12 Indian Winter Soup Recipes: Shorba, Palak, Dal and More

Here are 12 Indian winter soup recipes you can make on a weeknight, from classic tomato shorba and palak soup to moong dal shorba, mushroom, sweet corn, rasam and a simple chicken shorba. Each recipe lists ingredients for about four bowls, the method in a few steps and a short nutrition note, followed by storage tips so you can cook once and eat twice.

Updated November 2026. Nutrition notes are general. If you have diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure or are on a special diet, check portions and salt with your doctor or dietitian.

Quick answer: which soup to make tonight

Soup	Time	Veg/Non-veg	Best for
Tomato shorba	30 min	Veg	Classic dinner starter
Palak soup	25 min	Veg	Light, green, iron-rich leaves
Moong dal shorba	35 min	Veg	Protein, easy on the stomach
Mushroom soup	30 min	Veg	Creamy texture without much cream
Sweet corn soup	25 min	Veg	Kids’ favourite
Lemon coriander soup	20 min	Veg	Fresh, light, quick
Veg manchow soup	30 min	Veg	Spicy Indo-Chinese craving
Tomato rasam	25 min	Veg	Cold and cough season comfort
Carrot ginger soup	30 min	Veg	Winter carrots at their best
Pumpkin (kaddu) soup	30 min	Veg	Smooth, naturally sweet
Mulligatawny	40 min	Veg (or chicken)	Hearty one-bowl meal
Chicken shorba	45 min	Non-veg	Warming, protein-rich

Classic shorbas and dal soups

1. Tomato shorba

Ingredients: 6 ripe tomatoes, 1 small onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, 1 tsp jeera, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 4 black peppercorns, 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tsp roasted besan (optional), salt, a pinch of sugar or jaggery, fresh coriander.

1. Pressure cook tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger with 2 cups water for 2 whistles.
2. Blend and strain through a sieve for a smooth shorba.
3. Heat ghee, add jeera, bay leaf, cloves and peppercorns. Add the roasted besan and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Pour in the strained tomato, add salt and a pinch of jaggery, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Finish with coriander and crushed black pepper.

Note: Tomatoes bring vitamin C and lycopene. Shorba is thinner than Western tomato soup, so it works well before a heavy dinner.

2. Palak soup

Ingredients: 1 large bunch spinach (about 250 g), 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 small potato or 2 tbsp moong dal for body, 1 tsp butter or oil, 1/2 tsp jeera, salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon, 2 tbsp milk (optional).

1. Wash spinach well in several changes of water to remove grit.
2. Sauté jeera, onion and garlic in butter. Add the potato or dal and 2 cups water; cook until soft.
3. Add spinach for just 2 minutes so it stays green.
4. Cool slightly, blend, reheat, season with salt and pepper and add lemon at the end.

Note: Adding lemon (vitamin C) helps your body absorb the plant iron in spinach. Do not overcook the leaves, or the soup turns dull green.

3. Moong dal shorba

Ingredients: 1/2 cup yellow moong dal, 1 tomato, 1-inch ginger, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1 tsp ghee, 1/2 tsp jeera, a pinch of hing, salt, lemon, coriander.

1. Wash the dal and pressure cook it with tomato, ginger, haldi and 3 cups water for 3 whistles.
2. Whisk or blend until smooth and add water to reach a pourable consistency.
3. Make a tadka of ghee, jeera and hing and pour over the dal.
4. Simmer 5 minutes, add salt, finish with lemon and coriander.

Note: Moong dal is a good vegetarian protein source and is usually easy to digest, which is why many Indian homes serve it when someone is unwell.

Creamy and comforting soups

4. Mushroom soup

Ingredients: 200 g button mushrooms, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp wheat flour or 2 tbsp oats, 2 cups water or vegetable stock, 1/2 cup milk, salt, pepper, a pinch of dried thyme or oregano.

1. Slice mushrooms. Keep a few slices aside for garnish.
2. Sauté onion and garlic in butter, add mushrooms and cook on high heat until their water dries and they brown slightly.
3. Add flour or oats and stir for a minute, then add stock and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Blend half or all, add milk, reheat gently without boiling hard, season.

Note: Browning the mushrooms well gives depth without cream. Oats make it thick and add fibre.

5. Sweet corn soup

Ingredients: 1 cup sweet corn kernels, 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot, beans and cabbage, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp oil, 1 tbsp cornflour mixed in water, 1 tsp vinegar, salt, white or black pepper, spring onion.

1. Blend half the corn with a little water into a coarse paste.
2. Heat oil, sauté ginger and vegetables for 2 minutes.
3. Add corn paste, whole corn and 3 cups water. Simmer 8 minutes.
4. Stir in the cornflour slurry until slightly thick, add vinegar, salt and pepper, and top with spring onion.

Note: Kids usually love this one. Use little cornflour and skip ready-made soup powders, which can be high in salt.

6. Pumpkin (kaddu) soup

Ingredients: 500 g red pumpkin, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp jeera, a pinch of nutmeg or garam masala, salt, pepper, roasted pumpkin seeds.

1. Peel and cube the pumpkin.
2. Sauté jeera, onion, ginger and garlic, add pumpkin and 2.5 cups water; cook until soft.
3. Blend until smooth, return to the pan and season.
4. Top with roasted seeds and a swirl of curd.

Note: Orange pumpkin is a source of beta-carotene. The natural sweetness means you need no sugar.

7. Carrot ginger soup

Ingredients: 4 red Delhi carrots, 1 onion, 1.5-inch ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 1 small tomato, 1 tsp oil, salt, pepper, lemon.

1. Chop and sauté onion, ginger and garlic in oil.
2. Add carrots, tomato and 3 cups water. Cook covered for 15 minutes or pressure cook for 2 whistles.
3. Blend, reheat, season with salt, pepper and lemon.

Note: Winter red carrots are sweeter and deeper in colour than the orange variety. Ginger gives warmth without chilli.

Tangy and spicy soups

8. Lemon coriander soup

Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped vegetables (carrot, beans, cabbage), 1 tsp chopped ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 1 green chilli, a big handful of coriander with stems, 1 tsp oil, 1 tbsp cornflour, juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper.

1. Sauté ginger, garlic, chilli and chopped coriander stems in oil.
2. Add vegetables and 3 cups water and boil for 5 minutes.
3. Thicken lightly with cornflour slurry, add salt and pepper.
4. Turn off the heat, then add lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves.

Note: Add lemon after switching off the heat to keep its fresh taste.

9. Veg manchow soup

Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped vegetables (cabbage, carrot, capsicum, beans), 1 tbsp each chopped ginger and garlic, 1 green chilli, 1 tsp oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tbsp cornflour, pepper, spring onion, a handful of fried or baked noodles.

1. On high heat, stir-fry ginger, garlic and chilli for 30 seconds.
2. Add vegetables and toss 2 minutes, then add 3 cups water, soy sauce and vinegar.
3. Thicken with cornflour slurry, add pepper, and check salt carefully because soy sauce is salty.
4. Serve topped with spring onion and crunchy noodles.

Note: Baking the noodles instead of frying them makes this lighter. Soy sauce adds a lot of sodium, so taste before adding extra salt.

10. Tomato rasam

Ingredients: 2 tomatoes, a small lemon-sized ball of tamarind soaked in water, 1 tsp rasam powder, 1 tsp each crushed black pepper and jeera, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1/4 tsp haldi, curry leaves, mustard seeds, hing, 1 tsp ghee, salt, coriander. Optional: 2 tbsp cooked toor dal.

1. Crush tomatoes by hand into the tamarind water with haldi, salt and garlic. Simmer 8 minutes.
2. Add pepper-jeera powder, rasam powder and the dal water if using, plus 1.5 cups water.
3. Heat until it froths up, then turn off before it boils hard.
4. Temper with ghee, mustard, curry leaves and hing. Add coriander.

Note: Rasam is drunk as a soup in many South Indian homes during colds. Pepper, garlic and ginger give it warmth.

Hearty one-bowl soups

11. Mulligatawny

Ingredients: 1/2 cup masoor dal, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 small apple, 3 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, 1 tsp curry powder or sambar powder, 1/2 cup thin coconut milk, 1 tsp oil, salt, lemon, 2 tbsp cooked rice per bowl (optional). Add shredded cooked chicken for a non-veg version.

1. Sauté onion, ginger, garlic, carrot and apple in oil for 4 minutes.
2. Add spice powder, dal and 4 cups water and cook until the dal is soft.
3. Blend, add coconut milk, simmer gently, season and add lemon.
4. Add a spoon of rice or chicken to each bowl.

Note: This Anglo-Indian soup is filling enough for dinner on its own, with dal for protein and vegetables for fibre.

12. Chicken shorba

Ingredients: 300 g chicken on the bone, 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick, 4 peppercorns, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1 tsp ghee, salt, mint and coriander, lemon.

1. Heat ghee, add whole spices, then onion and ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until light golden.
2. Add chicken, haldi and tomato. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Add 5 cups water and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles, or simmer covered for 40 minutes.
4. Strain, shred the meat back in, season and finish with mint, coriander and lemon.

Note: Bone-in pieces give a richer broth. Skim off excess fat after cooling if you want it lighter.

Nutrition notes: making soups healthier

Goal	What to do
More protein	Add moong or masoor dal, paneer cubes, tofu, boiled chana or shredded chicken
More fibre	Keep some vegetables unblended; add oats or barley
Less salt	Skip stock cubes and instant soup mixes; use lemon, pepper, herbs and roasted jeera for flavour
Less fat	Use 1 tsp ghee or oil for tempering; replace cream with milk, curd or blended dal
Thicker without cornflour	Roasted besan, a small potato, oats or blended dal
Better iron absorption	Pair spinach or dal soups with lemon or tomato for vitamin C

Salt is the hidden issue with restaurant and packet soups. The World Health Organization’s salt reduction fact sheet recommends that adults eat less than 5 g of salt a day, which is roughly one level teaspoon from all sources combined. The ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) also publishes dietary guidelines for Indians that encourage pulses, vegetables and limited salt and fat.

Storage, freezing and reheating

• Cool quickly. Do not leave a big pot on the stove overnight. Divide hot soup into smaller, shallow containers so it cools faster, then refrigerate within about two hours of cooking.
• Fridge life. Eat refrigerated soup within a couple of days. Soups with dairy, coconut milk or chicken are best eaten sooner.
• Freezing. Vegetable purée soups (tomato, pumpkin, carrot, dal) freeze well in portions for a few weeks. Leave out cream, milk and lemon, and add them after reheating.
• Do not freeze soups with potatoes cut in chunks (they turn grainy) or with crunchy noodle toppings.
• Reheat thoroughly until the soup is steaming hot all the way through, and reheat only what you will eat.
• Label containers with the name and date. In a busy home, unlabelled boxes get forgotten.

A weekly winter soup plan

Day	Soup	Pair with
Monday	Moong dal shorba	Jeera rice or phulka
Tuesday	Palak soup	Paneer tikka or grilled sandwich
Wednesday	Tomato shorba	Vegetable pulao
Thursday	Sweet corn soup	Veg hakka noodles
Friday	Chicken shorba or mushroom soup	Toasted multigrain bread
Saturday	Mulligatawny	On its own, with rice in the bowl
Sunday	Tomato rasam	Rice, papad and a dry sabzi

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Indian soup is best for winter?

There is no single best one. Tomato shorba, moong dal shorba, rasam and chicken shorba are popular because they are warming and use ginger, garlic and black pepper. Choose based on whether you want something light or a full meal.

Which soup is good for cold and cough?

Many families reach for rasam, dal shorba or chicken shorba with plenty of ginger, garlic and pepper. Warm liquids are soothing, but soup is not a treatment. See a doctor if you have a high fever, breathing trouble or symptoms that last.

How can I thicken soup without cornflour?

Use roasted besan, a boiled potato, oats, blended dal or simply blend part of the vegetables. These add body and some nutrition at the same time.

How long can I keep homemade soup in the fridge?

Cool it quickly, store it in clean, covered containers and eat it within a couple of days. Reheat until steaming hot. If it smells sour or looks frothy, throw it away.

Are packet soups healthy?

Instant soup mixes are convenient but are often high in salt and low in vegetables. Check the sodium on the label and use them occasionally rather than daily.

Can people with diabetes have these soups?

Vegetable, dal and clear chicken soups are usually a good fit, while sweet corn soup and soups thickened with lots of cornflour or potato have more carbohydrates. Ask your doctor or dietitian about portions for your plan.

One pot, many warm evenings

Pick two soups from this list for the coming week: one quick (lemon coriander or palak) and one hearty (mulligatawny or chicken shorba). Cook the hearty one on Sunday, freeze a few portions, and you will have a hot bowl ready on the coldest evenings of December and January with very little effort.