The creamiest potato soup topped with crispy and garlicky fried potato skins, thinly sliced green onions, sea salt flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, and served with toasted sourdough bread. This soup is pure comfort in a bowl!
I absolutely love the combination of cheesy flavors, fresh thyme, dijon mustard, and white wine in savory recipes, which is what inspired me to create this recipe. To keep it vegan, I used plant-based cooking cream (which you can easily replace with coconut cream if needed or desired) and nutritional yeast. The starch from the potatoes additionally makes this soup extra creamy.
A crispy and/or crunchy topping is, at least in my opinion, always a good idea (like the crunchy maple-glazed cashews in my spicy ginger carrot soup recipe.) For this creamy potato soup recipe, the potato skins are pan-fried with thinly sliced garlic cloves, then combined with sea salt flakes. It’s a delicious potato soup that is low waste, plant-based and (if you opt for gluten-free sourdough bread) entirely gluten-free.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This potato soup is easy to make and delicious!
- It’s dairy-free and completely vegan and plant-based.
- It’s the perfect comforting dish to make on a cold fall or winter night (but it can also be enjoyed year round!)
- This recipe is accompanied by a playlist you can listen to while cooking and/or eating the soup.
- It includes step-by-step instructions (with photos for every step.)
Ingredients You’ll Need
Note: the following is an overview of the ingredients needed to make this creamy potato soup. For the exact measurements, be sure to refer to the recipe card below.
For the Creamy Potato Soup
- Fresh Produce: Potatoes (such as Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes, see the note below), fresh thyme, green onions, lemon juice,
- Dairy Alternatives: Dairy-free butter (or olive oil), plant-based cooking cream (or full-fat coconut cream)
- Spices: Garlic powder (or garlic cloves), onion powder, celery salt (optional), sea salt, pepper.
- Condiments & Other Ingredients: Dijon mustard, dry white wine, vegetable broth, nutritional yeast
For the Crispy Fried Potato Skins & Garnishes
- Crispy Potato Skins: Potato skins (set aside while peeling the potatoes listed above), olive oil, fresh garlic, flakey sea salt.
- Additional Garnishes: Green onions (the dark green part only), cracked black pepper.
- To Serve: Fresh sourdough bread, toasted and gluten-free if desired.
Ingredient Tips
Choosing the right kind of potato: Yukon gold potatoes are perfect because their texture is a mix of waxy and starchy. If you want the soup to be even creamier (and reminiscent of mashed potatoes), you can use an even starchier variety like russet potatoes.
Cooking with wine: while cooking does remove some of the alcohol from wine, it would take several hours to fully remove it. So, if you’d prefer a non-alcoholic version, you can use non-alcoholic wine or extra vegetable broth instead. If using extra broth, be sure to adjust the saltiness of the soup.
Recommended Equipment
Step by Step Instructions (with Photos)
Note: the following is an overview of the ingredients needed to make this recipe. For the exact measurements, be sure to refer to the recipe card below.
Step 1: Prepare and Sauté the Potatoes
Peel four of the potatoes (if you’re using larger potatoes, only peel two), then set the peels aside and cube both the peeled and the unpeeled potatoes.
Add the dairy-free butter to a medium to large nonstick pot and heat over medium-high heat. While the butter is melting, add the potatoes to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare and Add the Green Onions and Thyme
During those 5 minutes, prep the green onions and thyme: wash the green onions, pat them dry, and cut off the darkest green parts, then set those aside (you’ll need them to garnish the soup.) Cut off and discard the ends (with the roots), then slice or chop the remaining white and light green parts of the green onions. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
Add the (white and light green parts of the) green onions and thyme leaves.
Add the garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt (if using) and 1/2 of the dijon mustard to the pot.
Mix and sauté for 3 more minutes.
Add the white wine to deglaze for 2 additional minutes.
Step 3: Add the Vegetable Broth and Cook the Potato Soup
Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once it’s boiling, lower the heat back to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Note: no need to add a lit, but you can if you want to. It’ll just make the soup a little more liquid.
TIP: you can already start assembling the remaining soup ingredients and start making the crispy potato skins during this time.
Step 4: Blend the Potato Soup
Check if the potatoes are fully cooked (if you stick a fork into one of the pieces, it should easily fall right off.)
Next, transfer the soup from the pot to the pitcher of your blender (a high-speed blender is ideal, but any blender or immersion stick blender will work!)
Add the other 1/2 of the dijon mustard and the plant-based cooking cream (or coconut cream.)
Add the lemon juice and nutritional yeast.
Blend on high until smooth (about 30-60 seconds.) Return the soup to the pot and add sea salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Make the Crispy Fried Potato Skins
Remove any excess moisture from the potato skins using paper towels or a kitchen towel.
Heat the olive oil in a small pot or frying pan. If you’re using an electric stove, set the heat to high. If you’re using a gas or induction stove, set it to medium-high.
Once the oil is hot, add the potato skins to the pot and fry until they start to crisp and turn golden (about 2-3 minutes).
Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to flip them throughout and keep them from burning.
Add the sliced garlic cloves.
Fry for another 1-2 minutes, until everything is golden and crispy.
Remove from heat, remove any excess oil with a paper towel, then add a pinch of sea salt flakes.
Step 6: Serve & Enjoy the Potato Soup
Serve the soup in bowls.
Note: the recipe servings refer to a main course. If you’re serving it as an appetizer, it’ll make about twice as many servings.
Garnish with the crispy fried potato skins.
Add the thinly sliced dark green parts of the green onions (not all of them, just about 1 tablespoon per serving), as well as a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper.
Serve with toasted sourdough bread (optional.)
Tip: listen to the corresponding playlist while enjoying your creamy potato soup.)
Creamy Potato Soup – Recipe Video
Creamy Potato Soup – Recipe Playlist
I love listening to music while cooking and baking (which is why my second cookbook includes a playlist for each recipe), so for this recipe, I put together a special playlist entitled “Song to listen to while making potato soup” (embedded below). The mood is acoustic & mellow. I hope you enjoy it!
View previous recipe playlists here.
Recommended Reading
Since this creamy potato soup recipe is all about celebrating coziness and slowing down, I’d love to recommend a book called Rest by Alex Pang in case you’re looking for something new to read. It’s all about giving yourself permission to do less and why that might actually be more useful and productive in the end. It’s ideal for anyone who feels like they’re not doing enough or is comparing themselves to others who seem to be achieving and doing more. TIP: The audio book version is great, too!
Creamy Potato Soup – Recipe Card
Use this recipe card to save & pin this creamy potato soup recipe. For additional step by step photos, recipe notes, and a recipe video, be sure to read the full article above. If you have any questions or feedback, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Creamy Potato Soup (with Crispy Fried Potato Skins)
Method
- Start by prepping the potatoes: peel four of them (if you're using larger potatoes, only peel two), then set the peels aside and cube both the peeled and the unpeeled potatoes.
- Add the dairy-free butter to a medium to large nonstick pot and heat over medium-high heat. While the butter is melting, add the potatoes to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.
- During those 5 minutes, prep the green onions and thyme: wash the green onions, pat them dry, and cut off the darkest green parts, then set those aside (you'll need them to garnish the soup.) Cut off and discard the ends (with the roots), then slice or chop the remaining white and light green parts of the green onions. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and discard the stems.
- Add the (white and light green parts of the) green onions, thyme leaves, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt (if using) and 1/2 of the dijon mustard to the pot. Mix and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze for 2 additional minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it's boiling, lower the heat back to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Note: no need to add a lit, but you can if you want to. It'll just make the soup a little more liquid. (TIP: you can already start assembling the remaining soup ingredients and start making the crispy potato skins during this time.)
- Check if the potatoes are fully cooked (if you stick a fork into one of the pieces, it should easily fall right off.) Next, transfer the soup from the pot to the pitcher of your blender (a high-speed blender is ideal, but any blender or immersion stick blender will work!), add the other 1/2 of the dijon mustard, the plant-based cooking cream, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast to the blender and blend on high until smooth (about 30-60 seconds.) Return the soup to the pot and add sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the olive oil in a small pot or frying pan. If you’re using an electric stove, set the heat to high. If you’re using a gas or induction stove, set it to medium-high. Remove any excess moisture from the potato skins using paper towels or a kitchen towel.
- Then, once the oil is hot, add the potato skins to the pot and fry until they start to crisp and turn golden (about 2-3 minutes). Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to flip them throughout and keep them from burning. Add the sliced garlic cloves and fry for another 1-2 minutes, until everything is golden and crispy. Remove from heat, remove any excess oil with a paper towel, then add a pinch of sea salt flakes.
- Serve the soup in bowls and garnish with thinly the thinly sliced dark green parts of the green onions (not all of them, just about 1 tablespoon per serving), the crispy potato skins and garlic, as well as a pinch of freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with toasted sourdough bread (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
- Serving size: The serving size corresponds to a main meal. Serving this soup as an appetizer doubles the serving size.
- Dairy-free butter: I used unsalted dairy-free butter in this recipe. You can use salted dairy-free butter, just make sure you use less salt later on.
- Plant-based cream: this needs to be unsweetened plant-based cream. Most are either soy-, or nut-based. While very common in Europe, plant-based cooking cream can be harder to find in the U.S. If you can’t find it, you can either use unsweetened full-fat coconut cream, unsweetened plant-based milk, or simply omit (if omitting, just make sure you use a little less salt.)
- White wine: you can replace the wine with extra vegetable broth. If you do, just make sure you adjust the saltiness of the recipe. I’d recommend omitting both the salt and celery salt at first and then adding a pinch of each to taste later on if needed (depending on how salty your broth is.)
- Oil used to fry the potato skins: the amount of oil recommended is enough to pan-fry the potato skins. If you want them to be extra crispy, you can use a little more and then remove the excess oil with paper towels.Â
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If you enjoyed this creamy potato soup recipe, you might also like some of the following recipes.
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Did you make this recipe?
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