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This cleansing garlicky baby bok choy soup recipe is nourishing and delicious with the mild flavor of bok choy paired with savory garlic, piquant ginger, and fresh lemon juice in a rich vegetable broth.

front view of bowl of cleansing bok choy soup with lemon and garlic

It’s January 3rd. And we all know what that means.

I bet no matter where you are in your goal to health, you probably over-indulged even just a little bit over the holidays. It can sometimes be hard to treat our bodies with the respect they deserve when we’re so busy, and the holiday season is a prime example of that.

Not to mention, holiday parties galore with temptation everywhere you look.

Sigh.

No worries, just get back on track. (You got this!)

This is the first weekend of the New Year. Make this detox soup this weekend and have it for lunch both days. Use it as a tool to fuel better eating habits and healthier choices.

Don’t push yourself too hard too fast. We all know that the lasting habits are the ones that were made gradually over time. This soup is an effortless way to start.

overhead view of asian soup with bok choy

Nutrient-Rich Ingredients in This Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe

This soup is completely full of nourishing, cleansing ingredients:

Bok Choy: Chlorophyll, the molecule in plants that makes them green, attaches to toxins in your blood and removes them from your body. (Read more about the health benefits of chlorophyll on Healthfully.)

Olive Oil: Some vitamins need fat to be absorbed into the body, so this healthy oil helps your body maximize the absorption of nutrients from what you’re eating. (Read more about this on NPR and Discovery Fit & Health)

Garlic: This strong antioxidant has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and can be used to prevent colds, reduce blood pressure, and reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. (More info is available on Reader’s Digest.)

Ginger: If I have fresh ginger on hand, I like to add it to this recipe! I love the flavor of ginger and garlic soup, and ginger is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. (Find out more about the health benefits of ginger on Johns Hopkins.)

Organic Vegetable Broth or Water: Helps you stay hydrated as you flush toxins out of your system.

Turmeric: Curcumin, the component in turmeric that gives it its bright yellow color, stimulates the gallbladder to produce bile, which the liver uses to eliminate toxins from the body. (Head over to Natural News to read more.)

Fresh Lemon Juice: Cleanses the kidneys and digestive system, and helps purify the blood. As an alkaline-forming food in the body, it also may help to prevent serious illnesses. (Read more on Glamour Health & Diet.)

Special Diet Friendly

This baby bok choy soup recipe is naturally vegan, paleo, gluten free, and low carb! Each serving has 8 grams net carbs, so it’s also easy to fit into a ketogenic lifestyle.

bowl of vegetarian bok choy soup

Bok Choy FAQ

What is Bok Choy?

Also transliterated pok choi and pak choi, bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as veggies like cauliflower and cabbage. It’s also called Chinese cabbage, and is a popular vegetable in China and other parts of Asia. (You can read more about bok choy on Wikipedia.)

What Does Bok Choy Taste Like?

Bok choy is very mild flavored. It’s similar to cabbage, but with a slightly peppery taste. This makes sense, as bok choy is related to mustard greens too!

What Part of Bok Choy Do You Eat?

You can eat the whole bok choy plant (green and white parts). In this baby bok choy soup we use the whole plant.

baby bok choy in metal bowl on wooden table

How Do You Prepare Bok Choy For Soup?

  1. Rinse the bok choy and trim off the stem ends.
  2. Slice the white parts into 1/4-inch strips and transfer them to a bowl.
  3. Chop the green parts into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer them to a separate bowl.

How Do You Cook Bok Choy in Soup?

Baby bok choy leaves and stems are edible. However, they have different cooking times.

Baby bok choy leaves are similar to baby spinach leaves; if you cook them, it doesn’t take long. On the other hand, baby bok choy stems have a texture similar to celery, and take longer to cook.

Because of these different textures (and resulting different cooking times), this is how to cook bok choy in soup:

  1. Heat a little oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  2. Once hot, add the white parts of the bok choy and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Then add the green parts of the bok choy and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add the stock or water and any seasonings the recipe calls for!

More Nourishing Soup Recipes

ginger and garlic bok choy soup in bowls

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Cleansing Garlicky Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Yields: 2 servings
This cleansing garlicky baby bok choy soup recipe is nourishing and delicious with the mild flavor of bok choy paired with savory garlic, piquant ginger, and fresh lemon juice in a rich vegetable broth.

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Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound baby bok choy
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 large cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger grated on a microplane
  • 2 cups low-sodium organic vegetable broth see Notes
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric optional
  • 1 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice more or less to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the bok choy and trim off the stem ends. Slice the white parts into 1/4-inch strips and transfer them to a bowl. Chop the green parts into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer them to a separate bowl.
  • Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the white parts of the bok choy and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the green parts of the bok choy and the garlic and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the stock and turmeric; bring to a simmer and then turn off the heat.
  • Add the lemon juice and sea salt to taste.
  • Serve.

Notes

  • Vegetable Broth: You can use water if you don’t have broth on hand, and for richer flavor (and if keeping this soup vegetarian isn’t a concern) you can use chicken broth.
  • Net Carbs: 8g per serving (1/2 of recipe)
  • Storage: Store this soup covered in the fridge for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 440mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 10093IU | Vitamin C: 107mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.

Course: Soup
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: Baby Bok Choy Soup, Baby Bok Choy Soup Recipe, Bok Choy Soup, Bok Choy Soup Recipe

Share it with me on Instagram and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts!

cleansing bok choy soup recipe pin

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on January 3, 2014 and updated with more information on January 3, 2024.

Disclaimer: Please note that I am NOT a doctor, medical practitioner, or nutritionist of any kind. Nothing in this post should be construed as medical or nutrition advice. The information about each ingredient in this soup was sourced from the pages that I linked to for each item; please head over to each page for more detailed information. If you need medical advice you should immediately seek a physician’s care.

Faith, author of An Edible Mosaic.
About Faith

I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.

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Recipe Rating




28 Comments

  1. I’m sure to make and love this with or without additions or tweaks as others have added in their comments. I am kinda shocked, though, to see a serving — with low-sodium broth and 1/8th tsp. added salt — clock in at 60% of the daily sodium value!
    I wonder what accounts for that….

    1. Jozella, Thank you for your comment! I looked into it, and the nutrition estimator was calculating the recipe using regular broth instead of low-sodium broth. I fixed it in the recipe, thank you again for bringing that to my attention!

  2. Was looking for a lite soup. Made this today. So yummy. I did use chicken broth as opposed to veggie broth. Also added scallions. Doubled the patch so I would have extra to freeze. Unfortunately or fortunately, whichever way one looks at it, I did not have any left to freeze. I’m definitely tagged in this recipe for future use. It’s a great recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    Amazing! I like to add extra firm tofu for protein and cilantro for depth of flavor. Thanks for the recipe!

  4. Hannah Flack says:

    5 stars
    I wish I had a bowl of this soup for lunch.

  5. Rose Martine says:

    YUMMY!!!!! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’ve heard about your blog a couple of times and will now spend my afternoon reading :)

  6. Stephanie says:

    This soup is absolutely amazing!! The ONLY slight additions were to add a tiny bit of black pepper (helps you absorb the wonderful, healing turmeric), and because I’m just getting over a cold and stuffy nose, added a little sprinkle of cayenne to give it a slight, spicy kick. Oh my gosh……
    I will make this often!!!!! Thank you☺️☺️☺️

  7. I have to tell you, this is one of the best soups I’ve ever made! So pure and simple yet very flavourful. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

  8. Thanks! I built on this soup (along with another recipe) and made it in the slow cooker last night. Though I am not a fan of turmeric, so I used some fresh lemongrass and ginger for nutrition, along with some Bragg’s liquid aminos and garlic-chili sauce for flavour (I omitted the salt). Great recipe – highly recommended!

  9. Faith, this looks so perfect! I love flavorful and light broths like this in the winter. It’s such a nice way to feel good about what you’re eating, yet it’s so warming and comforting. I’ve pinned this…can’t wait to make it this week!

  10. Here in rural Midwestern America it is minus 29 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chill factor. I made the soup earlier this afternoon. Was very easy and straight forward. My husband did wander thro’ the kitchen and ask what that “strange little vegetable” was before it was sliced (he has only seen baby bok choy as incorporated into a finished recipe.) At any rate it was very nice to have a comforting (and healthful) soup made up when I came in from errands in the brutally cold outside. Did put a few red pepper flakes in for the additional warming effect. Thank you for the timely posting.

  11. Donalyn@The Creekside Cook says:

    Faith this does indeed look like a wonderful way to start off the new year – I love brothy, veggie filled soups!

  12. Sharon Reese says:

    This is the best bok choy recipe I’ve ever seen. Thank you.

  13. This is exactly the kind of soup I need and am CRAVING lately. Love the simple fresh flavors.

  14. Bok choi is always on the menu and this is a delightfully tasty and easy way of using it – methinks lunch tomorrow :) ! And hoping 2014 brings all you and yours need and want!!

  15. I know I’m bad but I pay more attention to how a dish tastes and looks than I do about cleansing. This is a winner all the way around.

  16. Jade Asian Greens says:

    Love this! How simple, nutritious and perfectly easy! We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography.

    –Your friendly Southern California farmers at Jade Asian Greens

  17. Katherine says:

    using kale, homemade broths, garlic, and a little angel hair pasta as a meal for three hundred days of the year i brought my cholesterol numbers down / way down / this is a beautiful soup you have here / baby bok choy is on my list / thanks for posting

  18. Love the sound of this, and it sounds like a great way to start a new year.

  19. Katrina @ WVS says:

    This is definitely what I need! Yum!

  20. Yeeeeah! Nothing like a good system clean-out via soup! I love bok choy and turmeric, and this soup is right up my alley: simple, tasty, warm and cozy! And exactly what I need, considering I went a tad bit over-board on the alcohol and treats this season ;) Happy New Year, lady!

  21. A delicious soup! I really love bok choy. A perfect post-holiday dish.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  22. I wish to you and your family a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year Faith! Beautiful soup my friend! I would love a bowl!

  23. Healthy or not…this sounds yummy to me :) I love bok choy! Great soup

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