My creamy potato soup is the perfect balance of comforting and lightened-up. Made with russet potatoes, carrots, kale, and a handful of cashews for epic richness, it delivers that classic creamy texture you crave! The potatoes break down naturally to thicken the soup, while cashews add a silky finish that makes every spoonful ultra cozy and satisfying.
How is this blog 12 years old and out of all my veggie-packed soups, I don't have a healthy potato soup recipe?! Today that changes. Meet my favorite creamy potato soup chock full of veggies to warm the soul and hug your brain on the chilliest of days.
As a dietitian, I love that this spud soup soup packs a serious nutrient punch. Since it's plant-based and has no heavy cream or milk, it has far less saturated fat (and more fiber!) than classic potato soup recipes. Don't fret, it's still as rich and creamy as ever!
Don't miss my reader fave creamy broccoli cauliflower soup that everyone goes nuts for (pun intended). What can I say..are my love language!
The low down on star ingredients
- Potatoes: I developed this recipe with russet potatoes since they're low moisture and have lots of starch, meaning they get all melty in the soup and double as a thickener. The perfect potato for creamy soup! The best part is you don't have to peel them (unless you want to). Just give them a good scrub to remove any dirt.
- Cashews: Raw cashews are my secret weapon for creaminess in place of heavy cream here. Roasted cashews can be used in a pinch but raw have the best mild flavor as a dairy stand-in.
- Kale: In testing this recipe, I loved the pop of color and texture kale adds, not to mention loads of nutrients. I like to buy pre-chopped kale to save time (I used about a third of a 10oz bag.) Readers commented that spinach was a nice sub.
- Nutritional yeast: This is another flavor secret weapon--it adds this really nice cheesy, nutty, complex flavor (while keeping it dairy-free!). P.S. I also loved this soup when I tested it with a cup of cheddar, no surprise there lol.
- Lemon: Most potato soups don't call for lemon, but I I love the bright acidity it adds to the soup so the flavor really pop! When I tested this recipe without it, it fell flat.
Let's make it!
How to store and freeze
Store cooled soup in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
This soup freezes great. Place cooled soup in freezer-safe baggies and lay flat. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat over the stove or in the microwave.
I hope you're as obsessed with this fun recipe as I am!
I'd be super grateful if you'd take a moment to leave a quick star rating and review below. Comments mean the world to me and your honest feedback helps me to continue to share recipes you'll crave!
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Lightened Up Veggie-Loaded Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
My creamy potato soup is the perfect balance of comforting and lightened-up. Made with russet potatoes, carrots, kale, and a handful of cashews for richness, it delivers that classic creamy texture. The potatoes break down naturally to thicken the soup, while cashews add a silky finish that makes every spoonful ultra cozy and satisfying.
This makes a large pot of soup that'll feed a crowd, but can easily be cut in half.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw cashews
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, chopped
- 3 lbs Russet potatoes, diced (no need to peel, scrub well)
- 1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped
- 1 tbsp salt, to taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper , to taste
- 8 cups water or broth*
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Place cashews in a small bowl. Cover with hot water and set aside.
- In a large pot, warm oil over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add carrot and cook for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add potatoes, kale, and water or broth, salt and pepper (if using broth, start with 2 tsp salt). The pot will be very full! Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Ladle 3 cups of soup into a large liquid measuring cup. Let cool until it's safe to blend. Drain cashews and add to blender (I use a Nutribullet) with the 3 cups of soup. Carefully blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour mixture into soup. Add nutritional yeast and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed until the flavor pops and tastes bright and balanced.
Notes
Instant pot: Press Sauté on Instant Pot and cook onions, carrot, and garlic in oil per the recipe card. Add potatoes, kale, broth, salt and pepper and cook on high pressure (Manual) for 10 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure. Proceed with steps 5 and 6 of the recipe card.
Slow cooker: Follow steps 1 and 2 of the recipe card, but cook the onion, carrot and garlic in a skillet instead of a large pot, Add potatoes, kale, broth, salt and pepper to a slow cooker. Add sautéed veggies. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until potatoes are soft. Proceed with steps 5 and 6 of the recipe card.
David says
The soup was good. I subbed spinach for kale and blended with the cashews. Really nice flavour. The nutritional yeast adds a real creamy, cheesy smell to the soup as you are eating. The lemon is perfect. I found too salty with the start with 2 teaspoons comment in the broth addition.
Alexis Joseph says
Hey David! Thanks for your thoughtful review. Do you mean you used water + 2 tsp salt and found it too salty? I find with water and all the potatoes that this needed a good deal of salt to make the flavors pop but you can definitely salt to your preference. Enjoy!
Pat says
Delicious
Sofia says
This soup was amazing! I blended around 5 cups of it and included a fair bit of kale, and it came out great! For everyone that said it came out brothy, just blend more of it for a creamier texture. It was super creamy, bright, and flavorful. The nutritional yeast and lemon juice added excellent flavor (and protein.) My super picky boyfriend who rarely says food is good unless it’s from a fancy restaurant loved it! Will definitely be coming back to this recipe!
Alexis Joseph says
Best news, hooray for picky boyfriend approval!! Thanks so much, Sofia 🙂
Lauren says
It was really good - but my texture came out brothy vs creamy. What could I do differently? I followed the ingredients.
Alexis Joseph says
Hey Lauren! It's a mix between brothy and creamy--but you could defintley use an immersion blender which would break down more of the potatoes to make it creamier. It also gets thicker as it sits. Another option is to use more cashews. Lastly, you could use less liquid. Enjoy!
Alexis Joseph says
Amazing, thanks Kelly!
Dylan says
Mmmm this soup is so cozy! The lemon and nutritional yeast add such a nice flavor!