Cream of Jalapeño Soup is a bold, creamy blend of spicy peppers, melty cheese, and a pop of fresh cilantro and lime. It’s rich, zesty, and totally unforgettable.
where has cream of jalapeño soup been all my life?
I’m not sure how I got along without this zesty soup made with fresh peppers, some chicken stock, a little cream, cilantro, lime, and mild cheddar or jack cheese. It begged for fresh baked corn muffins on the side, and I obliged.
little bowls of this pretty green cream of jalapeño soup work as appetizers, or a light lunch.
You could also keep it warm in a crock pot or Instant Pot and serve it to a game day crowd. As written it’s spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. I used 4 fat jalapeño peppers in mine, but you can moderate the heat if you like by using less, and/or by leaving out the inner pith and seeds. In any event the cream and cheese moderate the heat a bit.
cornbread is the perfect sidekick
The slightly sweet bread offsets the spiciness of the soup, and makes a satisfying meal. Cornbread is one of the easiest quickbreads to make, I’ve got lots of recipes for cornbread on the blog, but don’t be shy about using a mix when you’re strapped for time. I used a Marie Callander’s mix and it was pretty good.
the secret to the smooth texture of jalapeño soup
I blend my vegetables along with some of the stock in my Vitamix high speed blender, which is what gives it that silky smooth texture. You can use a food processor, but you will get a coarser texture. That’s not bad, but there is something I love about the velvety quality I get with my blender.
jalapeños are the (flavor) bomb!
- How to Make Jalapeño Butter
- Honey Jalapeño Cornbread
- Apricot Jalapeño Jam
- Grilled Chicken with Peach Jalapeño Salsa
- Quick Pickled Jalapeños ~ easy recipe!
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Cream of Jalapeño Soup
Equipment
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp butter, divided
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 large jalapenos, sliced
- large handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 15 ounce can chicken stock, divided
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil and one tablespoon of the butter in a stock pot and saute the onion until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.
- Put the onions, jalapenos (seeds and all) cilantro, salt, pepper, and one cup of the stock into a high speed blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.
- Melt the last 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot and add the flour to make a paste, or roux. Stir for a minute, but do not brown. Slowly add the rest of the stock and the cream, stirring or whisking constantly until the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Add the pureed pepper mixture to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring up to a boil, then turn down the heat and gently simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Add a squeeze of lime juice if you like.
- Serve immediately in small bowls topped with fresh cilantro and cracked black pepper.
Nutrition
This is a fabulous soup, BUT I would recommend a few things. First roast the jalapeños and peel the skin off afterwards. The roasted jalapeños give such a richer flavor and you won’t have the tuff skin, the roasted jalapeños blend so much easier as well. Second DONT add all the seeds, even if you can handle heat it will ruin the soup, just leave the seeds from one jalapeño. Top with Mexican crumble cheese and micro greens.
I love the idea of roasting the peppers, Jennifer!
DO NOT USE THE WHOLE JALAPENOS!!! I followed the directions to use the whole things (including seeds) and ended up needing to dump the whole thing down the sink after it was finished. My spouse and I love spicy food but this was unbearable. I even tossed in a cup of sour cream to try to tone the heat down but it was too much. The flavor was great but the spice level was too much. I would recommend keeping only the seeds from maybe 1 of the 4 jalapenos.
This is a great recipe and one is make often now. You have a ton of wonderful recipes that i also browse through just to see if f there are other recipes I would like to try. Thank you for sharing all these with us.
What could be substituted for the cilantro, as I have a partner who has the cilantro soap gene?
You might try basil, or just parsley. I think tarragon would be nice, too.
This was absolutely delicious! I always grow jalapeños and get tired of salsa and poppers, this will be added to my repertoire. Thank you!!!
Thanks Michelle, just featured your comment in today’s newsletter 🙂