for a vegetarian family like us
Let me know how you like it!
I’ve recently discovered kohlrabi and I love it! I can’t wait to try this soup..at the end I may add some shredded chicken.
I’m also excited about your format with recipes for 1-2 people.
Thank you for what you do!
Enjoy!
Love the idea of adding chicken!
I’d love to know what the nutritional facts are to this recipe.
Unfortunately I do not provide nutritional info because I am not a nutritionist. You can use a calorie tracker site such as My Fitness Pal to calculate this info.
I just made this soup with my first ever home grown kohlrabi and it was amazing! Followed the recipe exactly!
Thanks so much!
Oh wonderful! Glad you enjoyed the soup.
I just made the soup and it was wonderful!
Glad you enjoyed the soup!
Made it exactly as written, really good! Would consider adding chicken next time as mentioned above to make the macros more balanced, but it was delicious as written. May have to check out that cookbook where you got the inspiration from. Thanks!
Chicken would be a great addition. Glad you enjoyed the soup!
I just made this soup, mostly followed directions, and I asked my husband to taste it. Well. 8 – 10 spoonfuls later her grinned and said it was great. Thank you for this recipe!
Wonderful! Glad you both enjoyed the soup.
I made this soup and it was delicious. My husband loved it too. He thought the sweet potato was carrot. He doesn’t like sweet potatoes. I also used a few bacon strips and we were well nourished and we filled up our soup bowls and dived in. Thank you for a great recipe.
Ha too funny on the sweet potato! Bacon is def a great idea as well. Glad you both enjoyed the soup!
Thank you for this recipe!! It was so good!! 💜
I added mushrooms & oh so yummy!!
Mushrooms are a great idea! Glad you enjoyed the soup.
This is the first time I am tasting and cooking with Kohlrabi as my CSA was offering it this past week. I found this simple recipe online and decided to try it out. I had to use scallions as I used my yellow onions in another recipe. Also the Kohlrabi had the green tops removed so I couldn’t add the greens to the soup preparation.. On a cool rainy day, such as today, this soup is comforting, warming and delicious. I did add some caraway seeds, dried chervil and fresh rosemary during the last part of the cooking as I especially love caraway seeds and thought it would be complimentary to the soup. . I will serve the soup with a dollop of plain whole milk yogurt on top. I will freeze leftovers as this made a sizable amount. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the soup recipe and were able to adjust using your ingredients on hand!
It was my first kohlrabi purchase and among the last fresh plant food left from vacation! I improvised with a shallot instead.😅
To make a complete protein, vegan meal I added cannellini beans and ditialini pasta similar to/ applying my experience with the chickpea & pasta Italian dish process (but no tomato paste or tomatoes.)
And some savory spices but I am no chef just someone who likes to cook, eat and serve healthy food!
My husband actually didn’t like the kohlrabi but I noticed a good portion of the ball jar was empty anyway. I guess his comment was that he’s not much of a turnip fan and equated it with that and the, kohlrabi was still somewhat crisp. I liked it crisp like a kohlrabi summer!
Glad you both enjoyed the soup! I like the idea of adding beans and pasta.
A delicious soup, first time trying kohlrabi which I got in an organic veggie delivery from a local farm – hope it won’t be the last! Perfect as an autumn meal with the colder darker evenings. I used chicken bone broth, ham stock and added some gammon pieces at the end to make it more substantial as a dinner. I think the recipe is fine for 2 portions for a lunch but I could have eaten it all for dinner – only got 2 bowls out of it and I really didn’t want to have to give it to my husband as I wanted it. Would double quantity next time. Thanks very much.
So glad you enjoyed the soup recipe! I’m actually surprised you only got 2 bowls out of it because this soup actually makes more than what I usually make (4-6 servings instead of 2-4 servings). Regardless at least now you know for next time.
I made this soup it was great. Loved the addition of sweet potatoes. I grew kohlrabi in my hydroponic tower and the Leaves were humongous I also made kohlarabi chips with the leaves grew up eating it raw with a salt shaker sitting on a swing on the porch !!
Chips are a great idea! You can even use them as a side or garnish to the soup.