Dairy Free Potato Soup
This creamy, old fashioned potato soup recipe turns a pantry staple into a hearty and satisfying meal. With a few simple swaps, this potato soup is easily made dairy dairy free. Add your favorite toppings for a loaded baked potato soup.
Why I love this vegan potato soup recipe
Giving up creamy soups was something I did not want to do when we went dairy free. There’s nothing I used to crave more than cheesy broccoli soup on a cold day, but honestly, I’ve gotten over it – probably because I created a killer recipe for vegan broccoli soup.
I’ve realized that there are so many was to recreate a creamy soup without dairy. This old fashioned potato soup is a complete dupe for the real thing, and you won’t even know there’s something “missing”.
If you like this recipe, you have to try this Wisconsin booyah, and this vegetable beef barley soup and this chicken tortilla soup.
Searching for more dairy free potato recipes? vegan scalloped potatoes / healthy sweet potato casserole / dairy free mashed potatoes / potato leek soup with ham
Ingredients & substitutions
- Russet potatoes – This type of potato has a higher starch content and make a great choice for soups, as they absorb flavor and lends to the creaminess of the soup.
- Dairy free milk – Opt for an unsweetened dairy free milk.
- Flour or cornstarch – You can use either of these thickening agents in your soup. Opt for cornstarch if you are looking to make this recipe gluten free.
- Broth – Chicken broth or vegetable broth will both work well for this soup. If you are gluten free, remember to check your label to make sure your broth is gluten free.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make dairy free potato soup
Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil to medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt.
Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re slightly soft and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and let it cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Boil the potatoes. Add the potatoes, broth (save 1/2 cup for later), milk and the remaining salt to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Simmer the soup. Let the soup simmer until the potatoes are tender. This should take about 20 – 30 minutes at a low temperature.
Thicken it up. While the soup simmers, whisk or stir the flour (or cornstarch) with the remaining broth in a small bowl until smooth.
Stir the slurry mixture into the soup and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the soup has thickened.
Frequently asked questions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion (chopped)
- 2 celery stalks (chopped)
- 2 large carrots (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (divided)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 3 large russet potatoes (scrubbed or peeled, and cubed)
- 3 cups dairy free milk
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or 3 tablespoons cornstarch)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- Black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour and 1/2 cup broth. Set aside.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil to medium-high. Add onion, celery, carrot and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened – about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add garlic. Continue to sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add potatoes, remaining broth and milk. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
- Add flour-broth mixture (stir before adding if needed). Stir soup and continue to simmer until thickened – about 5 minutes.
- Season with remaining salt, black pepper and parsley.
Your recipe looks good but I’m not sold on the idea of celery. Don’t generally like the taste. Is it going to be something I taste or just something that I can’t really distinguish? Thanks
you wont even know it is there, make sure it is soft when you saute it before adding the liquids
I am new to dairy free, have a little just diagnosed with a dairy allergy. Can this be made in the crock pot? Let cook on low for a few hours then add the flour and broth mixture?
Oh that’s a good question. I think would work, but I haven’t tested it, so I can’t be sure.
We were thrilled with this recipe, and it was even more deeply flavorful the second day. I made mine in the Instant Pot, sautéing the bacon and all the veggies and adding all ingredients to my 6 qt pot. Pressure cooked it for six minutes and thickened afterwards by putting it back on sauté for a few minutes. I used arrowroot powder for the thickening, and I used a small bag of petite yellow, red, and purple potatoes. I used oat milk for the non-dairy part. Thanks for this. It made an otherwise run-of-the-mill meal festive.
This was delicious! I used full fat canned coconut milk and added dried tarragon, thyme and diced zucchini for more green veggies. It reminded me and my sister of the cheese soup my mom used to make but without all of the dairy.
Happy to finally have a yummy, dairy free potato soup option. This is great! I used gluten free flour and it worked well.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Awesome! I’m allergic to gluten and dairy and was scrolling through the comments to see if gluten-free would work.
Wondering about how many cups would be 3 large russets? I’d callMine are small so not sure the conversion
I’m not sure about the cup conversion, but it’s around a pound of potatoes. If you have a little more or less, it will be totally fine!
Do you cook 6-8 slices of bacon in with the veggies and leave the fat in the soup? It seems like a lot!
I didn’t. I cooked my bacon separately (in the oven), and I’ve also used precooked bacon bits. You could cook the bacon in the pot and just remove most of the fat if you want though.
I can’t tolerate the taste or texture of celery, so INSTEAD, I use broccoli stems cut up small. Doesn’t taste like broccoli, but adds a mild green color and is a different texture – it works great in potato soup!
That is genius! I have been saving some broccoli stems in the freezer for veggie stock because no one likes them in our house. And I always end up using the tops in our homemade chicken lo mein. I absolutely cannot stand celery… it is the same kind of aversion I have to cilantro. I want to like them, but I just can’t no matter how hard I try.
Unfortunately, I felt this recipe lacked flavor. I ended up having to add way more salt, extra garlic and fresh thyme.
How much is a serving in grams or ozs if it serves 12?
This recipe is amazing! It’s perfect for a cold winter day in Florida. My whole family loves it, even the ones that don’t have a dairy allergy.
We were thrilled with this recipe, and it was even more deeply flavorful the second day. I used oat milk and arrowroot powder for the thickening, and I used a small bag of petite yellow, red, and purple potatoes. Thanks for this. It made an otherwise run-of-the-mill meal festive.
Made this many times. Easy and delish. I have also added ham or Bacon a time or two
I reviewed your recipe and tweaked it slightly. One no bacon, and two I cooked some green beans until they were tender. And I didn’t add any dairy to it, Your salt and pepper were fine, but added fresh parsley and and also used the celery but finely minced and when the potatoes were tender I took a bit out and pulse them in my Vitamix blender with a bit of chicken broth then added fresh dill and some chopped chives. Also to give it some color I added about a tsp of Paprika to it. Then put the pulsed potatoes back in with my green beans and added a Tbsp of white vinegar. Still has the look of creamy potato soup just a bit more fresh herbs than yours. It taste good and for those of us who can’t eat pork of any kind and don’t want to add any kind of milk be that coconut or almond it works great.
I did not see bacon in the listed ingredients.