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This Creamy Vegan Potato Soup with Kale has been on our dinner table every winter since I first developed it — and based on the over 50 five-star reviews and 6,000+ shares it’s collected, I’d say it’s become a staple in a lot of your homes too.
It’s thick, hearty, and deeply comforting, with chunks of tender gold potato in a rich, velvety broth — and the secret is that there’s no cream, no flour, and no roux involved. Puréeing about a third of the soup right in the pot creates a naturally creamy base that makes every bite feel indulgent without any dairy at all.
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The flavor combination is one I grew up with — dill and celery salt in potato soup was my mom’s signature, and I’ve never made it any other way. I know it might sound unusual if you’ve never tried it, but trust the dill. Reader Terri almost left it out: “I wasn’t feeling the celery salt and dill when I read the recipe — but let me tell you, I’m glad I added it!” She’s not alone. Michele made it twice and doubled the recipe the second time. Reader Denise said simply: “Wonderful, amazing flavor! I followed the recipe just as it is and I love it!”
Kale goes in at the end and wilts into the soup beautifully — adding color, nutrition, and a subtle earthiness that makes this feel like so much more than just a simple potato soup. Corn adds a little natural sweetness and texture. And the whole thing is on the table in 35 minutes, which makes it one of my most-reached-for weeknight dinners when the weather turns cold.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Potatoes ~ Just like for my Vegan Mashed Potatoes, I like gold potatoes for this soup. They’re creamy and hold their shape well through simmering without falling apart. I prefer to peel them, but you don’t have to — just scrub them well and remove any eyes or dark spots.
- Veggies ~ Onion, carrot, and celery are the aromatic foundation here — don’t skip them. They create a depth of flavor that makes this soup taste like it simmered for hours. The corn adds a little sweetness and texture that pairs beautifully with the potato.
- Kale ~ I never miss an opportunity to add leafy greens, and kale is my first choice for soup because it’s sturdy — it holds up well and stays tender without getting mushy, even after reheating. Swiss chard and collard greens are great alternatives. You can also use spinach, but know that it will get quite soft. Reader Angela made it with spinach and loved it — just stir it in at the very end and give it only about a minute to wilt.
- Herbs and spices ~ Dill and celery salt are non-negotiable for me in potato soup. That’s the way my mom always made it when I was growing up, and it’s the combination that makes this recipe taste distinctly like this recipe and not every other vegan potato soup on the internet. Trust it — readers who were skeptical are consistently glad they did. If you’d like to experiment, dried thyme, rosemary, sage, or Italian seasoning all work as alternatives.
- Broth ~ I always use low-sodium vegetable broth so I can control the salt level. Use your favorite store-bought brand or make your own homemade vegetable broth.
- Non-dairy milk ~ A splash of light coconut milk at the end adds a lovely creaminess without any coconut flavor — full-fat coconut milk is delicious in Thai curry soup but too strongly flavored here. Unsweetened soy milk, almond milk, or oat milk all work well too. This is optional — the soup is already beautifully creamy from the partial purée — but it adds a nice silkiness.
- Optional add-ins ~ A tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast stirred in at the end adds a subtle savory, cheesy vibe. A few dashes of sriracha or your favorite hot sauce on top is also highly recommended — it cuts right through the richness beautifully. And if you don’t love corn, reader Lukas swaps in kidney beans instead: “It’s so good and full of flavor, especially with some chili garlic hot sauce.”
How to make the recipe
Please scroll down to the recipe card for exact ingredient measurements and instructions.
Sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent (1). Add the spices, diced potatoes (2) and broth. Simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes (3).
Purée about ⅓ to ½ of the soup with an immersion blender (4). Alternately, you can carefully transfer part of the soup to a blender, purée it and then pour it back into the pot.
You can purée more of the soup if you like a smoother texture…or less (or even none) if you like it really chunky.
Add the chopped kale and corn (5) and stir to combine (6).
Garnish individual bowls with a few drops of hot sauce or freshly cracked black pepper, if desired.
Storage and freezing
Fridge: Allow any leftovers to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. The soup will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. This soup freezes beautifully — I like to freeze it in individual portions for easy weeknight meals.
Reheat: The soup will thicken significantly as it sits, so you’ll likely need to add a splash of vegetable broth or water when reheating on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Stir well and taste — you may want to adjust the seasoning after reheating too.
Pro tips and tricks
~ Chop the potatoes evenly into bite-size pieces so they cook at the same rate. I prefer to peel mine, but that’s personal preference.
~ Sauté the dried herbs and spices in a bit of fat before adding the broth. This releases their natural oils and dramatically increases their flavor — don’t skip this step.
~ Simmer until the potatoes are just fork-tender, not mushy. They’ll continue to soften slightly from residual heat after you take the pot off the stove.
~ Potatoes are naturally quite bland. Use salt and pepper generously — season in layers as you cook, not just at the end.
~ Purée about ⅓ to ½ of the soup for a thick, creamy texture that still has plenty of chunky potato pieces. An immersion blender right in the pot is the easiest method. If you tend to over-blend, use reader Terri’s trick: ladle 2 cups into a separate container, blend until smooth, and stir it back in.
~ For a thinner soup, add additional vegetable broth or a splash more non-dairy milk until you reach your preferred consistency.
~ Taste and adjust before serving. A tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast adds savory depth if the soup tastes a little flat. A few dashes of hot sauce adds a lovely kick.
~ To make this oil-free, use water or vegetable broth to sauté the vegetables instead of olive oil.
FAQs
Gold potatoes are my top choice — they’re naturally creamy and hold their shape well through simmering without falling apart. Red potatoes also work well. I’d avoid russets here, as they tend to break down too much and can make the texture gluey.
I like to peel them, but it’s personal preference. If you leave the skins on, scrub the potatoes really well under cold water and remove any eyes or dark spots. Gold potato skins are thin and not unpleasant in soup — it’s really up to you.
Start building flavor early — sautéing the aromatics and blooming the dried herbs in oil before adding any liquid is the most important step. Use salt and pepper generously throughout. If the soup still tastes a little flat after simmering, stir in a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast for savory depth, and finish with a few dashes of hot sauce. Both make a noticeable difference.
This is one of the cleverest things about this recipe. Instead of a roux or cream, puréeing about a third of the soup creates a naturally thick, creamy base — the starch from the potatoes does all the work. You get a beautifully rich texture without any dairy or thickener. (For comparison, my Creamy Vegetable Soup uses a traditional flour-based roux — a different method with a different result.)
There is something about a bowl of creamy potato soup on a cold evening that feels like a hug — and the fact that this one is on the table in 35 minutes makes it even better. I hope it becomes a regular in your winter rotation the way it has in mine.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the star rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment with your feedback. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Creamy Vegan Potato Soup with Kale
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil use water or broth for an oil-free option
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 4 cups diced gold potatoes peeled (about 5-6 medium size)
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels or fresh if you have it
- 1 cup chopped kale ribs and stems removed
- ½ cup unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk or to taste, optional
- a few dashes sriracha or hot sauce optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a soup pot on the stove. Sauté the onion, celery, and carrot until the onion is soft and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, dill, celery salt, salt and pepper and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the potatoes and broth and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Using an immersion blender, puree about ⅓ – ½ of the soup to create a thick creamy base. (Alternatively, take about 2-3 cups of the soup and purée it in a blender and then return it to the soup pot).
- Add the corn and chopped kale, stir to combine, and simmer 5 more minutes to heat through and soften the kale. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Take off heat and add the non-dairy milk, if using.
- Serve with a few dashes of sriracha or hot sauce if desired.
Notes
This recipe makes about 7 cups. One serving is estimated at about 1 ¾ cups. If you add more or less broth/milk, depending on how you like the consistency of your soup, nutritional facts will vary slightly.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
Lukas
My girlfriend and I absolutely love this soup! We don’t care much for corn so I add kidney beans instead, and it’s so good and full of flavor, especially with some chili garlic hot sauce. Highly reccomend this recipe to anyone looking for a tasty winter soup
Jenn Sebestyen
I’m so glad you both love it. Your additions sound tasty, too! Thank you for your comment and feedback!
Kim
Delicious. Thank you❤️
Jenn Sebestyen
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your comment!
Angela Peebles
Thank you for this amazing recipe, I made it as is, I used 1/2 cup of unsweetened oat milk and the soup is so delicious. I am new to immersion blending in soups, I am going to take some out and blend it and put it back in and see if I get a more creamy texture! I will be making this again and again! I also added spinach instead of kale.
Jenn Sebestyen
I’m so happy to hear you love it! Thank you!
Denise
Wonderful, amazing flavor! I followed the recipe just as it is and I love it!
Jenn Sebestyen
Thank you, Denise! So happy you loved it!
Maggie
I’ve been waiting for a potato soup! Trying this tonight.
Jenn Sebestyen
Let me know how it turns out!
Joan Jackson
Love this recipe! It was easy to make and full of flavor.
Jenn Sebestyen
I’m so glad you love it, Joan. Thank you for your comment!
Terri
We’ve been vegan for about a year now and I had a non-vegan potato soup that we just loved! And as I usually do with new recipes, I made according to the recipe. I wasn’t feeling the celery salt and dill when I read the recipe- – but let me tell you, I’m glad I added it!
I like to use my immersion blender but I tend to over blend soups if I do it in the pot. I took a big 4 cup measuring cup and puréed 2 cups of the soup very well with my immersion blender and it made such a nice thick addition. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Jenn Sebestyen
I’m so glad you loved it, Terri! My mom always added the celery salt when I was growing up and I can’t imagine it any other way now. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your comment!
Michele
Hi Jenn! This is the second time we have made this and it is fabulous we had to double the recipe this time for left overs! We added a few extra potatoes too!! So creamy and amazing flavor! I love the celery salt and the dill! SOOOOO GOOOD! Thank you so much!
Jenn Sebestyen
Yay! Thank you, Michele!