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Chestnut Soup

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Dinner is served, two soup bowls with chestnut soup and topping stand on a green wooden table surface. Both soup bowls have next to them a green patterned napkin with a golden spoon on top and a glass of white alkohlfree wine. Between the bowls is a small green bowl with pomegranate seeds and a golden teaspoon. On the green base are scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells.

Kick off the fall soup season with this delicious chestnut soup. It warms you from the inside out, it is healthy, and fills you up. The spices and fruity topping of pomegranate seeds add an exotic touch. It tastes even better if you forage the chestnuts yourself – then you can make yourself comfortable indoors with this soup!

Ingredients for making Chestnut Soup:

A pomegranate, a sweet potato, an orange, a piece of celery, a bunch of parsley, a glass jug of vegan cream, three carrots and two onions lie on a mountain of fresh chestnuts in their brown shells. In the foreground is a small wooden bowl with the spice bahrat, next to it a small wooden spoon, also filled with bahrat. Around it are some fresh leaves from the chestnut tree and a few chestnuts still surrounded by their spiky, thick shells. Everything lies on a green wooden table top.
  • Fresh Chestnuts (Alternatively, use packaged, peeled chestnuts)
  • Sweet potato
  • Onions
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Flat-leaf parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Orange
  • Vegan cream
  • Vegan butter substitute
  • Water
  • Baharat spice (a traditional Arabic spice mix)
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Topping:

  • Chestnuts
  • Pomegranate
  • Flat-leaf parsley

How to make Chestnut Soup:

To peel the chestnuts quickly, follow these steps:

If you have bought pre-packaged chestnuts, you can skip this step.

Start by washing the chestnuts thoroughly. Leave them in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain in a sieve. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F degrees (top-bottom heat), and place an ovenproof dish filled with water on the bottom of the oven.

A stainless steel bowl stands on a green wooden table surface. the bowl is filled with water and chestnuts.
A close look at two hands holding an edible chestnut with one hand and scoring the chestnut with the other using a large serrated knife. The chestnut lies on a wooden kitchen board.
A closer look at the hands holding an edible chestnut between their fingers and peeling the skin from the chestnut. One hand is also holding a kitchen knife. Below it, slightly out of focus, is a wooden bowl with chestnut shells.

Meanwhile, take a sharp knife and cut a cross on one side of the chestnuts. Cutting this insertion prevents them from bursting during roasting and makes it easy to peel them. Place the chestnuts on a baking tray for about 20-25 minutes until the skin bursts open and the chestnuts are soft. Leave the chestnuts to cool briefly, but peel them while still warm.

A large, flat wooden bowl stands on a green wooden base, with shelled chestnuts in the front and a mountain of chestnut shells behind it. Around the bowl are scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells on the green surface.

Chestnut Soup:

We start with the onions; they must be peeled and diced before sauteeing them with olive oil in the large soup pot until translucent. Next, wash and cut the carrots, sweet potato, celery, parsley – and chop the chestnuts.

A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand pours olive oil from glass jug into the empty pot. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand pours finely chopped onions from a small bowl into the pot, in which olive oil is already simmering. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand pours finely chopped carrots from a bowl into the pot, in which olive oil and onions are already simmering. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand pours finely chopped celery from a bowl into the pot, in which olive oil, onions and carrots are already simmering. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.

Add the chopped carrots and celery to the onions in the pot.

A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand is pouring hot water from a stainless steel jug into the pot with the steamed vegetables. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand is pouring baharat spice from a small wooden bowl into the pot with the soup. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand is pouring chopped sweet potatos from a bowl into the pot with the soup. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand is pouring chopped parsley from a copper bowl into the pot with the soup. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.

Sauté briefly and then add the water. Next, add the Baharat spice mix, sweet potatoes, parsley (save a bowl full for topping), and our chestnuts.

A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. Two hands are pouring chopped chestnuts from a stainless steal bowl into the pot with the pot. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then put the lid on the pot and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes at a low temperature.

A large pot stands on a green wooden table surface. A hand is mixing the soup inside the pot with a hand blender. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.
A large pot stands on a green wooden tabletop. Inside the pot is a pureed soup. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts lie in shells around the pot.
A large stainless steel pot stands on a green wooden board. A hand is pouring vegan cream from a glass jug into the pot with the pureed soup. Scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells lie around the pot on the green surface.

Next, turn off the oven and use a hand blender to puree the soup. Now, squeeze the juice of a fresh orange into the soup and add the vegan cream. Puree everything again until the soup is creamy. Our chestnut soup is ready! Don’t forget to add the delicious toppings before indulging.

Topping for Chestnut Soup:

Chestnuts:

A cast-iron pan stands on a cork coaster on a green wooden plank base. A hand with a wooden spoon moves a piece of vegan butter, that melts. There are scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells around the pan on the base.
A cast-iron pan stands on a cork coaster on a green wooden plank base. A hand pours chopped chestnuts from a copper bowl into the pan, in which melted butter is already simmering. There are scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells around the pan on the base.

Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan and add the chopped chestnuts. Fry them while stirring occasionally. Once they have developed light golden brown, season with salt, put them in a bowl, and leave to cool until you are ready to use them as a topping.

Pomegranate:

A pomegranate lies on a green wooden base. Behind it is a flat green leaf-shaped bowl filled with pomegranate seeds. A few seeds are scattered on the green base. Next to it is a green kitchen towel.
Two hands are holding a pomegranate with the skin missing at the top in the form of a lid. In one hand is a kitchen knife that has carved the skin of the pomegranate lengthwise. Below the pomegranate is a wooden kitchen board on a green wooden base. In the background is a large glass bowl filled with water.
Close-up of two hands removing seeds from a pomegranate under water.
One hand shows pomegranate seeds in the palm. Behind it is a large glass bowl filled with water, in which pomegranate seeds lie at the bottom, the water somewhat cloudy from the coring.

Scoop the seeds out of the fresh fruit and place them in a bowl. Score the top around the blossom and carefully peel off the top like a lid. This technique allows you to see the dividing walls of the core chambers, and you can score down the outside of the pomegranate following these chambers, which makes it super easy to take the pomegranate apart.

Fill a bowl with water and pull the pieces further apart under water so the seeds fall out. The pomegranate seeds remain at the bottom of the bowl, nicely separated from the bitter white skin that floats to the top. In addition, there is no red juice splashing around! Skim off the skin and discard and collect the pomegranate seeds. For a detailed instruction on how to peel a pomegranate the easiest way, check out this tutorial: Best way to remove pomegranate seeds

Parsley:

Two soup bowls with chestnut soup stand on a green wooden base. In the foreground is a green soup bowl, to the left of which is a green patterned napkin with a golden spoon on top. One hand holds a teaspoon of chopped parsley and pours it over the chestnut soup in the bowl. In the background are two smaller bowls, a green one with pomegranate seeds and a golden teaspoon. Further back is a patterned bowl with chopped, roasted chestnuts, also with a teaspoon. On the green base are scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells.

We have already used chopped parsley in the soup and saved some for the topping. It provides a nice colored contrast to the pomegranate seeds and a fragrant kick!

FAQ

Where can I forage for chestnuts?

In the autumn, it’s time to go collecting the chestnuts. Especially after a storm, you can find the thorny shells split open on the ground with the precious chestnuts around them. The fruits belong to the beech family and are, therefore, nuts. Not to be confused with the horse chestnut, which is a maple tree with poisonous fruit. The trees can be distinguished clearly by their leaves: the leaves of the chestnut tree are elongated, roughly serrated, up to 20 centimeters long, and hang individually from the stem. The leaves of the horse chestnut are finger-shaped, with five to seven egg-shaped leaves on a stem. Also, the chestnuts look quite distinct, so there is little risk of confusing them.

Are chestnuts healthy?

Yes, chestnuts are super healthy and used to be a valuable staple food for overwintering. They are rich in starch and sugar and, therefore, a fantastic option for baking bread. They will keep you full and taste sweet and nutty. Chestnuts are nuts but contain less fat and calories than other kinds of nuts, which is why a large amount can be added to our soup without making it super heavy. They also contain a lot of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sulfur, iron, magnesium, copper, and manganese. Plus vitamins C and E, many B vitamins, and provitamin A. The nuts are rich in valuable nutrients, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. By the way, chestnuts are gluten-free!

I hope you enjoyed this chestnut soup recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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Dinner is served, two soup bowls with chestnut soup and topping stand on a green wooden table surface. Both soup bowls have next to them a green patterned napkin with a golden spoon on top and a glass of white alkohlfree wine. Between the bowls is a small green bowl with pomegranate seeds and a golden teaspoon. On the green base are scattered chestnut leaves and whole chestnuts in shells.

Chestnut Soup

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Print Recipe

Kick off the fall soup season with this delicious chestnut soup. The spices and fruity topping of pomegranate seeds add an exotic touch.

  • Total Time: 60 Minutes
  • Yield: 4 Persons 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 500g chestnuts fresh in shell equal to 400g peeled
  • 320g sweet potato
  • 120g onions
  • 130g carrots
  • 150g celery
  • chopped large-leaf parsley
  • 20ml olive oil
  • 200ml orange juice from one orange
  • 200ml vegan soy cream
  • 800ml water
  • 1 tbsp baharat
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Topping:

  • 100g chestnuts chopped
  • 15g vegan substitute butter
  • 1 pomegranate
  • Chopped large-leaf parsley

Instructions

To skin chestnuts:

Wash the chestnuts thoroughly. Leave them in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain in a sieve.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F degrees (top-bottom heat), and place an ovenproof dish filled with water on the bottom of the oven.
Take a sharp knife and cut a cross on one side of each chestnut.
Place the chestnuts on a baking tray for about 20-25 minutes until the skin bursts open and the chestnuts are soft. Leave the chestnuts to cool briefly, but peel them while still warm.

 

Soup:

Take a large soup pot, add the olive oil.
Peel and dice the onions, add them to the preheated pot, sautee the onions until translucent.
Wash and cut the carrots, sweet potato, celery, parsley – and chop the chestnuts.
Add the chopped carrots and celery to the onions in the pot.
Sauté briefly and then add the water.
Add the Baharat spice mix, sweet potatoes, parsley (save a bowl full for topping), and chestnuts.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then put the lid on the pot and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes at a low temperature.
Turn off the oven, use a hand blender to puree the soup.
Squeeze the juice of a fresh orange into the soup and add the vegan cream.
Puree everything again until the soup is creamy.

 

Topping:

Chestnuts:

Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan and add the chopped chestnuts.
Fry them while stirring occasionally. Once they have developed light golden brown, season with salt, put them in a bowl, and leave to cool until you are ready to use them as a topping.

Pomegranate:

Fill a bowl with water, large enough to submerge the pomegranate in it.
Take a kitchen knife, score the top where the blossom was and peel off the top.
Scratch down the shell on the outside of the pomegranate, where the white skin inside divides the pomegranate forms chambers.
Carefully break the pomegranate apart by hand under water along the incisions.
Work the pieces under water with your fingers to remove the seeds. You can easily separate the white skin from the seeds, it floats to the top and can be skimmed of.
The delicious pomegranate seeds are all collected at the bottom of the bowl. Once finished, you can pour off the water and have the pomegranate seeds.

Parsley:

We have already used chopped parsley in the soup and saved some for the topping.

  • Author: Tanja
  • Prep Time: 35 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 Minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Cooking
  • Cuisine: International
  • Diet: Vegan

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