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Dairy Free Potato Soup (4 Ingredients)

This dairy free potato soup is made with just 4 ingredients and ready in just 30 minutes. Creamy, rich and so delicious, this 4 ingredient potato soup is the ultimate comfort meal that is budget friendly and so easy to make.

4 ingredient potato soup in large white pot with chopped green onion and red pepper flakes.
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Why you will love this recipe

  • Easy to make – making dairy free potato soup is incredibly easy, the hardest part is peeling the potatoes. This soup cooks in one pot (easy clean up) and would be great for beginner cooks.
  • Simple ingredients – this 4 ingredient potato soup is made with pantry ingredients that you likely always have on hand. This is a great go-to recipe to keep in your back pocket for the days when you don’t want to go to the grocery store but need something filling and delicious. These healthy ingredients make this potato soup vegan, dairy free, gluten free and Whole30 friendly.
  • Budget friendly recipe – since this recipe is so simple and the main ingredient is potatoes, it’s incredibly budget friendly. You can make your own vegetable broth with vegetable scraps to make this even more budget friendly. You can use up to 2 cups of water to replace some of the vegetable broth if needed.
Ingredients to make vegan potato soup on a marble countertop.

Ingredients

  • Potatoes – russet potatoes are best for potato soup, but you can also use gold potatoes or red skinned potatoes.
  • Vegetable broth – vegetable broth helps make this soup taste like it’s been cooking all day and adds a depth of flavor you would not get with just water. If you are trying to cut costs or only have 1 box of vegetable broth, you can replace up to 2 cups of vegetable broth with water if needed.
  • Cashews – cashews helps make this vegan potato soup extremely creamy without any dairy, making this soup vegan, dairy free and Whole30 friendly. The cashews get soaked in hot water then blended with hot vegetable broth to create a creamy base for the soup. You could also use hemp hearts (no soaking required) or white beans to make this nut free.
  • Salt – salt helps to elevate the flavors in the dish. Do not skip adding salt or the soup will taste very bland.
  • Green onion – green onion is a great way to add that onion flavor without having to sauté onions in the beginning. You can add the green onions to the soup before blending (you will have some green specks if you do this) or add it as a garnish at the end.

How to make dairy free potato soup

Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping them into 1-2 inch cubes (the smaller they are, the faster they cook).

Diced potatoes on a wood cutting board.

Add the potatoes to the pot and cover with vegetable broth (about 5 cups).

Vegetable broth with potatoes in large white pot.

Put the cashews in a bowl or cup and cover with boiling water. Let them rest at least 5 minutes.

Boiling water being poured over cashews in glass measuring cup.

Cover and bring to a boil, cooking about 20 minutes total. Once the potatoes are fork tender, turn off the heat.

Hand holding a fork to test the potatoes.

Drain the cashews and discard the soaking liquid. Remove about ½ cup of the hot vegetable broth and pour it over the cashews. Blend until smooth.

Hot vegetable broth being poured over cashews.

Add the blended cashews and the additional cup of vegetable broth to the pot with the potatoes. Blend with the immersion blender. For a smooth soup, blend until smooth. For a chunkier soup, only blend about ½ the potatoes.

Immersion blender blending the potato soup in large white pot.

Top tips

  • Be sure to peel the potatoes for this recipe. Since the potatoes need to be peeled, look for larger potatoes (this helps ensure you don’t have to peel a ton of potatoes).
  • Cut the potatoes into even size pieces to ensure they all cook evenly.
  • To peel and dice the potatoes in advance, put the potatoes in cold water immediately after chopping. This helps ensure they don’t oxidize and turn brown.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup 1-2 cups at a time to the blender and blend with the lid off (cover with a towel) to ensure the heat can easily escape from the blender. Do not use a bullet style blender to blend hot soup.
  • Make it a chunkier texture soup by only blending about half the potatoes. You can lightly mash the leftovers with a fork or potato masher.
  • You may want to add water, dairy free milk or more broth to leftovers as the soup will thicken when refrigerated.
Dairy free potato soup in a white bowl with chopped green onions on top.

Topping ideas

  • Green onion or chives
  • Cheese (dairy free or regular)
  • Finely chopped red onion
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Bacon or coconut bacon (vegan)
  • Croutons
  • Avocado
  • Crispy fried onions

What to serve with dairy free creamy potato soup

Common questions

What are the best potatoes to use for potato soup

  • Russet potatoes (baking potatoes)- russet potatoes create a super thick, creamy, velvety soup
  • Yukon Gold potatoes – Yukon gold (or yellow potatoes) are less starchy than russets but still get a buttery texture when blender. They are a great for potato soup. Just like red potatoes, start with less broth to ensure you have the right consistency.
  • Red potatoes – red potatoes break down well and are great for soup, they aren’t quite as starchy as russet potatoes so start with less broth (4-5 cups)

How to tell if potatoes are done cooking

Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. To test this, poke the potatoes with a fork. If the fork easily pierces the potatoes without any resistance, they are done.

Large ladle full of dairy free potato soup.

How to thicken potato soup

Russet potatoes are very starchy so the soup will get very thick on it’s own without any added ingredients.

If you are using a different kind of potato and notice that it doesn’t get as thick, you can add in ½ -1 tablespoon arrowroot or tapioca that has been stirred into 3 tablespoons of water. Be sure the starch is completely dissolved in water before adding it to anything hot. Stir well over medium low heat until the soup thickens to your liking.

How to make potato soup lower in calories

You can make this potato soup lighter and add more veggies by replacing 1 pound of potatoes with 1 bag of frozen cauliflower rice. This will lower the overall calories without impacting the flavor or consistency of the soup.

How to make non dairy potato soup in the crockpot

  • Peel and chop the potatoes. Add them to the crockpot with 5 cups of broth.
  • Turn on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
  • Add boiling water to the cashews and let them soak while the potatoes cook.
  • After cooking, remove the lid and remove about ½ cup of the hot broth. Add the broth to the drained cashews and blend until smooth.
  • Add the cashew cream, salt and the additional 1 cup of vegetable broth to the crockpot. Blend with an immersion blender until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

How to make Whole30 potato soup in the instant pot

  • Peel and chop the potatoes. Add them to the instant pot with 5 cups of broth.
  • Be sure the instant pot is sealed, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Let pressure manually release at least 10 minute before doing a quick release.
  • Add boiling water to the cashews and let them soak while the potatoes cook.
  • After the pressure has been released, remove the lid and remove about ½ cup of the hot broth. Add the broth to the drained cashews and blend until smooth.
  • Add the cashew cream, salt and the additional 1 cup of vegetable broth to the instant pot. Blend with an immersion blender until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
Hand holding a wooden spoon in a bowl of vegan potato soup.

Storing leftovers

  • Fridge: Store leftover dairy free potato soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Freezer: You can freeze potato soup for up to 6 months in a freezer safe bag or container (I like to freeze my soup in Soupercubes then once frozen, transfer the frozen block to a freezer safe bag/container).
    • Since this doesn’t have any dairy, it freezes well. However, you may notice that the potatoes can get a little gritty after freezing. You can blend the soup with the immersion blender once reheated to help with the consistency.
    • Defrost in the fridge or reheat with extra water or broth on the stove in a covered pot over medium low heat.

Reheating leftovers

  • Stovetop: To reheat leftover 4 ingredient potato soup, add the leftovers to a small pot and add a little water, vegetable broth or dairy free milk to help thin out the soup (it thickens as it sits in the fridge). Heat covered over medium low heat until warmed through.
  • Microwave: Add the leftover potato soup and water, vegetable broth or dairy free milk to a bowl. Microwave on high for 3-3:30, stopping to stir the bowl one or two times during cooking.
4 ingredient potato soup in a large white pot.

If you love dairy free soup recipes, you should try

Vegan Gnocchi Soup

Mexican Cauliflower Soup

Vegan Rice and White Bean Soup

Greek Chickpea Soup

Mushroom Soup

Sweet Potato Red Pepper Soup

Roasted Vegetable Bisque

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
Vegan potato soup in a white bowl with a hand holding a spoon in the soup.

4 Ingredient Potato Soup

4 ingredient potato soup is creamy, filling and so delicious. This vegan potato soup is ready in 30 minutes and great as main dish or side dish. This simple dairy free potato soup is incredibly easy, budget friendly made with just 4 ingredients. This homemade soup is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and Whole30 friendly.
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Course: dinner, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 4 ingredient potato soup, dairy free potato soup, vegan potato soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Peel and chop the potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces.
  • Add the potatoes to a large pot with 5 cups of vegetable broth. Cover and place over high heat, cooking for 20 minutes.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, pour boiling water over a bowl or cup of cashews. Let cashews soak at least 5 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, check the potatoes to ensure they are fully cooked (fork tender).
  • Drain the cashews and get rid of the soaking liquid. Add 1/2 cup of the hot vegetable broth to the cashews and blend until smooth (using an immersion blender or high speed blender).
  • Add the cashew cream, salt and the rest of the vegetable broth to the pot filled with the cooked potatoes. Blend with an immersion blender until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

Notes

Top tips
  • Be sure to peel the potatoes for this recipe. Since the potatoes need to be peeled, look for larger potatoes (this helps ensure you don’t have to peel a ton of potatoes).
  • Cut the potatoes into even size pieces to ensure they all cook evenly.
  • To peel and dice the potatoes in advance, put the potatoes in cold water immediately after chopping. This helps ensure they don’t oxidize and turn brown.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, carefully transfer the soup 1-2 cups at a time to the blender and blend with the lid off (cover with a towel) to ensure the heat can easily escape from the blender. Do not use a bullet style blender to blend hot soup.
  • Make it a chunkier texture soup by only blending about half the potatoes. You can lightly mash the leftovers with a fork or potato masher.
  • You may want to add water, dairy free milk or more broth to leftovers as the soup will thicken when refrigerated.
How to make vegan potato soup in the crockpot
  • Peel and chop the potatoes. Add them to the crockpot with 5 cups of broth.
  • Turn on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
  • Add boiling water to the cashews and let them soak while the potatoes cook.
  • After cooking, remove the lid and remove about ½ cup of the hot broth. Add the broth to the drained cashews and blend until smooth.
  • Add the cashew cream, salt and the additional 1 cup of vegetable broth to the crockpot. Blend with an immersion blender until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
How to make homemade potato soup in the instant pot
  • Peel and chop the potatoes. Add them to the instant pot with 5 cups of broth.
  • Be sure the instant pot is sealed, cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Let pressure manually release at least 10 minute before doing a quick release.
  • Add boiling water to the cashews and let them soak while the potatoes cook.
  • After the pressure has been released, remove the lid and remove about ½ cup of the hot broth. Add the broth to the drained cashews and blend until smooth.
  • Add the cashew cream, salt and the additional 1 cup of vegetable broth to the instant pot. Blend with an immersion blender until the soup reaches your desired consistency.
Storing leftovers
  • Fridge: Store leftover dairy free potato soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Freezer: You can freeze potato soup for up to 6 months in a freezer safe bag or container (I like to freeze my soup in Soupercubes then once frozen, transfer the frozen block to a freezer safe bag/container).
    • Since this doesn’t have any dairy, it freezes well. However, you may notice that the potatoes can get a little gritty after freezing. You can blend the soup with the immersion blender once reheated to help with the consistency.
Reheating leftovers
  • Stovetop: To reheat leftover 4 ingredient potato soup, add the leftovers to a small pot and add a little water, vegetable broth or dairy free milk to help thin out the soup (it thickens as it sits in the fridge). Heat covered over medium low heat until warmed through.
  • Microwave: Add the leftover potato soup and water, vegetable broth or dairy free milk to a bowl. Microwave on high for 3-3:30, stopping to stir the bowl one or two times during cooking.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
Calories
409
Fat
 
10
g
Carbohydrates
 
69
g
Fiber
 
8
g
Sugar
 
4
g
Protein
 
17
g
Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.
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