Vegan Potato Soup with Kale
This creamy vegan potato soup is the ultimate veggie-loaded comfort food. It’s filled with simple ingredients and is an easy make-ahead dinner which makes it ideal for busy weeknights!
You Will Love This
- It’s totally veganbut so hearty you’d never know it’s completely dairy-free! If you can’t tell by now, I am OBSESSED with coconut milk. It is the easiest way to make any vegan dinner super creamy while keeping it free of animal products. Some of my favorite vegan soup recipes include:
- It’s so quick and easy! It takes just about 40 minutes from start to finish which makes it perfect for a busy weeknight. When I know I won’t have much time to throw this together, I’ll even chop the veggies and slice the garlic a day in advance so that when it comes time to cook, I’m literally just dumping everything in the pot!
- It’s the perfect vegan comfort food! So cozy and inviting, this potato kale soup is one of our family’s favorite fall recipes. It’s a great way to use up the veggies we get from our CSA, and the rich, indulgent flavors taste especially delicious on a crisp fall day! Also, soup is one of the few things that I know my daughter will always eat, so I’m constantly looking for new ways to sneak veggies into her favorite food!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Mirepoix – Onion, carrot, and celery are the key ingredients in a mirepoix. This is the aromatic flavor base of the soup. If you’re looking to save a few minutes, you can sometimes find a pre-chopped mirepoix mix at the grocery store.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is always my go-to. It’s just so delicious and adds so much flavor to this soup. If you don’t have fresh, try adding a 3/4 of a teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Dried Herbs – Dried oregano, dried thyme, and dried sage all bring a delicious, Italian-inspired flavor profile to this soup that pairs beautifully with the potatoes. If you have Italian seasoning on hand, that will work in place of these herbs. Feel free to add a bay leaf while simmering for another layer of flavor.
- Red Potatoes – Red potatoes have a wonderful rustic, hearty flavor and cook perfectly in very little time. They’re my favorite for this recipe because it doesn’t take forever for them to soften. If you want, you can use the mixed rainbow potatoes, or small yellow potatoes, but keep in mind that the cook time might be different.
- Veggie Broth – Veggie broth keeps this potato soup vegan but you can substitute it with chicken broth if you’d like.
- Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk – For a thick and creamy potato soup, full-fat canned coconut milk is essential. Don’t worry – you won’t taste the coconut flavor. I promise! Other non-dairy milk (like oat milk or cashew milk) just won’t give you the same flavor and texture as canned coconut milk. No need to add flour or vegan butter to make a roux – the coconut milk makes it perfectly creamy!
- Kale – Kale is the perfect addition to bulk up a potato and vegetable soup. It adds some green and a little early flavor balance out the creaminess of the soup. Wilting kale in soup is a great way to get the nutrients from those hearty greens while mellowing out the flavor and texture a bit.
- White Wine Vinegar – White wine vinegar is one of my secret ingredients for creamy soups. The acidity boosts the flavors of this soup and makes it completely unique. It’s one of my favorite things to add to soups like this one. You can also just add a squeeze of lemon juice, or substitute white wine vinegar with sherry vinegar or white balsamic vinegar.
Instructions
Sauté onion, carrots, and celery for about 8 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, thyme, and sage.
Cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
Add potato chunks.
Add veggie broth, and coconut milk along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, for about 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and fork-tender, stirring occasionally.
Blend half the soup if desired and add it back into the pot.
Stir in fresh kale and white wine vinegar.
Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper and enjoy! Top each bowl with shredded vegan Parmesan and crispy croutons.
Tips
- You can also make this potato kale soup vegetarian instead of vegan by adding heavy cream in place of the coconut milk. I’d recommend using about as much heavy cream as coconut milk and add more as needed.
- Keep a close eye on the potatoes so they don’t overcook! You’ll simmer the potatoes right in the soup until they are cooked through, but keep an eye on them and check after 8-10 minutes to see if they are fork-tender.
- You can also use any kind of potato that you have on hand. Baby reds, Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or even sweet potatoes will work in this recipe. However, depending on what kind of potato you use, they make take more/less time to cook. When you can easily pierce the potato with a fork, but it still retains it’s shape and is not mushy, you’ll know the potato is perfectly cooked!
- You can use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to blend half the soup – or you don’t have to blend it at all if you’d prefer a more brothy soup! I LOVE to use my immersion blender for this soup because you don’t have to transfer hot soup to a blender. However, as long as you’re careful, a blender works just as well.
- When using a blender to blend this soup, just make sure the hot air has somewhere to escape during the blending process and don’t fill the blender too full. I’d recommend filling it no more than halfway. There is usually some kind of hole or spout on the blender lid that you can leave open and cover with a clean kitchen towel. This will ensure that the soup doesn’t splatter everywhere, but that the steam can still escape.
Make-Ahead, Storage, Freezing, and Reheating
- Make-ahead: You can make this soup ahead of time and have it ready to reheat for an easy evening meal or as leftovers for lunch. This is one of my favorite recipes to throw together on Sunday afternoon and enjoy all week long!
- Storage: Store leftover potato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing: Freeze vegan potato soup in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: Place the vegan potato soup in a small saucepan on the stovetop and warm on medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until warmed through. Be sure to season with salt and pepper before serving!
Variations
Feel free to top your vegan potato soup with any of your favorites, like:
- vegan sour cream
- vegan bacon (tempeh bacon)
- thinly sliced green onion
- chives
- shredded vegan Parmesan
- crispy homemade croutons
- add additional spices like smoked paprika, garlic powder, or celery salt
Try these soup recipes next!
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Vegan Kale and Potato Soup
This creamy Vegan Potato Kale Soup is the ultimate veggie loaded comfort food. It’s filled with simple ingredients and is an easy make ahead dinner which makes it ideal for busy weeknights!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrot
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1.5 lbs. baby red potatoes, diced
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 1 (13.5 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
- 4–5 cups chopped kale
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish:
- fresh chopped parsley
- homemade croutons
- vegan Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, carrots, and celery along with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper.
- Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic, oregano, thyme, and sage. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
- Add potatoes, veggie broth, and coconut milk along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Reduce heat to low and gently simmer, covered, for about 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and fork-tender, stirring occasionally.
- Blend half the soup if desired.
- Stir in fresh kale and white wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Notes
You can also make this soup vegetarian instead of vegan by adding heavy cream in place of the coconut milk. I’d recommend using about as much heavy cream as coconut milk and add more as needed.
Keep a close eye on the potatoes so they don’t overcook! You’ll simmer the potatoes right in the soup until they are cooked through, but keep an eye on them and check after 8-10 minutes to see if they are fork-tender.
You can also use any kind of potato that you have on hand. Baby reds, Russet, Yukon Gold, or even sweet potatoes will work in this recipe. However, depending on what kind of potato you use, they make take more/less time to cook. When you can easily pierce the potato with a fork, but it still retains its shape and is not mushy, you’ll know the potato is perfectly cooked!
You can use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender to blend half the soup – or you don’t have to blend it at all if you’d prefer a more brothy soup! I LOVE to use my immersion blender for this soup because you don’t have to transfer hot soup to a blender. However, as long as you’re careful, a blender works just as well.
When using a blender to blend this soup, just make sure the hot air has somewhere to escape during the blending process and don’t fill the blender too full. I’d recommend filling it no more than halfway. There is usually some kind of hole or spout on the blender lid that you can leave open and cover with a clean kitchen towel. This will ensure that the soup doesn’t splatter everywhere, but that the steam can still escape.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 294
- Sugar: 5.4 g
- Sodium: 417.1 mg
- Fat: 19.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 13.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 3.9 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Absolutely terrific soup! Definitely a keeper!
Please break this down as to how many veggies each! I have no clue how many lbs each one is!!
Followed the recipe exactly, and it was DELICIOUS! Rich and creamy, without all that dairy heaviness. Perfect!
wonderful recipe, I used a can of coconut cream. and Russet potato. I love soups with celery. i was also a bit heavy on the pepper, but it seems right. thanks for the easy to make soup.
Fabulous! I have made an old blended kale and potato soup now and then for literally about 30 years (I think it’s from our tattered original Laurel’s cookbook). This one is so much better. I didn’t do any blending. This is easy, and great. Thanks!
Made this tonight; it was a chilly, October evening! I added red pepper flakes to the seasoning mix because I like a little spice in my life. Also, my potatoes were not even close to fork tender after 10 minutes, took close to 30. Maybe because they were very firm, high quality, farmer’s market potatoes. When I first tasted the broth, I thought it was bland. After I Vitamix-ed half of it (with some mirepoix chunks, did not blend potatoes) and added it back to the pot, the flavor really developed and was spot on. The coconut milk gives this soup a rich, autumn curry vibe, which I love. Didn’t add extra salt, as most vegetable broths have high sodium to begin with. Will definitely make again! Thanks for the recipe!
This soup is so good! I don’t typically seek out vegan recipes but I had some coconut milk and kale to use up. I’m so glad I tried the recipe that way first rather than adding dairy because it was perfect. The sage-y flavor was my favorite part. Also I just ran out of white wine vinegar so I used red wine vinegar and thought it tasted great. Thanks again!
I am obsessed!!! I used some sweet potatoes too (I only had a couple baby red potatoes) and it is wonderful!!! My roommates can’t get enough either… I’ve made this twice in a week already! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!
I’m currently leaning back into plant based eating, and now that Fall is arriving, I crave soup. This was wonderful! Only additions were about 2 teaspoons of ground mustard and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
This soup sounds amazing, but I can’t have coconut (migraines). Any suggestions what I could use instead while still keeping it vegan?
Any type of plant-based milk will work! Silk offers a delicious heavy cream that would work well in place of the creamy coconut milk. Great question! Can’t wait to hear what you think!
This recipe is very easy and taste amazing, thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this potato soup with kale recipe, Cristina! Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂
I am making this recipe for a raft trip. I usually freeze all of our meals and then thaw and heat the night we are planning on eating it. Do you think this recipe will freeze well?
I think this recipe would freeze very well! Perhaps cook the potatoes ever so slightly under so that they don’t overcook when you’re reheating them on the trip!
What did you go to make it look white and creamy? Mine did not look like yours, it was very dark and didn’t look as appetizing. It tasted very good but the kids didn’t like the way it looked. You know how kids are.
It’s hard for me to answer that question without seeing the exact ingredients that you used 🙂 The color of the soup comes mainly from the vegetable broth, the coconut milk, and the potatoes. Some brands of broth can be darker than others. Also if you didn’t use a full-fat coconut milk that will affect the color as well – I recommend using the brand of coconut milk that’s mentioned throughout the post. Hope that helps!
Vegan husband LOVED this soup. Didn’t have kale on hand so we used spinach. did blend half of soup as I wanted it thicker. the aroma was fantastic. May add vegan sausage next time as suggested by another reviewer. Just curious what the vinegar does at the end?
I am so glad that your family enjoyed this potato soup, Teo!! Vegan sausage would be a great addition 🙂 The vinegar at the end helps to balance out the creaminess of the soup and amplify the other flavors. I add some bit of acidity to pretty much all of my creamy soups (with vinegar or lime juice) because it just takes the flavor of everything to the next level! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
This soup was very easy to make and very delicious and filling!
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this vegan potato soup, Annette! It’s one of our family’s favorites too 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
My first time using coconut milk, although I love it in restaurant recipes. When it was solid in the can, I thought it was bad. Had to Google what it was supposed to look like. All good. I used the mixed baby potatoes and one sweet potato. At the end added a dollop of plain yogurt for tang and extra creaminess. (Not vegan) We really like it. Your photos are beautiful. Happy to have found your website.
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! And glad you thought to Google what coconut milk looks like in the can! I’m sure that could be unsettling if you weren’t expecting it to be partially solidified 🙂 Mine seems to be liquid in the summer and more solid in the winter. Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
I made this last night for dinner, I substituted the Kale with Escarole, easier on my digestive track. While I’m not a Vegan, this was fantastic for a snowy night dinner. Such great tasting comfort food. So quick and easy to make. With fresh baked harvest Bread from our local bakery. Wonderful, I’ll next try some sliced Kielbasa with. Thanks for sharing.?
I am so glad that you enjoyed this potato soup recipe, Anna! Fresh baked bread would be so delicious with this soup 🙂 Kielbasa would be a great addition as well. Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
We add veggie sausage and my kids like to eat it with rice. It’s SOOOO good. Very easy to make and super comforting.
Great idea!! Rice is a great way to bulk up this soup and veggie sausage sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lo. Thanks so much for leaving a review 🙂