This Vegan Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup is low-fat, dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free and features roasted broccoli and roasted potatoes on top for the most delicious flavor and texture. It uses only 8 ingredients and is ready in less than an hour.
VEGAN BROCCOLI POTATO SOUP
How can a soup be so incredibly delicious when it is totally dairy-free, oil-free and low-fat?! Well, this one is! We are talking smoky flavor, cheesy flavor, exceptional creaminess and so much roasted, crispy texture instead of just a plain old boring pureed potato soup. This vegan broccoli potato soup has almost a bacon type flavor from the smokiness and is so easy, being only 8 ingredients!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
(full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below)
- Russet potatoes: Potatoes are the creamy base of the soup, but I take it a step further and roast some extra to top the soup with. You end up with SO much awesome texture and flavor!
- Broccoli florets: Roasting these and then adding to the end of the soup gives more flavor and texture.
- Nutritional yeast: This imparts a cheesy flavor to the soup.
- Smoked paprika: This spice obviously yields a wonderful smoky flavor to the soup.
- Garlic cloves: For extra yummy depth of flavor.
- White or yellow onion
- Dill pickle juice: From a jar of dill pickles. This is an odd ingredient, but trust me, it imparts extra depth of flavor and lends to its cheesiness!
- Canned lite coconut milk: There is only a small amount of milk used for this recipe, which keeps it low-fat. But the coconut milk is wonderfully creamy and leaves no coconut taste since it is the lite version.
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BROCCOLI POTATO SOUP
Step 1: Add only the potatoes to a medium pot. Add the water, salt/pepper, onion, garlic and smoked paprika. Stir well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are really tender.
TIP: For the crispy potatoes on top as well for extra texture, measure out 2 cups extra of chopped potatoes. You will bake them at the same time as the broccoli below.
Step 2: Spread the broccoli out evenly on a lined pan with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.
Step 3: For the extra potatoes for garnish, add them to a separate pan, season with salt and pepper and place them on the bottom rack.
Step 4: Once the potatoes in the pot are tender, add the coconut milk, nutritional yeast and pickle juice. Using a handheld immersion stick blender, blend until all the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Stir in the broccoli and top with extra baked potatoes.
LOW-FAT BUT FULL OF FLAVOR
Low-fat doesn’t mean boring or bland though, I can assure you. This soup is super creamy and full of flavor and yet, only has about 2 g fat per cup! Potatoes are my favorite food in the entire world….as if you hadn’t already figured that out by my recipe index. This is because they are basically fat-free, full of vitamins, so incredibly healthy, filling, give us fuel and energy, healthy carbs and fiber-rich, so they are slower to digest, keeping us full longer. The longer we are full, the less we are likely to indulge on unhealthy junk food. I don’t need to explain how much potatoes have healed my hubby’s gout either. No other food satisfies me like a potato. I got much love for the spud. Don’t be afraid of these types of carbs!
I debated on calling this a “cheesy” broccoli potato soup, but it only has a mild cheesy flavor, so I didn’t think it fit the title. I didn’t want to go overboard on the cheese flavor, but feel free to increase that cheese part if you like. Due to my recent discovery of pickle juice in cream cheese, I added a good amount to this soup and it really boosts the flavor and lends a bit of cheesy flavor.
This Vegan Broccoli Potato Soup comes together with very easy, basic ingredients and in under an hour.
MORE VEGAN SOUP RECIPES TO TRY
- Hearty Italian White Bean Basil Soup
- Easy 1 Pot Creamy Curry Rice Soup
- Sweet Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
- Hearty Veggie Potato Stew
- Healthy Potato Carrot Tomato Soup
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Smoky Broccoli Potato Soup (Low-fat)
Ingredients
- 4 heaping cups of chopped 1/2 inch pieces of russet potatoes (these produce the best texture result (with skins on, 570g, plus 2 extra cups {280g} for baking & garnish later)
- 2 cups (480g) water
- salt & pepper (1 teaspoon salt and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon black pepper, to taste)
- 1/2 packed cup (80g) finely chopped onion
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 heaping cups (170g) broccoli florets, I used frozen
- 1/2 cup (120g) "lite" canned coconut milk (if you don't want to use coconut, make sure to select another creamy plant-based milk, such as cashew or soy. I wouldn't suggest almond b/c of the strong taste)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons (30g) dill pickle juice (gives depth of flavor & aids in giving a somewhat cheesy flavor)
Instructions
- Add only the 4 cups chopped potatoes to a medium pot. Add the water, salt/pepper, onion, garlic and smoked paprika. Stir well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and turn to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are really tender. Note: For the crispy potatoes on top as well for extra texture, measure out 2 cups extra of chopped potatoes. You will bake them at the same time as the broccoli below.
- Note: For the crispy potatoes on top as well for extra texture, measure out 2 cups extra of chopped potatoes. You will bake them at the same time as the broccoli below.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a pan with parchment paper. Spread the broccoli out evenly and lightly season with salt and pepper. If baking extra potatoes for garnish, add them to a separate pan, season with salt and pepper and place them on the bottom rack.
- Bake the broccoli on the middle rack for 15 minutes and remove. You will be leaving the potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes or more until golden brown. After you remove the broccoli, you can move the potatoes to the center rack to continue cooking.
- Once the potatoes in the pot are tender, add the coconut milk, nutritional yeast and pickle juice. Using a handheld immersion stick blender, blend until all the potatoes are smooth and the soup is creamy and thick. Taste and adjust spices if necessary.
- Stir in the broccoli and top with extra baked potatoes.
- This soup will thicken a lot in the fridge overnight, so you can add a little broth to thin it out if desired and reheat on very low heat on the stove.
If I’m not a huge fan of broccoli, so could I just leave that out and have a yummy potato soup? Also, I want to tell you that I made your Toffee Mug Cake for my mom & I last night – FANTASTIC!!! Keep up the good work 🙂 I love your stuff!
Yes, definitely! Just leave them out if you like. Let me know what you think of it! And that is sooo wonderful to hear you loved the toffee cake so much, thank you so much for letting me know! Thank you for the kind words 🙂
Oh and I would definitely add the crispy potatoes on top if you leave out the broccoli, just so there is a contrast in texture ?
Mmmm, well potatoes are my favorite food in the whole word too 😉 Let’s be friends and eat this soup!
Haha, yes!! Potatoes for the win!
I love this recipe! I’m new to plant based eating and finding so many recipes so complicated. I also appreciate you put the nutritional info 🙂
Thank you!!!
Aww thank you Tracey and so glad to hear that it helps! I know what you mean, most recipes have way too many ingredients or steps and I personally don’t have time for that, so I do my best to make everything easy and minimal for you all. Let me know when you try this! 😉
Where did you see the nutritional info? Thanks :O)
Hi Heather! It has been added under the Notes section at the bottom of the recipe printout 🙂
My favorite soup of all time: broccoli potato!!! In a wonderfully healthy and easy form <3 I'm so intrigued by the pickle juice addition, definitely will have to try that! And these pictures are seriously stunning, I love that metal tray with the wood bowls!
3 am workouts!?! Now I know how you manage to do it all! But I love that you prioritize your daughter, nothing is more important than that 🙂
Oh wow, thank you so much Natalie!! I really, truthfully didn’t care for the photos and my camera died on me in the middle of my photo session, so I had to use what I captured in those couple minutes, so thank you!!
You are so sweet, yes, I’m up quite a bit during the nights….it really is the only way I can get some things done. Some nights I sleep straight through and then some nights I’m up half the night and there is no way I can workout on the bike with Olivia during the day, so I have to do it at night or when my hubby gets home. Thanks for your sweet words girl. xo
Wow this soup is just wow I can seriously tell you this recipe is what I want to do again and again, because the combination of ingredients and flavors just my thing, haha…. The combination of broccoli and potatoes are so comforting, nothing is better than a healthy and satisfying bowl of a wonderful soup. I’m really exciting to try this because the addition of the dill pickled juice sounds so intriguing, I made your cream cheese several times and I really love the flavors of this juice in that. I guess in the soup it will be a big hit, too. Your pictures are just stunning ( I know I already said that anytime) but it is so beautiful how do you style this bowl with the potato cubes on top and especially the last picture is just wow, beautiful! So the second thing is I really enjoy your thoughts in this post how do you managed your busy schedule, doing workouts in the nights, and being a fantastic mum to your daughter. Btw, I can’t wait for your upcoming cake recipes, Brandi! 🙂
Florian, your comments always make my day! They are always so thoughtful!! Thank you so much for the compliments my friend! The pickle juice really amped up the flavor, it has such depth to it and it was more fitting for this soup than straight vinegar or lemon juice. SO happy you love the cream cheese!!
Thank you as always!!
I eat soup throughout the year, but I’m very happy the soup “season” is almost upon us! This looks like a wonderful fall day kinda soup.
Me too! I love, love soup weather and fall weather in general!
I saw this earlier today and rushed home to make it for dinner! So delicious and easy to make!
Yay! So happy you already made it and loved it! Thank you for the feedback!
Ohhhhh! Love the pickle juice…I use it all the time to add flavor to things. I have to try it now with the yeast and smoky paprika, sounds perfect anytime of year.
Apparently pickle juice is popular with people using it in dressings, you are like the 10th person or so to tell me that! Hooray for pickle juice, haha!
It works as a sour cream sub in savory dishes like stroganoff too, for flavor not texture obviously.
❤
Oh wow, on stroganoff sounds amazing Angela, what a wonderful idea girl!
I’m SO excited you’ve embraced this pickle juice thing!! I love love it and have used it in sauce and dressings for ever. I’m loving that you used it in soup!!! Looks insane! YUM!!
Awesome! Yes, I’m hearing from so many people that use it in dressings! I’ve never seen it used in a soup before, lol! Do you have any recipes on your blog using it? I’d love to try some if you do! After it worked so amazing in my cream cheese, I just knew it would be amazing in this soup! 😉
I have yet to post a sauce using it on my blog, honestly I thought people would think it was weird that I used it!! LOL. But pre vegan diet, I used to make a Thousand Island dressing with it. Then even add some finely chopped pickles in too. But now that I won’t be the only weirdo, I’m going to post something! Ha! I’ll send you the recipe to try!
Girl, I don’t care if people think I’m weird, lol! When something is GOOD, you share it 😉 Can’t wait to see your Thousand Island dressing, another blogger friend says he makes that dressing with it too, so freaking funny!
I applaud you for the middle of the night workouts!! Haha! Love it. I should do that instead of reaching for a book! I can’t believe Olivia will be 4?!? How sweet that she’s requested chocolate AND strawberry…I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Now, this soup looks amazing! I love that you’ve made it low fat – almost every broccoli soup I’ve had/made relied heavily on nuts. I am so anxious to make this! Those potatoes in there look perfect! YUM!
Broccoli soup is one of my favorite soups, EVER! You killed it with this recipe girl. It looks so incredibly creamy and comforting! And love the addition of smoked paprika – it’s my favorite spice to use in soups! A little goes a long way and it’s just SO darn flavorful 🙂
This sounds so good, some of my favourite ingredients ? I love that you roast the broccoli instead of boiling with the potatoes, great!
This reminds me of the broccoli-cheddar soup that I ate as a kid, but man oh man, this looks 1000x better! I can’t believe it actually has no cheese in it either, I need to try nutritional yeast! Potatoes are one of my favorites too because they are so verasatile. This soup is perfect for fall, can’t wait for it to get cold so I can make this 🙂
Thank you so much Rachel! Yes, it definitely has that vibe, but not that strong cheesy flavor, so that’s why I didn’t want to put “cheese” in the title. It’s more potato-ish 🙂
What beautiful photography, and a gorgeous, creamy looking soup! I had forgotten all about nutritional yeast in soups – thank you for the reminder!
That is so sweet of you to say Jessica, thank you so very much!!
Well, you know how much I love smoked paprika!! This sounds so good! Looks so incredibly creamy! And I think I have those same wood bowls. 🙂
Thank you so much Jenn! I love those bowls so much! So rustic! Oh, and I have a love affair with all things smoky….borderline obsession!
I am fighting a summer cold at the beginning of my senior year of college. I stumbled across this soup and I knew I needed to make it. It called to me from the days before I was vegan. It reminds me a lot of a “cheesy” broccoli and potato soup. I loved it and I needed this snuggly bowl of goodness to aid my speedy recovery so I can hit the books and graduate in December! Would definitely make it again!
I’m so happy to hear you loved this Morghan! Thank you so much for making it and I wish you a really speedy recovery! Thank you for the feedback. xx
A little bit of cheese is all you need to add a bit of pizzaz to a healthy soup. kudos! oxox
Oh yes! This soup is fantastic in flavor on it’s own, but you have given me a great suggestion, because I think a good drop of my Smoky Black Pepper Cream Cheese in this would be DIVINE! Can’t wait to try it!
This looks delicious!! But please explain -is pickle juice just the liquid in the pickle container? ? thank you!!
Yes! Just pickle juice from a jar of dill pickles 🙂 Please let me know what you think after you try it, thank you!
Broccoli has always been my favourite vegetable, and I loooove using it in soups! It’s just such a great vegetable!!! This soup looks soooo delicious Brandi, and so comforting too. I can’t believe it’s so healthy as well as being delicious! Yay! The smoky flavours sound amazing, I’ll definitely be making this soon! <3
Thank you so much Harriet!! I can’t wait to hear what you think of it, it is so easy and yet so full of flavor!
I have no problem sleeping so you won’t catch me doing squats at 2:00 am, but I do set an alarm for every half hour during the day and I get up and do two minutes of intense cardio or squats, lunges, weights. I hate sitting and that’s the only thing that makes writing and marketing my blog possible.
This soup looks delicious, Brandi! I’m with you, I love potatoes. They get such a bad rap even though they’re so good for you.
That’a a great idea Linda! I should try that routine as well. I sleep very well once I fall asleep, but if I do get up, I struggle to go BACK to sleep, so instead of tossing and turning, I use that to my advantage and do something productive.
Hahaaa, you should meet my parents then! They are the biggest potato fans I know. Plus my grandma, she loves them too. You’d have loads of recipes to share 😉
This one looks awesome too! Actually a good one I could surprise them with!!
Potatoes for the win!
O…M…G! This was a HUGE hit w my husband tonight. He was feeling a bit under the weather and so I wanted to try a new soup recipe. This was absolutely perfect. I was skeptical about the dill + smoked paprika combo, but oh my. This is the best soup for wintry nights or when you want a hug from the inside. 😀 I paired it w a homemade artisan loaf seasoned w thyme and zest from meyers lemon. #NomNom Thanks for sharing the best vegan recipes!
Thank you so much Courtney for the amazing feedback! I’m so happy to hear this was such a hit with your husband! Thank you very much for the feedback and that loaf sounds amazing!
I am a big fan of soup and this one looks great. Lots of my favourite ingredients and it looks so rich and comforting. I need to kick off soup making season with this very soon!
Oh I need to give this one a try. Very inviting colors, reminds me of warm seasons for some reason. Nice photos too which do the recipe justice! Amazing stuff.
Thank you so much Levan!
Brandi, love your unique recipe. Looks creamy and healthy plus the pickle juice adds that extra flavor!
Thank you Michelle! It definitely adds a nice depth of flavor 🙂
Yummy! This sounds just perfect for cold fall days! 🙂
Thank you so much Sina!
So I just made this and I have to say it was so delicious! I find that soups can be a bit tricky to make so that they have the right flavor you want, but this recipe was golden. And fairly easy to make. Definitely adding it my go-to list of recipes. Thank you for this recipe!!
Wonderful Molly! Thank you so much for this amazing feedback, I’m so happy you loved it so much! Thank you again!
Thanks, Brandi for this recipe. I made it over the weekend and it was great (I used soy milk since I didn’t have coconut milk). I would say definitely don’t skip roasted potatoes as they do help a lot with the texture. While I discovered your blog recently I think I already read through most of your recipes. The smokey zucchini cakes and especially the creamy lemon pepper sauce were amazing.
While there are tons of vegan recipes and blogs out there, there are maybe three (this one included) that cook without oil. I’ve been cooking without oil for 1.5 years now and honestly don’t think that oil gives anything to the taste. I actually prefer the non oily taste. And it is so much better and healthier for you. While some consider this an extreme and “alternative” lifestyle (cooking without oil) I think it is great and problems arise only when eating outside of the house. Waiters have looked at me like I have two heads when I asked to prepare something without oil. Hahaha. “Not possible” they say. Not a very good chef if they can’t do it (especially if I can), I would say. But of course I keep quiet and just smile to myself.
In any case, how can I make a request? ? I looked through your recipes but did not find anything with cabbage. Do you not cook with it? I don’t know many dished with cabbage but would like to incorporate more of it in my daily cooking. Since I didn’t know where I can leave the request I’m leaving it here. Appologies if this is not the right place. Thanks again.
I agree Milda! That’s why I added that roasted potatoes in the end because I love to have a contrast in texture in my soups! 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words too, I completely agree about the oil, I think it just makes things taste greasy now and detracts from the flavor of food! I find it really gross now! Most people use oil daily and I’m so glad I no longer do and I don’t miss it at all! So much healthier too.
Oh and yes, the recipe request here is just fine! You can also send it to me through my contact page…most readers seem to do it that way, but honestly here is fine too 🙂 Yes, you are correct, I’m not really a fan of cabbage, but maybe I can come up with a soup utilizing some. You are a soup fan, correct?
Oh, and I’m so happy you loved the zucchini cakes and lemon pepper sauce, thank you!
Looks amazing, Brandi! So cozy & hearty, …and spuddy! 🙂 I love it. Saving this to my to try pile! <3
Thank you Audrey! It’s a new favorite soup with everybody now and it’s just so easy!
Hi !
I am hoping to make this soup this weekend. I have a question about the “light” canned coconut milk. You mention that it can be subbed out for cashew or soy milk, can it just be regular cashew milk or does it have to be thicker like the canned version of coconut milk? I am sorry if this was already asked but I didn’t see it!
Thanks!
Hi KJ! Regular cashew milk is fine 🙂 The soup is really thick on it’s own, so you are just adding the milk for that touch of creamy effect. Let me know after you make it! Thank you!
I made this and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!!! Thank you!
Yay!! So happy to hear, thank you for leaving feedback, it is so appreciated!
Mmmmmmmmmmm delicious, both the vegan husband and the non-vegan daughter loved it, too. Smoky, rich and very filling. I’m going to make it again and sub cauliflower for the broccoli, just to see what happens. I’m sure it’ll be wonderful.
Thank you for another great recipe!
Fantastic recipe, I made it for dinner tonight and we loved it. Well, I should say that my husband (not a vegan) and I loved it. Sadly, my son didn’t care for it. I was hoping he might- I’ve managed to get the kids and my husband to decrease their dairy consumption quite a lot (by simply not buying any, lol), and I was hoping my youngest might like this in place of broccoli cheese soup, which he loves.
I’ve pinned a bunch of your recipes to try, though and I’m sure I’ll find something the whole family loves- they all sound amazing!
Hi Laura! Oh that is so awesome to hear how much you and your hubby loved it! Understandable about your young son though, especially if he was looking for a traditional broccoli cheese soup, which this one definitely is not cheesy. I made sure and didn’t even name it that because it’s definitely a potato broccoli, not cheesy broccoli soup, lol! Maybe you could try making my fat-free cheese sauce and adding in some of that to the soup? That might give him that cheesy craving. You could just replace some of the potatoes with it and play around with it. I’ve been planning on doing that again myself! Thanks again for the feedback! 🙂
I forgot to say, adding the pickle juice was brilliant!
Thank you so much! I was really happy with the flavor it added 🙂
Ive had this tab opened in browser since you published it, and just finally made it. I used the vitamix in place of the immersion blender (the one kitchen toy I don’t have), and it was amazing. I now am a soup fiend!!!
Wonderful Pasha! I’m so happy to hear you loved it so much, thank you for the feedback!!
this looks delicious. I was just wondering if you could use fat free milk instead of coconut milk because my husband is on a very low fat diet
Sure, I think that would work fine! The potatoes do a great job of making it creamy, so fat-free milk should work well, let me know how it turns out!
This soup was WONDERFUL!!! Thoroughly enjoyed by my non-vegan friends. Definitely a keeper!
This is delicious! I added about a 1/4 cup of raw cashews to make it a little creamier because my soy milk is not very rich. I also had frozen broccoli florets so I just threw them directly into the soup once it was done. Another winner as always Brandi!
So glad to hear Shari! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Hello Brandi,
thank you so much for this recipe. So I finally tried the soup. I made few changes to suit my current possibilities.
I did not have the russet potatoes but some… well, some potatoes 🙂 they were, what we call “old” potatoes so they were not suitable for use with skins, so I peeled them. When I get “new” potatoes or some other with nicer skins, I will definitely skip peeling as I simply love the taste of potato skins, especially if baked in an oven.
I also had to add a little more water (about 1/4 cup, so not so much) and as I did not have a coconut milk (only coconut cream and I did not want to use that), I used oat milk (tastes alright and tomorrow I will have a chia pudding as breakfast at work, ha ha!).
I was worried a little that I won’t manage to cook it (I hade a HUGE failure with your pancakes recipe), but it went smooth and now, there is a pot on the stove with amazing soup.
I love your recipes. 🙂 You caught me on the Creamy Red Pepper Sauce and since then, you’re my favourite food blogger!
Hi Kristyna! So glad you loved this soup! Yes, the coconut milk definitely lends the best taste and texture, which is why I always love to use it, but glad you made it work with the oat milk! What pancake recipe are you referring to? I’ve received amazing feedback on all of them, but you have to make sure to use the listed ingredients, pancakes are very finicky, especially gluten-free, so trying to change a pancake recipe can cause “failure”, so let me know what you did on which recipe and I will try to help 🙂
And a big thank you for your kind words!! So nice of you to say that, so happy you love my blog and recipes, I truly appreciate it!
WOW! This soup is delicious! I used red skinned potatoes as they were what I had on hand, and though the texture was a tad gummy, the flavour was incredible!! I love using smoked paprika 🙂 And the dill pickle juice was an unexpected, but tasty addition!
So glad you loved this soup Tracey! Yes, I used russet potatoes, they are a much flakier type of potato, less gluey than red or gold, so I would definitely try the russet next time, because the soup is not gummy, rather smooth, thick and creamy. Also, I use my hand immersion blender to blend it just until pureed, if you use a traditional blender, you would have to be really careful not to overblend it because releasing the starches too much will make it gummy.
This looks great! I love broccoli in my soups.
This is so creamy and delicious! I will definitely be making this soup again. Perfect comfort food.
Wonderful Janice, I am so happy to hear it was a hit!
Wow!! This is easily the best soup I have ever had…. Thank you!
Wow, thank you so much! So happy to hear that! It is definitely my favorite potato soup! Thank you for the feedback!
Super easy! I love broccoli soup, but the delicious recipe I have requires a lot of work chopping so many ingredients! This is a great alternative, that I know I will be making more often than my other recipe. It is VERY thick, but I like thick; don’t care for watery soups as much.
Really like the hint of pickle juice. I added about 5 T nutritional yeast, cause that’s my favor at ingredient for a lot of things. I almost did NOT roast potatoes & broccoli; just figured I’d throw the broccoli in the pot & cook w/ potatoes. That would’ve been a big mistake! The roasted flavor is a must!
Yay! I’m so happy you loved this so much, thank you for the wonderful feedback! I agree, the roasted broccoli is so much better than cooking it IN the soup! I agree too, watery soups overall I don’t prefer and since this is potato soup, I like those really creamy and thick 🙂