This broccoli potato soup is intensely creamy, satisfying, and 100% plant based! It’s an easy healthy soup that everyone loves.
Hold onto your hats! Here’s a creamy broccoli potato soup that will blow your mind. (We hope.) It’s impossibly creamy, whole food plant based (WFPB), and it tastes like the coziest bowl of comfort. And it’s 100% made of veggies! How’s that for amazing? This easy and healthy soup is vegan and gluten-free, so it works for a variety of diets. But it tastes like an elevated version of broccoli cheese soup from a can (you know the one). Here are all the secrets to making this crowd-pleaser…everyone will ask for the recipe.
What’s in this broccoli potato soup?
This a vegan broccoli soup, but it looks legit cheesy, doesn’t it? This recipe was born out of an idea to make the dairy-filled version. But then I sat back and thought about how my stomach would feel after eating a rich, creamy soup. Is there broccoli potato soup that’s creamy and plant based? Oh yes, it can be done. Here’s what’s in this soup:
- Yukon gold potatoes make for a creamy base
- Cashews achieve a rich, shiny texture
- Frozen broccoli makes for the easiest soup possible (embrace it!)
- Onion & garlic add big flavor
- Dried thyme & dill add just the right herby punch
- Veggie broth, white wine vinegar & Dijon mustard round out the broth
Frozen broccoli makes it fast and easy!
Frozen vegetables don’t make a lot of appearances in Alex and my recipes. Every single broccoli recipe on this website uses fresh broccoli. BUT! In a broccoli potato soup like this one, you want the broccoli to be basically overcooked: super tender, so it melds into the texture of the soup.
So why use fresh broccoli when frozen is already cooked? Frozen veggies still retain most of the nutrients you’d find in the fresh version since they are flash-frozen. Use any type of frozen broccoli: this recipe calls for a 1 pound bag.
Want to use fresh broccoli? Here’s how.
Got fresh broccoli on hand and want to use it here? Go for it! Here’s what to do:
- Chop it: Chop the broccoli into small florets. You’ll need 4 cups.
- Steam it (& cook longer): Steam it like in our Best Steamed Broccoli recipe, but cook it several minutes longer than the recipe specifies. You’ll want it very tender, not crisp tender. This simulates the texture of frozen and what you’ll need for this soup. Also leave out any seasoning, since you’ll add salt as part of the soup recipe.
The trick to making broccoli potato soup creamy?
There are a few tricks, really! Here’s what makes the impossibly creamy base of this tasty broccoli potato soup:
- Yukon gold potatoes: Cooking up potatoes and then blending them with spices helps to make a super creamy body of the soup. But they’re nothing without…
- Cashews: Cashews are the trick to making recipes creamy without dairy! (Here are all our favorite creamy cashew recipes.) They add a richness and shine to the broth, so they cannot be omitted here. If you have a nut allergy, we’d recommend trying some of our other soup recipes instead. The cashew trick is just too good here! Using only potatoes would result in a dull and blander soup.
More recipes with potatoes? Go to our Best Potato Recipes (or Vegan Potato Recipes).
It’s kid friendly, too!
Our son Larson loved this one, so thought we’d mention it’s also great for kids! He loves eating soup, so we love making this one for him. A few other kid friendly recipes he particularly enjoys lately: Vegan Sloppy Joes, Peanut Butter Dip and Baked Taquitos.
What to serve with broccoli potato soup?
Want to make this broccoli potato soup into a meal? This healthy soup is a fabulous way to eat all the best veggies. Here are a few ideas for sides to serve with it:
This broccoli potato soup recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Description
This broccoli potato soup is intensely creamy and 100% plant based! It’s an easy healthy soup that everyone loves (plus it’s vegan and gluten free).
- 1 large yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (about 6 medium)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- ½ cup raw unsalted cashews
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 pound frozen broccoli florets (or 4 cups small steamed broccoli florets*)
- 1 large carrot
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon dried dill
- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Peel the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized chunks.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the vegetable broth, cashews and potatoes and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer (not a boil), and simmer about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender and falling apart when poked with a fork.
- Meanwhile, run the frozen broccoli under hot water to thaw it. Chop it into smaller florets as necessary. All packages are different, so make small bite-sized florets the size you’d like for a soup. You can chop the broccoli stems off and keep them in the soup as well. Place the broccoli in a bowl and mix it with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Peel and grate the carrot into long strips (we used a handheld julienne shredder).
- When the potatoes are tender, use a ladle to transfer everything to a blender. Add the thyme, dill, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and another ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Hold the top tight and blend everything for a minute or two until fully creamy. (This quantity just fits in a standard blender.)
- Pour the creamy soup back into the pot and add the broccoli and carrot. Simmer about 5 more minutes until the broccoli is cooked through. Taste and add additional salt as necessary (we added ¼ teaspoon more).
Notes
*If you’re cooking fresh broccoli, here’s how to simulate frozen: Cut it into very small florets. Then steam it but cook it a few minutes longer so that it’s very tender (not crisp tender as indicated in the recipe). Leave out any seasoning, since you’ll add salt as part of the soup recipe.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soup
Keywords: Broccoli Potato Soup, Vegan Broccoli Soup
More vegan comfort food recipes
This broccoli potato soup is pure comfort food! Here are a few more of our comfort food favorites:
- Creamy Vegan Potato Soup The stuff dreams are made of! Cozy and rustic, you’d never guess it was plant based.
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie Here’s the very best vegan shepherd’s pie! The hearty veggie and lentil filling contrasts fluffy potatoes in this stunning plant based dinner recipe.
- Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo WOW! This tastes decadent, but the creamy sauce is filled with healthy plant based ingredients. An easy dinner in under 30 minutes!
- Ultimate Vegan Chili Bursting with flavor, this one’s seriously delicious and totally plant based. Dollop with vegan sour cream and load with toppings!