Try this creamy vegetarian potato soup if you’re in the mood for a hearty dish. With just a few healthy and simple ingredients like potatoes, onions, and vegetable broth, you’ll have the epitome of comfort food without much effort.
Similar to our Vegan Potato Soup recipe or this Leek and Potato Soup this delicious soup is the ultimate winter warmer and can be made with some basic ingredients and equipment. While store-bought soups are convenient, this vegetarian potato soup has a beautiful depth of flavor even though it's made without bacon. It is worth the little effort of making it from scratch.
This homemade potato soup can be made up in advance and enjoyed during the days ahead or whipped together as a last-minute meal.
If you’re looking for a fuss-free soup that is hearty and comforting, this recipe is a must. It might soon become a favorite soup as you will want to make pot after pot.
For more vegetarian soup recipes check out Pumpkin Carrot Soup, Mexican Bean Soup or Vegetarian Ramen.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The simplicity of this creamy soup makes it perfect for the whole family.
- It’s inexpensive, and made with low-cost pantry staples.
- It’s simple and quick to make; perfect for busy weeknights.
- You can make it year-round, but it’s especially good during colder weather.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Olive Oil: You can use an alternative vegetable oil suitable for cooking the onions. Sunflower or canola oil will work well.
- Potatoes: This recipe is great with Yukon gold, russet potatoes, or all-purpose potatoes as they are high in starch. Red potatoes will work just as well. If you have them in the cupboard, you don't need to buy anything else.
- Onion: A green onion or a combination of white and spring onion will work well in this vegetarian soup recipe.
- Garlic: If you don’t enjoy or eat garlic, you can leave it out or replace it with garlic powder. A few chopped chives added at the end will also give a light garlic flavor.
- Veggie broth: We use store-bought vegetable broth, but homemade vegetable stock will also be lovely. Nutritional yeast is another option if you don’t have vegetable stock.
- Sour Cream: Optional but highly recommended. Plain heavy cream and a squeeze of lemon added to it will give you a similar flavor.
- Grated cheddar: Optional but also highly recommended as it adds some nice, cheesy flavors. Try gouda cheese as a substitute for the sharp cheddar we’ve used here.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make vegetarian potato soup
All you'll need for making this cozy dish is a couple of simple ingredients, a large soup pot and an immersion blender.
STEP 1: Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook on medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes or until soft.
STEP 2: Add the potato chunks and some of the veggie broth.
STEP 3: Top up the vegetable broth until the potatoes are covered, and then season with salt and pepper.
STEP 4: Bring the stock to a simmer, cover it with a lid and cook the vegetables for about 15 minutes. Once the potatoes are fork-soft, turn the heat off.
STEP 5: Add the cheddar and crème fraîche (or sour cream), and reserve a little of the cheese if you’d like to add some for serving.
STEP 6: Partially blend the soup with an immersion blender. You can blend a third or half of the soup, depending on the consistency you’re after. Check the seasoning and adjust at this point if necessary. White or black pepper will work well.
Top tips
- Salt: keep in mind that cheddar cheese is already salty, as is the veggie broth. It’s a great idea to try out the soup and test the seasoning before adding more.
- Blending hot liquids: If you’re using a regular blender instead of an immersion blender, then first check if it’s suitable for mixing hot liquids. Fill the blender ⅓rd full to avoid issues caused by heat expansion. This will also prevent spillage and mess.
Variations
- Dairy-free/ Vegan: try a dairy-free crème fraiche with a splash of lemon juice for the closest match to sour cream. Coconut milk will also give a creamy texture but will deliver a different flavor. Non-dairy milk, like almond milk, will give the soup a similar creamy effect, but the vegetable broth quantities may need to be adjusted. The cheddar cheese can be swapped out for vegan cheese or left out entirely. Or check out our Vegan Potato Soup recipe.
- Low-fat: leave out the cheddar cheese and a little sour cream or reduced fat crème fraiche. A little low-fat Greek yogurt can be spooned on before serving as a tasty way to have a creamy consistency.
- Texture: you can decide whether to make this soup partially or totally chunky by how much you choose to blend. You could also blend it entirely and have it as a smooth soup.
Optional Add-Ins
- Leeks: are a lovely addition to this vegetarian potato soup and will compliment the onion and garlic. Leeks will balance the soup flavor by adding a bit of sweetness to it. If using, add it at the same step as onion and garlic.
- Other veggies: a little finely sliced celery or a few diced carrots will also work well in this soup if you want to pack in a few other veggies. They can be added in with the diced potatoes.
- Meatless/vegan sausage: Add some vegan sausage or bacon bits as a great option if you want a little meaty taste.
- Additional herbs and spices: Thyme, bay leaf, and marjoram will give a lovely depth of flavor to the creamy base of this recipe. Sprinkling over some chopped fresh herbs like Italian parsley or chives will lift the soup’s richness.
What to serve with potato soup
This soup is a versatile dish and can be served in so many ways. Enjoy this creamy potato soup recipe as a lunch, light dinner, or starter course.
Here are a few serving suggestions to go alongside this cheesy potato soup recipe:
- Bread: Think warm, crusty bread with homemade hummus or just as is. Pick your favorite bread whether sourdough or a healthy seed loaf; this is the perfect side to this creamy soup.
- Salad: Try our green asparagus salad as a great side to go with this rich soup. These two will balance each other out beautifully.
- Sandwich: Soup and a sandwich is a hearty combination and just one step further from soup and bread. Our guacamole sandwich will make a healthy and pretty sidekick to this soup.
Storage
- To store: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To freeze: Freeze in a freezer-friendly jar for up to 1 month.
- To reheat: If frozen, let thaw on the counter overnight. Reheat on low heat on the stove or in a microwave.
FAQ
Potatoes high in starch, such as russets or all-purpose baking potatoes, are the best for soups. These potatoes absorb a lot of liquid and soften up so they can easily blend.
You can leave the skins on if you prefer. You will have a slightly different soup style, and the skins will give a chunkier texture. We wouldn’t advise keeping the skins on if you want to blend the soup to a completely smooth consistency.
You can reheat it, yes. Our preferred method is to heat it on low heat on the stove with the lid on. You can also heat this in a microwave, although we suggest you stir it a few times as it’s heating up. It may be necessary to add in a little more veggie broth when reheating. This is because the soup can thicken on standing.
More soup recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Potato Soup (No Bacon)
Equipment
- big soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cups (~18 oz) potatoes *peeled & chopped into bite-sized cubes (~1 inch each)
- 1 green onion, chopped *or spring onion or regular white onion
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 cups veggie broth
- salt & pepper
- ⅛ cup crème fraîche
- ¼ cup grated cheddar (rennet-free or vegan)
Instructions
- Heat some olive oil (~2 tbsp) in a large soup pan over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes until onion is soft.
- Add cubed potatoes and veggie broth and season with salt and pepper (see step-by-step photos).
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer with a lid on for about 15 minutes or until potato cubes are fork-tender.
- Turn off the heat. Add in creme fraiche and cheddar (optional).
- Taste and adjust salt. Serve topped with more cheddar and fresh green onion.
- Use an immersion blender to blend about ⅓ of the soup (or less or more depending on how chunky you like it).
Video
Tips & Notes
- Cubed Potatoes: anything between 3 and 3,5 cups of cubed potatoes will work. If you use more then you'll also need more veggie broth.
- Salt: keep in mind that cheddar cheese is already salty, as is the veggie broth. It’s a great idea to try out the soup and test the seasoning before adding more.
- Blending hot liquids: If you’re using a regular blender instead of an immersion blender, then first check if it’s suitable for mixing hot liquids. Fill the blender ⅓rd full to avoid issues caused by heat expansion. This will also prevent spillage and mess.
- Dairy-free/ vegan/ low-fat: check out our variations above.
- Serving Sizes: serves 2 people as a main dish or 3-4 people as an appetizer.
- To store: Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze in a freezer-friendly jar for up to 1 month.
- To reheat: If frozen, let thaw on the counter overnight. Reheat on low heat on the stove or in a microwave (see notes above).
Mary says
How much veggie broth do you use?
Thanks
Katie says
I used 4 cups (you can find the exact amounts in the recipe card above) 🙂
Anonymous says
This seems amazing! Is the amount of sodium correct on this recipe? It just seems a little too good to be true.
Katie says
Sorry I checked again and the sodium is higher indeed.