This vegan broccoli potato soup recipe is creamy, cheesy and delicious! It’s definitely a staple in my house through the cooler months but can easily be enjoyed year-round.
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Best Vegan Milk for Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup
The goal of any delicious vegan broccoli potato soup is to create a creamy texture. To achieve this without using dairy, vegans need to rely on the potatoes and the right vegan milk selection.
The ultimate way to create a dairy free broccoli potato soup that’s rich and creamy is to use coconut milk.
Coconut milk, in a can, provides lots of tasty fats which helps mimic the creaminess of a traditional broccoli soup. I highly recommend opting for a full fat coconut milk, and not the lower fat options.
Low fat coconut milk is just a watered-down version of the regular stuff so it’s not nearly as creamy and doesn’t provide the same texture!
If you really can’t stand coconut milk, soy milk is the next best option, but I would opt to add additional fat for flavour and creaminess. Blending in some nuts or seeds may do the trick!
Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Soup
Vegan broccoli cheddar soup sound good to anyone? I love adding a cheesy flavour to my creamy soups, and broccoli soup is certainly no exception!
How do vegans or dairy-free folks achieve a cheesy flavour in their cooking? With nutritional yeast of course!
Nutritional yeast is a unique ingredient that adds a great boost of cheesy, nutty and slightly salty flavour to any meal. It’s a fantastic staple for a vegan kitchen.
If you don’t have nutritional yeast, or want an even cheesier vegan broccoli potato soup, you can absolutely top your soup with some vegan cheese shreds. Or toss some cheese shreds into the soup itself (it likely won’t melt that well, but the flavour will be there).
How to Serve Vegan Broccoli and Potato Soup
This is a nice soup to serve as a side dish or appetizer but isn’t necessarily a balanced meal on its own. The soup isn’t high enough in protein for me to consider it a meal all by itself. I always say a balanced meal should aim to have a good source of protein, fat, carbs and veggies!
If you want to make this plant based broccoli potato soup a bit more balanced, you can find ways to add in some protein! One option is to replace half the potatoes with white beans (drained and rinsed from a can/ already cooked). White beans blend up nicely into creamy soups like this.
Or you can top the soup with chickpeas. Roasted chickpeas are nice and crunchy and a great “crouton” option.
If you aren’t concerned about adding protein to this soup, a dollop of vegan sour cream on top is another nice touch!
Best Type of Blender for Broccoli Soup
You can use an immersion blender or regular blender for this plant based broccoli soup.
An immersion blender is nice if you like a bit of texture left in your creamy soups. Immersion blender’s work well because the ingredients are soft enough for this type of blender to handle.
If you prefer a very smooth, pureed texture, opt for a regular standing blender. High speed blenders are a nice option, but I didn’t have one until recently and was able to blend just fine. You likely need to work in multiple batches if using a regular blender.
Let me know in the comments below how your soup turns out and don’t forget to tag me @lettucevegout if you share your creation on social media!
Note: Herbamare is a sea salt and herb blend. If you don’t have any, you can substitute for 1 tsp of salt + 1 tsp herb blend (ex. Italian herb blend). Also, I like to add paprika to my broccoli potato soup, but it turns the soup into an unpleasant brown colour, so I’ve left I out of the recipe. Use paprika as a topping if you like the flavour!
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Large pot
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 6 C broccoli florets can include some pieces of the stems
- 2 C potato peeled and diced
- 1 C onion roughly chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp vegan butter (can use vegan margarine or olive oil)
- 3 C vegetable broth (or 3 C water + bullion cube)
- 2 tsp Herbamare seasoning see substitution options above if needed
- ½ C nutritional yeast
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 398 mL can coconut milk
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt the vegan butter into a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Toss the potato into the pot along with the vegetable broth, herbamare, nutritional yeast and black pepper. Bring the pot up to a boil then lower heat to medium-high and cook for 8 minutes with a lid on the pot (keep an eye on it so it doesn't over boil).
- Add the broccoli to the pot and replace the lid. Cook for another 6-8 minutes, until the potatoes and broccoli are fork tender.
- Add the coconut milk to the pot and blend with an immersion blender until you reach your desired consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer to a regular blender and blend until smooth.
- Serve topped with roasted chickpeas and/or vegan sour cream!
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This is an updated post: Original post date February 2019.
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