Hello and happy 2025, my chickpeas! I'm starting us off strong this year with my most recent soup obsession: my Vegan Loaded Baked Potato Soup! This recipe is warm and comforting, creamy and flavorful, and completely plant based! A must-make recipe for any potato lover.
This recipe is perfect if you are participating in Veganuary, or just want to try more vegan recipes this year. I am a BIG soup fan and this is truly one of my favorite soup recipes right now. Let's dive in!
Inspiration for Vegan Loaded Baked Potato Soup
I am a big fan of potatoes, and I am a big fan of soup. So this combination is only logical! Most potato soup recipes have lots of dairy, as well as some oil. I wanted mine to be free of both of those things, and here we are!
I like my soups to be hearty and filling, and potatoes are the perfect base for that! Our flavor profile is leaning into the baked potato flavors here. We have creamy "cheesy" vibes, plain coconut yogurt to represent the tang of sour cream, and whatever baked potato toppings bring you joy!
Ingredients
This recipe sneaks in a lot of great veggies, but doesn't sacrifice any of the comforting flavors! Here are the ingredients we are working with today.
- Cauliflower, celery, & carrot: These are a bit sneaky as you wouldn't guess they were there based on the flavor! They add some savory flavor and get blended up to thicken our soup.
- Almond milk & veggie broth: our liquids of choice - the almond milk adds that creaminess that every good potato soup needs.
- Yellow onion & garlic: necessities for nearly any soup.
- Russet potatoes: the star of our show! These are hearty and filling, and pair beautifully with our baked potato flavors.
- Smoked paprika, salt, pepper, & nutritional yeast: our seasonings of choice! The nutritional yeast is vital in bringing in those cheesy flavors.
- Plain coconut yogurt and lemon juice: for some acidity & a touch of sour (think of sour cream vibes). These make our overall flavor really shine.
- Optional toppings: top this one with whatever you'd put on a baked potato! Think green onion, vegan bacon bits, vegan cheddar, and more.
How to Make
As always, the full recipe can be found down below. But let's go over the basic gist of this recipe.
- Boil cauliflower, carrot, and celery in a pot of water.
- Drain the water and add the boiled veggies to a blender. Add almond milk and blend.
- Sauté the onion.
- Add the garlic and sauté a bit more.
- Add potatoes, veggie broth, and seasonings. Bring to a low boil and reduce to simmer.
- Cover the pot and simmer 20-30 minutes.
- Add in the blended cauliflower mixture and nutritional yeast.
- Transfer some of the soup to the blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into pot.
- Stir in coconut yogurt and lemon juice.
- Serve and add toppings of your choice!
Tips & Tricks
I am a bit obsessed with this Vegan Loaded Baked Potato Soup, and I hope you are too! Here are some ideas on how to best enjoy it.
- Feel free to adjust the consistency during step 8! In this step we blend 2 cups of the soup and then pour it back into the pot. If you want a thicker soup, you can include more potatoes in that 2 cups to get it even thicker.
- I tend to keep my toppings relatively simple and usually stick with coconut yogurt, vegan cheddar, and green onion. However, I think that my Smoky Tempeh Bacon would crumble on top nicely as a "bacon bit" topping!
- If you have a vegan cheese that melts well, feel free to toss it in towards the end of cooking! This will give you an even "cheesier" vibe!
- Looking for other delicious vegan soups? Check out my Carrot Ginger Soup and my Sweet Potato Kale Soup next!
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup cauliflower florets - roughly chopped
- 2 stalks celery - roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot - roughly chopped
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 lbs russet potatoes (usually about 3 medium/large potatoes) - peeled and cubed (aim for ½ inch cubes)
- 4 cups veggie broth
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- sprinkle black pepper
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ cup plain coconut yogurt* - (OR vegan sour cream)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Optional toppings: chopped green onion, shredded vegan cheddar, more plain coconut yogurt, vegan bacon bits...
Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring water to a boil on the stovetop. Add the cauliflower, carrot, and celery and bring back to a boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are very soft.
- Drain the water. Add the cauliflower, carrot, and celery to a high powered blender. Add almond milk and blend until very smooth.
- Bring a large soup pot to medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking, and add your onion. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic to the soup pot and sauté for 1-2 minutes (until garlic is fragrant).
- Add potatoes, veggie broth, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cover the pot with a lid and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- Add in the blended cauliflower mixture and nutritional yeast. Mix well.
- Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the soup pot.
- Stir in coconut yogurt and lemon juice. Add more salt & pepper to taste if desired. Mix to combine.
- Serve with your favorite baked potato toppings! My favorites are green onion, vegan cheddar, and another dollop of plain coconut yogurt.
Notes
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your soup-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Kat says
Delicious soup. One of my favorites.
Delaney Marie says
One of my favorites too! So glad you love it 🙂
Ellen & Chet Perryess says
Fabulous stuff. Spuds are just homey-tasting things, & this recipe shines the spotlight on the homey-ness.
Delaney Marie says
Thanks so much for the kind comment! Glad you love it as much as I do.