Vegan Creamy Baked Potato Soup
By Ashley Melillo of Blissful Basil
With dairy at nearly every turn recipe step, veganizing baked potato soup seems like an impossible task.
Lucky for you (and let’s be honest, for us too), we were up to the challenge.
We’ve not only figured out a way to veganize the traditionally dairy-laden comfort soup, we’ve managed to (secretly) pack it to the brim with nourishing vegetables.
Instead of the typical base of milk, the base in this vegan version of baked potato soup is made with cauliflower-cashew cream. The combination offers a rich, buttery, and highly creamy quality to the soup. So much so that you’d never know it was vegan without having seen the recipe.
While the cauliflower-cashew cream works its magic as the base in this soup, the addition of scallions and heaps of cubed baked potatoes add substance and depth.
Traditionally, baked potato soup calls for lots of bacon, but we’ve found that a generous dash of smoked salt adds the perfect (harm-free) hickory flavor.
Just before the soup is finished, plain vegan yogurt is swirled in to offer a sour cream like tang, and a few handfuls of freshly grated dairy free block style cheddar cheese add that beloved sharp, zesty quality.
No baked potato soup is complete without classic baked potato toppings. Our favorites are chopped chives, grated vegan cheddar cheese, and swirls of plain yogurt.
As written, this recipe is naturally vegan, grain-free, and gluten-free. We’ve also included notes on how to adapt it to be nut-free.
Before we send you on your soup-simmering way, here’s one last tip for those who like to simplify day-of preparation: To keep your day-of kitchen time to a swift 30-minute window, prepare the baked potatoes a day or two ahead of time.
We hope you love this plant-powered version of the comforting classic as much as we do.
Creamy Vegan Baked Potato Soup
Serves 6 | Bake time: 1 hour; Preparation time: 10 minutes; Simmer time: 20 minutes; Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
vegan, grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free option
Soup
4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry
Olive oil, salt, pepper
4 cups fresh or frozen cauliflower florets
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) vegan buttery spread or olive oil
6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 cups filtered water, divided
2/3 cup raw cashews, soaked for two hours and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon smoked salt*
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plain, unsweetened cultured vegan yogurt (I recommend Cashewgurt)**
3 to 5 ounces block-style vegan cheddar cheese, grated
Optional Toppings
Chopped chives
Grated vegan cheddar cheese
Swirls of plain vegan yogurt
To Prepare
I recommend baking the potatoes ahead of time (see steps below) so that you're not waiting around for them to finish baking as you're making the soup. You can bake them up to two days ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use. In a pinch, use The Kitchn's method for microwave baked potatoes to cut down on time.
Just before making the soup, bring a large pot of water to a boil (this is for the cauliflower).
To Bake the Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425F. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Massage the potatoes with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prick the potatoes with the tines of a fork in several places to allow steam to escape while baking. Transfer the potatoes to the lined baking pan.
Bake the potato for 50 to 60 minutes, flipping every 20 minutes or so, or until the insides feel completely soft when pierced with a fork. Let cool before handling.
To Make the Soup
Add the cauliflower florets to the boiling water. Boil for 7 to 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
While the cauliflower boils, heat the vegan butter (or oil) in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the scallions and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened and just beginning to caramelize.
Meanwhile, peel the baked potatoes (or don't if you prefer the added nutrition of the skins + a more rustic texture) and cut into small cubes. Set aside.
Once the cauliflower is ready, add it to a high-speed blender along with 3 cups of the filtered water and the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, sea salt, smoked salt, and several cranks of freshly ground pepper. Blend on high for 2 minutes, or until completely smooth.
Add the cauliflower-cashew cream to the pot along with the remaining 1 cup filtered water and the cubed potatoes. Stir to incorporate. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered to guard against splatters, for 10 minutes.
Whisk in the yogurt and grated cheddar cheese. Continue to cook until the yogurt is warmed through and the cheese is melty, stirring frequently.
Taste and season with more salt, to taste—to up the smoky flavor, season with more smoked salt.
Ladle the soup into bowls, top as desired, and serve.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days and frozen for up to 1 month.
*Smoked salt is trickier to find than regular salt, but please, please don't skip this part! It adds a smoky bacon-like taste to the soup that really takes it from basic to WOW-worthy.
**Whichever yogurt you use, you want it to have a sour cream like tang. We find that Cashewgurt offers the most authentic tang and it's texture is reminiscent of sour cream as well. Be wary of very thick, gelatinous yogurts and avoid yogurts that aren't cultured as they won't offer the proper tang.
***No nuts? No problem. To keep this dish nut-free, use shelled hemp seeds in place of the cashews and opt for nut-free yogurt and cheese. Also be sure to check the ingredients on your vegan butter (some contain coconut) and opt for a nut-free alternative if needed.
