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If you haven’t made my creamy vegetable soup yet—you’re missing out. This is a “lazy day recipe,” using a TON of vegetables, sneaking in some plant-protein and requiring minimal prep. It’s dairy-free, yet still delivers that rich, silky texture you’ll love. Pair this soup with crusty bread, a kale caesar salad, or those “biscuits in a can” the kids all love and be in awe.
Table of contents
What is Creamy Vegetable Soup?
Creamy vegetable soup is a classic, comfort food made with simple ingredients like potatoes, beans, and frozen vegetables simmered in a flavorful broth. Instead of heavy cream or cheese, my recipe uses blended cashews to create a silky, dairy-free base that tastes rich and indulgent while staying light and nourishing. It’s hearty enough for a full meal, quick enough for weeknights, and can be frozen and enjoyed later, too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make this creamy vegetable soup you’ll need a few basic ingredients you can find at any grocery store:
- Cashews: The base of this soup is raw cashews, blended into a silky cream that keeps this soup dairy-free, high in protein and sooooo creamy.
- Onion + celery: The classic aromatic duo that builds depth of flavor. If you have extra, save it to use in my Cabbage Soup recipe.
- Potatoes: baby red or gold potatoes give this soup body and creaminess. You can swap half out for cauliflower, like I did in my Vegan Potato Soup, if you’re trying to cut down on carbs.
- Garlic powder + Italian seasoning: Together, they add a savory, herb-filled flavor that you’d recognize in most cream-based soups.
- Frozen mixed vegetables: time-saving, cheap and versatile; use carrots, peas, corn, beans, or whatever you’ve got.
- Cannellini beans: These silky beans add plant-based protein and a creamy bite. These are my favorite beans to use in soups.
Recipe Tips
• Use a medley of frozen carrots, peas, corn, green beans, or broccoli for variety.
• You can use larger potatoes— just dice them small to cook quick.
• Add a splash of lemon juice or top with fresh parsley for brightness.
• Stir in cooked quinoa, rice, or barley for an even more filling meal.
Free 5-Day Soup Challenge
Get cozy with 5 of my most flavorful, plant-based soups that’ll help you feel lighter, nourished, and totally satisfied. Let’s soup it up!
How to Make Creamy Vegetable Soup
Soften the cashews. Soak raw cashews in hot water while you prep everything else.
Build the base. Sauté onion and celery in avocado oil until softened.
Add the heartiness: Stir in potatoes, seasonings, frozen vegetables, beans, and black pepper.
Simmer the soup: Add most of the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Make the cashew cream: Blend drained cashews with the remaining broth until completely smooth. Works best in a high-speed blender (not an immersion blender).
Finish creamy: Stir the cashew cream into the pot, simmer a few minutes longer, and adjust seasonings as needed.
Storage Suggestions
Leftover creamy vegetable soup tastes even better— so double this recipe so you can enjoy it again and again.
- Fridge: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in 1-cup Souper Cubes for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water if it thickens too much.
Freeze Your Food + Save Your Money
Souper Cubes make it easy to portion and freeze leftovers, helping you reduce food waste, save money, and save time with ready-to-heat meals whenever you need them.
If you make this creamy vegetable soup recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 cup celery rib diced
- 16 ounce baby red potatoes quartered
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground ground
- 3 cups mixed vegetables frozen
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans drained
- 8 cups vegetable stock divided
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside to soften while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- Stir in the potatoes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, frozen vegetables, beans, and black pepper.
- Add vegetable broth (set aside 2 cups to use in step 5) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Drain the cashews and transfer to a blender with the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth. Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Pour the cashew cream into the pot and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly.
- Adjust seasonings as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
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Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Frequently Asked Questions
Yes—swap in unsweetened coconut milk, oat milk, and some frozen cauliflower to make it a creamy texture, yet without cashews.
Not at all! Fresh veggies work great—just chop them into small, even pieces so they cook quickly.
Absolutely. Chickpeas, navy beans, or great northern beans are all good substitutes for cannellini beans.
Yes, it freezes beautifully. Just cool completely, portion into containers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Add fresh herbs (like rosemary and thyme), a squeeze of lemon juice before serving, or top with nutritional yeast for extra cheesiness.
This is good. Even my husband liked it.
Perfect. A win for your health and your family’s. Thanks for trying it, SaintVincent.
I made this today and it was good. Even my husband liked it.
Total win. A family favorite is a tasty relief.
Wasn’t a vegetable soup fan until now! This is so creamy and delicious that I forgot I was eating vegetables.
Sooo good, right? Thanks for trying it, even though you’re not a veg soup fan. We appreciate that, Traci.
The cashew cream gives it a great taste!
Doesn’t it? So glad you thought so, Sarah.
Day 1: Soupe du Jou
It’s good to feel engaged in the kitchen with purpose. Thanks for the motivation and organization. I enjoyed the soup but that it not as relevant as enjoying the process. I used an organic Asian veggie mix with shitake mushrooms, broccoli, red bell peppers and also had some frozen zucchini, onions and green beans. A good heap of veggies. I found the finished soup to be a little bland for my taste so adjusted accordingly. This recipe is a gift for improvisation and I already have in mind creating different ethnic themes. The only drawback is that I am single so I’m wondering where I’m going to store the daily leftovers from multiple soups.
Hi Paulette, thanks for cooking up the soups! There are these things called souper cubes that freeze portions of soup into individual servings. There’s a link on the Simple Green Smoothies link if you’re interested.
I love this soup. I made half the recipe since it’s just me. I added raw fresh garlic instead of the power since I love garlic. The potatoes and veges were delicious together with the cashew cream.
Sounds like you nailed it, Patty! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
This soup was souper!!!! tasty! We had leftovers and may had some shredded chicken when we thaw it.
These recipes are just enough for my hubby and I to each have 2 servings. So the second serving is in the freezer.
The combination of seasonings are awesome!!! thank you Jen!!!
Thanks so much for trying them. We’re thrilled they were a hit for you and your husband. And thanks for taking the time to post a comment.
This recipe was easy to make but I found it a little to eatery for a true cream soup and lacking flavor. I would improve it by using one less cup of broth with the cashews. It would make the soup a bit thicker. Some fresh herbs added at the end may help the flavor.
Thanks for the feedback, Andrew.
This soup is delicious comforting and easy considering I only have one good hand as I crushed my left wrist almost a month go it was very uplifting to make this soup and really helped me feel useful and give me back my joy of cooking. My husband who’s not thrilled to be on a whole food plant based loved it and said he hoped I make it again which I will!! Thank you Jen for a delicious meal that warmed our souls.
I’m sorry about your hand. I’m glad that you were able to prepare it with one hand. And I’m thrilled you both liked it so much.
This recipe was so quick, easy, and tasty, I will definitely be making it again and again. I did tweak it a bit though: 2 less cups of broth, double the beans, and a lot more spices.
Glad it made it to the “again and again” spot. Well done, Jenna.
The soup was easy to make. I liked using the cashews to thicken the soup. That was my first experience doing that. I normally don’t use frozen vegetables. I used mixed veg and added some leftover peas. It took me three trips to Trader Joe’s to get the vegetable broth. I guess a lot of people are doing the challenge this week.
I just love Trader Joe’s. But man, they have trouble keeping things in stock. (pun not intended) Thanks for persevering, Anita.
We were pleasantly surprised at the rich and creamy texture and flavor that the cashews add and this is technique that will definitely be called upon again in the future for other recipes. The potatoes turn out fluffy and fill you up. We used salt free boxed vegetable stock and added a good bit of salt at the end to bring out all the delicious flavors. Will make again.
Yes, the cashews are everything in this soup in my opinion. We’re thrilled you enjoyed it so much. And I’m with you on the boxed broth.
This soup was hearty but not too heavy. My family of four, including teenagers, enjoyed it and are game to have it again.
It came together easily. Was flavorful without too many steps or ingredients that I don’t typical keep in my kitchen.
All the kids liked it? Woo Hoo! We should put that on the recipe description. Thanks for the feedback, Amanda.
This recipe is a keeper. Will be putting it into my weekly rotation. My pickiest family member had seconds and has requested a second batch!
As a mom of picky eaters, this is my favorite kind of comment to read. What a win, Jan.
This soup is very easy and soouuper satisfying! The cashew cream gives it a special appetizing appearance. Not to mention it is very yummy!! I did add extra Italian seasoning and garlic powder and found it needed salt. I think next time – and there will be a next time soon!- I will add garlic with the celery and onions. Yum!!
I love adding garlic to soups. The earthy tang is my favorite! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Cindi.
I’m a big fan of creamy chicken noodle soup and I enjoyed the comfort food flavors and consistency of this version of vegetable soup. I think the Italian herbs and cashew cream were what dialed it in.
I love that phrase, “dialed it in.” Totally stealing that. Love that liked to soup so much. Keep coming back and trying our recipes and leaving fun feedback, please.
While making this soup, I wasn’t sure what direction it was going, until I added the cashew/veg stock blend! How it transformed it from being a clear minestrone-style sans pasta to a hearty and creamy soup was incredible! This is a wonderful hearty cool weather soup, and I’m planning on making it for Thanksgiving weekend as an appetizer. Thank you Jen!
Yay!!! How was it received at thanksgiviing?
This soup is definitely a keeper. Love the feel of having many veggies in one single plate. The addition of the creamy cashews is making the soup very delicate. I added barley to make it more substantial. Excellent soup!!!
Ohhhhhh, barley! I love barley in soups. Thanks for the tip, Marinella.
I made this last night and had it for lunch today. It warmed up beautifully and was very filling! I used a mix of low sodium and low fat vegetable broth and did add salt to taste. The recipe said it made 4 servings, but there was so much in the pot that I think it’ll end up being closer to 6. I’d definitely make this again.
The soup recipes can make big hearty batches. Many of the members freeze them in these things called souper cubes. Jen has a link on her site if you’re interested.
Love the flavor. Made my own vegetable stock, used Yukon gold potatoes and a Mediterranean frozen veggie mix I had in the freezer. I rinsed the frozen veggies so the added seasoning didn’t get in the way. My husband enjoyed it too!
Wonderful! Love that you BOTH liked it so much, Jane. This recipe is a community favorite.