Baked potatoes are one of the biggest blessings we have on this earth. Okay, that’s being dramatic. However, baked potatoes are damn good and so versatile too! For this recipe, I’ve taken a baked potato and made it into a yummy Vegan Baked Potato Soup. It’s creamy, it’s a twist on a classic baked potato, and it’s delicious! What more do you need in a comforting bowl of soup?
Why you’ll love this recipe
It’s incredibly easy to put together
You’ll likely have a lot of the ingredients already in your pantry
It’s budget-friendly
It’s so creamy and delicious but healthy too
How do I make this Vegan Baked Potato Soup?
The beginning:
I said it was easy, and I’m not lying. Here’s how to pull together this creamy Vegan Baked Potato Soup.
In a large pot add your olive oil and butter, and heat it up for 20 seconds before the next step where you’ll add the onions and cook them so they are translucent. This could take around ten minutes but just watch them as every stove is different! Don’t forget to stir them often to avoid burning.
The middle:
After your onions are cooked, add in your garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. This is where you’re getting all your flavour, so don’t skip these steps! Next up, SEASONING!! Throw the seasoning and spices in with the veggie stock paste and potatoes to cook for another 5 minutes. Don’t forget to keep stirring often!
Increase your heat to high, add water, and bring it all to a boil to let those potatoes really cook.
The end:
Next, you’ll add the cashew cream and cook for 3 minutes. This is such a good substitute to real cream to make it healthier and add protein.
When you’re done, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
What sort of toppings should I add?
Get creative and add any toppings you want such as:
chives
vegan bacon
olive oil
herbs (I love dill)
pepper
lemon
cheese
Why do you soak cashews?
For the cashew cream in this recipe, all you’ll do is add your *soaked* cashews to water in a blender. It’s really easy and a great healthy alternative to non-vegan options.
However, so many people wonder why you need to soak cashews first. There are a few reasons, for starters, it makes blending them a lot smoother, and creamier. But the most important reason is that it helps us better digest them and absorb the healthy fats and protein they have to offer.
Nuts have phytic acid, which is also found in grains and beans. That’s why we soak those too! By soaking, you’re breaking down that acid so you can absorb the healthy benefits of the cashews properly.
How to soak cashews
It’s simple to soak cashews or other nuts. All you have to do is get a bowl of warm water, add in some salt and let it dissolve, then throw in your nuts. Within 7-24 hours many of the enzyme inhibitors are broken down. Which means you can reap in the benefits in this recipe.
This Vegan Baked Potato Soup is to die for. Who doesn’t love a baked potato? Well now I’ve made it into a healthy soup form.
Scale
Ingredients
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. vegan butter
1 medium-sized sweet white onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, rough chop
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp vegetable stock paste
5 medium-large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 cups hot water
1 cup cashew cream (1/2 cup soaked cashews + 1 cup water blended till smooth)
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 cup vegan smoked gouda, grated
Toppings:
fresh chives
vegan bacon
olive oil
dill spice or fresh dill
black pepper
lemon
Instructions
Into a large pot add your olive oil + butter and heat on medium heat for 20 seconds before adding the onion and cooking till translucent and caramelized. This may take up to ten minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. After your onions are fragrant and soft you can add your garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Now, add the seasoning, spices, vegetable stock paste and potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Stir often to avoid burning the potatoes.
Increase your heat to high and add water to the pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer till your potatoes are soft and completely cooked.
Add cashew cream, nutritional yeast and gouda and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer soup mixture to a high-speed blender and blend for around 1 minute or until perfectly silky smooth.
Serve immediately with fresh chives, vegan bacon, olive oil, dill spice or fresh dill fresh, cracked pepper and a light dash of lemon.
Enjoy!
Notes
Cashews must soak in warm water for at least 4 hours before blending with fresh water.
While I am dairy-free, my family is not and this poses difficulty at times to eat the same meal. Not only that, but cream soups are usually out of the question for me. What I love about this recipe is that the base of it is vegan and all the toppings can be modified to suit! So my family added (real) bacon and sour cream to their bowl and they insisted that I make it again! It was a huge hit! A couple of things to note: “5 cups hot warm” is 5 cups hot water and though nutritional yeast is in the ingredients, I didn’t see it in the instructions, so I omitted it. One recipe made enough for our family of 4 (with teen boys) paired with a side of salad. It’s so easy and delicious!!
I tried this last night and it was incredible! I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
Isn’t it just the best!
Oh my goodness this soup is so good! Rich and creamy, you would have no idea it was vegan. I never knew a soup could taste just like a baked potato!
Isn’t it just fab!! Thanks Michelle!
While I am dairy-free, my family is not and this poses difficulty at times to eat the same meal. Not only that, but cream soups are usually out of the question for me. What I love about this recipe is that the base of it is vegan and all the toppings can be modified to suit! So my family added (real) bacon and sour cream to their bowl and they insisted that I make it again! It was a huge hit! A couple of things to note: “5 cups hot warm” is 5 cups hot water and though nutritional yeast is in the ingredients, I didn’t see it in the instructions, so I omitted it. One recipe made enough for our family of 4 (with teen boys) paired with a side of salad. It’s so easy and delicious!!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for this love, Chantal. Noted on those points. I will make some edits now!