This creamy vegan potato soup recipe is fully loaded with all of your favorite toppings. It’s like a baked potato in soup form.
With seitan bacon, vegan cheddar, non-dairy sour cream, and green onions, it’s a full meal in a bowl!
If you love a baked potato piled high with all of your favorite toppings, you are going to adore this creamy vegan potato soup.
Standard baked potato soup tends to be a heavy affair. It’s laden with cream, cheese, and animal products aplenty.
This dairy-free potato soup recipe nixes those ingredients.
But you still get the experience of a warming, filling soup that will dampen the howling winds outside.
This full-bodied vegan potato soup gets its creaminess by way of raw cashews. They are blended with water to make a thick cashew cream.
It’s packed in the soup with onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.
But what really makes this dish special occasion-worthy is the toppings.
Cover your soup with decadent toppings like shredded vegan cheddar, vegan sour cream, green onions, and crispy seitan bacon.
Creamy vegan potato soup is one of those dishes that surprises you with its deliciousness.
It’s definitely worth of adding to your holiday menu.
Everyone can load up their bowls with the toppings of their choosing.
Plus, this quick, homemade soup is ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need for this vegan baked potato soup recipe.
Raw cashews: Raw cashews give this soup its creaminess.
I recommend buying raw cashew pieces, as they’re less expensive than whole. Look for them with the other nuts in the grocery store.
Avocado oil: Any neutral-flavored oil will work here.
Onions & garlic: Yellow onions and garlic add a delicious base of flavor.
Bouillon: I like to use Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base. Vegetable bouillon cubes will also work.
Russet potatoes: Russet potatoes have wonderful body & creamy texture for this hearty soup.
You can leave the peels on for added nutrients. Or remove them for a brighter color.
Dried herbs: Rosemary & thyme add fragrant wintery flavor.
Seitan bacon: Smoky seitan bacon adds bite and crispiness to this comforting soup.
Herbivorous Butcher & Upton’s Naturals are my favorite seitan bacon brands.
Green onions: Mild green onions really bring home that baked potato experience.
You can use both the green and white parts.
Vegan cheese: Cheddar-style cheese is my preferred option. There are loads of brands out there like Daiya and Violife.
Vegan sour cream: There are lots of vegan sour cream options like Trader Joe’s, Kite Hill, Follow Your Heart, or Tofutti.
Or you can use a dollop of vegan cream cheese. Miyoko’s is a good one!
Water, salt & pepper: These staples round out the recipe.
Step by step instructions
Here’s how to make this easy potato soup recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Make the cashew cream.
Combine the following in a high speed blender:
- Water
- Raw cashews
Blend until totally smooth. Then set aside.
(If you don’t have a high speed blender, see the notes section of the recipe card for workarounds.)
Saute onions & garlic in a soup pot with oil.
Once they are translucent & fragrant, add the following:
- Water
- Bouillon
- Potato chunks
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Salt
- Pepper
Bring to a simmer.
Then lower heat & cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
Once the potatoes are soft, use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it has reached your preferred viscosity.
Make it a totally smooth pureed soup, leave it chunky, or go somewhere in between.
(If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully move the soup to a stand blender. Blend in batches if necessary. Then transfer back to the pot.)
Stir in cashew cream.
In a non-stick skillet, brown seitan bacon pieces in oil.
Ladle soup into bowls.
Top with the following:
- Seitan bacon
- Green onions
- Shredded vegan cheddar cheese
- Vegan sour cream
Make it your own
Make this soup your own by varying the ingredients, cooking methods, or amounts.
- Add more veggies with the onions like celery or carrots.
- Instead of bouillon + water, use vegetable broth for the soup base.
- Replace dried herbs with fresh. Use ½ Tablespoon each of fresh rosemary & thyme.
- Replace seitan bacon with tempeh bacon (from The Full Helping), coconut bacon, smoky Soy Curls, or the vegan bacon of your choice.
- Instead of chopping the seitan bacon, rip it in pieces by hand for a rustic look with varying textures.
- Omit vegan sour cream or replace it with vegan cream cheese.
- Vary the type of vegan cheese.
- Replace the green onion topping with chives.
- If you peeled your potatoes for the soup, use the air fried potato peels as a crispy topping!
- Instead of fully blending the soup, leave it chunky. Or roughly smash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork.
- Change up the toppings for a festive melted snowman soup.
Can I make it gluten free?
Yes!
This soup can easily be gluten free with a couple of simple substitutions.
- Make sure that your bouillon is gluten-free.
- Then top it with a gluten-free vegan bacon.
Storage & reheating instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Store the soup separate from the toppings.)
Vegan potato soup will last for about 4 days.
It also freezes well. Store in freezer bags or other freezer-safe containers.
When you’re ready to enjoy it, thaw it in the refrigerator or with the defrost function on the microwave.
Reheat in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. Then top with your preferred toppings.
More vegan soups
Here are more vegan soup recipes you’ll love!
📖 Recipe
Creamy vegan potato soup
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups water divided
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cashews*
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil or other neutral-flavored oil, divided
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base or 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes cut in 1-inch pieces (About 4 medium-sized potatoes. Peeled or unpeeled – your choice)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt divided**
- Dash of pepper
- ¼ cup chopped seitan bacon
- ¼ cup green onions sliced
- ¼ cup non-dairy cheese shredded
- ¼ cup vegan sour cream or vegan cream cheese
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, blend ½ cup water and raw cashews until completely smooth. (Don't have a high speed blender? See the notes below.) Set the liquid aside for later use.
- Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with one teaspoon of oil. Saute onions and garlic until they become translucent and fragrant.
- Add remaining 4 cups of water to the pot, along with bouillon, potatoes, thyme, rosemary, one teaspoon of salt, and a dash of pepper. (If you prefer a very thick soup, use 3 ½ cups of water instead of 4.)
- Bring the water to a simmer. Once it is simmering, lower the heat, and cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork.
- Once the potatoes are soft, use an immersion blender to blend the soup. Depending on your preferences, you can blend it until totally smooth like a puree, leave it chunky, or go somewhere in between.(Don't have an immersion blender? Carefully move the soup to a regular blender, in batches if necessary, to blend until smooth. Then transfer it back to the soup pot.)
- Add the cashew cream from the blender to the pot. Stir to combine.
- If the soup is at your desired thickness, it's ready to serve. If it's too thin, allow it to cook a little longer. If it's too thick, add a splash of water. Taste for salt and add remaining half teaspoon, if needed.
- Bring a non-stick skillet to a medium heat with remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Brown seitan bacon in skillet. Stir with a spatula to get it evenly browned all over.
- Ladle the soup into four bowls and top each one with your choice of toppings: browned seitan bacon, green onions, non-dairy cheese, and/or vegan sour cream.
Video
Notes
- Grind dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder until they become the texture of flour. Then add them to the blender with ½ cup water.
- Soak raw cashews in water for about 4 hours. Drain and add to the blender with ½ cup water.
- Boil raw cashews in water for about 15 minutes. Drain & add to the blender with ½ cup water.
Nutrition
Content, photos, and recipe updated November 18, 2022. Originally posted November 9, 2017.
Laura VZ
I finally made this recipe for the first time, and it turned out great! I like that there aren’t a ton of ingredients but there’s also flexibility as far as adding more flavor and the suggestions for extras. I ended up topping it with seitan Italian sausage and The Herbivorous Butcher smoked gouda. Can’t wait to make it again!
Cadry
Thanks for the great feedback, Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Good call on the Italian sausage and smoked gouda. That sounds amazing!
Penny
I made this recently when I was craving potato soup, & it was so tasty! I subbed Kite Hill cream cheese for the cashew cream to make it even quicker, and I also skipped the regular blender step because I wanted it to be thick and a little chunky. Thanks for the recipe!
Cadry
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Penny! Those are good time saving tips too. Thanks for letting me know!
Shell
Yum! This is delicious! There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup this time of year.
Cadry
Thanks, Shell! I totally agree. When the wind is biting, a warm bowl of soup takes the edge off.
Andrea
I used to love potato soup but haven’t made it for years. I guess it’s time to correct that mistake! Your version looks delicious . Your photos are scrumptious!
Cadry
Thank you, Andrea! I hope you get a chance to whip up a batch sometime soon.
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, this looks so amazing! I love potato soup, and these toppings are basically my ideal.
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! I totally agree. Anything is better with seitan bacon on top.
Dianne
I love the idea of foods masquerading as other foods – it’s so much fun! I’ve actually never had baked potato soup (weird, I know!) but I love baked potatoes, so I need to try this very soon!
Cadry
Oh, if you love baked potatoes then you’d be all over this soup. Give it a whirl the next time you have a chilly day!
Becky
Aah this looks so good, Cadry! I love potato soup!
Cadry
Me too! Potatoes really are the ultimate comfort food.
Jennifer Bliss
Perfect time of year for this!!!!
Cadry
Definitely!