Simple Vegan Potato & Zucchini Soup
My speciality is easy, nourishing plant-forward meals, and this vegan potato soup with zucchini is a keeper! It’s a creamy blended soup seasoned with dried basil and thyme, along with nutritional yeast for a “cheesy” touch. Following just a few simple steps at home, this vegan soup is ready to enjoy in under 1-hour!
This zucchini and potato soup is the perfect way to use up an abundance of zucchini!
All you need to make this recipe are 9 simple ingredients. This recipe as written makes a large batch of soup (about 4-6 servings, depending on if you enjoy it as a meal or side dish). It’s great for making in advance and reheating, too.
As a dietitian, I’m happy to share that both zucchinis and potatoes are packed with nutrition benefits!
This recipe also happens to be vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, meaning it’ll work for a bunch of different dietary preferences and needs. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Want more easy vegan blended soup recipes? You may also love this butternut squash and red pepper soup, this butternut squash and pear soup, or this creamy vegan tomato soup!
Ingredients needed & possible swaps
All you need to make this healthy zucchini potato soup are 9 simple ingredients:
- Zucchini: I used green zucchini for this recipe, which gave it it’s beautiful green colour. That said, you are welcome to use yellow zucchini or a combination of both summer squashes!
- White potatoes: Adding potatoes to soups is a great way to make them thick and creamy, without having to add cream! I like to use either Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes for this recipe.
- Shallots: Shallots get thinly sliced and help to add a bunch of flavour to this recipe. If you’d prefer, you can use diced onions instead.
- Fresh garlic: Like shallots, garlic helps to add flavour to this soup as well. If you love things extra garlicky, feel free to throw in a couple more cloves than the recipe calls for.
- Olive oil: Olive oil is used to cook the vegetables and spices prior to boiling the soup. Sautéing the veggies before boiling them helps to really bring out their flavours.
- Thyme: Like basil, thyme pairs beautifully with the other ingredients in this recipe. I used dried herbs, but if you’d like to use fresh herbs you can do that too. The amounts may differ slightly, so please adjust seasonings to taste!
- Dried basil: See notes for thyme!
- Nutritional yeast: This yellow-coloured yeast helps to add a cheesy flavour and extra B-vitamins to this recipe. Please do not confuse it with brewer’s yeast as they are NOT the same. If you’re not vegan or dairy-free, you could also use freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano instead.
- Vegetable broth: Veggie broth provides the liquid base to this soup. Again, if you don’t follow a plant-based diet, you could use chicken broth here instead if that’s what you have on hand.
Full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
If you’d like, you can try adding more veggies to this soup, like leeks or celery. Neither would affect the colour and the flavours would pair really well. Simply chop them up and add them at the same time as the zucchini and potatoes!
How do you cut zucchini for soup?
For this soup recipe, I cut the zucchini as follows:
- Remove the hard ends.
- Then, cut the zucchini down the middle (lengthwise) to make 2 equal halves. If you have a REALLY large/thick zucchini, you may consider cutting the vegetable into 4 long pieces.
- Then, cut down each half to create 1/2-inch pieces that resemble a “half-moon” shape.
This way of cutting the zucchini helps to increase the surface area of the zucchini that gets sautéed, browned, and flavourful.
Do note that this doesn’t have to be perfect, however, as the zucchini ultimately gets blended!
How do you make vegetable soup more flavourful?
Simply by adding more seasonings!
This recipe is made with shallots, garlic, thyme, basil, vegetable broth, and a good quality olive oil to help add tons of flavour. Adding extra salt and freshly cracked black pepper also helps to bring the flavours out!
Step-by-step: how to make zucchini potato soup
Start by heating olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Then, add sliced shallots, minced garlic, thyme, basil, salt, and pepper.
Sauté those ingredients together for about 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.
Next, add chopped zucchini and potatoes to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Then, pour the veggie broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, allowing to simmer for 15 minutes. The potatoes and zucchini should be fork-tender when done.
Stir in nutritional yeast. Then, use a hand-held immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot OR transfer ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
Adjust seasonings to taste, then pour into bowls. Add toppings (as desired) and serve hot!
My favourite blender
Vitamix Blender
I use this Vitamix almost every day. I bought it about 7 years ago and it still functions perfectly. It makes a super smooth and creamy soup in seconds (not to mention many other meals, like smoothies)!
TIP: if you have a hand-held immersion blender, you can use that here as well!
Zucchini nutrition benefits
Zucchini is rich in many micronutrients, like:
- vitamin A
- vitamin C
- vitamin K
- vitamin B6
- folate
- manganese
- magnesium
- potassium
- copper
This summer squash is also a great source of dietary fibre, with one medium zucchini providing 2 grams or 8% of your daily fibre needs.
Like other fruits and veggies, zucchini is also a great source of antioxidants, especially carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin.
Potato nutrition benefits
White potatoes are a great source of:
- fibre-rich complex carbohydrates
- minerals, like potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, iron
- vitamin C and B-vitamins, like folate, niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin
More vegan soup recipes:
- Nourishing Butternut Squash & Pear Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup
- Creamy Miso Mushroom Soup
- Tomato Soup With Cashew Cream
- Canned Pumpkin & Carrot Soup
Did you give this Vegan Zucchini Potato Soup Recipe a try? Let me know by leaving a comment and recipe rating below!
If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Pinterest – seeing your creations always makes my day. You can also subscribe to my email list to never miss a new recipe or nutrition education post!
Get the Recipe: Simple Vegan Potato & Zucchini Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 6 cups fresh zucchini, skin on + chopped (about 3 large or 5 medium)
- 2 cups potatoes, peeled + chopped (Yukon Gold or Russet)
- 3 cups veggie broth
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- Salt + pepper, to taste (add generously!)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add shallots, garlic, thyme, basil, salt + pepper. Sauté for 2-3 mins, until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Add chopped zucchini and potatoes to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Pour in veggie broth and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, allowing to simmer for 15 mins. The potatoes + zucchini should be fork-tender when done.
- Stir in nutritional yeast. Then, use a hand-held immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot OR transfer ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. If using a high-speed blender, you may have to blend in batches.
- Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve + enjoy hot!
Notes
- Feel free to use diced onions instead of shallots.
- If you love things extra garlicky, feel free to throw in a couple more cloves as well.
- If you’d like, you can try adding more veggies to this soup, like leeks or celery. Neither would affect the colour and the flavours would pair well. Simply chop them up and add them at the same time as the zucchini and potatoes!
- You can use fresh herbs (basil + thyme) instead of dry if preferred, although the amounts will differ slightly. Adjust seasonings to taste!
- Instead of nutritional yeast, you could use freshly-grated parmesan (if not vegan/dairy-free).
- Veggie broth can always be subbed for chicken broth, if that’s all you have on hand!
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know by leaving a recipe rating below, or by tagging @walderwellness on Instagram. I love seeing your beautiful creations!
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2 Comments on “Simple Vegan Potato & Zucchini Soup”
This was sooo good! Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that, Hillary!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂