Vegan Baked Potato Soup: Plant-Based Perfection
Creamy, comforting vegan soup featuring roasted and boiled potatoes in rich cashew-based broth with savory toppings. Perfect plant-based comfort food.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds russet potatoes divided (2 lbs for roasting, 2 lbs diced)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh chives chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and pierce 2 pounds of potatoes with a fork all over.
- Roast potatoes on a baking sheet for 60 minutes until tender and the skin crisps nicely.
- Soak cashews in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain completely before blending.
- Blend soaked cashews with 1 cup of water and nutritional yeast until silky smooth.
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, sauté onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, diced potatoes, salt, and pepper to the pot now.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are completely fork-tender throughout the mixture.
- Use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup, leaving some chunks for texture variety.
- Stir in prepared cashew cream and mix until heated through and well combined.
- Scoop flesh from roasted potatoes and chop into bite-sized pieces for adding.
- Fold roasted potato pieces into the soup and save some crispy skins for garnish.
- Ladle into bowls and top with chives, bacon bits, and potato skins beautifully.
Notes
- Soak cashews longer if the blender isn't high-powered for the smoothest cream texture.
- Soup thickens when refrigerated; thin with additional broth when reheating as needed.
- Roasting potatoes adds depth; skip if short on time, increase the diced potatoes.
- Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor; adjust the amount based on personal taste preference.
- Top with vegan sour cream or shredded vegan cheese for extra indulgence.