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Greek families have been making vegan avgolemono long before plant-based cooking became a trend. During Sarakosti (Lent), many Greek households prepared comforting fasting dishes that skipped meat, dairy, and eggs while still delivering the warmth and richness everyone gathered around the table for. This avgolemono without eggs uses tahini and white miso as a clever replacement for the creamy body and savory depth of the traditional version. If you’re looking for the classic version, check out my traditional avgolemono soup.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
Growing up in a Greek family, these are the kinds of recipes I love most. They use simple ingredients and are transformed into something deeply nourishing and comforting. Greek cooking has always had a beautiful way of adapting while preserving the heart of a dish.
Why You’ll Love This Greek Lemon Rice Soup
Creamy without dairy or eggs
Tahini and white miso create the silky, rich body that defines avgolemono without needing eggs or dairy. You still get that signature velvety texture everyone loves.
30-minute comfort
This soup comes together quickly on the stovetop from start to finish. It’s simpler than traditional avgolemono because there is no egg tempering process to stress about.
Umami depth competitors can’t match
Many egg-free versions rely on chickpea flour or silken tofu, but the tahini and miso combination creates a savoury depth that’s richer and more layered.
Lenten tradition, updated
This isn’t a trendy “veganized” version of a Greek classic. It’s rooted in the long-standing Greek tradition of nistísimo cooking, which is meals designed for fasting periods that still prioritize comfort and flavour.
The Tahini + Miso Technique (Why It Works)
Traditional avgolemono gets its silky consistency from eggs, specifically the fat and protein in egg yolks that create a stable emulsion. Tahini plays a surprisingly similar role because it naturally contains both fats and proteins that help create richness and body.
White miso contributes another important element: naturally occurring glutamates. Those compounds bring savoury depth and complexity, recreating some of the richness that eggs naturally add to traditional recipes.
Together, tahini and miso create a stable emulsion that gives avgolemono without eggs the same creamy consistency people expect from the classic soup. What makes this plant-based Greek lemon soup different is that it isn’t trying to imitate eggs directly; it’s recreating the balance of creaminess and savoury richness that makes avgolemono feel special.
The same principle behind classic avgolemono still applies here: introducing hot broth gradually into the tahini mixture helps everything stay smooth and cohesive while preventing separation.
Ingredient Notes
The recipe card below has the complete ingredient list, but these are the ingredients doing the heavy lifting.
Brown Jasmine Rice
Brown jasmine rice has a slightly nuttier flavour than white rice and holds up beautifully in soup without becoming mushy. I love using Lundberg Family Farms brown jasmine rice because it keeps its texture while still becoming tender and comforting.
Tahini
Not all tahini behaves the same way. Use a smooth, pourable, well-mixed tahini for the creamiest texture. Stiff or separated tahini won’t emulsify as easily and can create a grainier result. If you’re a tahini fan, my tahini sauce is another favourite way to use it.
White Miso Paste
Stick with white (shiro) miso here rather than red or mixed varieties. White miso has a milder flavour and subtle sweetness that complements the bright lemon without overpowering it.
Nutritional Yeast + Tamari
These two ingredients quietly create another layer of savoury flavour in the broth. Without chicken stock and eggs, little additions like these build complexity and depth.
Fresh Herbs
Traditional avgolemono often includes dill, but parsley also works beautifully. Either one brings freshness and brightness to the final bowl.
Tips for the Best Egg-Free Avgolemono
- Temper the tahini mixture by whisking a ladle of hot broth into it before adding it to the soup. This helps prevent clumping or seizing.
- Don’t boil the soup aggressively after adding the creamy mixture. Gentle heat helps the emulsion stay smooth.
- Start with two lemons and adjust to taste. Avgolemono should taste bright and lemony, not just lightly citrusy.
- Egg-free avgolemono thickens as it sits because the rice continues absorbing liquid. Add a splash of broth or water when reheating leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is comforting enough to enjoy as a meal on its own, but it also fits naturally into a Greek-style meze spread. Serve it with warm, crusty bread or soft pita for dipping alongside a crisp Greek salad.
Finish each bowl with an extra squeeze of lemon, fresh herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil for that final little bit of magic.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat and add a splash of broth or water because the rice will continue absorbing liquid overnight.
You can freeze the soup for up to 3 months, although the rice texture may soften slightly after thawing. For the best texture, freeze the soup base and stir in a fresh tahini-miso-lemon mixture while reheating.
FAQs
A combination of tahini (¼ cup) and white miso paste (1 tablespoon), whisked with fresh lemon juice, replaces the eggs. Tahini provides the creamy body and richness that egg yolks typically contribute, while the miso adds savoury depth. Together, they create the same silky, lemony consistency without eggs.
It can be. Use certified gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce and make sure your vegetable stock cubes are gluten-free as well. Rice, tahini, vegetables, and lemon are naturally gluten-free. Be sure to choose a miso that does not contain barley.
Brown jasmine rice gives the best texture and nutty flavour, but white jasmine rice, basmati, or even orzo can work beautifully too. Arborio rice will create a thicker, creamier texture.
Both ingredients act as flavour boosters. Nutritional yeast brings subtle richness while tamari adds savoury depth and complexity to help create a fuller broth.
Yes. The flavours actually deepen overnight. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days and add a splash of broth while reheating to loosen the texture.
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Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups sweet white onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup celery stalk, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 ½ cups carrot, finely chopped or cut into 1/2 inch rounds (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 vegetable stock cubes (or 2 tbsp vegetable stock paste), organic, no added salt
- 6-7 cups hot water
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- ¾ -1 cup uncooked Brown Jasmine Rice – Lundberg Farms, or other rice of your choice (i.e. basmati)
- season to taste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley or dill, finely chopped
For the Avgolemono:
- 2 tbsp. tahini
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- ¾ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 cups stock from soup
Garnish:
Instructions
Start Cooking- Into a large stock pot add your olive oil, onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes, make sure to stir occasionally to avoid any browning or burning. You don’t want the vegetables to develop any colour, just want them translucent and soft.
- Once your veggies have cooked down for 10 minutes you can add your veg stock cubes, water, nutritional yeast and tamari or soy sauce.
- Bring this mixture to a boil, lower heat and add your rice. Cook for around 20 minutes with lid on or until your rice is cooked.
- While your soup is cooking prepare your Miso Tahini Lemon Sauce simply by adding all your ingredients into a blender (2 cups of stock from the soup – avoid scooping out rice, tahini, white miso & lemon juice) and blending till smooth. NOTE: let your stock from soup cool for a few minutes in the blender before blending with other ingredients.
- Remove pot from the heat once it’s ready and begin stirring in your lemon sauce. Continue stirring till well combined. Add your fresh dill or parsley and stir just once more.
- Give your soup a little taste test then add necessary seasoning. Enjoy hot with more fresh parsley or dill!
281 people are discussing this recipe. Join in
Loved this so much! Would use less rice but amazing.
Thank you so much for the love!
This recipe was easy to make, inexpensive, and satisfyingly rich. We substituted regular brown rice, some of the carrots for parsnips, used lemon juice out of a bottle, and didn’t use any nootch. We also used a paste to make the broth and for convenience made the broth for the avgolemono separately. The recipe turned out great and kept well in the fridge. Time will tell if the portion we froze holds up, but I have no doubts that it will. I’ll definitely make this again!
Thanks so much for the love, Jonah! Also, these are great tips!
This soup was so very delicious! It was so easy to make and everyone loved it! Can’t wait to make it again
This soup was amazing! I loved the Avgolemono. Such a warming and delicious meal. I found the instructions about when to add the rice a bit unclear and ended up added the uncooked rice to the veggie mixture before blending it and had to fish it out (whoops!) – make sure you don’t do that haha. It also freezes well! Thanks so much for the recipe Maria!
You’re so welcome Yas, thanks so much for the love!
Thank you so much for the love Lauren!
This soup is amazing! So far it’s become a weekly staple at my house this winter. Comes together quick and it soooo delicious.
YESS!!! Thanks so much for the love Laure!
My daughter was sick one day and I asked her what she wanted to eat and she said Lemon Rice Soup. She’s vegan, but I have never made it without chicken. I hesitated in making this because my daughter is a great cook and picky about flavors. After making this, I brought it to her and after tasting it she only said one thing, “Save the recipe”. Says a LOT!!!
YESSSS!! Wow, Michelle, this makes me so happy! Thanks so much for the love and I hope your daughter is feeling better!
LOVE! So happy to have found a stellar substitute for my grandmothers traditional soup. I didn’t have miso paste on hand so I substituted that with a bit mor tahini and soy sauce. I also undercooked the veggies so they’d have a bit more bite and cooked orzo separately and added it at the very end, instead of using rice. Just personal preference there ☺️
Thank you for this masterpiece!
So I have to admit I’ve never used nutritional yeast in cooking before so don’t know what it would taste like, but I tried it without and this soup was amazing!! I even made it FODMAP free with no garlic and onion and it was so delicious! It’s really hard to get a good flavoured FODMAP free soup, but this was perfect! Thanks so much for the recipe, definitely making it again!
This makes me so happy, thanks so much, Amy! So glad you could make this work for you.
This lemon soup is the tastiest thing I’ve made in a longgg time!! Just thinking about it now my mouth is watering! The flavours are absolutely magical together!! I made this recipe 3 times in 2 weeks and I’m still not sick of it! I love using a wild rice in it for more texture, and I just toss in whatever veggies I have in my fridge. Thank you for all the love you put into your beautiful recipes, Maria! I can certainly taste it!!
Hey Alicia!! Thanks so much for the love and support on this recipe. It’s such a favourite of ours!!!
You’re so welcome Kelsey! Thanks so much for the love. Glad we found something just as good as Yia Yia’s!
THIS IS THE STUFF OF DREAMS! Creamy, lemony, comforting. This soups is going to be a staple in my home! Thank you, Maria!
YESSSS!!! Thank you so much for the love Karisa! This means a lot to us xx
Newly vegan here – trying out all kinds of recipes lately and Maria has my favorites without a doubt. I made this Greek Lemon soup last night and it was absolutely incredible. I think I was shocked by how much flavor the soup had. Perfect meal for a cold rainy evening. All three of us went back for a second serving!
I added a little bit more lemon juice (personal preference), salt and pepper, and topped with dill and parsley. Also! For those using an instant pot – I sautéed the base ingredients of the soup first and allowed the stock to come to a boil while still on the sauté setting. Added the rice, sealed it up, and manually set it for 7 minutes on high pressure. Stirred in the Tahini Miso Lemon sauce after and it was ready to go!
Thanks again Maria! Will definitely be making this one again.
Hey Olivia!!! So happy you love this recipe as much as we do. Also, extremely flattered that you love my recipes the love!! Grinning ear to ear! Please let us know what you make next xxx
Lovely! So easy and makes a perfect conforting meal. Will make again!
I am so glad you enjoyed this, Sarah! Thanks for the love!
Made this soup last week and loved it. Such a great depth of flavor. Lots of dill to keep it fresh while the tahini + nutritional yeast give it a cheesy flavor. I served this with some homemade focaccia. So glad it’s soup season!
Yes!! This sounds amazing, you killed it! Thanks for the love, Sandy. You’re the best!