Hearty and filling, this Vegan Potato Soup is just what you need to warm up on a cool day. Full of healthy veggies and aromatic flavors, this soup is oil-free and meal-prep friendly.
Nothing warms you up on a cool night quite like a warm bowl of soup! This vegan potato soup is so hearty and flavorful, you won't believe it comes together in just 30 minutes. Along with classic aromatic veggies, this soup is infused with herbs and gets a smokey kick from the smoked paprika. Add chunky potatoes and top with Vegan Bacon Bits for a wholesome comfort food classic.
You'll love this Vegan Potato Soup because it's:
- Hearty & Filling
- Quick & Easy
- Full of Healthy Veggies
- Versatile
- Oil-free
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-Free
- Meal-Prep & Freezer Meal Friendly
- Slow-Cooker Friendly
- So Delicious!
Jump to:
How do I make this recipe more picky-eater/kid-friendly?
I love a hearty, chunky soup. But if you're dealing with little people or those with texture sensitivities, you can use a hand blender to make this soup smooth and creamy. One of my kids requested I blend his, so I got try both styles and it's delicious either way. So if a smooth consistency will help with getting those veggies down, then go for it!
Do I need to peel the potatoes and carrots before I add them to the soup?
Nope! There, I just saved you 10 minutes of needless peeling. Also, potato skins contain more fiber and nutrients than the inside of the potato, so eating the peel will help bump up the nutrition. That said, if you absolutely want to peel the potatoes and carrots, go for it.
Is this recipe meal-prep friendly?
Definitely! Not only does this cook up enough for 6 servings, but it's also easy to reheat. Simply make up a big pot of this soup, portion it into individual soup-friendly containers, and store in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for three months.
A few important meal-prepping tips: 1) Let the soup cool before you seal the containers. 2) Be sure to leave a little space at the top if you're freezing (liquids expand when frozen). 3) Add a few tablespoons of water when reheating, since the liquid will reduce slightly during the cooking process.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
You can! Just add everything *EXCEPT* the nutritional yeast and garnishes to the crockpot and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours or high heat for 3 to 4 hours. Just before you're ready to eat, stir in the nutritional yeast and give the potatoes a quick mash (or blend with a hand blender for the creamy version). Serve with garnishes and enjoy!
Will this work as a freezer meal?
Yes! If you need recipes you can grab from the freezer and throw on the stove for a quick weeknight meal, then this soup is perfect. To save even more time, prep a whole month's worth of soup in one go! The texture of some vegetables changes somewhat when they are frozen and defrosted, but since this is a soup, it won't make a difference.
Simply prep (wash, chop, etc) all of the veggies and potatoes, and add them a freezer-safe bag. When you're ready to cook the soup, add everything to a big pot along with the liquids and spices. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, and follow the rest of the instructions listed below.
Instructions
Soups sometimes have the reputation for being difficult and time-consuming, but this one is actually quite simple. Start by prepping and chopping the celery, carrots, and onion. This aromatic combo is the base of most soups. Add them to a pot over medium-high heat and cook down until the onions are translucent. (You don't need any oil because the onions will quickly begin giving off their own liquid, so simply stirring the veggies a few times will be enough to keep them from sticking.)
While the aromatics are cooking down, prep the garlic and potatoes. Add the garlic and other spices, stir and cook just a minute or two. Then add the broth and milk. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat a tad and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Finally, add the nutritional yeast, give the potatoes a quick mash to thicken the soup, taste to adjust seasonings, and this soup is ready to serve! Garnish with Vegan Bacon Bits, diced green onions, and vegan yogurt or sour cream. The perfect bowl of hearty potato soup!
How to store the leftovers
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to let the soup cool before closing the lid of the container. If freezing, leave a little extra space at the top since liquids expand when frozen.
Related recipes
- Vegan Leek & Potato Soup
- Vegan Black Bean Burrito Bowl
- Vegan Thai Curry
- Cherry Tomato & Basil Pasta
- Vegan Palak Paneer
- Vegan Chick-fil-A Style Tofu Nuggets
📖 Recipe
Vegan Potato Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs potatoes (about 5 to 6 medium potatoes)
- 2 to 3 celery stalks
- 2 to 3 carrots
- 1 small or ½ medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups unsweetened plant milk of choice
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- sea salt to taste
- fresh cracked pepper
Optional Garnish
- Vegan Bacon Bits
- diced green onion
- vegan yogurt or sour cream
Instructions
- Wash and prep the celery, carrots, and onion. Dice the onion and chop the carrots and celery into half-moons.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium-high. Add the celery carrots, and onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. You do not need to use oil because the onions will quickly release their liquid and keep the veggies from sticking.
- While the veggies are starting to cook, prep the garlic and potato. Peel the garlic and chop or use a Microplane to grate into a paste. Wash the potatoes and dice into small, ½ inch cubes.
- After the onions are translucent, add the garlic and other spices to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for about one minute. (Careful, garlic burns quickly)
- Add the broth and milk to the pot and stir to combine, deglazing the bottom of the pot if necessary.
- Add the potatoes and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and continue to boil until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 10 minutes)
- Add nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Keep the soup chunky, or use a potato masher to smash some of the potatoes to thicken the soup. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender to make a smoother, creamier soup.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve right away. Garnish with Vegan Bacon Bits, green onions, and vegan yogurt or sour cream.
Notes
- For meal-prep, freezer meal, and storage instructions, see those sections in the blog post above.
- If you want to add more veggies and nutrition to this soup, some great choices are: corn kernals, kidney beans, spinach, or kale. This is a thick soup, so if you add more veggies either reduce the other vegetables or add more liquid.
Nutrition
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Alice Claussen Destri
I just made this for dinner and loved it! Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe.
Julianne Lynch
Great! I'm so glad you liked it!
Donna
Can't go past a good potato soup loaded with all the veg, love that this one is oil-free too!!
Julianne Lynch
Thanks! This is definitely one of my favorites!
Lyn
This looks great! So chunky and hearty! I can't wait to try it out. Adding it to my meal prep list for next week!
Julianne Lynch
Thanks! I hope you love it!
Ashley Schuering
Yum!!! I love potato soup in the wintertime, and this one feels so healthy. I love that it's dairy *and* oil free. Fabulous recipe, thanks for sharing!
Julianne Lynch
You're welcome! This is one of my favorite winter meals, too!
Chelsea
Wow, this soup looks so good! I love that it's chock-full of veggies but also looks super flavorful, too!
Adding it to my list of soups to make when it cools down again. 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Julianne!
Julianne Lynch
Thanks! This is one of my favorites!
TJ
This soup was amazing...had it with some homemade bread... delicious!!!!
Julianne Lynch
Sounds like a great combination! I'm so glad you liked it!
Mackenzie Burgess
Yum, such a cozy recipe! This looks like a hug in a bowl!
Julianne Lynch
Thanks! I love that description.
Annie
How long does this last in the fridge?
Julianne Lynch
It should last 5 to 7 days in the fridge.
Kathe
This looks lovely. Just wondering what type of non-dairy milk you used to get the 7grams of protein in the nutrition profile? I'm guessing soymilk as few other "milks" offer much in the way of protein.
Julianne Lynch
I personally use a soy-rice milk blend because it's the only one I can find without added sugar! However, the nutritional info is calculated (as an estimate, of course) using a feature of the recipe card. The nutritional info comes from this source: https://spoonacular.com/food-api. Sometimes I have to manually enter values if they aren't available, but usually they are. It's also important to remember that there are other sources of protein in the dish. They might be small on their own but they can add up. I hope that helps!
Erin
This was delicious! I made it in my instant pot. 5 minutes on pressure cook setting with 10 minutes natural release. Divine! I added baby Kale when it was finished and stirred in the nutritional yeast when it was done cooking.
Thank you!
Julianne Lynch
Sounds great! I love the addition of kale. And thank you for including your instant pot instructions. That could be helpful for other readers.
SARA
Yum!! Hearty and healing. I didn't have vegan bacon bits but a little extra smoked paprika on top was good enough! My minor adjustments: I added a bay leaf and at the end, blended a cup of soup with a half cup of cashew cream, and added that back into the soup to make it chowder like throughout instead of as a garnish.
Julianne Lynch
Great! I'm so glad you liked it and were able to tweak it to fit your prefernces.
Diann
I tried this soup, and it was delicious!
However, I could never get the PRINT button on the recipe to bring up a printable version; it just kept opening the same web page. I ended up copy/paste onto a Word document to print for my use and reference again later.
Julianne Lynch
I'm so glad you liked the recipe and came up with a solution to save it. But I'm sorry the Print button didn't work for you. I just checked, and I'm having the same problem with this recipe--although the print button seems to be working for others. I'll see what I can do to fix it ASAP. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Deborah Shadovitz
This is now a favorite soup/meal of mine! I kept it chunky so I have something to bite into and chew. Although this soup is so flavorful that it doesn't need this at all, I topped mine in the bowl with the Parma! Vegan Parmesan flavor Better Than Bacon.
I boiled it with the lid off and wondered if I'd lost liquid so I added a bit more than 1 cup more of my Soy milk. I also cooked it about 5 minutes longer so the potatoes a fairly melt-in-my-mouth.
I can see myself always having some portions in my freezer. I am definitely making it again. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Oh, it was recommended to me, by the way.
Julianne Lynch
Great! I'm so glad to you liked it!
CM
What milks do you recommend this soup? I have unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk and I am wondering considering the spices used in the recipe what would go with the flavor of profile best.
Julianne Lynch
I normally use soy milk, but of the three you mentioned, I would probably use oat milk.