This Vegan Potato Soup is ultra creamy, comforting and ready in 30 minutes! It’s best loaded with all the toppings: vegan sour cream, green onions, vegan cheese and vegan bacon bits.
You know those rainy days where the only thing you feel like doing is curling up with a blanket and a hot bowl of comforting soup? Well, I just so happen to have the perfect recipe for the cold and blustery days ahead!
Easy Vegan Potato Soup is so easy to make and comes together in under 1 hour. Naturally gluten and nut free, all you need are a handful of simple ingredients. You can whip up a batch either on the stovetop, in your Instant Pot, or in a slow cooker.
What’s the secret to creamy vegan soup? Coconut milk! Just 1 can of this secret ingredient will give this soup a velvety smooth finish and epic levels of creaminess without the coconut flavor.
Enjoy my vegan potato soup recipe for family dinners, or reheat the leftovers when you’re craving a bowl of comfort. Don’t forget to top each bowl with crumbly vegan bacon bits (you make your own, or these bacon bits are already vegan), roasted potato chunks, or a scoop of homemade vegan sour cream. A little shredded vegan cheese would be good as well, as well as chopped green onions.
Ingredients Needed (with substitutions)
- Olive oil
- Onion and garlic
- Carrots
- Russet potatoes – Or any type of white, yellow, or red potatoes if that’s what you have at home.
- Dried thyme – You can add in a bay leaf, oregano, or parsley if you wish.
- Vegetable broth – Or water if needed, but broth will add more flavor.
- Full fat coconut milk – This is the secret to this soup’s awesome creaminess! It doesn’t make the soup taste like coconut at all. If you don’t have any, use 1 cup of raw cashews and blend with a few cups of the soup instead.
- Salt
How to Make it
You will love how easy this family-friendly soup is to make!
- Sauté the onion and garlic with the oil in a large soup pot on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Add the rest of your vegetables, thyme, and broth. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil.
- As soon as it boils, lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. It’s ready when the potatoes are fork tender. Pour in the coconut milk and add the pepper.
- Use a potato masher or even an immersion blender to smooth out the soup to your desired consistency.
Season with salt to taste and serve with all the toppings!
Instant Pot Instructions
Begin by using Sauté mode on the Instant Pot to cook the onion and garlic in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Briefly turn off the Instant Pot and in add the carrots, potatoes, thyme, and vegetable broth. Stir, then secure the lid and cook on High Pressure for 9 minutes.
Release the pressure manually once it’s done, using a towel to prevent any burning. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s as smooth as you wish, and stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt and add your desired toppings!
Crock Pot Instructions
Let your slow cooker do all the work by adding all of the ingredients (except the coconut milk and salt) into the bowl. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Once the potatoes are fork tender, go ahead and blend the soup with an immersion blender to your desired smoothness, and stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt and serve.
Tips for Success
- When preparing the potatoes, chop them into small pieces rather than large. They’ll be easier to eat and will cook faster.
- You don’t have to use a full can of coconut milk. You could just add a little, or half the can until the soup is as creamy as you like! It’s very customizable.
- Pureeing the soup is optional. If you like your soup to have more texture, don’t bother blending or mashing the cooked potatoes. Personally, I like it more chunky!
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can add the soup in batches to a regular blender. Alternatively, use a potato masher to mash some of the potatoes and vegetables in the pot. I prefer the potato masher!
- Serving a crowd? Leave out small bowls with tons of toppings so your guests can customize their flavors.
- Is the soup not thick enough? Stir in a tablespoon of all-purpose or gluten-free flour.
How to store leftovers
Leftover potato soup will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store the leftovers in a sealed container or in individual portions for an easy grab-and-go meal.
The soup will thicken as it cools, so go ahead and thin with a little more broth or water upon reheating. You can heat to soup in the microwave for a few minutes or over medium heat on the stovetop.
More vegan recipes featuring potatoes
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Cheesy Broccoli Twice Baked Potatoes
- Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Oven Roasted Breakfast Potatoes
- Oven Baked Potato Wedges
Easy Vegan Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salt, to taste (1/2-1 teaspoon depending on your broth)
Recommend toppings
- Vegan Sour Cream
- Vegan Shredded Cheese I used Violife shreds
- "bacon" bits
- chopped green onions
Instructions
Stovetop
- Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Now add the carrots, potatoes, thyme and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Once the potatoes are tender, pour in the coconut milk and add the pepper. Use a potato masher to mash some of the soup, or blend some of the soup with an immersion blender until somewhat smooth. I prefer to leave a bit of chunky texture.
- Taste, and add more salt as desired. Serve with toppings of choice and enjoy!
To make in an Instant Pot
- Push the sauté feature on the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil, chopped onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion in translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Briefly turn off the Instant Pot, and add the carrots, potatoes, thyme and vegetable broth. Give it a little stir, then place the lid on, seal and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Release pressure manually, using a towel to prevent any burning. Blend or mash as desired and add coconut milk, pepper and salt to taste.
To make in a Crock Pot
- Add all of the ingredients except the coconut milk to the crock pot and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Once the potatoes are fork tender, blend the soup with an immersion blender to desired smoothness, then stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt and serve.
Video
Notes
- Try serving with crumbled tofu bacon or tempeh bacon.
- If you don't want to use coconut milk, you can blend a few cups of the soup with a cup of raw cashews instead for creaminess. Or omit completely for a lighter soup.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days and freezes quite well if needed.
Nutrition
*This recipe was first published in October 2018 and has been updated to make it even more delicious!
Another winner. I made this for my mom who loves potatoes. Needless to say I will be making this again.
One of my favorites soups as well, Brooke! I’m glad the soup was a hit! Thanks for your wonderful review and fun feedback!