Zucchini soup

Name: Zucchini soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: 30 ml Olive oil; 200 g Onion, chopped; 2 pcs Garlic, sliced; 8 pcs Zucchini, in 1 cm slices; 250 g Potato, in small cubes; 900 ml Water; 15 g Fresh dill; 11 g Salt; 1 g Black pepper, ground

Zucchini soup is the fastest soup an Israeli fridge can produce: zucchini, an onion, one potato and dill, and in half an hour there is a pot of green, velvety soup. The trick is to sweat the zucchini in oil before any water goes in, so the soup never turns out watery.

Pot calculator Order Zucchini soup

VeganGluten freeDairy freeParve

Updated 22.10.2026

Time45 minCook 30 min

Pot6 bowls2.1 litres

Per bowl122 kcal3.8 g protein · a 350 ml bowl

Cost of the pot₪21for the pot, about ₪3.5 a bowl

The story of Zucchini soup

Zucchini is a young squash. The whole squash family came from the Americas, and the long green zucchini was developed in Italy, hence its name, the Italian for a little squash. The kishuim the Israelites remembered from Egypt were a different plant entirely, a relative of cucumber and melon, because squash had not yet reached the Old World.

In Israel the everyday zucchini is the pale one, light green and thin skinned, the same one Syrian, Iraqi and Lebanese Jewish cooks stuff with rice and meat. In soup it gives a soft pale green and a delicate taste, while the dark zucchini gives a deeper green. It is a soup for every season: cheap, quick, and children like it.

What makes Zucchini soup itself

Zucchini has almost no starch and almost no fibre, and it is mostly water. That is what makes the soup so gentle, and also what puts it at risk: with no body and no concentrated flavour, it stays watery. One potato gives it structure, and sweating the zucchini in oil concentrates the taste before any water is added.

Zucchini soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

People

Bowl size

Units

2.1litres in the pot

3Pot to use, litres

₪21Cost of the pot

₪3.5per bowl

122kcal per bowl

3.8g protein per bowl

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
The base
Olive oil	30 ml	₪1.6
Onion, chopped	200 g	₪1.2
Garlic, sliced	10 g · 2 pcs	₪0.4
The pot
Zucchini, in 1 cm slices	1.2 kg · 8 pcs	₪15
Potato, in small cubes	250 g	₪1.5
Water	900 ml
To finish
Fresh dill	15 g	₪0.9
Salt	11 g	₪0.0
Black pepper, ground	1 g	₪0.1

Send on WhatsApp

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Zucchini soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Zucchini soup has 35 calories per 100 ml. A 350 ml bowl made with our recipe has 122 calories: 3.8 g protein, 5.1 g fat and 15.1 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 87 calories.

Servings

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

Olive oil30 ml41 kcal per serving
Onion, chopped200 g13 kcal per serving
Garlic, sliced2 pcs2 kcal per serving
Zucchini, in 1 cm slices8 pcs32 kcal per serving
Potato, in small cubes250 g32 kcal per serving
Fresh dill15 g1 kcal per serving
Salt11 g0 kcal per serving
Black pepper, ground1 g0 kcal per serving

Nutrition facts

Serving350 ml

Energy122kcal

Protein 13%
Fat 38%
Carbs 50%

	Serving	Per 100 ml	% Daily Value
Fat	5.1 g	1.5	7%
Saturated fat	0.7 g	0.2	4%
Cholesterol	0 mg	0	0%
Sodium	720 mg	206	31%
Carbohydrates	15.1 g	4.3	6%
Dietary fibre	3.8 g	1.1	14%
Protein	3.8 g	1.1	8%
Calcium	52 mg	15	4%
Iron	1.3 mg	0.4	7%
Potassium	776 mg	222	17%

Daily values are based on a 2,000 kcal diet.

What each add-on adds to Zucchini soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-on	Calories	Protein, g	Fat, g
A tablespoon of oil	122	0	13.8
A slice of white bread	79	2.5	0.5
A slice of challah	126	4	1.1

How to make Zucchini soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.

15 minPrep30 minCook

Wash the zucchini, trim the ends and slice 1 cm thick, skin on. Taste a raw slice of each one, and leave out any zucchini that is very bitter.
Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat and sweat the onion with a pinch of salt for 7 minutes until soft.
Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
Add the zucchini, raise the heat to medium high and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until it softens and gives off liquid, part of which evaporates.
Add the potato cubes and the water, bring to a boil and cook for 12 minutes with the lid half on, until the potato is completely soft.
Take off the heat, add the dill and blend with a stick blender in short pulses until smooth.
Season with the rest of the salt and the pepper, taste, and thin with a little boiling water if it is too thick.
Serve at once, or cool quickly by standing the pot in a sink of cold water.

The science of Zucchini soup

Kitchen science

Why zucchini soup turns out watery

Zucchini is mostly water held in thin walled cells. Heat opens the walls and the water runs into the pot. Sweating the zucchini in oil before adding liquid drives some of that water off and concentrates the flavour, and edges that colour slightly add roasted notes from the Maillard reaction.

Kitchen science

Bitterness that does not cook out

The squash family can produce bitter compounds called cucurbitacins, usually in amounts too small to notice. A zucchini grown under heat or drought stress can turn very bitter. These compounds survive cooking, so taste a raw slice and throw away any zucchini that is strongly bitter.

Kitchen science

The colour is in the skin

Zucchini flesh is almost white and all the green is in the skin. Its chlorophyll reacts to heat and acid like any green vegetable, so long cooking dulls it to khaki. Pale zucchini give a pale green soup from the start, and that is not a fault.

Kitchen science

Body without cream

Zucchini has almost no starch, so a soup of zucchini alone stays thin. One potato releases starch granules that swell with heat and hold water, which gives the soup its velvet. Blending too long tears the potato cells and releases starch that makes the soup gluey.

Kitchen science

Herbs go in last

The aroma of dill, mint and basil is made of volatile molecules that evaporate quickly in heat. Added to the blender at the very end, the scent stays in the soup rather than in the air of your kitchen.

Zucchini soup in every kitchen

Parve with dill

The recipe on this page: zucchini, potato, garlic and fresh dill added at the end. It suits any meal.

With cream or soft white cheese

A dairy version: stir in 150 ml of cream or 3 tablespoons of soft white cheese after blending, and serve with crumbled feta.

With mint and yogurt

A dairy, Mediterranean version: swap the dill for fresh mint and serve with a spoonful of yogurt and a few drops of olive oil.

Cold, for summer

Chill it, thin with a little cold water, and add more salt and lemon than seems right when the soup is hot.

With peas

Add 200 g of frozen peas for the last five minutes. The soup turns brighter green and sweeter.

Chunky, not blended

Cut the zucchini into cubes, cook for only 8 minutes and serve with rice or ptitim, like a home vegetable soup.

Common Zucchini soup problems and how to fix them

Zucchini soup is watery

Too much water, or the zucchini went straight into the liquid without sweating. Cook it in oil for 8 minutes first, add water only to three quarters of the height of the vegetables, and keep one potato for body.

Zucchini soup tastes bitter

Nearly always one bitter zucchini. No spice will hide that bitterness, so taste each zucchini raw before it goes in.

Zucchini soup turned grey or brown

It cooked too long, browned too hard while sweating, or acid went into the pot early. Cook briefly, sweat without scorching and add lemon only in the bowl.

Zucchini soup is bland

Zucchini is mild and needs generous salt, garlic, a fresh herb and a drop of acid at the end. Homemade vegetable stock instead of water adds depth.

Zucchini soup is gluey

The potato was over blended, or there was too much of it. Blend in short pulses and thin with a little boiling water.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

2 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Heat over medium heat, stirring, until it steams, without long boiling. Thawed soup tends to separate slightly, so blend it again for a few seconds.

Nutrition of Zucchini soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

Serving	kcal	Protein, g	Fat, g	Carbs, g	Fibre, g
Our recipe, a 350 ml bowl	122	3.8	5.1	15.1	3.8
Our recipe, 100 ml	35	1.1	1.5	4.3	1.1

What the ingredients of Zucchini soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

Ingredient	Price	In this pot	Where to buy
Zucchini, in 1 cm slices	₪13 per kg	₪15	Greengrocer
Olive oil	₪53 per litre	₪1.6	Supermarket
Potato, in small cubes	₪5.9 per kg	₪1.5	Greengrocer
Onion, chopped	₪5.9 per kg	₪1.2	Greengrocer
Fresh dill	₪4.9 each	₪0.9	Greengrocer
Garlic, sliced	₪34 per kg	₪0.3	Greengrocer
Black pepper, ground	₪139 per kg	₪0.1	Supermarket
Salt	₪2.1 per kg	₪0	Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Zucchini soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat

Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner

Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Zucchini soup

Serve hot with olive oil and chopped dill, with crumbled feta or salty white cheese in the dairy version, and country bread or croutons on the side.

Zucchini soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 350 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

Guests	Litres	30 l pots	Cost of ingredients
25	8.8	1	₪88
50	18	1	₪176
100	35	2	₪353
200	70	3	₪705
500	175	7	₪1,763

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Zucchini soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.

Ask for a quote for Zucchini soup

Order Zucchini soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.

Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

Do you peel zucchini for soup?

No. The skin carries the green colour and most of the flavour, and it is thin enough to blend smoothly. Just wash well and trim the ends.

How do you thicken zucchini soup without potato?

With a handful of rice cooked in the base, a slice of crustless white bread, or soaked cashews. Using less water also gives a thicker soup.

How long does zucchini soup take to cook?

About 20 minutes after the sweating stage, which in practice means until the potato is soft. Longer cooking dulls colour and flavour.

Can you freeze zucchini soup?

Yes, for up to 2 months. It may separate a little and turn more watery after thawing, so blend it again for a few seconds and reheat.

Pale zucchini or dark zucchini for soup?

Pale zucchini gives a light green, delicate soup and dark zucchini a deep green soup with a slightly stronger taste. Both work in the same recipe.

Can you serve zucchini soup cold?

Yes. Chill it, thin with a little cold water and season again after chilling, because cold mutes salt and aroma and it needs a little more.

How many calories are in Zucchini soup?

A 350 ml bowl of Zucchini soup made with our recipe has about 122 calories and 3.8 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 35 calories.

How much does it cost to make Zucchini soup at home?

A pot of 6 bowls costs about ₪21 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪3.5 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

Every soup in Israel

75 soups, each with a pot calculator, a price list and the science. Search by community, time, calories or cost.

All the soups

More soups

Illustration

Israeli

Broccoli soup

Broccoli soup at its best is vivid green, smooth and gently sweet, and the secret is timing: the broccoli…

Illustration

Ashkenazi, Israeli

Potato soup

Potato soup is the simplest soup there is, which is exactly why it is easy to ruin. Half blended and half in…

Illustration

French, Israeli

Leek soup

Leek soup is gentle and sweet, and all it needs is leeks, potatoes, olive oil and patience: sweat the leeks…

Illustration

Italian

Minestrone

Minestrone is the big vegetable soup of Italy: a soffritto of onion, carrot and celery in olive oil, white…