Get ready for a rich, creamy and flavorful vegan broccoli potato soup! This is the ultimate recipe to eat on a cooler day as it’s warm and comforting. It also freezes well and is perfect for meal prep!
It’s easy to make from simple ingredients, and you can decide how smoothly pureed you want the soup to be.
Skill: Easy | Time: 40 min | Servings: 6
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Is Broccoli Soup Vegan?
Almost all broccoli soup recipes are creamy. Unless specified otherwise, this is likely from dairy products. However, you can veganize any broccoli soup recipe using a few simple non-dairy substitutions in place of butter, milk or cream.
This recipe uses vegan butter (or margarine, or oil of your choice) and coconut milk for an ultra creamy, rich and delicious soup. I also use a fair amount of potatoes which, when blended, create a soup that’s really thick and creamy!
Ingredients and Substitutions for Dairy Free Broccoli Soup
This recipe uses fairly basic ingredients. That said, there are plenty of substitutions listed below so you can create a delicious soup with ingredients you have on hand!
- Broccoli: This soup’s base is (of course) some broccoli. It’s the perfect way to use broccoli that may have sat in your fridge for a while, or if broccoli is on sale and you want to buy lots! Since you can freeze the soup, it’s a great way to “preserve” broccoli for delicious meals later.
- Potato: The other main ingredient that provides bulk to your soup is potatoes. Regular white potatoes are delicious and high in starch which creates a super thick and creamy soup once blended. I’ve made this soup with peeled and unpeeled potatoes; I recommend peeling them, but if you plan to blend until smooth you can leave the peels on.
- Onion: This essential ingredient adds plenty of flavor to a relatively simple soup.
- Garlic: Along with onion, garlic is a delicious way to flavor broccoli soup.
- Vegan butter: To help build flavor, you’ll need some fat. While I use vegan butter for this recipe, I’ve also made it with vegan margarine and olive oil in the past and both work well.
- Vegetable broth: You’ll need some liquid to blend a thick and creamy soup. I typically use vegetable broth as it adds not just liquid, but flavor as well. I also like a no-salt-added broth so that I can add some to taste at the end. If your veggie broth includes salt, you may not need to add more.
- Herbamare seasoning: I love Herbamare seasoning which is a blend of sea salt with dry herbs and vegetables. It’s kind of like a bouillon cube but saltier, and it’s how I add salt and flavor to this recipe. This seasoning is delicious in many recipes, especially soups! If you don’t have this on hand, and don’t want to buy some, simply substitute for half salt and half herb blend of your choice (Italian herb blends or Herbs de Provence work well).
- Nutritional yeast: Some nutritional yeast adds a slightly cheesy, dairy-like flavor to this non-dairy soup! I love this ingredient as it adds a ton of flavor to any recipe!
- Coconut milk: For a super rich and creamy soup, canned coconut milk is the way to go! It’s a higher fat ingredient which is perfect for adding flavor and richness. If you don’t like coconut milk, another type of plant-based milk could work in place of it, but the final soup won’t be as creamy. Aim for a creamier plant-based milk (soy, cashew or oat) if needed. If available, you could also use a vegan cream mixed 50-50 with a plant-based milk for a creamy soup!
- Black pepper: Keeping the flavors of this recipe simple, some ground black pepper finishes everything off perfectly!
How to Make Non Dairy Broccoli Soup: Instructions, Video Tutorial and Tips
This is a simple recipe to make, all it requires is for you to cook then puree your vegetables!
Step 1: Prep the Vegetables
Start by prepping your vegetables.
Cut the broccoli into small florets.
Wash, peel and dice the potatoes. Try to cut these potatoes into evenly sized pieces. The smaller your pieces are, the faster they’ll cook (large pieces of potato require longer).
Peel and chop the onion, then peel and mince or crush your garlic. The recipe calls for 4 cloves of garlic which may be a lot (or not enough) for some people. Adjust to your preferences so that it’s right for your tastes.
Next, gather the remaining ingredients so you have them on hand!
Step 2: Cook the Vegetables
Start by melting some vegan butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add your onions and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften and turn translucent.
At this point, add your garlic and potatoes. Toss to coat with the butter and cook for another couple minutes.
Now, add the vegetable broth, Herbamare and nutritional yeast. Turn the heat up to medium-high and allow your pot to come to a light boil. Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the broccoli.
Once the broccoli is in, cook for 6-8 minutes, until both the potatoes and broccoli are fork tender. This means you can easily poke a fork through the potatoes and the broccoli stems (they need to be soft to blend).
Step 3: Blend, Season and Serve
When you’ve fully cooked the vegetables, remove them from the heat and add coconut milk. Blend with an immersion blender until it’s pureed to your liking. You can also let the soup cool, then transfer to a regular blender and puree until very smooth.
Taste the soup and adjust salt, pepper or other spices to your liking.
How to Serve this Recipe: Create a Balanced Vegan Meal
I consider a balanced meal one that contains a good source of protein, carbs, fats and vegetables. This soup is quite rich and filling as it contains carbs, fats and veggies but lacks protein and isn’t necessarily a complete meal on its own.
Veggie-based soup recipes like this are something I typically view as an appetizer or side dish. It’s something to serve with a main course to make a more well-rounded meal.
In this case, a side of a higher protein food like beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, seitan or even a vegan meat alternative could be a nice addition. You could add these ingredients directly to your soup or serve on the side.
If you want to turn the soup into a main meal on its own, blend some tofu and/or white beans into the soup. I’d replace some of the potatoes with these ingredients or add to the recipe along with some extra flavor (Herbamare, black pepper, nutritional yeast, etc.). This would add some protein to the soup and create a balanced meal!
How to Store Leftovers: Refrigerating and Freezing this Recipe
Let leftover soup cool to room temperature before transferring into an airtight container. It can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat cold soup in the microwave or return to a pot and warm it on the stove over medium heat.
This soup also freezes well. Place cooled soup into a freezer-safe container and it should store for a few months.
When ready to eat, remove the soup from your freezer and thaw it in a fridge overnight. You could also run some hot water along the edges of your container to release the soup. Once out, place into a pot and warm through on medium heat.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.
More Deliciously Vegan Soup Recipes
Vegan Broccoli Potato Soup
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Large pot
- Immersion blender (or regular blender/ food processor)
Ingredients
- 6 C broccoli , cut into small florets
- 2 C potato , peeled and diced
- 1 C onion , roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , chopped
- 3 tbsp vegan butter (or margarine or olive oil)
- 3 C vegetable broth , no salt added/ low sodium preferable
- 2 tsp Herbamare seasoning (see substitution options below)
- ½ C nutritional yeast
- 398 mL coconut milk
- black pepper , to taste
- salt , to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Prep the Vegetables
- Cut broccoli into small florets until you have about 6 C.
- Wash, peel and dice the potato so you have 2 C diced potato.
- Peel and chop the onion so you have 1 C of onion.
- Peel and finely mince or crush 4 cloves of garlic (use more or less to your taste).
- Gather the remaining ingredients so everything is ready.
Step 2: Cook the Vegetables
- In a large pot, melt 3 tbsp of vegan butter over medium heat.
- Once you’ve melted the butter, add chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften. It’ll begin to turn translucent in appearance.
- Add garlic and potato, then toss to coat in the melted butter. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the garlic is really fragrant. Stir regularly to prevent garlic from burning.
- Add 3 C vegetable broth, 2 tsp Herbamare and ½ C nutritional yeast. Stir to combine.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and cook your vegetables for 4-5 minutes.
- Add broccoli and cook until the broccoli and potatoes are fork tender (can easily poke a fork through the potatoes and broccoli stems). This will take about 6-8 minutes, but it depends on how big your potato and broccoli pieces are.
Step 3: Blend, Season and Serve
- When the vegetables are cooked, remove the pot from heat and add coconut milk. You can add black pepper and/or extra salt at this time.
- Blend the soup with an immersion blender directly in the pot. You can also transfer cooled soup to a regular blender to puree until smooth.
- Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning (add more pepper and/or salt).
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