Sometimes writing about food is not easy. Okay, writing about food is almost never easy for me. The question spinning around in my head right now (which is pretty typical for me) is this: “What on earth do I say about this vegan potato soup???!!!!” The question starts as a soft and quiet whisper from the recesses of my brain. Then, when left unanswered, seems to get louder and louder, screaming at me to almost deafening annoyance.
I’m not saying that I hear audible voices in my head, because I don’t. But, I kind of converse with myself mentally–like in a good way. (At least, I think it’s in a good way.)
Tell me I’m not the only one who occasionally carries on mental conversations alone.
Like, maybe you’re mentally discussing whether you should use Yukon Golds or Russets for this soup?
Or, if you’re like someone else I know really well (ahem! Jonathan :D), you’ve totally skipped the mental part and gone straight to having verbal conversations with yourself. I love sneaking up on him in the few days before a big test. He points his index finger at some imaginary object, talks really soft and low, and asks himself questions, then answers them. I love it. It’s the cutest thing ever.
So, soup. (“How’s that for a smooth transition?” = me, sarcastically talking to myself again)
When I was a kid, my mom made a potato soup for us that was very much like this one. I always LOVED her soup, and one day, I asked her what made it so delicious. “It’s the celery seed,” she said confidently. And, as I’ve grown and made my own version of potato soup, I’ve learned that she’s right. Just a pinch of celery seed takes the flavor of this soup to a whole ‘nother level. I would also add that the cashew cream also makes this dish souper (pun intended) amazing.
Side note: In my humble opinion, soymilk just does not belong in soup. I’ve tried the unsweetened varieties in soup and stuff, but I just feel like I’m eating breakfast cereal with a savory flare. Bleck.
So, here’s my gift to you. A versatile soup recipe that will turn out delicious every time. :)
Happy Day!
Creamy Potato Soup
Print recipe
| Serves | 5-6 |
| Prep time | 8 minutes |
| Cook time | 14 minutes |
| Total time | 22 minutes |
| Allergy | Tree Nuts |
| Dietary | Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Soup, Starter |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 clove garlic (crushed and minced)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups cubed potatoes ((chopped in 1/2 in thick pieces) Yukon Golds or Russets would both work great.)
- 9 cups warm water (divided, see instructions below.)
- 1 1/2 cup yellow corn kernals (I use organic.)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt (Or to taste, as you may need more/less depending if your use McKay's or a bouillon.)
- 1 tablespoon McKay's vegan chicken style seasoning (or use a cube or two of your favorite vegan bouillon to taste.)
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook/saute your onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil for just a couple minutes, until your onions are softened. | |
| Step 2 | |
| Add your potatoes to the pot along with 7 1/2 cups of water. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes (or more, if you've cut your potatoes bigger than 1/2 inch cubes) or until potatoes are fork tender. Once potatoes are tender, or nearly so, add your corn. | |
| Step 3 | |
| In a high-speed blender (I use Vitamix.), place 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup raw cashews, McKay's seasoning, celery seed, and salt. Blend on high until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add blended cashew mixture to your pot and stir until everything is well-incorporated. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Now, you can eat the soup as is, and it will be delicious. I like to make it just a little more creamy by blending about 3-4 cups of the soup (potatoes, corn, onion, and all) in a high-speed blender until smooth. Then, I pour it back into the pot, and presto! It's nice, thick, and creamy. | |
| Step 5 | |
| Serve soup hot with your favorite vegan crackers, chips, or croutons. Enjoy! | |
Note
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and reheated.
Vegan Creamy Potato Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped celery
- 1 clove garlic crushed and minced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups cubed potatoes (chopped in 1/2 in thick pieces Yukon Golds or Russets would both work great.)
- 9 cups warm water divided, see instructions below.
- 1 1/2 cup yellow sweet corn I use canned or frozen.
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt Or to taste, as you may need more/less depending if your use McKay’s or a bouillon.
- 1 tablespoon McKay’s vegan chicken style seasoning or use a cube or two of your favorite vegan bouillon to taste.
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook/saute your onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil for just a couple minutes, until your onions are softened.
- Add your potatoes to the pot along with 7 1/2 cups of water. Allow to simmer for 10-12 minutes (or more, if you’ve cut your potatoes bigger than 1/2 inch cubes) or until potatoes are fork tender. Once potatoes are tender, or nearly so, add your corn.
- In a high-speed blender (I use Vitamix.), place 1 1/2 cups water, 1 cup raw cashews, McKay’s seasoning, celery seed, and salt. Blend on high until the mixture is nice and smooth. Add blended cashew mixture to your pot and stir until everything is well-incorporated.
- Now, you can eat the soup as is, and it will be delicious. I like to make it just a little more creamy by blending about 3-4 cups of the soup (potatoes, corn, onion, and all) in a high-speed blender until smooth. Then, I pour it back into the pot, and presto! It’s nice, thick, and creamy.
- Serve soup hot with your favorite vegan crackers, chips, or croutons. Enjoy!
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http://www.sweetpotatosoul.com
thank you for this recipe – it’s perfect!
Thanks for the recipe! I modified it slightly to fit the ingredients I have on hand. I was really just searching for a “creamy” base. I just wanted to suggest serving it with vegan corn bread! It’s an Appalachian norm to serve corn bread with any potato dish.
I plan to make this soup tonight for my son, he is a Vegan! Sounds to easy!
This soup was excellent. I added a carrot with the other veggies. And because I didn’t have raw cashews I used cashew butter and just guessed at the amount. I did blend 3 cups of soup to make the soup more creamy. It does make a lot, so next time I may cut the recipe in half. Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper.
I absolutely love this soup. My boyfriend and I make it all the time. I’m wondering about the possibility of making a huge batch and freezing some for super potato soup craving days. I’m just curious how the cashews will hold up. Thanks for the awesome. Recipe
Great recipe, ableism aside.
Some folks do actually ‘hear voices’ in their heads as a side effect of many different mental illnesses. Making them feel marginalized by labeling their condition as ‘weird’ from your ableist perspective makes an otherwise great post turn into something really distasteful and uncomfortable to read for me as an ally. Would it be possible to change or remove the several negative references to this topic? I think it would only make the recipe better than it already is. Thanks :)
Wow. This recipe is amazing. Thank you for sharing this, it is now a family favorite around here :)
This is an amazing recipe. I added kale instead of corn to this and it was delicious as well!
Made this recipe tonight. I thought it would be a bit creamier/thicker. Wondering if I did something not quite right. Was pretty watery. Suggestions? Other than that, we loved it!
I buy salted and unsalted cashews all the time at Costco. They don’t saw ‘raw ‘, are they ok to use?
I’m just learning how to really cook and was looking for a recipe to use some of my 5lb bag of potatoes. I added 1/3 cup nutritional yeast to the cashew mixture and a can of black eyed peas to the soup just for fun. I also had to make my own seasonings concoction since I didn’t have a store-bought combination on-hand. This was the perfect base recipe for me to add on to! I also love your idea of blending some of the soup and implanting it back in to make it creamier!
Fabulous! I love your additions!
Absolutely delicious!! And my omnivore husband is imploring me to “not lose this recipe!!!” Gotta love Pinterest! He claims it tastes exactly like the gravy in the pot pies he remembers from Swansons and wants me to use it in the vegan pot pies I make. I followed the directions exactly and used a homemade vegan chicken seasoning I use http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/11/01/bryannas-homemade-vegan-chicken-style-broth-powder/ ( I leave out the soymilk powder)
Thank you for a great recipe!! =)
I made this soup (using less water) and it was awesome! I have never been a fan of chowders or cream of anything, but I loved this. Thanks for a great recipe!
http://www.thejoyfullyfrugalhome.wordpress.com
Hi! I’m excited to try this! I’m a new vegan (2 months in!!) and so I’m still trying to find recipes that work well for everyone in my family (my husband has been vegan for about a year now, but our children aren’t…so finding something that we can all eat can be a challenge). Thanks so much for posting this! We’ll try it this weekend when my parents come in!!
I just wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe last night and I LOVED IT! It was soooo good. I can’t believe how creamy it was. I turned to my fiance and said, “I want to make love to this soup right now.” The best part is I have leftovers. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Just discovered this gem and made it for dinner. Smiles all around! Definitely be making it again soon.
This is amazing. My whole family liked it, even my omnivore husband who hates anything that pretends to be dairy and isn’t. I added a pinch of thyme, and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. I could probably have done with less water, too. The funniest thing is, I was at my wit’s end trying to get my pet rat to take her antibiotics, and she had turned down every flavor of yogurt to mix it in, and my daughter poured a drop of soup in the spoon and the rat devoured it! So now I have to keep making this soup for the next two weeks so that the rat will take her medicine. Thank you so much for this!