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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.
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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 so you can enjoy it again and again.
- 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
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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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 soup was delicious and hardy. It was very easy to make with frozen vegetables, I just chopped the potatoes and celery. My non vegan family enjoyed very much.
That’s such a win, Isabel. Thank you for sharing it with them.
I enjoyed making the creamy vegetable soup. It was very easy to do. And the flavors came together, I was amazed at the cashews and how it made it so creamy and helped it thicken. For me, I think it made a little bit more than four servings. I found that I needed to add a little bit of salt and a little bit of pepper to bring the flavors out.
My 16-year-old rated a 7.5 out of 10 because she said she felt it was missing something she wasn’t exactly sure what, but something.
My husband ate it and said he really liked it and would eat it again
Thanks for that feedback, Lynnette. Let us know if your daughter comes up with that ingredient.
This soup has surpassed my expectations! It was creamy, rich, and delicious! The seasonings were a perfect match for this soup. The cashews added that great creaminess without feeling heavy. I used fresh green beans, zucchini, and carrots in place of frozen veggies. My whole family enjoyed!!
Definitely 5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Woo hoo!
PERFECT! I’m so glad they did. Thank you for letting us know how it went, Gina.
Very creamy and full of flavor. I thought it might not have flavor, but I didn’t even need to put salt in it. My husband did, though. I would definitely make this again. I got my daughter to taste it, but she couldn’t get past the color. She is extremely picky, so this isn’t good for a picky eater.
Salt to tqste, for sure. I’m super sensitive to salt and my husband IS NOT. Thanks for cooking it up, Linnea.
The Creamy Vegetable Soup was delicious and super easy to make. Getting the frozen organic vegetables was a huge timesaver. I love the cashew cream. Thank you!
Frozen veggies, esp the organic ones, super great hack. I just love a time saver. Thanks for using the recipe and for your feedback, Connie.
I really enjoyed the Creamy Vegetable Soup today. The flavor was great! The only change I made was I used my immersion blender.
Immersion blenders are so handy. We’re glad you enjoyed the flavors, Sue. Keep rawking.
Colorful and tasty, but I have to admit that creamy vegetable soup wasn’t on my radar. It looks different than what I would expect vegetable soup to look like due to the cashews for the creaminess. I’d like to add a bit more spice to heat it up just a notch. It was a hit with my husband!
What do you like to use for heat, Lisa? For sure, customize.
This soup was creamy and delicious. I did not have any frozen vegetables, so I just chopped up some carrots along with the onion and celery. I also used yellow squash, zucchini, and green beans. Next time I will probably add some fresh jalapenos to kick it up a notch. This time I just squirted some Tellow Vird sriracha on top. I liked it so much I’m having it for lunch tomorrow
Correction- *Yellow Bird Organic Sriracha
Got it. Thanks.
Ohhh. That sounds delish. Thanks for the tips, Kim!
This soup was delicious! I have never used cashews like this and was surprised at how thick the soup got. I’ll definitely make this again!
Yes, it gives it such a beautiful texture. It also adds a hearty protein to the soup. Glad you enjoyed it, Ann.
Light, creamy, and oh so satisfying. I used diced Japanese sweet potatoes in place of baby reds and served with a squeeze of lime.
Japanese sweet potatoes?? That sounds super fun! I’m so glad you had fun with the recipe, Cheryl.
A really comforting soup for a cold, rainy night! I’m allergic to dairy, so it was nice to have a creamy soup without it. All the veggies made it feel super healthy, too. Next time, I’ll use less broth. I tend to prefer my soups less brothy and more substantial in other ways.
I hear you, Alberta. Soaked and blended cashews are a nice substitute for the dairy creamy texture. I also find myself enjoying avocado slices where I would normally put cheese.
I have never added cashews to a soup, my family enjoyed, I cooked sliced garlic in avocado oil to put on top.
I bet the buttery flavor of heated avocado oil added a nice layer of flavor. Good idea, Martha.