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.

close up of a bowl of soup with cheese, sour cream and bacon bits on top

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.

looking down on two bowls of soup, light orange in color with sour cream and cheese, chives on top

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!

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic with the oil in a large soup pot on the stovetop over medium heat.
  2. Add the rest of your vegetables, thyme, and broth. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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!

collage of how to make the soup

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.

ladle holding vegan potato soup from a pot

More vegan recipes featuring potatoes

close up of a bowl of potato soup with lots of cheese, sour cream and bacon bits
4.82 stars (66 ratings)

Easy Vegan Potato Soup

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.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

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

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

  1. Try serving with crumbled tofu bacon or tempeh bacon.
  2. 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.
  3. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days and freezes quite well if needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 503mg | Potassium: 921mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4072IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

*This recipe was first published in October 2018 and has been updated to make it even more delicious!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here.

Posted In: , , , , , , , , ,

you may also like:

Comments

  1. Really dumb question but I keep all the vegetable broth in when I blend it as well right? Or should I strain before putting it in the blender.

    I love your recipes so much thank you for all the yummy recipes you’ve shared <3

    1. No worries! I use an immersion blender here so it just goes straight into the pot, vegetable broth and all. If you are going to put the whole soup in a regular blender to get it smooth, yes I would include the broth. An immersion blender is much easier though. Thank you so much!

  2. I made this recipe for a family members birthday dinner. It is delicious! I am not vegan but dairy, egg, and garlic sensitive. All family members loved it. I left out the garlic, sauteed some leeks with the onion and traded the coconut milk with Ripple brand half and half as suggested earlier. We followed it up with a chocolate pudding filled cake with your chocolate buttercream frosting recipe. ? Thank you for such lovely recipes!

  3. Delicious! I used the “hot soup” setting on my vitamix and turned out amazing! After our first batch we made another but added some celery that we cooked before blending… voila cream of celery! Hooray! Childhood favorite reborn. And I forgot to mention that left out the cashews for a fat free soup… just perfect! Thank you so much love all your recipes!:)

  4. I just made this and am enjoying a nice, hot, yummy cup. I made it as per the recipe. It tastes amazing! This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  5. This was definitely the best soup i’ve ever had. Everyone who ate it loved it! I was wondering how long it usually lasts in the fridge?

  6. Just made this for my husband who dislikes soup.
    I couldn’t bring myself to use a can of coconut milk. I instead substituted for 1 1/5 – 2 cup almond milk and a 1 Tbsp of blended chia seeds. The chia seeds completely pass as pepper, which I did add too along with some rosemary, moringa, celery salt, and nutritional yeast. I was going to add a splash of lemon too, but opted for some fire cider since we are sick anyways.
    Anyways it was super easy. I made it in my great grandma’s pressure cooker and than whipped it up in the blender. My husband had 3 helpings! I am making this again. Thank you!

  7. Delicious! Tasted a bit bland but WOW a little salt really brings it together, maybe it’s due to the fact I used low sodium vegetable broth. Either way my family loved it, and so did I, and only cost me about 10 bucks to boot! Thanks a million!

  8. We’re having a rare soup-weather night in South Florida and this hit the spot! I’ll definitely be making this again!

  9. There is a new product, Ripple milk and half and half. I think it is wonderful. I’m going to try it today with this recipe as I do not have any coconut milk on hand but will try that too soon.

    1. Oh that will probably work very well! I’ve seen it but haven’t picked one up yet. Let me know how it turns out, thanks!

  10. I made some substitutions only because I didn’t have everything (like the vegie broth or carrots)It was my first time to use coconut cream and oh my, so rich in flavor but not coco nutty at all, more creamy. I’ve shared this amazingly delicious recipe with friends and they too are hooked! Thank you!

  11. This was excellent. Just made it. It was flavorful and so filling. You were right. There is no coconut taste. My daughter had 3 bowls! Soup recipes can be surprisingly hard. I have true many that came out bland. This is delicious. A keeper. Thanks

    1. Sure, no worries! To make the soup really creamy without any coconut milk, you can blend some of the soup (a few cups) with 1 cup of raw cashews in a high powered blender, then return it back to the pot. You could also leave it out completely; the soup won’t be as creamy but it will still taste good. Hope that helps!

    1. I’m glad you thought the soup was delicious! That is strange about the coconut flavor; my coconut disliking family members couldn’t detect it in this soup.

    2. Mine also had a coconuty flavor too it. I’m slowly transitioning to a plant based lifestyle. Your recipes have helped me so much with meal prep! I really enjoy cooking, but I’m also hoping to lose weight from changing my diet. Is it possible to get the nutritional facts?

    1. Yes, you could cut the recipe in half. The soup will last about 5 days in the refrigerator. It also freezes well!

  12. I tried this soup today! I had half a bag of pink potatoes in the fridge that were just screaming ‘USE USSSS’… The outcome ended up a very unique take on your recipe not only because my potatoes were pink but also because I had no onion but happened to find a small bunch of spring onion at the back of the fridge, and, after reading the above comment, I decided to experiment with spices and herbs a little which made the soup spicier than I had expected. Safe to say the recipe is very customizable. 🙂 My picky fiancée didn’t appreciate it but all in all, I find it very tasty! Thank you Nora!

  13. I made this tonight, and my husband and I really liked it! He said he would eat it once a week! We both felt it was a teensy bit bland, even after adding salt and pepper, but we are going to experiment by adding different things to the leftovers! Maybe add some hot sauce of some kind, or something like that. Do you have any suggestions on what might be good to add? Thanks again!!

    1. I often enjoy it with some hot sauce on top, like Sriracha or even Buffalo Sauce. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the soup, and hope you find ways to spice it up!

    1. In a carton or the canned version? They both would work, the carton of unsweetened coconut milk will work fine but won’t be as rich and creamy as if you used a can of full fat coconut milk. But yes it will work!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.