Easy Spicy Zucchini Rice Soup (Instant Pot Pressure Cooker)

Simmer a serious amount of zucchini with citrusy chile spice and rich vegetable broth, make it a brighter green with fresh parsley or basil, and, when the vegetables are soft and tender, blend everything to creamy smooth. Finally stir a big handful of cooked brown rice for this nourishing spicy zucchini rice soup!

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This time of summer when the temps are cooler but we’re still pulling zukes upon zucchini from the garden, if those green cylinders could speak they’d be saying, “Turn me into a really tasty easy soup–simmer me in vegetable broth with a hint of fresh chile spice, make me smooth and creamy, and then give me all those toothy nuggets of brown rice.”

Dear zucchini, your wish is this recipe.

Spicy zucchini rice soup is easy to put together. Cook it in a pressure cooker and it comes together even faster!

The second trick to speedy soup is to use an immersion blender (affiliate link) to puree the soup. It stands right in the soup pot and eliminates the muss and fuss of transferring hot soup to the blender and the risk of hot soup exploding out of the blender. I think an immersion blender is a purchase worth every penny.

Once the soup is pureed smooth, either with an immersion blender or regular blender, stir the cooked brown rice into the pot, and cook until it’s heated through.

One of the reasons I love to make soup is that soup recipes are flexible. I am always coming up with new soups depending on what’s in the fridge and freezer. That’s how this soup happened.

The week I created this recipe, we found zucchini, chiles and herbs in our farm share box. Then there was the tub of cooked brown rice in the freezer. The cooked rice has starch, even when cooked and adds a pleasing texture to what would have been s creamy soup.

If you don’t have a stash of leftover rice, cook the rice beforehand. Then when zucchini tell you it wants to be soup, you’ll be in the conversation, rice ready. Why not make some ahead and have it in the freezer for this and other recipes?

Keep it vegan: Omit the cheese and garnish your soup with lightly toasted pumpkin seeds and/or slices of avocado.

Spicy Zucchini Rice Soup notes:

• The first time I made this zucchini soup, I used aji crystal chiles, a light green spicy chile that came in my farm share box. They brought a sweet citrus flavor dimension to the soup. Serrano chiles also have a citrusy flavor so that’s what I use now.
• With an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, spicy zucchini rice soup can be on the table in ½ hour!
• No pressure cooker or Instant Pot? Simmer the vegetables and broth until the zucchini is very soft, about 20 minutes.
• In my kitchen, an immersion blender is as indispensable for soups as a pressure cooker. It’s a no muss–no fuss blender for hot liquids.

More Zucchini Ideas:

• Grill zucchini simply, with olive oil and salt and pepper, which is what Robbie and I did last week. Mix it with fettuccine pasta and an easy walnut pesto.
• Love these appetizers–zucchini, cherry tomato, and gorgonzola bites.
• Bake up some Chocolate Zucchini muffins—a variation from the Chocolate Zucchini Bread in my Chocolate Snowball cookbook.
• Check out my friend Gwen’s terrific recipe for stuffed zucchini.

Make it a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and cook something with zucchini!

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• Follow me on Instagram! It’s my favorite!
• Peruse my Pinterest boards for more vegetarian recipe ideas.
• Find daily vegetarian and healthy living ideas on my Facebook page.

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Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Easy Spicy Zucchini Rice Soup

You’ll love this healthful hot soup in the fall, when there’s a chill in the air, yet the zucchini harvest is still going strong. Serve with a salad for a light and simple supper. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Vegan Friendly, Vegetarian

Keyword: Instant Pot, pressure cooker, zucchini

Servings: 6 servings.

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ½ white onion , or 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 5 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
• 1 serrano chile, seeds removed (see note)
• 1 large or 2 small stalks celery , optional
• 4 parsley sprigs , or about 8 basil leaves
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• fine sea salt , as needed
• 1 cup cooked short grain brown rice
• Grated cheese , optional (I used Pecorino Romano)
• sliced avocados and/or pumpkin seeds

Instructions

• Heat the oil on medium flame. Sauté the onion and garlic several minutes. With the Instant Pot, do this on the Sauté function. (see note) Add the zucchini, chile, celery, if using, and the parsley or basil. Pour in the vegetable broth—it will barely, or not even, cover the vegetables in the cookpot.
• With the Instant Pot, manually set the time to 6 minutes. Quick release the pressure using the top vent.
• For stovetop pressure cooker—bring to pressure and cook for 6 minutes. Quick-release the pressure under cold running water. 
  
• For regular stovetop cooking without a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, cover and simmer the vegetables and broth until the zucchini is very soft, about 20 minutes.
• Puree using an immersion blender or puree in batches in a blender jar. (see note) Season to taste with salt.
• Add the cooked rice, and heat until the rice is hot.
• Serve with cheese, if desired. Or garnish with pumpkin seeds and/or slices of avocado.

Notes

• Spicy zucchini soup freezes well! Make it now, thaw, reheat and enjoy later!
• The first time I made this zucchini soup, I used aji crystal chiles, a light green spicy chile that came in my farm share box. They brought a sweet citrus flavor dimension to the soup. Serrano chiles also have a citrusy flavor so that's what I use now.
• Use caution with the chiles. You want flavorful spiciness that doesn’t overwhelm the soup--so remove the seeds and veins before chopping the chile.
• No pressure cooker or Instant Pot? Simmer the vegetables and broth until the zucchini is very soft, about 20 minutes.
• No immersion blender? Puree the hot soup in a regular blender in batches. Fill the jar no more than half full and hold the lid on tight. 

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