Creamy vegan gnocchi soup is hearty and warming. It's loaded with pillowy potato dumplings, savory vegan sausage, softened kale, and a luxurious cashew broth.
Comfort food doesn’t get cozier than this.
When the sky is gray and the winds are biting, creamy vegan gnocchi soup is what I crave.
It’s the kind of nourishing food that makes you want to curl up with a bowl on a winter night, and wrap your hands tight around it for extra warmth.
With a velvety cashew cream base, softened curly kale, savory sausage, and pillowy gnocchi, it is the embodiment of coziness. (Readers who’ve made it have compared it to Olive Garden's zuppa toscana.)
Before being added to the soup, the gnocchi is roasted for added crusty texture around the edges, while still retaining its soft & fluffy interior. It almost acts as a soft crouton.
This satisfying soup is dotted with toothsome vegan sausage and tender kale, which adds a hit of good-for-you nutrients. It’s all swimming in a thick and decadently creamy cashew broth that will have you amazed it’s dairy-free.
Just one bite and the chill outside is a distant memory.
(Craving more warming soups? Check out my vegan fall soups round-up.)
In this post:
Why readers love this recipe
“This was absolutely incredible, the flavor was so good, and it was so filling. Sharing this recipe with every human I know!” – Jenna
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Gnocchi: Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling that’s generally used like pasta. Homemade gnocchi is usually not vegan, because it’s typically made with eggs.
However, it’s easy to find packaged, shelf-stable vegan gnocchi in the center aisles of grocery stores, big box stores like Target, and online. Look for it with other types of pasta.
Oil: Avocado oil is my go-to, but any neutral-flavored cooking oil will work here.
Raw cashews: Raw cashews make this soup incredibly creamy. Look for them with other nuts at the grocery store.
I recommend raw cashew pieces over whole since they tend to be less expensive. I buy mine at Trader Joe's.
Vegan sausage: I like to use Beyond Meat hot Italian sausage for this recipe. You can find it with other vegan meats in the refrigerated or freezer section at the grocery store.
However, any plant-based sausage works here – including sweet Italian Beyond Meat sausage, Impossible sausage, Field Roast apple sage, or Tofurky Italian sausage. Readers have even made the soup with vegan ground beef with great results.
Produce: Yellow onion, garlic, and kale. Yellow onion adds a pleasant, subtle sweetness.
Seasonings: Dried basil, dried oregano, granulated onion, salt, and pepper.
Bouillon: Better Than Bouillon no chicken base is my favorite. Alternatively, you can use vegetable broth to replace water + bouillon in the soup.
Step by step instructions
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. Boil gnocchi in water until it floats to the top.
2. Drain gnocchi in a colander. Then move it to a clean kitchen towel to dry. (It doesn't roast as nicely if it's wet.)
3. Put gnocchi on a parchment paper covered baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and roast for 10 minutes (or more if needed) in the oven, stopping once to flip.
4. While the gnocchi roasts, make cashew cream. In a high-speed blender, combine water with raw cashews until smooth. Then set aside.
Heads up: If you don't have a high-speed blender, check out alternative instructions in the notes section of the recipe box!)
5. Brown slices of vegan sausage in a pot with oil. As it cooks, break up the spatula into rustic, bite-sized pieces with your spatula.
Tip: Once the sausage is fully browned, you have a choice to make. If you’d like your sausage to stay crispy, transfer it to a plate now, and then add it back to the soup at the same time as the roasted gnocchi. Or leave it in the pot to keep infusing sausage flavor in the soup.
6. Add onions to the pot and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant. During the last couple minutes, add the garlic.
Then add seasonings:
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Granulated onion
Sauté for a minute more.
7. Add water & bouillon. Then bring to a simmer.
8. Add curly kale to the pot. It will look like a lot of kale at first. But it will quickly wilt as it comes into contact with the warm broth.
Add reserved cashew cream, salt, and pepper. Then let all of the flavors intertwine.
Then just before serving, add the roasted gnocchi to the soup. (If you reserved the cooked sausage earlier, now is the time to add it back.)
Make it your own
You can make this soup your own by varying the cooking methods and/or ingredients.
Vary the gnocchi cooking method
Depending on how much time you have & the kinds of textures you like, you can vary the way that you cook the gnocchi. Here are three different options:
Short on time? Cook the potato gnocchi directly in the soup.
You can just drop the shelf-stable gnocchi into the soup pot during the last five minutes of cooking to heat them. They will obviously be a lot softer, but the flavors are still exceptional.
Like really chewy gnocchi? Skip boiling them, and instead roast them straight from the package. Gnocchi that’s roasted without being boiled first gets really crusty on the outside with a lot of chew.
Simply toss shelf stable gnocchi with oil, put them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. (Stop & flip them after 10 minutes for even browning.)
Want to air fry the gnocchi instead? In the air fryer, the gnocchi get very crunchy and chewy on the outside.
Don’t boil the gnocchi, and instead air fry them straight from the package. Spray shelf-stable gnocchi with oil, and air fry at 390 degrees for 7 to 11 minutes, stopping once or twice to shake the basket, until crispy on the outside.
Vary the sausage
There are loads of vegan sausages on the market. When I make this recipe, I use Beyond hot Italian sausage that are sold in links. However, you can use any veggie sausage you like.
Impossible sausage, Field Roast apple sage sausage, or Tofurky Italian sausage would all be good here.
You could also use vegan sausage that’s sold in tubes, like I use in my vegan hot sausage sandwiches. You’ll need ¾ of the package for this recipe.
Readers have also made this soup with vegan ground beef, and sang its praises.
Prefer a whole foods option? Replace the sausage with 1 ½ cups of Great Northern beans or cannellini beans. Sauté the onions & garlic on their own. Then add the beans at the same time as the kale.
Vary the veggies
Add other veggies with the onions like sliced mushrooms, celery, or carrots.
If you don’t like kale, replace it with any dark leafy greens you enjoy, like collard greens.
If you opt for a lighter leafy green like spinach, I recommend adding it at the same time as the roasted gnocchi. Spinach wilts in seconds in hot liquid.
For a simple garnish, finish the individual bowls of soup with a sprinkling of chopped chives.
Serving suggestions
This hearty soup is a full meal on its own. However, if you’d like to fill out the meal, serve it with garlic bread or any of these side dishes:
Storage instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 or 4 days.
If the cashew cream separates a little in the refrigerator, just give it a stir while reheating.
Reheat the soup in a pot on the stove, or in the microwave.
The leftovers are incredible, because the flavors only deepen with time. And the cashews continue to thicken the soup, making it even creamier when you reheat it.
(If the soup has thickened too much for you, add a splash of water to bring it to your preferred viscosity.)
Be aware that the gnocchi will continue to soak up broth & soften over time. So they will be less toothsome after some time in the fridge.
For freezer instructions, see the FAQ.
FAQ
Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling that’s typically used like pasta.
It depends. Homemade gnocchi is usually not vegan. It's typically made with potato, flour, and egg. However, it’s easy to find packaged vegan gnocchi in stores.
Look for packaged gnocchi in the center aisles of the grocery store by other types of pasta. Sometimes you’ll also find it in the frozen section. Just read the ingredients, of course.
Yes! If you like less tender gnocchi that gets a chewy, crusty exterior, you can skip boiling them first.
Simply remove gnocchi from the package, and put it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Toss the gnocchi with a Tablespoon of oil, and roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. (Stop & flip them after 10 minutes for even browning.)
This is also a great way of cooking the gnocchi if you’re planning on freezing the soup, because the texture holds up better being frozen & thawed.
Yes! Air fried gnocchi has a chewier, crustier exterior than gnocchi that’s been boiled and then roasted. If you like gnocchi with a lot of chew, simply air fry them straight from the package.
Put shelf-stable gnocchi into the air fryer basket and spray with avocado oil. Air fry at 390 degrees for 7 to 11 minutes, stopping occasionally to shake the basket, until crispy on the outside.
This is also a great way of cooking the gnocchi if you’re planning on freezing the soup, because the texture holds up better being frozen & thawed.
(Want to enjoy the gnocchi on its own as an appetizer? Try my air fryer gnocchi recipe.)
Yes, you can use cauliflower gnocchi. But don’t boil it first before roasting. It is softer than flour-based gnocchi, and it can get a little mushy if overworked.
Instead, heat the oven to 425 degrees, put frozen gnocchi straight onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet, spray or toss with oil, and then roast for 20 minutes. Stop halfway through to flip.
Or if you have an air fryer, air fry it at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, stopping to shake the basket halfway through.
Yes, this soup can be made gluten-free. Use gluten-free varieties of gnocchi, vegan sausage, and bouillon or vegetable broth.
For the most part, yes. Creamy vegan gnocchi soup freezes beautifully. The only issue is the gnocchi, which can get too soft after being frozen, depending on the way you initially cooked it.
If you’re planning on freezing the soup, do not follow the gnocchi cooking instructions in the main part of the recipe card. Instead, roast or air fry the gnocchi straight from the package using one of these two methods:
1. Don’t boil the gnocchi. Roast it straight from the package. Put shelf stable gnocchi on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, toss with oil, and roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. (Stop & flip them after 10 minutes for even browning.)
2. Don’t boil the gnocchi. Air fry it straight from the package. Spray shelf-stable gnocchi with oil, and air fry at 390 degrees for 7 to 11 minutes, stopping once or twice to shake the basket, until crispy on the outside.
Gnocchi that’s been cooked either of these two ways is a lot chewier. It holds up to being frozen & then thawed in the soup.
(If you cooked the gnocchi by boiling first, you can still freeze the soup. However, be aware that the gnocchi will be very, very soft, almost to the point of dissolving in your mouth.)
Freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container. It will keep for about 3 months.
When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw in the refrigerator or use the defrost function on the microwave.
Then reheat the soup in a pot on the stove, or in the microwave.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Creamy vegan gnocchi soup with sausage and kale
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package gnocchi from shelf stable package
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil divided, plus more if needed
- 7 ½ cups water divided (plus extra for boiling gnocchi)
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 3 veggie sausages sliced (10.5 ounces total of sausage) I use Beyond Meat hot Italian sausage links
- 2 ¼ cups chopped yellow onion
- 8 to 9 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated onion
- 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base or 3 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 5 packed cups chopped curly kale About 3-4 large leaves, with ribs removed
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- Generous dash of pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Fill a medium-sized pot with water, and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi* to pot. Boil for a couple minutes, until the gnocchi rises to the top of the pot. Drain in a colander. Then move the gnocchi to a clean kitchen towel to dry. (It roasts better when it's dry.)
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Then lay the gnocchi on it and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of oil. Spread the gnocchi evenly across the baking sheet. Then move to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes, stopping once to flip. (If needed, cook up to 5 minutes longer for browning.) Once it has finished cooking, remove from the oven & set aside.
- While the gnocchi roasts, continue with the recipe. First, make the cashew cream. In a high-speed blender,** blend 1 ½ cups water with ¾ cup raw cashews until completely smooth. (Stop and scrape down the sides if needed.) You'll know it's done when you don't hear any cracking sounds in the blender.Set aside to use later.
- Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with remaining Tablespoon of oil. Once the oil is hot enough, add sausage pieces to pot & brown them. As they cook, break the pieces up with your spatula.
- Once the sausage pieces are browned & a little crisp around the edges, add onions.**** (If the pot seems too dry, you can add a little more oil.)Saute for a few minutes. Once the onions are starting to get translucent and fragrant, add the garlic and cook a couple minutes more.
- Add dried basil, dried oregano, and granulated onion, and combine with the onions and garlic.
- Add remaining 6 cups of water to the pot & Better Than Bouillon no chicken base (or your preferred bouillon). Stir the soup & use the spoon to pick up any remaining bits of sausage stuck to the inside of the pot. Bring the water to a simmer.
- Put the chopped kale into the pot. It will look like a lot of kale, but it will quickly wilt as it comes into contact with the hot liquid. It should be even with the liquid in a few minutes.
- Finally, add the cashew cream from the blender, salt, and pepper to the pot. Stir to evenly combine. Cook for 5 more minutes while the flavors intertwine.
- Just before serving, add the roasted gnocchi to the soup pot.
Notes
- Grind the dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder until they have the consistency of flour. Then add the ground cashews to the blender with the listed 1 ½ cups of water. (This is my preferred option.)
- Put raw cashews in a bowl, cover them in additional water, and allow them to soak for a few hours to soften them. Then drain the cashews and add them to the blender with the listed 1 ½ cups of water.
- Boil the raw cashews in additional water for 15 minutes. Then drain & add to the blender with 1 ½ cups of water.
- Microwave raw cashews in additional water for 2 minutes. Then drain & add to the blender with 1 ½ cups of water.
Nutrition
Photos, recipe, and content updated March 6, 2025. Originally posted January 26, 2020.
This original version was a recipe for 2, which I’ve now updated to serve 6, after many requests in the comments. Other than tripling the recipe, the only other change I made was reducing the amount of kale slightly. I’ve also included more variation options – including air frying the gnocchi.
Kira
Just made this recipe!!! It’s absolutely delicious!! I definitely needed to add wwaaayyy more liquid. Instead of water i added veggie broth. Very easy to make! I’d suggest air frying the gnocchi as well! Thanks for sharing! Will be making this recipe again. 🙂 💚
Cadry Nelson
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Kira! Thanks for the great feedback. You’re absolutely right on the gnocchi. Air frying gnocchi has been on my to-do list for a while now! Definitely need to try that and add a variation for this soup recipe. Thanks again!
Cadry Nelson
Hi, Kira! I added air frying instructions to the soup recipe. Thanks for the suggestion!
Earlene Giglierano
Excellent recipe for a cozy night at home. I tripled the recipe using 3 beyond burger Pattie’s that I seasoned with Italian sausage seasoning, A great way to get in some greens too. My gnocchi was vegan and gluten free.
Cadry Nelson
Yum! That sounds delicious, Earlene! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Cadry Nelson
Hi, Earlene! I updated the recipe to triple it, so that it serves 6 now. Thanks for the suggestion about using burger patties instead of sausage and using gluten-free gnocchi. I added those as substitution options. I always appreciate your insights!
Janie
I’ve made this twice. Most recently over the holidays and it was a huge hit!! I used Beyond ground beef as I’m not a huge sausage fan. I was told it tasted similar to Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana! The cashew cream really makes it!
I do wish the recipe defaulted to a serving of 4 or 6. I don’t think maybe people would make 2 servings. It’s just too delicious. I was making it for 12 servings so got a little confusing but I made it work. THANK YOU!!
Cadry Nelson
Thank you for the great feedback, Janie! I’m so glad you & your guests enjoyed the soup. I’ve never had Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana, so that’s good to know!
That’s a good point about the default serving amount. Maybe I’ll switch it to use one package of gnocchi instead of a partial package. In the meantime, you may not be aware that the recipe card is adjustable. Just hover over the serving amount, and you’ll see a scroll bar. You can move it up & down to how many people you’re serving. And the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly! It’s a pretty cool feature. It will go up to 20 people.
(The only thing I’d change in the adjustable amounts is the oil. You surely won’t need that much.)
Thanks again!
Cadry Nelson
Hi, Janie! Per your suggestion, I updated this recipe to serve 6, and I added notes about the option to use vegan ground beef instead of sausage, and how it compares to Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Stacy Grossman
What vegan cream can I use in place of cashew cream? My family has to avoid nuts, but the soup sounds delicious and we would love to try it!
Cadry Nelson
Thanks, Stacy! I’m glad you think it sounds delicious.
Here are some substitution ideas:
* Use 1/2 cup of unsweetened non-dairy creamer like oat or soy.
* Use 1/2 cup of your preferred non-dairy milk. Since that’s a little thinner than cashew cream, you could make a slurry of flour & milk to thicken it like a roux, if necessary.
* You could blend 1/2 cup water with 1/4 cup silken tofu, roasted cauliflower, or Great Northern beans.
I haven’t tried these substitutions, but they seem like they would work. Let me know if you make it!
Janie
I’ve made this twice, most recently over the holidays and it was a huge hit both times!! I was told it tasted similar to Olive Garden’s zuppa toscana! The cashew cream really makes it! I don’t love sausage so I used Beyond ground beef and that worked well.
For ease, I wish the recipe defaulted to a serving of 6. I don’t think many people could make only 2 servings as it’s just too delicious for that! I was making it for 12 servings and confused myself a little but it all worked out great. THANK YOU!!
Noel
Could I use cauliflower gnocchi?
Cadry Nelson
Yes, you could use cauliflower gnocchi. But I wouldn’t boil it first before roasting. It is softer than flour-based gnocchi, and it can get a little mushy if overworked. So I’d heat the oven to 425 degrees (instead of 400), put frozen gnocchi straight onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet, spray or toss with oil, and then roast for 20 minutes. Stop halfway through to flip.
Or if you have an air fryer, you could air fry at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, stopping to shake the basket halfway through.
Let me know how it goes!
Sonya
This recipe is BOMB! Rarely comment on recipes but I’m certifiably obsessed with this soup. I doubled it and it was perfect for 2 tall people with big appetites. Roasting the gnocchi was game-changing.
Cadry Nelson
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying it, Sonya! Thank you for the great feedback!
Jenna
This was absolutely incredible, the flavour was so good and it was so filling. Sharing this recipe with every human I know!
Cadry
Aw, that makes my day! Thank you for letting me know. I’m really glad you enjoyed it.
Katherine
I also made a triple batch of this soup! Just barely enough IMO! Haha. So delicious and comforting! I used Tofurkey Italian sausage. I like Beyond Meat sausage ok, but find them too greasy. Perfect winter soup, I love the gnocchi! Thanks for this recipe, it’s going into my regular rotation for sure 😊
Cadry
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the soup! Good call on the Tofurky. I really like Beyond Meat, but it’s definitely the oiliest of vegan sausages. Thank you for the terrific feedback!
Susan
Made a triple batch of this to use a whole packet of gnocchi. So savoury and delicious, and I loved the roasted gnocchi l. Turns out roasted gnocchi is also great to snack on! I used baby spinach instead of kale, and apple sage Field Roast sausages.
Cadry
Yay! I’m so glad to hear it, Susan. It’s fun to see you enjoying my cold weather recipes right now while it’s winter on your side of the world.
Sharon Doak
Cadry, I made this tonight and it was fabulous!! I used 2 sausages instead of one and next time I will airfry them because I thought a lot of grease came out of them. I used the Beyond Meat hot Italian sausages. I also added about 1/2 cup additional veggie broth. The flavor was wonderful and I really enjoyed the gnocchi and kale with the sausages in a creamy broth! Winner recipe!!
Cadry
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Sharon! Thank you for letting me know!
Angela Butler
Absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe so have some yummy leftovers!
Cadry
I’m so delighted to hear that, Angela! Thank you for the wonderful feedback. Enjoy your leftovers!
Carrie
Love your recipes and also all of your interesting observations and personal additions!!!!! You are one talented (and compassionate) writer!
Cadry
That really warms my heart, Carrie! Thank you so much!
Doug
Looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it!
Cadry
Thanks, Doug! I think you’re going to love it!