Yogurt Soup with chickpeas and barley is a creamy, aromatic, heart healthy vegetarian soup. It is packed with fiber, protein, potassium and healthy fats!
Chickpea Barley Yogurt Soup
The inspiration for this recipe comes from Mediterranean, Persian and other Central Asian cuisines. Yogurt based soups are popular in Turkey, Armenia, Iran and the surrounding areas.
The soup seasoning is slightly inspired by an Indian yogurt-based recipe, known as Kadhi, that my mother used to prepare.
Another popular soup also made with barley that you may NOT want to miss is my Creamy Persian Barley Soup.
Pro Tips
So now how does one make this hot yogurt soup with barley and chickpeas without curdling it? Well there are just a few things to take care of when combining the ingredients for the soup. We do that by tempering it.
Take a small portion of the hot soup and mix little by little with yogurt till the temperature gets adjusted without curdling. Then the yogurt and soup mixture is added back to the simmering soup and heated at low medium without bringing it to a boil. The same tip applies to reheating leftover soup.
Health Benefits
This soup has things in it that makes it good for gut health. The soluble and insoluble fiber from chickpeas and barley; the short chain fatty acids produced by the digestion of chickpeas are good for colon health. It makes for a soothing soup that will also enhance your immune system.
Yogurt and chickpeas together provide a good amount of protein. The milk protein in yogurt is of excellent quality and biological value. As mentioned in my post about Yogurt Chickpea Salad, the protein quality of chickpeas is better than several other plant sources.
The barley along with the yogurt give this soup a creamy richness. I have explained in greater detail about the impressive nutrition value of barley in my post on Barley Porridge with Blueberries.
This creamy soup has in it the ingredients that contribute to fullness and satiety, and therefore can be a good choice for weight management. If you like yogurt based dishes you will love this soup with its rich flavors and soft chickpea bites!!
More Soup Recipes:
- Ash Reshteh (Persian Noodle Soup)
- Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup
- Creamy Leek Avocado Soup
- Roasted Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
★ DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE COMMENT AND GIVE IT A STAR RATING BELOW!
Yogurt Soup with Chickpeas and Barley
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion medium, chopped
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 2 tablespoons celery chopped
- 2 tablespoons pearl barley
- ¼ teaspoon Advieh Persian spice mix or any mixed spice
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 ½ cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 2 ½ cups yogurt reduced fat
- 3 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 3 tablespoons dill chopped
- Salt to taste
Seasoning
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)
- ½ onion medium, thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
Instructions
- Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a cooking pot. Sauté the chopped onions. Add one grated garlic, celery and sauté few more minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, barley, spices and stir.
- Then add the chicken stock. Bring it to a boil. Lower heat and let it simmer until the chickpeas and barley are cooked very soft, adding more stock or water as needed. But do not make it too watery.
- Add yogurt to the soup using the tempering method to prevent curdling. Whisk the yogurt in a bowl, then add the hot soup to the yogurt, one spoon at a time until about one third of the hot soup is stirred into the yogurt.
- Next add the yogurt and soup mixture back to the remaining hot soup gradually. Make sure to set the temperature at low medium. Do not boil the soup. Add herbs and salt to taste.
- To season the soup, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add cumin seeds if using it and let it turn light brown. Next add sliced onion and sauté until golden brown and crisp. Add the grated garlic and sauté few minutes, but do not let it brown. Turn the heat off. Add turmeric and dried mint.
- Top the seasoning over the soup and give it a gentle stir to infuse the flavors. Serve this creamy and delicious soup with bread.
Soni
I made this today and simply loved it! Thank you for sharing 💗
Roxana Begum
Hi Soni. So happy that you liked it. Appreciate your lovely feedback :)
Tara
I'm Lebanese and we have a yogurt soup with kibbeh all the time - it's delicious! I'll have to tell my mother about this vegetarian version to see if she's ever had it. We love chickpeas, so this sounds delicious!
Roxana
Thanks Tara. Oh, I love Lebanese food. And yes, I have tried that and have to make it someday. I like having vegetarian versions too.
Rebecca
I love how protein-packed this yogurt soup is. Definitely adding it to my healthy recipe list!
Roxana
Thanks Rebecca. Yes, certainly a good plant protein version. Happy you liked it.
ali randall
I love cooking with yogurt but have not created any soup recipes. I love the idea of the creamy texture with the crunch of the chickpeas. Looks wonderful.
Roxana
Thanks Ali. Yes, I love cooking with yogurt too, in my rice recipes, baking cakes etc. Here in this recipe I get to experience a different dimension of it.
Edyta
Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing. My mom would often add sour cream to soups and would temper it the same way. I love all the healthy ingredients here.
Roxana
Thanks Edyta. So glad you like it. I love adding light sour cream to some of my soups like my creamy barley soup.
Kelly
I didn't know about the health benefits of chickpeas, thanks for the info!
Roxana
Thanks Kelly. Glad you found it useful.