This Creamy Chayote Soup is flavorful, healthy, and comforting. The creamy base is made with onions, corn, poblano peppers & crema. The chayote is added in chunks to give the soup extra consistency.
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Sopa De Chayote
This Chayote Soup is one of those dishes that comes together easily with just a few simple ingredients, but it always impresses.
I’ve been making it for years, and it’s a go-to for dinner parties since it can be prepped ahead without any hassle. It’s great for lunch or dinner, and you can easily tweak it to be vegetarian, dairy-free, or fully vegan—check out the ingredient swaps below.
🩷 xoxo, Ana
**This post was originally published on Dec 2022. It has been updated to be more helpful.
What is chayote?
This squash is part of the gourd family with a green, bumpy and thin-skinned firm appearance. It’s native from central Mexico but now is also grown in some parts of Latin America and other parts of the world.
Also known as mirliton squash, chuchu or chocho.
The scientific name is Sechium edule, and in Mexico it’s also known in Nahuatl as “chayotli”. This name came from the Aztecs as it was very popular in their diet. The tender chayote is called “chayoselik”.
Not only are they popular in Mexico and Latin America, they’re very popular in Portugal as well. Lucky me!
Worth noting: this is one of those veggies that can be eaten before they are fully ripe. The chayote is one of the few plants that are eaten in its entirety (including the seed!). They can be eaten raw and peeled and used in salads. With them you can prepare sweet and sour preserves and even sweets.
Ingredients notes:
Make this restaurant-worthy creamy chayote soup in the comfort of your own kitchen.
**A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.**
How To Make Chayote Soup
You can make this creamy chayote soup recipe in about a half an hour, so it’s the perfect choice for busy weeknights. You can print the full recipe below, but here are the step by step photos of how to make it:
Step 1) Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium to large pot. Heat over medium high heat and add the diced chayote. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chayote to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2) To the same pot, add the other 1 tablespoon of oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, poblano, corn and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until the veggies are nicely aromatic but not brown.
Step 3) Add the cream, chicken stock, half of the sauted chayotes, salt and cholula to the pot. Cover pot and simmer gently, stirring from time to time. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes.
Step 4) Use an immersion blender (or regular blender) and puree until the mixture is smooth.
Step 5) After it has blended to reach the desired creamy consistency, add the rest of the chayote. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes or until the diced chayote is tender.
Serve hot. Drizzle with more crema, sprinkle chopped cilantro and a few dashes of hot sauce.
Tips and Notes
- This is a little spicy soup due to the cholula. To make it medium spicy only add 1 tablespoon. To make it mild, skip the cholula.
- You can’t find chayotes but the flavors intrigue you? Make it with zucchinis or potatoes!
You can remove the seed easily just like you do when cutting an apple.
How to Store
- Fridge: Once the chayote soup has cooled down, you can refrigerate the soup glass jar with a lid or an airtight storage container. It will keep for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Place in freezer-safe plastic bags or an airtight storage containers for up to 3 months. Be sure not to overfill the container as the soup will expand as it freezes. Leave about an inch of space between the soup and the top of the container.
Reheating
Stovetop: Place the creamy soup in a heavy bottom saucepan and heat through just until hot over medium heat. About five minutes.
More Mexican Soups
Print Recipe:
Creamy Chayote Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Blender or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil (divided 2 & 1)
- 3 cups chayote squash - diced in ½-inch cubes.
- 1 cup onion (white or yellow) - chopped
- 1 cup poblano pepper - chopped
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled and minced
- 2 cups Mexican crema (substitute with heavy cream)
- 2 teaspoons cholula hot sauce
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Garnish
- Chopped cilantro, crema and more cholula.
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium to large pot. Heat over medium high heat and add the diced chayote.3 cups chayote squash
- Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chayote to a bowl and set aside.
- To the same pot, add the other 1 tablespoon of oil and heat over medium high heat. Add the onion, poblano, corn and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until the veggies are nicely aromatic but not brown.1 cup onion (white or yellow), 1 cup poblano pepper, 1 cup corn kernels, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the cream, chicken stock, half of the sauted chayotes, salt and cholula to the pot. Cover pot and simmer gently, stirring from time to time. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes.2 cups Mexican crema (substitute with heavy cream) , 2 teaspoons cholula hot sauce, 2 cups chicken stock, 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- Use an immersion blender (or regular blender) and puree until the mixture is smooth.
- Add the other half of the chayote to the pot with the soup and simmer for 5 minutes or until the diced chayote is tender.
- Serve hot. Drizzle with more crema, sprinkle chopped cilantro and a few dashes of hot sauce.Chopped cilantro, crema and more cholula.
Notes
- This is a little spicy soup due to the cholula. To make it medium spicy only add 1 tablespoon. To make it mild, skip the cholula.
- For a vegetarian/vegan option, substitute with vegetable broth.
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
Chayote Health Benefits
Chayote is loaded with an array of nutrients and antioxidant compounds that provide many potential health benefits. This healthy vegetable is also low in calories, fat, sodium, and total carbs.
- High in antioxidant content.
- High in flavonoids and fiber. This boost various functions of your digestive tract, including healthy gut bacteria and bowel regularity.
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B9 (folate)
- Manganese.
Chayote is relatively low in carbohydrates and relatively high in fiber, a nutritional combination that can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels according to Webmd.
I made this for a potluck as written. It was a HIT! Many requests for the recipe from my Mexican friends as well as from my American friends. Thank you! Thank you!
Made it, loved it! I didn’t have crema so I used 6 tbsps of cream cheese for tang and creaminess, and I added an additional cup of corn with the chayote in the last stage so there’d be more to bite on. Turned out amazing. This one is going into my recipe book. Thank you for sharing it! 🙂
Creamy Chayote soup was amazing!
I added a small amount of potatoes, a little Ghee for flavor and 2 hand fulls of pan sautéed chopped green beans at the end.
Garnishment was as suggested.
Oh. And I tripled recipe for enjoyment again and again.
Thanks!
Sooooooo good! I had a small potato and added it in as well. This is an easy and delicious recipe.
Que ricamalena
Simply delicious. My family loved it. Serve with bread and a salad for a complete meal.
Great to hear this! Thank you so much for the feedback 🙂
This soup is so cozy and flavorful, perfect for the cold rainy weather we’ve been having! It was easy to make with vegan broth and vegan cream. Looking forward to making this again soon!
Thank you! This recipe is yummy! 👍 I made a half portion, I only had one chayote in the fridge.
OMG Anna! This soup is AMAZING!!!! So easy and so delish! Thanks for such a wonderful recipe!
Please allow us to add this recipe to our International Chayote Recipe page: https://www.mirliton.org/international-mirliton-chayote-recipes/
Definitely! Thanks so much!
Muy antojable!!!
Gracias Malena! Si esta sopa esta riquisima!
This recipe is delicious and full of flavors. I paired it with quesadillas and it was delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Cecy! Thanks for stopping by 🙂