Creamy Vegetable Soup

4.70 from 20 votes

Savory and satisfying, this vegan creamy vegetable soup is full of fresh vegetables in a thick, creamy broth. Nut-free and gluten-free substitutions are available.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Creamy Vegetable Soup

1 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
4 stalks celery diced
16 ounces mushrooms sliced
8 ounces baby red potatoes I cut mine in quarters because they were large; see post for size
1 head broccoli cut into florets
4 carrots peeled and sliced thin
1 bunch thin asparagus
6 cups vegetable broth divided
2 large sprigs of rosemary
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons herbs de provence
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons garlic powder

"Creamy" Soup Component (2 options)

1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight or ½ cup gluten-free or regular flour (CHOOSE ONE NOT BOTH)
2 cups vegetable broth

Instructions

Creamy Vegetable Soup

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.

Cashew Cream

If using cashews, soak, drain and 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.

Soup Continued

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 thicker as it gets hot.
Remove from the heat.

Notes

If you have a good high-speed blender, you do not need to soak your cashews.
. If you don't have a high-speed blender, you can boil your cashews for 10 minutes to speed up the process.
Gluten-free flour works just as well with the vegetable broth as an alternative thickening creamy component for the soup
To reduce salt, use low-salt or no-salt vegetable broth
You can use any potatoes you prefer, but I like red potatoes for this soup because of their texture.
Remember, if your potatoes need to be the same size for even cooking, cut them into similar sizes.
Choose any vegetables you like, but if you use frozen vegetables, do not add until the last minutes of cooking (follow package instructions regarding cooking time). For instance, if the package says to boil for 7 minutes, add the frozen vegetables to the last 7 minutes of cooking.
The key to this creamy vegetable soup recipe is cooking the vegetables in layers based on density.

Nutrition