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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.
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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.
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.
Storage Suggestions
Leftover creamy vegetable soup tastes even better, so double this recipe and enjoy it again and again, just like the other big-batch pots in my vegan soup recipes.
- Fridge: Store in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in Souper Cubes Freezer System 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.
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
Jen HansardVideo
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 (14 ½-oz) can cannellini beans drained
- 8 cups vegetable stock divided
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl, cover with hot water and soak for at least 20 minutes to soften.
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the potatoes, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, frozen vegetables, beans and black pepper. Add most of the vegetable stock, reserving some for the cashew cream, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the cashews and transfer to a blender with the reserved stock. Blend on high until completely smooth.
- Stir the cashew cream into the pot and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- Blender Tip: Soak the cashews for at least 20 minutes, or longer if you don’t have a high-speed blender, so the cream blends completely smooth.
- Ingredient Swaps: Any frozen mixed vegetables work, such as carrots, peas, green beans, corn or broccoli. Baby gold potatoes or diced full-size potatoes work in place of the red, and homemade vegetable stock is great here.
- Instant Pot Method: Saute the onion and celery, then add everything but the cashew cream. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, quick release, and stir in the cashew cream on saute for a few minutes.
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze. The soup thickens as it sits, so thin it with a splash of stock when reheating.
Nutrition
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.
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Definitely a comfort soup. Perfect for a cold, snowy day. I just finished making this soup and enjoyed a big mug for lunch. Wow, it’s very filling! I like using cashews for the cream as I can’t have dairy and avoid creamy soups. This is a very easy recipe with minimal chopping, plus it’s a great way to use up those pesky partial bags of frozen veggies in the freezer. I used peas, carrots, corn & green beans. I didn’t have red potatoes so I used small yellow potatoes instead. My broth was low salt/unsalted so it definitely needed salt added. The Italian seasoning smelled wonderful, but I couldn’t really taste it so I think I would bump it up to 1 1/2 tsp next time and maybe throw in a bay leaf as well. Definitely makes a large pot, way more than 4 servings for me. This is a keeper.
So glad you enjoyed the soup and were able to use extra food that you already had around the house. That is a win!
Creamy Vegetable Soup is just that – creamy and oh so comforting!! I don’t know if it’s the cashews, cannellini beans, or everything else mixed together that makes this soup taste like my Gradie (my great-grandmother) made it for me with ❤️
Awww. Thank you. What a compliment. So glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic change up to a milk based soup that I usually make. I love that we started the week with an easy soup recipe. Honestly, it tasted better than I expected. I think I was expecting a mediocre taste with almond cream.
So glad you enjoyed this soup. Also thank you for being open to try this one.
Soup is one of my favorite things to eat and I’m always interested in trying something new. This recipe is terrific and I was surprised at how quickly it came together. I have used frozen corn and peas in the past but never frozen mixed vegetables and they are super convenient and quite good. I think the cashew cream is brilliant and a great substitute for a dairy product. This soup is not only emotionally satisfying, but it is really filling and would be great with either some home made croutons or a great bread. I will definitely be making this again!
So glad that you loved it. Soups can be amazing without dairy.
I enjoyed the Creamy Vegetable Soup today. Interesting making thickener from nuts!! I had too much liquid for my soup. I’d add more vegetables or less broth next time. Thank you,
Yes. You can always experiment and then take notes for the next time.