This cold pea and mint soup is a flavourful green pea soup perfect for summer. Ideally it's served cold, and its freshness is highlighted by the use of fresh mint as an ingredient. But don't you think that this is exclusively a summer thing. This pea soup with mint tastes great also warm, making it enjoyable also on a day when you'd rather have something warm on the menu.
I use frozen green peas, that have been thawed. You can absolutely go for fresh if you have access to them. That would make it an exquisitely seasonal treat. But as the saying goes, it's always in season in the frozen section, by using frozen you can actually enjoy this delightful soup year round.
I like to eat this soup cold, hence why so is how I'm presenting it. And by cold I don't mean fridge-cold, but around 18C (room temperature in Sweden). Too cold a temperature might tone down the overall flavour, while a room temperature option makes for a more enjoyable experience.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Frozen peas (thawed) - I never cook with fresh, but if you have a chance absolutely go for fresh!
- Yellow onion - alternatively, a shallot would also be nice. Skip if allergic.
- Butter - you need a cooking fat so choose your favourite alternative if you have allergies.
- Chicken broth - choose vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian. But I think chicken broth gives it a nice depth.
- Sour cream - you can go for creme fraiche if you can't find sour cream.
- Fresh mint - dried mint here will not do as good as fresh so try and find fresh.
I don't find the need to add any salt if the broth is quite salty itself. But this is up to you if you need to add some to taste.
For detailed quantities, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make pea and mint soup
1. Add the butter to a pot and melt on medium heat. In the meantime, cut the onion into a fine dice. Add the onion to the butter and sweat for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the peas and sauté for a couple of minutes. Aside, warm up the broth and then add it to the peas. Simmer for 7 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat, pour in the sour cream and mint, and blend until smooth. Let cool completely before serving.
Cold pea soup tips
I recommend to use either fresh peas or thawed frozen ones. Using frozen peas from frozen is not impossible, but will lower the temperature in the pot, making for a slightly longer cooking time. This is why I also always add the broth warm. Mainly, it is to melt the fat that is in the broth. But also to avoid lowering too much the internal temperature in the pot.
A regular household immersion blender (the one I have used in this recipe) will not deliver a restaurant-style smoothness. The reason behind it lies in the fact that one such blender usually has only 2 rotating blades, and a weaker engine compared to a professional one. This is why in the photos of my cold pea and mint soup you can see small mint leaf bits. If you're after a better smoothness, I would recommend using a blender jug - those are usually more powerful and have 4 blades.
This soup keeps for up to 5 days if kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Do not take it out too much in advance to let it come to room temperature, as the presence of sour cream may make it ferment quite quickly if kept unrefrigerated for too long.
More blended soups!
Although I do not have other cold soups in my repertoire, I am a big fan of blended soups and I have a few others to offer! I have a Polish tomato soup, a favourite of mine. Then a fresh red lentil soup with coconut milk and lime. A great one for the fall: butternut squash and red lentil. And an unusual combo that works great as a soup: roasted pepper and goat cheese. Click on the images below to access more recipes.
If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you're planning to try it another time, pin this recipe to Pinterest. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram and on Pinterest.
Cold pea soup with fresh mint
Equipment
- Pot
- Blender
- Cutting board + knife
Ingredients
- 450 g frozen peas thawed
- 500 ml broth chicken recommended, or vegetable
- 1 yellow onion medium
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 125 ml sour cream
- 5 g fresh mint leaves about 4 sprigs
Instructions
- Add the butter to a pot and melt on medium heat. In the meantime, cut the onion into a fine dice. Add the onion to the butter and sweat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the peas and sauté for a couple of minutes. Aside, warm up the broth and then add it to the peas. Simmer for 7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, pour in the sour cream and mint, and blend until smooth. Let cool completely before serving.
Notes
- This recipe serves 4 people as an appetizer, or 2 people as a main course.
- The nutritional information provided is made with an online calculator and only meant to be used as a guideline.
