Vegan Baked Potato Soup Recipe

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This Vegan Baked Potato Soup is creamy, cheesy, smoky & fully loaded with veganized classic toppings. It’s pure comfort in a bowl!

If you’re a potato lover like me, you must make this Vegan Baked Potato Soup Recipe! It has all the flavors of a fully loaded baked potato, except it’s in soup form. What could be better?

I must confess though, I didn’t bake the potatoes for this recipe. I did try it, and it tasted delicious, but I found it to be more time consuming than anything. Cooking the potatoes in the pot yielded similar results, so I went with the easier and quicker route.

The method is similar to my Vegan Potato Leek Soup recipe, it just has different flavoring and toppings. It takes about 25-30 minutes on the stove too, so it’s perfect for weeknight meals.

Healthier ingredients

A typical non-vegan baked potato soup recipe is cooked with bacon, bacon grease, butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream. Holy heart attack! This makes it over-the-top rich, super thick and definitely unhealthy. The ingredients provide a smoky, cheesy and creamy soup, but these flavors and textures can be created in a healthier way.

Take a look:

For the cream base, I used unsweetened soy milk and raw cashews. When blended together, it creates a super creamy and slightly thickened consistency. That’s all the soup needs since the potatoes become thick and creamy when blended.

I prefer soy milk for this soup, but you can use any non-dairy variety. Also, If you can’t have cashews, you can substitute the soy and cashew mixture with full-fat coconut milk instead.

For the smoky bacon flavor, I added a small amount of liquid smoke and smoked paprika. The flavor is very subtle and won’t overpower the soup. If you’re not a fan of liquid smoke, you can omit it altogether. You can always add 1/4 teaspoon more of the smoked paprika.

To give the soup base a cheesy and umami boost, I added a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast (a.k.a nooch). It also adds a nice golden color to your delicious soup. For the cheesy tang, just squeeze some lemon juice in at the end.

I think russet potatoes have the best consistency for this recipe. Some potatoes can become slightly gummy when blended and that isn’t fun.

Easy method

To start, you’ll have to soak the cashews in water for 2-4 hours. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews in very hot water. Boil water in a small pot. Remove from heat, add cashews, and cover for 15-20 minutes until they’re softened.

Now blend the soy milk & cashews (discard soaking water) together until very smooth and creamy. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat oil & butter over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt. Now add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Now add potatoes, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Pour in the vegetable broth to cover potatoes and add bay leaf. Stir in nutritional yeast and *optional liquid smoke. Raise heat so it starts to boil. Now reduce heat to a medium simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Remove from heat and slowly stir in cashew cream. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Stir in lemon juice if desired (*1 tablespoon at a time). Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend until creamy and smooth. You can leave a little texture if desired.

Now for the fun part!

Load it up with your favorite toppings! I added vegan bacon, chives, vegan cheddar cheese shreds, and vegan sour cream. Fresh green onion adds a nice flavor too.

* When using the rice paper bacon, top it on the soup last. If the bacon sits too long in the soup, it won’t be as crispy (still tasty though). If you don’t have time to make the vegan bacon, you can find vegan bacon bits in most stores.

 Alright potato lovers, let’s do this! 

I’d love to hear from you

If you make this Vegan Baked Potato Soup Recipe, I’d love to hear what you think in the comment section below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.

Step By Step Photos Above

Vegan Baked Potato Soup

This Vegan Baked Potato Soup is creamy, cheesy, smoky & fully loaded with veganized classic toppings. It's pure comfort in a bowl!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 5

Calories: 305kcal

Ingredients

Cream Base

• 3/4 cup soy milk , unsweetened (or any non-dairy milk)
• 1/2 cup raw cashews , soaked in water 2-4 hours (*See Note)

Soup

• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil , or preferred oil
• 1 small yellow onion , diced
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 5 medium russet potatoes , peeled & cut into 1/2" chunks (about 2 lbs)
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon sea salt , more to taste
• Fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 5 cups vegetable broth , low sodium
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke *optional
• 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice *optional

Toppings:

• Vegan bacon
• Chives
• Vegan sour cream
• Vegan cheddar cheese shreds

Instructions

Cream Base

• Blend the soy milk & cashews (discard soaking water) together until very smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Soup

• In a large pot, heat oil & butter over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt. Now add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
• Add potatoes, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes. 
• Pour in the vegetable broth to cover potatoes. Add bay leaf. Stir in nutritional yeast and *optional liquid smoke. Raise heat so it starts to boil. Now reduce heat to a medium simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Remove from heat and slowly stir in cashew cream. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Stir in lemon juice if desired (*1 tablespoon at a time).
• Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend until creamy and smooth. You can leave a little texture if desired. 
• Serve immediately in soup bowls. Top with sour cream, chives, vegan cheddar shreds and vegan bacon bits. 

Notes

*To speed up soaking time for cashews: in a small pot, boil water and remove from heat. Add cashews and cover for 15-20 minutes, until softened.

* If you're using the rice paper bacon, top it on the soup last. If the bacon sits too long in the soup, it won't be as crispy. Still tasty though 🙂 

*Vegetable Broth: I like to use low sodium broth, so I can control the salt taste. Some broths are too salty and can ruin a good recipe. If you would like to use a regular broth, make sure to cut down the added salt in the recipe. Taste as you go along. Another option is to blend low sodium and regular broth together.

*Prep time doesn't include soaking time for cashews.

* Yields about 7 1/2 cups of soup.

* Nutritional info doesn't include toppings. 

 

 

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 583mg | Potassium: 961mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3.1mg

Tried this recipe?Follow me @veganhuggs and mention #veganhuggs!

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Melissa Huggins

Melissa is the creator and recipe developer of the popular food & lifestyle blog, Vegan Huggs. It's a friendly and approachable environment for anyone who's curious about plant-based eating or cruelty-free living. Her blog is filled with comforting, familiar and easy-to-follow recipes that will fit into every household. Each dish is beautifully photographed in her own unique style with an inviting feel to them. Also, she has built a solid relationship with her readers and has a real understanding of what makes them return.

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