When my daughters were little and obsessed with Tangled, I decided to try my hand at Hazelnut Soup. Since I’m both an expert at soup and little girls, this went over REALLY well. They were thrilled and loved eating Rapunzel’s favorite soup!
This soup is a creamy vegetarian soup that’s light, yet filling. If you’ve never had parsnips, they’re relatively easy to find. They look like giant white carrots and have a creamy, sweet flavor. This soup stands well on it own, but I’ll show you how to dress it up if you like! (Pesto is delicious in it!)
If you have a high powered blender (like a Vita-Mix or a Blendtec) this recipe will be a lot easier than if you don’t. Just a heads up.
What is Hazelnut Soup?
So what does this soup taste like? It's hard to explain.
Parsnips, leeks, and shallots are milder, more sophisticated versions of carrots/potatoes, onions, and garlic (respectively) so you could compare this to a lighter, fancier potato soup. The hazelnuts (which are strained out after the soup is pureed), add a unique flavor. I think this would be a really nice soup course at a dinner party.
Or dinner for a family with pre-school aged, Rapunzel-obsessed girls. (Versatility!)
Hazelnut Soup Ingredients
- Hazelnuts
- Shallots
- Leeks
- Parsnips
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
- Cornstarch
- Vegetable or chicken broth
- Half-and-half or heavy cream
How to make Hazelnut Soup (from Tangled!)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Roast hazelnuts on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Once they're finished, dump them into a clean kitchen towel and "rough them up" to remove most of the skins. If they don't all come off, it's fine.
- In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter and saute the chopped vegetables for 10-15 minutes, until softened. Stir in the cornstarch (or flour, if using), salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or so, then add water, chicken broth, and 1 cup of the roasted hazelnuts.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-loaw and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Use a high power blender to blend the soup in batches until smooth. If you don't have a powerful blender, use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth soup, then strain the soup through a sieve.
- Return the strained soup to the stove in a clean pot (or simply rinse out the other pot if the leftover bits don’t bother you). Add the half-and-half (or cream, if using) and heat through.
- Taste and adjust the flavor with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Chop the remaining ½ cup of roasted hazelnuts and use as garnish.
If you have a high-powered blender, like a Blendtec, you don't have to strain it at the end, which makes it much easier to make.
I think Rapunzel has really great taste in soup. My girls (3 and 4) thought so, too. They ate two bowls each for dinner and two more for lunch the next day. Score for mom.
How to serve this Hazelnut Soup Recipe
We normally just dish up a large bowl and garnish with some more hazelnuts, but you could serve with croutons or sourdough bread.
More creamy blended soup recipes!
If you like this soup, you'll love these other creamy, blended soups!
- If you're a fan of butternut squash try my Indian-style Butternut Squash Soup or my Easy Chipotle-Lime Squash Soup recipes.
- Similar to this hazelnut soup, this Garlic-Almond Soup with Basil Pesto has blended almonds to make it thicker and richer! The pesto is a PERFECT garnish and would be great in my hazelnut soup as well!
- Up until recently, my kids totally thought this Creamy Paleo Mushroom Soup was actually "Creamy Bacon Soup". A little sprinkle of bacon and cheese crisps do make this soup even more incredible.
- Keto Roasted Tomato Jalapeno Cheddar Soup is another keto-friendly soup with a spicy twist!
- This oldie recipe -- Azteca Squash Soup with Chorizo -- is one of my favorites to use up squash in the winter!
- Ok, hands-down, my favorite soup to make in the fall -- Apple-Squash Soup with Bacon. It's like eating cheese fondue. It's so delicious!
If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!
Hazelnut Soup (from Tangled)
This creamy, light hazelnut soup is based on a soup from Tangled -- Rapunzel's favorite! My little girls loved the association and licked their bowls clean.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole hazelnuts
- 4 shallots, peeled and chopped
- 2 medium leeks (whites only), chopped
- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 5 tablespoon butter
- 1 T cornstarch (or 2 T all-purpose flour)
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roast hazelnuts on a cookie sheet for 10-15 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Once they're finished, dump them into a clean kitchen towel and "rough them up" to remove most of the skins. If they don't all come off, it's fine.
- In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter and saute the chopped vegetables for 10-15 minutes, until softened. Stir in the cornstarch (or flour, if using), salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for a minute or so, then add water, chicken broth, and 1 cup of the roasted hazelnuts.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-loaw and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Use a high power blender to blend the soup in batches until smooth. If you don't have a powerful blender, use an immersion blender to blend the soup into a smooth soup, then strain the soup through a sieve.
- Return the strained soup to the stove in a clean pot (or simply rinse out the other pot if the leftover bits bother you). Add the half-and-half (or cream, if using) and heat through.
- Taste and adjust the flavor with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Chop the remaining ½ cup of roasted hazelnuts and use as garnish.
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Bev Weidner says
Mommy....
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
What a lovely soup! I've never tried hazelnuts in soup before!
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) says
Gorgeous soup!
Joanne says
I think Rapunzel might be the one Disney movie I've never seen!
I discovered parsnips last year and fell head over heels in love! It's time I get to some soup-making with them!
Natalie says
Joanne! Go see it! It's so well done and the music is fantastic :)
Cara says
hehe, totally agree your piece of advice #1 :)
Ironically, the only time I eat parsnips is in soup. Not because I don't like them, I just never think to make them! But for me they're a staple in matzoh ball soup during the Jewish holidays, because that's how my grandma always made it.
Natalie says
I know, right? Immersion blenders should be placed in the same "kitchen basics" category as vegetable peelers and rubber spatulas.
I need to branch out and use parsnips more. They're often overlooked!
Sarah D says
Agreed, parsnips are an overlooked gem of the root veggie group. Try them on the grill! Slice once vertically and baste with an olive oil-balsamic mix (or whatever vinaigrette) for a nice caramized char. Awesome!
Natalie, thanks so much for posting this recipe. I have a Rapunzel-loving preschooler and can't wait to make this with her :-)
Natalie Perry says
Oh I'll try that! I hope you enjoy the soup. :)
Cookbook Queen says
This is GORGEOUS!!
And you are obviously the best mom evah for taking on such a task. Knowing my luck, I'd do all that work, and then my son wouldn't eat the soup. BOYS!!
Natalie says
Oh thank you :) I figured this soup was safe because it looks like melted ice cream. No weird colors or chunks of things to pick out (I didn't put crushed nuts on their soup.)
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
Awesome! We love that movie at our house too, even my son likes it, haha. My daughters only two, but I think I need to make her Rapunzel's favorite soup :D
Tamara says
Wow! My daughter will just love this, simply because it's Rapunzel's favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
Caitlin says
I think I have to make this just because I love that movie so much. :) As a side note, I love your spoons in the picture - where did you get them???
Natalie says
Thanks Caitlin! Those spoons were part of the flatware we registered for at Target when we got married... 8 years ago. Funny, though, that the longer I have them the less I like them. Since I started using them as props in my photos I've had all kinds of compliments on them! I guess they're still cute after all!
grace says
i have the biggest crush on zachary levi and i ADORE chuck. so sad that the end is drawing near. :)
Natalie says
You, too! *swoon* I'm bummed that it's over, too :( I'll have to get my fix with a little Tangled. Flynn Rider is rather dashing...
Jen at The Three Little Piglets says
I'm SO with you on this one - my daughter outgrew Tangled WAY too fast for me. Although my older two are probably glad because I would break into rounds of Mother's knows best take it from your momzy every time they told me they didn't want to do their chores!
Natalie says
I'm sure there will be another Tangled phase coming soon, judging from all of the Rapunzel stuff they got for Christmas. It's only a matter of time....
Dana says
This is such a cute idea! I love that you were able to make your girls the soup from Rapunzel. I wonder what other movie-inspired foods they will request!
Sonia The Healthy Foodie says
Sooooo pretty! For real, it's got to be one of the prettiest soup photos I have ever seen. I'm not big on parsnips, but the vibrant colors of the bowls make me want to dig right in.
I want me a big bowl right now.
Oh, and I want to have that last picture framed and hang them on my wall...
Natalie says
Sonia, you are so sweet! Thank you!! I LOVE those bowls and thought they were perfect for a potentially boring white soup.
Eliana says
I would have never thought of combining these flavors together but they look like they are amazing together. Can't wait to give it a try.
Natalie says
Me either! I thought they went beautifully together! I do love hazelnuts, though, and I'd probably eat them on anything :)
Stephanie says
I absolutely loved this soup, the flavor was so amazing. My husband was wary when he walked in and saw a bunch of nuts bobbing around in his dinner but after pureeing and straining he agreed the flavor was awesome. We ate this as a first course but I was wondering how to make this more into a main meal by adding protein/starch/vegis. Any suggestions?
Natalie Perry says
Thanks Stephanie! We just served it with salad as a main course. I figured the nuts served as the protein, but you could add shredded chicken.
Ashley says
Thanks for sharing, and yes I loved Zachary Levi's voice too, he's a cutie. I'll have to make this for my girls who love Tangled too. Oh and Mel's voice is good too;) is ground hazelnut an option so you don't have to strain them out?
Becky @ goodcookbecky.com says
It is fun to have cooking themes like this isn't it? Thanks for the shout out to my blog! I made this soup when Tangled was released to DVD - we also made chicken and roasted potatoes in cast iron skillets of course to complete the theme... the kids loved it and the added chicken as the main dish made it substantial enough for hubby to like it as well. Keep up the good work. Love your blog! Becky
Alex says
If you are looking for things to do honey roast parsnips are simply divine!
Jaime @ Everyday Art says
So yummy! I grew a bumper crop of parsnips this year, and while I do love roasted parsnips, we needed something different. My mind went to Tangled, and when I searched for the recipe, you came up. :) We also love Chuck! We've been watching it for the 2nd time now that it is on Netflix. :) ANYWAY, thanks for the recipe, it was a success.
Jeannette says
I am allergic to hazelnuts. So do you have a suggestion for another nut? Maybe almonds, Walnuts.
And which protein would you add? Would you be daring an add venison? Or Pork?
Natalie Perry says
You could do almonds! I actually have a creamy almond soup that uses a similar technique. https://www.perrysplate.com/2013/01/garlic-almond-soup-with-basil-almond-pesto.html
As far as protein... hmmm.. I'm not a huge game meat fan, but if you are, I think venison would work here! Or pork. Or steak? It's a pretty versatile soup.
Jen says
Is this good reheated? Could I make it ahead of time for a luncheon?
Natalie Perry says
Yes, this reheats well.