This Creamy Vegan Potato Soup is thick, creamy, comforting, and so easy to make. Think loaded baked potatoes in soup form, with tender chunks of potato in every bite! Pile it high with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, sour cream, chives, or all your favorite potato toppings.
I’m not even the biggest potato person, but I LOVE this vegan potato soup. It’s warm, cozy, ridiculously creamy, and loaded with tender chunks of potato in every spoonful. Basically, everything I love about a loaded baked potato, turned into a big comforting bowl of soup! And the best part? It’s an easy one-pot recipe, so I make this one again and again as soon as the weather gets chilly.
I use full-fat coconut milk to make the broth extra rich and creamy, and before you ask: nope, it doesn’t taste like coconut! (I’ve had tons of readers make this soup over the years who agree.) Then comes my favorite part: the toppings. Vegan bacon, vegan cheese, sour cream, green onions, crispy onions… load it up!
Why You’ll Love This Loaded Potato Soup
- Rich and creamy: Coconut milk makes the broth rich and creamy, while partially blending the potatoes thickens it even more. No dairy needed!
- Chunky in all the right ways: I only partially blend the soup so you still get tender chunks of Yukon Gold potato in every bowl. So satisfying.
- Easy one-pot dinner: Everything comes together in one big pot in about 35 minutes. Easy peasy.
- The toppings are half the fun: Vegan bacon, cheese, sour cream, green onions, crispy onions, hot sauce… pile on whatever you love!
Ingredients for Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan butter: Vegan butter adds a little extra richness, but you can use olive oil if you prefer.
- Yellow onion and garlic: The savory base of flavor.
- All-purpose flour: For thickening the soup. A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend works too.
- Yukon Gold potatoes: My favorite for this soup! They get wonderfully creamy when blended but still hold their shape, so you get those delicious potato chunks too.
- Vegetable broth: Start with 4 cups, then add more at the end if you’d like a thinner consistency.
- Full-fat coconut milk: Makes the broth extra rich and creamy, and no, the finished soup doesn’t taste like coconut! Vegan heavy cream or homemade cashew cream (omit vanilla and sweeteners) works too, or try plain unsweetened vegan yogurt for a slightly tangier flavor.
- Nutritional yeast: Optional, if you want a cheesy vegan potato soup.
- Seasonings: Dried thyme, salt, and black pepper.
- Toppings: Like vegan bacon bits, shredded vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, green onions or chives, croutons, crispy onions, smoked paprika, hot sauce, and/or fresh parsley.
How to Make Creamy Vegan Potato Soup
- Sauté the Aromatics: Melt the vegan butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and fragrant.
- Add the Flour: Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for about 60 seconds, stirring often. This cooks away the raw flour taste.
- Simmer the Potatoes: Add the potatoes, 4 cups of vegetable broth, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir well and bring everything to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Blend Until Creamy (But Keep It Chunky!): Use an immersion blender or countertop blender to partially blend the soup. If your soup is thicker than you’d like, stir in additional vegetable broth until it reaches your perfect consistency. Season to taste, then divide into bowls and add toppings.
Tips and Variations
- Try Russet potatoes: Yukon Golds are my first choice because they stay creamy while holding their shape, but Russets work too. They’ll break down more, resulting in a softer texture.
- Make it oil-free: Sauté the onion and garlic in a splash of vegetable broth or water instead of vegan butter. You can blend a little more of the soup to make it extra creamy.
- Control the consistency: Potato soup is very forgiving. Blend more for a smoother, thicker soup or less for a chunkier soup. Add additional broth if you need to thin it out. Just note that as you adjust the consistency, you may need to adjust the seasonings too.
- Don’t want to use coconut milk? Swap it for unsweetened vegan heavy cream or cashew cream. Plain unsweetened vegan yogurt also works and gives the soup a slightly tangier flavor.
What to Serve with Vegan Potato Soup
This creamy vegan potato soup is hearty enough to be a meal, but if you want to stretch it further, you can serve it with:
Storage and Freezing
- Refrigerator: Store leftover vegan potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It will thicken as it chills, so stir in a splash of vegetable broth or water when reheating if you want it a bit thinner.
- Freezer: Freeze the soup for up to 3 months. The potatoes will become slightly softer after freezing and thawing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave.
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Creamy Vegan Potato Soup (Loaded Baked Potato Style)
This Creamy Vegan Potato Soup is thick, creamy, comforting, and so easy to make. Think loaded baked potatoes in soup form, with tender chunks of potato in every bite! Pile it high with vegan bacon, vegan cheese, sour cream, chives, or all your favorite potato toppings.
Servings:
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter, or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes (about 6 medium potatoes)
- 4 – 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk, or vegan heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, (optional for cheesy taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- Toppings of choice: vegan bacon bits, shredded vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, chopped green onions or chives, croutons, crispy onions, smoked paprika, hot sauce, fresh parsley
Instructions
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Sauté the onion and garlic: In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the vegan butter or heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
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Add the flour: Sprinkle in the flour and stir well to coat. Cook for 60 seconds, stirring often, to toast the flour.
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Simmer the soup: Add the potatoes, 4 cups vegetable broth, coconut milk, nutritional yeast (if using), salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.Cook uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
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Blend for creaminess: Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, leaving plenty of potato chunks. Alternatively, carefully transfer about half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth, then return it to the pot. Or, if you prefer a completely smooth potato soup (no chunks), blend the entire soup until smooth.If the soup is thicker than you like, stir in more broth as needed.
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Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle into bowls and pile on your favorite toppings.
Notes
Cream Options: Full-fat canned coconut milk gives the richest texture without a noticeable coconut flavor. Unsweetened vegan heavy cream or homemade cashew cream (omit vanilla and sweeteners) also work well. For a slightly tangier soup, use plain unsweetened vegan yogurt instead.
Texture Tip: Blending only part of the soup gives it that thick restaurant-style potato soup texture while keeping satisfying chunks.
Oil-Free Option: Sauté the onion with water or broth instead of oil. Skip the vegan butter and blend a little more of the soup for extra creaminess if desired.
Gluten-Free Option: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The soup will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water when reheating if needed.
Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months. The texture may soften slightly after thawing.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving without toppings (recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1065mg | Potassium: 1132mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 4mg
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