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This easy Okra Soup Recipe is filled with delicious chunks of smoked sausage and vegetables in a spicy vegetable broth. It is so flavorful and delicious; enjoy it over a bowl of rice or with a side of crusty bread.
With roots from Africa to America’s deep south, this okra soup is both bold and comforting. Filled with simple vegetables, garlic, and smoked sausage, even the harshest okra critics will love this super-easy, spicy, and flavorful soup.
What is Okra?
Okra is derived from the flowering plant Hibiscus esculentus, known for its edible, star-shaped, green seed pods. The pods are harvested while they are young and tender to be used in cooking for their unique texture and mild flavor. Cooking okra produces a viscous (slimy) juice, a key characteristic and thickener for soups and stews (like gumbo).
Key Ingredients
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Okra: This recipe can be made with either frozen or fresh okra. If you’re using frozen okra, I recommend thawing it before adding it to the soup, although it is not required. For extra sliminess, chop part of the okra into small bits. You could even blitz it in a small food processor.
- Smoked Sausage: Smoked Andouille sausage enhances the soup’s flavor due to its heavy spices and penetrating smoky flavor. I don’t recommend skipping it; however, additional protein like chicken, pork butt, shrimp, lamb, beef, or goat meat can all be added.
- Veggies: This recipe uses onion, tomatoes, and green bell peppers. The onions and tomatoes add flavor but also help to reduce okra’s sliminess. Additional veggies that would taste great in okra soup include green beans, carrots, celery, or corn.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: The acidity in lemon juice helps reduce the sliminess of the okra in the soup, making the texture more appealing for those who may not enjoy the natural (though unusual) texture of okra. Lemon juice also brightens flavors.
- Seasoning and Spices: This recipe uses salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, fresh garlic, and hot sauce. If you’re sensitive to spicy food, you may want to consider reducing or leaving out the cayenne and/or hot sauce.
How to Make Okra Soup
Sauté the onion and green bell peppers in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat until softened.
Stir in the sliced smoked sausage and cook until the sausage starts to brown around the edges. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, cayenne, salt, and black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the okra, vegetable broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the broth has reduced a bit and the okra is tender.
What to Serve with Okra Soup
This simple, flavorful soup is perfect over a scoop of white rice or with a side of roasted sweet potatoes or yams. Crusty bread and a side salad also complement the soup.
Storage
Transfer leftover soup to an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Allowing the soup to sit in the refrigerator for a night or two will help develop and deepen the flavors. To freeze leftover soup, transfer it to freezer-safe airtight containers or ziplock bags and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating on the stovetop or microwave.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Soothing Pastina Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Best Cabbage Soup Recipe
- Avgolemono Soup Recipe: Greek Lemon Chicken and Egg Soup
- Caldo de Pollo Recipe (Mexican Chicken Soup)
If you try making this Easy Okra Soup Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
Okra Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, omit if you're sensitive to spicy foods
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 1 pound sliced okra, fresh or frozen
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce, optional
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat, then add the diced onion and bell pepper and cook until softened about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the sliced sausage and cook until the sausage starts to brown around the edges.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, cayenne, salt, and black pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and garlic becomes fragrant.
- Stir in the okra, vegetable broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes or until the broth has reduced a bit and the okra is cooked through.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and fresh bread, if desired.
Notes
- For a thicker broth, add 2-3 tablespoons of tomato paste when the tomatoes are added.
- Optional additions: chopped potatoes, lima beans, green beans, carrots, and celery,
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
