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Greek chickpea soup – A traditional wintery recipe
Hearty, simple and extra comforting, this Greek chickpea soup recipe (revithia soupa) is with no doubt the perfect dish for a cold winter’s day!
Greek chickpea soup is one of the most popular Greek wintery dishes, among other soups like Greek lentil soup and fasolada. A highly nutritious and delicious vegetarian Greek dish, full of fiber and a unique supply of antioxidants. So, if you love chickpeas then this Greek chickpea soup recipe is a definite must try!
Greek chickpea soup recipe – Variations
Greek chickpea soup recipe (revithia soupa) is made with humble ingredients, but it’s simplicity of preparation and presentation takes nothing out of its deliciousness!A basic recipe for ‘revithia soupa’ consists only of chickpeas, onions, olive oil, lemons and water.
To prepare a Greek chickpea soup recipe it is important to soak the chickpeas overnight for them to become tender and to reduce cooking time. Depending on how fresh the chickpeas are, the cooking time may vary greatly, so it is important to check if they are done. Different variations include other herbs and spices so feel free to spice things up!
Bay leaves, fresh or dried oregano and some minced garlic will surely lift the flavor! A very nice addition is to also add some vegetable or chicken stock along with the water to enhance the flavor. Some variations also include carrots, celery and tomato paste to redden the soup.
Serve this delicious traditional Greek chickpeasoup while still warm with freshly ground pepper and of course someGreek village bread to dig in all that delicious sauce! Enjoy!
Love soups?
If you love a hearty soup as much as I do then these recipes below are perfect for a cold winter’s day!
- Traditional Greek Meatball Soup (Giouvarlakia/ Youvarlakia) In Egg-Lemon Sauce Recipe
- Greek Beef Soup Recipe (Kreatosoupa)
- Traditional Magiritsa Recipe (Greek Easter Soup)
- Greek lemon Chicken Soup recipe (Kotosoupa Avgolemono)
- Traditional Greek Bean Soup Recipe (Fasolada)
- Greek Lentil Soup Recipe (Fakes Soupa)
- Greek lemon chicken soup with Orzo (Avgolemono)
Greek Chickpea soup recipe (Revithia)
(579 votes, average: 4.74 out of 5)
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- Author: Eli K. Giannopoulos
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 110 min
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 5 portions 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: Boiled
- Cuisine: Greek
Description
Hearty, simple and extra comforting, this Greek chickpea soup recipe (revithia soupa) is with no doubt the perfect dish for a cold winter’s day! Greek chickpea soup is one of the most popular Greek wintery dishes while being highly nutritious full of fiber and a unique supply of antioxidants.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500g/ 17 oz. dry chickpeas (revithia)
- 1 large red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 a cup olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tsp dried oregano (optional)
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- juice of 1–2 lemons
- 2 tbsp flour
- vegetable stock (optional)
Similar recipes you may like!
- Greek Beef Soup recipe (Kreatosoupa)
- Traditional Magiritsa recipe…
- Traditional Greek Meatball Soup…
- Greek Lentil Soup recipe (Fakes Soupa)
Instructions
- To prepare this Greek chickpea soup recipe (revithia soupa), start by washing the chickpeas and let them soak in plenty of cold water overnight (ideally for 18 hours).
- When you are ready to make this Greek chickpea soup recipe, drain the chickpeas (revithia) and discard the soaking water. Place the chickpeas in a colander and rinse very well with plenty of water (4-5 times). Put your hands in the colander and rub them well.
- Place the revithia in a large pan with enough cold water to cover them (about 4cm over the chickpeas).
- Turn the heat up and bring to the boil. Keep removing the froth from the top with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes.
- Drain the chickpeas and then put them back in the pan and add enough warm water to cover them again. Bring to the boil and add the olive oil, chopped onion, oregano and bay leafs.
- Turn the heat down to a simmer and place the lid on. Let the revithia cook for 1-2 hours, depending on the chickpeas, until tender. Add more water if necessary in order not to dry.
- If you prefer your soup to be thicker, during the end of cooking time add in a bowl the flour and lemon juice and pour gradually 1-2 ladles of the soup and whisk. Add the mixture slowly in the pan with the chickpeas and season. Stir gently for 2-3 minutes until the soup thickens.
- Serve this Greek chickpea soup while still warm with lots of Kalamata olives and crusted bread aside. Enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 595kcal
- Sugar: 11.9g
- Sodium: 490.4mg
- Fat: 28.6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 68.9g
- Fiber: 13.2g
- Protein: 21.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: Greek Chickpea Soup, Revithia Soupa, Revithada recipe, Revithosoupa
Recipe image gallery
21 Comments
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Ann Baker
March 4, 2017 at 12:00 ·Reply
I don’t use oregano I prefer to use dill which has a far better flavour and a very appetising smell. fresh dill, a couple o pcs chopped when you add the oil then I add a little more at the end with the lemon 1/4 before removing from heat. I don’t add garlic, don’t think it’s necessary for the flavour.
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Anita
June 29, 2017 at 20:37 ·Reply
I used 2 tbsp oregano as is suggested here and I refer it. It tastes much better without it, and if someone likes to add I think it should be much less that’s that. The revithia is all green and bitter now.
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Alex
July 7, 2017 at 12:57 ·Reply
Well Anita you probably need to get better quality oregano
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Betty
January 30, 2018 at 13:40 ·Reply
I prepared this soup last night, if it can be called a soup. First of all the red onion turned the liquid into brow colour, and it didn’t look anything like on your pictures. Then, the 1-2 lemons, I added half a lemon and it was too acidic. The tickening of it, put 2 tbs flour as you mentioned, didn’t ticken it enough. So it turned out awful on taste, awful in colour and not worth putting more than 2 days of work in it. Sorry about the honesty!
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Cheryl
February 8, 2018 at 03:41 ·Reply
Betty, I’m sorry you had such a bad experience! I swear it’s worth trying again…..this is a staple in our house and everyone I’ve made it for has loved it. I make mine a little differently, but I think it would probably be rude to post my own recipe. I’ll just suggest you omit the oregano, flour, etc. Use a white or brown onion. We always use a chicken bullion cube. You don’t HAVE to presoak – I never do–it just takes longer to cook. When you serve it, give everyone a lemon quarter and let them squeeze lemon in to taste. I am married to a Greek and this was his mother’s method. I usually make on the stovetop, but it works just fine in a crock pot.
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Ana
April 4, 2018 at 06:05 ·Reply
I followed your recipe but also added one potato and one carrot grated. Thanks very much as we loved it
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Marie Patelis
March 19, 2019 at 17:20 ·Reply
When do you add salt to this dish? During soaking? Beginning of boiling or at the end of cooking?
I have tried this dish so, so many times but my chickpeas are always slightly hard and I end up boiling them for up to 5 hours! Help!-
Sian
October 19, 2019 at 11:17 ·Reply
Always add salt to taste just before serving the soup. if you add salt too early, any dried pulse/bean will be rock hard.
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Victoria
March 10, 2020 at 11:09 ·Reply
I dropped oregano, otherwise it’s a very good recipe! Thank you)
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Martha
December 11, 2020 at 23:16 ·Reply
Can you use can chick peas?
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Eli K. Giannopoulos
December 22, 2020 at 10:37 ·Reply
You can, but the soup will be less starchy as the canned chickpeas are pre-boiled and the starch almost always thrown away. Add one or two teaspoons of corn flour to thicken your soup up a little bit and boil for slightly less time as the chickpeas are already pre-cooked.
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Carol D
December 20, 2020 at 18:22 ·Reply
Hi Eli, I just discovered you this morning and have had fun looking through your website. The recipes look and sound amazing. We had planned a month long trip to Greece last May which sadly we had to cancel because of Covid. So, during our raining Portland, Or winter I am planning on cooking many things Greek with your help. When we finally get to Greece, we will know what to order. Thank you!!
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Eli K. Giannopoulos
December 22, 2020 at 09:59 ·Reply
Hi Carol! So happy you’ve loved my website! I’ve been trying to capture all the beautiful Greek recipes I’ve made over the years and keep them simple so everyone can make them 🙂 If you need any tips on where to go or what to do in Greece feel free to message me on my Facebook page or just drop a comment here!
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Patty V
October 14, 2021 at 13:08 ·Reply
First of all, My Greek Dish recipes are my go too for everything. I’m an American living in Greece and I love all the Greek recipes. I make this Revithia a lot. I put in ziplocks and freeze and add to Cooked Quinoa and rice to give some extra flavor. Thank you so much for sharing these recipes, delicious!
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Elizabeth Detschermitsch
December 11, 2021 at 14:53 ·Reply
How many cans of chickpeas can I add?>
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G
January 23, 2022 at 16:33 ·Reply
Can this be cooked in a slow cooker
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Eli K. Giannopoulos
January 24, 2022 at 10:33 ·Reply
Yeap of course! you might need to finish it off in a pan though to reduce the water when its done cooking 🙂
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Allison
February 19, 2022 at 20:03
Any suggestion as to the possible adjustment to cooking time when using a slow cooker?
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Stella
November 30, 2022 at 19:54 ·Reply
Looks delicious. If I cut corners and use canned chick peas – how many ounces or cans for this recipe?
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Peter
March 29, 2023 at 01:21 ·Reply
I made it with 600 grams of chick peas, 2 white onions instead of a red onion and i included an extra third of a cup of olive oil, it turned out beautifully.
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Lemonia Zartaloudis
November 1, 2023 at 07:26 ·Reply
These recipes most closely resemble the traditional dishes that my Athenian mother made. Authentic and delicious. Thank you.
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