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Who doesn’t love a warm bowl of savory and delicious potato soup? Especially when it’s served in a bread bowl, which is my favorite way to enjoy this recipe. This creamy vegan potato soup is high up on the list of my favorite comfort foods and you can guarantee I’ll be making it at least once a month during the cold season. Depending on how you like your potato soup, you can adjust the texture to be on the chunkier side, or make it silky smooth. Whichever way you go, it all comes down to the amazing flavor and how cozy and satiated you feel after finishing a bowl. Both your tastebuds and you gut will be thanking you after trying this potato soup recipe.
Below is a step-by-step guide to making this easy potato soup, with a full recipe summary and measurements at the bottom of the page.
Let’s talk about the main ingredients and their benefits:
- Onion: White or yellow onions will work best for this recipe. I typically use sweet yellow because I enjoy their milder flavor. Onions are rich in antioxidants and other compounds that help to fight against disease and cancer.
- Carrot: This common vegetable is a great source of vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin K, calcium and beta-carotene, which is found in many orange fruits and vegetables and supports immune health and eye health.
- Celery: This crunchy vegetable is also rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids and vitamin C, which have amazing anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.
- Garlic: Rich in organosulfur compounds and flavonoids, like quercetin that have strong anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and also antimicrobial effects. Garlic enhances the immune system and have been shown to reduce risk of prostate and gastric cancers.
- Potatoes: Yukon golds are my go-to for soup potatoes because of their creamier texture and thin skin, but whatever kind you prefer or have on hand will taste just fine. Just peel them first if you’re using a different variety. Potatoes are relatively low in nutrients, but they can be a decent source of potassium, fiber and Vitamin C, most of which is concentrated in the skins.
- Coconut milk: A delicious alternative to dairy that adds a silky creaminess to any recipe you add it to without overpowering the flavor. Coconut milk can also provide some benefits with it’s abundance of healthy fats and vitamins and it’s antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
- Vegetable broth: Or if you have any vegan “chicken” broth, that would work great for this recipe.
- Nutritional yeast: A vegan favorite due to it’s cheesy, nutty flavor and another great source of vitamins and minerals. Nutritional yeast actually contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies do not produce on their own, and that we need to survive, making it a complete protein. It can also help lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, leek powder, dried thyme, salt & pepper: In addition to the amazing flavor they bring, there are added benefits when it comes to including spices in your meals. According to NutritonFacts.org, spices offer a wide range of benefits and are known to improve health issues such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and they can even be mood boosters! Therefore, it’s important to include at least a small amount of herbs and spices in your daily diet.
Pro tip: I always try to buy any produce and herbs that I don’t have growing in the garden from the local farmer’s market because the quality of flavor makes a huge difference! Plus I love to support my community and the environment, and you can’t beat the piece of mind of knowing exactly where your food comes from. I encourage you to check out your local farms (if you haven’t already) and see what they have to offer!
(Not pictured: 5 cups vegetable broth)
Step 1: Prep
Chop and prepare your veggies. You’ll want to mince the garlic, dice the onion and slice the carrots and celery. You’ll also need to dice the potatoes into about 1 inch cubes, but I usually just do that while the other veggies are sauteing. Don’t worry about chopping everything too neatly since most of it will be blended up in the end.
Step 2: Sauté
Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE for 8 minutes or heat a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil or water to keep the veggies from sticking and add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes, then add the seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, leek powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper) and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pro tip: Adding the seasonings with the veggies while sauteing helps to reawaken the spices and adds a greater depth of flavor to the soup.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients
Once the veggies have cooked down and started to brown to the bottom of the pot, add a splash of broth to deglaze the pot and use your spoon to scrape all those bits of flavor off the bottom. Then add the remaining broth, as well as the potatoes, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast.
Step 4: Cook
If you’re using an Instant Pot, set it to high pressure for 12 minutes. If you’re cooking this on the stove, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender.
Step 5: Blend
Once the soup is done cooking, it’s time to blend it in order to achieve the thick, creamy consistency we desire. You can either use an immersion blender, or transfer about half the soup (or more if you prefer it smoother) over to a standard blender, then return the blended portion back to the pot. Feel free to keep the soup as chunky or smooth as you’d like, but I do recommend blending at least a small amount to thicken it.
I recommend serving this creamy potato soup with a sprinkle of chopped chives and some fresh baked bread, or serve it in a bread bowl if you really want to impress! Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or you can freeze them for several months. If you try this recipe and enjoy it, please comment down below and share it with a friend. I always appreciate your feedback!
Useful Equipment:
- Instant Pot: I highly recommend investing in a pressure cooker if you don’t already have one. It’s by far my favorite kitchen appliance and cuts down the cooking time by quite a bit. Plus, it’s useful for so many things in addition to soup, like rice, beans, potatoes, etc.
- Immersion Blender: My preferred tool for easily blending soups without having to wash a whole blender.
- Blender: If you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender is perfectly fine!
Creamy Vegan Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 4 celery stalks sliced
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp leek powder can instead substitute more onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 6-8 Yukon gold potatoes diced
- 1 15 oz. can coconut milk
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Optional Topping
- chopped chives or green onions
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat or set your Instant Pot to SAUTE for 8 minutes. Add a drizzle of oil or water to keep the veggies from sticking and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sauté 4-5 minutes, then add the seasonings and sauté for another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add a splash of broth the deglaze the pot and scrape all the browned bits of flavor off the bottom. Then, add the remaining broth, as well as the potatoes, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast.
- Bring to a boil, the reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Or set your Instant Pot to high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Once it's done cooking, use an immersion blender to blend the soup to the consistency you desire. Or, transfer about half the soup (or more) to a blender, then return it to the pot. Feel free to keep the soup as chunky or smooth as you prefer.
