A collection of Creamy Vegan Soups for all seasons. These vegan soups are easy to make, nutritious, satisfying and delicious. See my tips for adding flavour, richness and creaminess to your soups!
Creamy vegan soups are:
- incredibly easy to make! Most of the time it's just a case of throwing it all together and pureeing into a smooth and delicious bowl of goodness.
- healthy - there is no butter or heavy cream.
- a great way of including more vegetables in your diet.
- an easy way of using seasonal produce.
- perfect for feeding fussy eaters! Making creamy soups is a clever way of sneaking extra veggies and pulses into their diet. If they love tomato soup you could add a bit of sweet potato and red lentil to it and no one will ever know (see recipe below)!
- an effective method of using up leftover vegetables. For example you can use broccoli florets to make broccoli rice patties and add broccoli stems into a soup (see recipe below). So nothing gets wasted!
How to make thick and super creamy vegan soups
Rich and creamy soups can also be healthy and you do not need to add flour or cream to get that wonderful rich texture. Instead, try the following:
- Ratio of vegetables to stock
Using the right ratio of vegetables to stock/water is one of the best ways of ensuring your soup has the right thickness, is creamy and rich. This is why I often recommend cooking the soup using some of the stock and topping up with more if needed once the soup is ready.
- Use a good blender
Make sure you use a good blender and puree the soup until as smooth and creamy as possible. Different vegetables have different textures and some soups may need to be pureed longer than others.
- Add pulses
Pulses (beans, lentils and peas) are great natural thickeners and will make your soups super creamy so use these whenever possible.
I divided creamy vegan soups into the following categories:
Soups with lentils
Lentils are a good source of protein, are low in saturated fat and make a fantastic, healthy natural thickener. They do not require soaking, cook very quickly and have the ability to turn a simple soup into a hearty meal. Lentils have a slightly nutty, mild flavour, perfect to use with most vegetables. Try the following:
1.Tomato and Lentil Soup.
This nutritious tomato and lentil soup is creamy and delicious and has the added goodness of sweet potato, which tones down the acidity of the tomatoes. Incredibly easy to make, it’s low in fat, gluten free and vegan.
2. Red Vegetable Soup.
This delicious creamy red vegetable soup is light, nutritious and gluten free and ready in just over 30 minutes. It's also versatile and you can you whatever vegetables are in season.
3. Simple Butternut Squash Lentil Soup.
This autumnal roasted butternut squash soup is full of spice, warmth and flavour. Creamy and comforting, it goes down a treat on a cold day.
Other vegan butternut squash recipes you might like include butternut squash chili and Mediterranean butternut squash casserole.
Recipe for butternut squash lentil soup
Soups with beans
Canned beans are another convenient, healthy ingredient, perfect for adding protein and a creamy finish to any soup.
4. Creamy Spinach and Bean Soup.
This nourishing spinach bean soup is made using lots of fresh baby spinach and canned beans including bean water, so nothing gets wasted! It’s gluten free, satisfying and ready in 20 minutes!
Soups with peas
Green split peas are another great natural thickener perfect to use in creamy vegan soups also adding sweetness and colour. They don't require soaking though typically take a little longer to cook than lentils, for example.
Garden peas (or petits pois) are different in that they are usually sold frozen and require just minutes to cook (even from frozen). They are even sweeter than split green peas and will add a lively green colour to your soup (especially if it also contains other green vegetables).
5. Split Pea and Potato Soup.
This hearty, vegan split pea soup is satisfying, nutritious and naturally gluten free. It is simple to make, doesn't require much chopping and the peas don't need to be soaked!
6. Simple Brussels Sprout Soup.
This brussels sprout soup is delicious, nutritious and ready in just 15 minutes! Despite its simplicity (of ingredients as well as cooking method) this soup is full of flavour, which is quite different from the flavour of traditionally cooked sprouts. This soup will make you see brussels sprouts in a completely new light!
You might also like balsamic roasted brussels sprouts.
Recipe for brussels sprout soup
7. Quick Spinach and Pea Soup.
This light, creamy spinach and pea soup is made using fresh spinach and frozen peas, which are both cooked very briefly in order to preserve their fresh, delicious flavour and vibrant colour. Ready in 20 minutes!
Recipe for spinach and pea soup
Creamy soups with potatoes
Humble potato is a fantastic natural thickener and a great substitute for legumes in soups. It's cheap, widely available and creates a super creamy finish in seconds.
8. Creamy Beet Soup with Fennel.
This aromatic, delicious creamy beet soup with kale and fennel is full warmth, colour and veggie goodness. It’s also gluten free and vegan. Ready in under 40 minutes!
Other vegan soups with beets include Ukrainian borscht and traditional Polish beet soup.
9. Creamy Zucchini Potato Soup.
This creamy zucchini potato soup is full of goodness and made using a handful of ingredients. Delicious and filling it is made from scratch and ready in 30 minutes!
Recipe for zucchini potato soup
10. Creamy Mushroom Potato Soup.
This minimalist creamy mushroom potato soup is filling yet light and healthy despite the hearty appearance. It’s made using mixed mushrooms, including a small amount of porcini for a more intense, richer flavour.
Mushrooms and potatoes are a fantastic pairing and I've used them also in other dishes including Polish croquettes, leek and mushroom pie and asparagus casserole.
Recipe for mushroom soup with potato
All-vegetable creamy vegan soups
These soups tend to contain less calories and carbohydrates and more fibre than soups with potatoes. With the right ingredients they can be just as creamy and satisfying!
11. Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Spinach.
This creamy roasted sweet potato soup contains spinach for colour and roasted garlic for more flavour. It's easy to make, full of veggie goodness and delicious flavours. Made using a handful of vegetables this creamy vegan soup takes less than 10 minutes to cook!
Recipe for sweet potato spinach soup
12. Creamy Broccoli Spinach Soup.
This creamy broccoli spinach soup is made using a handful of ingredients and comes together in under 15 minutes! It is super nutritious, rich and creamy, vegan and absolutely delicious! The post also contains tips for making broccoli rice.
Recipe for broccoli spinach soup
13. Simple Tomato and Zucchini Soup.
This simple tomato zucchini soup is surprisingly delicious given how little effort and few ingredients it requires. It’s naturally creamy, nutritious and satisfying, and ready in just over 20 minutes!
Recipe for zucchini tomato soup
14. Creamy Pumpkin Carrot Soup.
This dairy-free pumpkin carrot soup is a warming and delicious autumnal recipe. Lightly spiced and simple to make it comes together in just over 30 minutes. It can be made either using pumpkin puree or fresh culinary pumpkin (the post includes both methods).
Another vegan pumpkin recipe to try next is roasted pumpkin pasta!
Recipe for pumpkin carrot soup
15. Simple Fennel Soup.
This simple fennel soup is creamy, nutritious and made using a handful of ingredients. It’s a delicious way of enjoying this vegetable, incredibly easy to make and perfect as a light meal. Made without potatoes or heavy cream and ready in under 30 minutes!
16. Red Pepper Tomato Soup with Basil Drizzle.
This sweet and tangy roasted red pepper tomato soup with basil drizzle is deliciously nourishing and bursting with flavour. Naturally gluten-free, easy to make and nutritious. Step-by-step instructions included.
Recipe for red pepper tomato soup
17. Simple Creamy Cabbage Soup.
This creamy cabbage soup contains only 4 vegetables (including the cabbage!) and is not what you expect cabbage soup to be! It’s vibrant, tangy, light and refreshing, does not contain potatoes and comes together incredibly quickly. Ready in under 30 minutes!
If you are a fan of cabbage try also turning it into a juice or combining with pasta for a delicious vegetarian meal.
Recipe for creamy cabbage soup
Semi-creamy soups
This category includes soups that haven't been pureed but only partly mashed to produce a thick, semi-creamy consistency. They have plenty of texture as the vegetables they contain aren't 'hidden'.
18. Roasted Root Vegetable Soup.
This hearty, delicious roasted root vegetable soup is made from scratch and ready in only about 40 minutes. Most of the work is done in the oven and the soup itself takes only about 5 minutes to cook!
See also root vegetable stew and balsamic root vegetables!
Recipe for root vegetable soup
19. Cauliflower Potato Soup.
This simple cauliflower potato soup is full of flavour despite containing only a handful of ingredients. Quick and easy to prepare it is ready in under 30 minutes. Enjoy vegan or with a sprinkle of cheese and knob of butter.
What toppings to use for creamy dairy free soups
- Plant-based yogurt
- Croutons
- Toasted nuts or seeds
- Drizzle of olive oil or coconut milk
- Vegan cheese shreds or nutritional yeast
How to add more flavour to vegetarian soups
- Use vegetable stock rather than just water.
- Add herbs for freshness.
- Use an acidic ingredient, such as vinegar, lemon juice or tomatoes/tomato puree (this works especially well with soups containing sweet ingredients, such as sweet potato or beets).
- Add a drop of soy sauce for more depth of flavour.
More vegan soup recipes to try next
See also these other easy, delicious soup recipes including a collection of traditional Polish soups!
Keep in touch!
Have you made any of these creamy vegan soup recipes? Let me know which one. How did it turn out for you?
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Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I am a soup lover so I am totally digging this round-up of the best soup recipes! I want to try them all!
Monika
Thank you! Glad you liked my soup recipe roundup:)