Creamy Vegetable Soup

Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of creamy vegetable soup. Not only is this creamy vegetable soup recipe easy to make, but it also cooks in one pot in under 30 minutes!

A hot bowl of soup is comforting and satisfying when the weather gets chilly. So, I made a creamy vegetable soup with a savory broth and many vegetables today. Since I prefer to use all fresh vegetables when possible, I chose various colors to make my creamy vegetable soup recipe as hearty and healthy as possible.

Jump to:

• Creamy Vegetable Soup Ingredients
• Creamy Vegetable Soup Ingredient Substitutions
• Frozen vs. Fresh Vegetables
• How to Make Creamy Vegetable Soup
• How to Make Cashew Cream   
• Storing Suggestions
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• More Great Vegan Soup Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

Although I used cashews for my vegetable soup's creaminess, I also provided a nut-free cooking option. Of course, there are a few special tips for making creamy vegetable soup without overcooking the vegetables because no one likes soggy vegetables.

Creamy Vegetable Soup Ingredients

• Yellow Onion: Yellow onion has a mild, savory flavor.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves when possible.
• Celery: Celery gives the soup a fresh flavor while maintaining its structure, staying a little crunchy even after its cooked.
• Mushrooms: Mushrooms, when sautéed with garlic and onion, stay firm even when browned, and they are meaty and delicious in this creamy vegetable soup recipe.
• Baby Red Potatoes: Red potatoes are particularly healthy because of the thin, nutrient-filled skins, which are loaded with fiber, B vitamins, iron, and potassium. Half of the fiber of a potato comes from the skin, so leave the skin on. On red potatoes, in particular, the skin is already super thin, so it doesn't detract from the taste or texture.
• Broccoli: Broccoli is high in many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. It also boasts more protein than most other vegetables.
• Carrots: Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw.
• Asparagus: Asparagus is also known to help the kidney and bladder cleanse itself.
• Fresh Rosemary: This woodsy aromatic herb has notes of evergreen, citrus, lavender, pine, sage, pepper, mint, and sage.
• Fresh Thyme: Thyme has a delightful flavor balance that dances between earthy and minty, minty and citrus-laced, savory but sweet, and slightly woodsy but also flowery, with traces of lavender or toned-down rosemary.
• Herbs de Provence: Herbs de Provence is an aromatic mixture of dried Provençal herbs and spices, which traditionally includes thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, savory, marjoram, oregano, and bay leaf.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is made from garlic cloves that have been dehydrated and ground into fine particles. The flavor is garlicky but vastly different than fresh-chopped garlic. It tastes sweeter and much less assertive than fresh garlic but without the deep undertones you get from roasted or sautéd garlic.
• Parsley: Parsley gives the soup a fresh earthy garnish.
• Cashews: Cashews are blended with vegetable broth to create creaminess in the soup. However, options are provided in the ingredient substitutions section before for a nut-free version.

Creamy Vegetable Soup Ingredient Substitutions

• White onion often replaces yellow onion in recipes.
• Use jarred garlic when fresh garlic isn't available.
• Try fennel instead of celery for a crunchy component; however, the flavor is quite distinctive. When cooked, its licorice flavor dulls down but still tastes strong.
• There isn't an herb blend that directly substitutes herbs de Provence. But you can easily make your own if you don't have the mixture. This could mean mixing a few pinches of thyme, rosemary, and tarragon for roasting vegetables or savory basil and marjoram in creamy vegetable soup.
• Choose any mushroom. If you don't like mushrooms, choose another vegetable, such as cauliflower or additional broccoli.
• Substitute sweet potatoes or cubed butternut squash n place of carrots.
• Instead of asparagus, try green beans.
• A general rule of thumb for the dried-to-fresh herb ratio: Use one-third the amount of dried herb for the fresh herb called for in the recipe. For example, it converts fresh sage to dried sage in a recipe that calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh sage; use 1 teaspoon of dried sage instead.
• For a nut-free option, use sunflower seeds, soak them, and blend them with vegetable broth instead of cashews. Or, use white beans or silken tofu, and reduce the vegetable broth by half. For another nut-free option, blend ¼ cup flour with the vegetable broth.

Frozen vs. Fresh Vegetables

Although I chose to use fresh vegetables in this particular creamy vegetable soup, frozen vegetables also work.

In addition, many frozen vegetables come in various packages, including 5-6 vegetables.

So, if you want an inexpensive way to make creamy vegetable soup or combine fresh and frozen vegetables, both options will work. 

If using frozen vegetables instead of fresh vegetables, cook the frozen vegetables for the amount of time specified on the package at the end of cooking the soup. As a result, the vegetables remain crunchy.

How to Make Creamy Vegetable Soup

To ensure you don't overcook your vegetables, I find it best to cook in stages or layers of vegetables, which I will explain in my cooking directions. 

Like my vegan Minestrone, vegan creamy vegetable soup is cooked the same way. When cooking fresh vegetables in one pot, follow a particular order so the vegetables cook perfectly. I call this layering or cooking stages. 

• Saute garlic, onions, and celery until onions are translucent.
• Add the sliced mushrooms, and cook with the onions, celery, and garlic until browned.
• Add rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, Herbs de Provence, and nutritional yeast.
• Add cut red potatoes.
• Pour in vegetable broth (just enough to cover the vegetables and potatoes.
• Bring to a boil.
• Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, make your "creamy" component.

How to Make Cashew Cream   

• If using cashews, soak, drain, rinse, and blend with 2 cups of vegetable broth until smooth.
• If using gluten-free or regular flour, blend ½ cup flour with 2 cups vegetable broth; set aside.
• Now add the broccoli, carrots, and remaining vegetable broth.
• Again, bring to a boil, submerging the broccoli and carrots.
• Add the "creamy" component you chose (nut mixture or flour mixture)
• Boil for 5 minutes, then add asparagus.
• Cook for 3 more minutes.
• The creamy mixture will begin to get thicken as it gets hot.
• Remove from the heat.

Even though the vegan creamy vegetable soup recipe is cooked in "layers," as I like to call it, it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish.

As a result, I made a hearty entree-style soup, which also packed well for the week's lunches. 

Storing Suggestions

If you prefer to eat a different soup all week long, by all means, freeze it. Here are some freezing and thawing tips:

• You can always use a freezer-safe container with a secure top. Or, I love souper cubes for freezing soups and sauces.
• To prevent freezer burn, do not fill the container to the top. Instead, leave 1 inch of air space between the soup and the top. 
• When removed from the freezer, allow the soup to thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. 
• If heating on a stovetop, cook in a saucepan or medium-low heat to cook slowly to avoid overcooking the vegetables.
• If you plan to use a microwave, use the reheat button rather than cooking at full power to avoid overcooking the vegetables.

Serving Suggestions

As an entree, this soup is filling but could be served with a vegan Caesar salad or a piece of vegan cornbread, which is my favorite! 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• The key to this creamy vegetable soup recipe is cooking the vegetables in layers based on density.
• If you want to use something other than cashews for the creaminess, there are several options for a plant-based creamy vegetable soup.
• Leave the skins on the potatoes for maximum nutritional value; scrub them well before cutting them.
• I love using Super Cubes to freeze soups in individual servings.
• Thaw soup in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
• If using the microwave, always use the reheat setting.

When it's cold outside, warm yourself from the inside out with this delicious creamy vegetable soup.

More Great Vegan Soup Recipes

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