Vegan Cream of Zucchini Soup
Our vegan cream of zucchini recipe has a rich creamy texture thanks to our signature “blender soup” method and a few unexpected ingredients. This method results in a luxuriously silky soup without adding any milk or cream!
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With our unique blender method, you get the smooth creamy texture you’d expect from a soup packed with heavy cream. But there’s not a drop of cream in sight, not even dairy-free cream or coconut milk! Oh, and no oil either.
It uses kitchen staples we almost always have in the house and fresh garden zucchini. Our method favors simplicity. Just two steps: Boil and blend!
This soup is the 10th installment of our blender soup series (check out all our blender soup recipes here), and it’s my new favorite way to use up extra zucchini!
And unlike other recipes, ours contains red lentils that both add to the creaminess and add a plant protein punch that can make this soup an actually satisfying full meal.
Packed with flavor from our homemade chicken bouillon, lemon juice for bright sunshiney vibes, and a touch of miso to add that parmesan flavor, even the staunchest zucchini haters will fall in love with each bite.
Ingredients for Creamy Vegan Zucchini Soup
You might be surprised by some of these simple ingredients (mostly pantry staples!), but trust us on this. This formula never fails to create a creamy dreamy delicious soup!
Here, we’ll go over some ingredient notes to make sure you achieve the best results. You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Fresh Zucchini – Roughly chopped, don’t worry about peeling it! You can sub as much yellow squash for zucchini as you’d like!
Red lentils – These add protein and creaminess. Please note: Red lentils are not interchangeable with brown or green lentils. They produce a totally different result!
Raw cashews – We will boil these with the rest of the ingredients to soften them, but when blended, they will act as our rich heavy cream! For a nut-free substitute, use sunflower seeds or hulled hemp seeds.
Vegan chicken-style bouillon powder – We always use our homemade vegan bouillon powder and highly recommend it! You can also sub bouillon paste, but I would cut the amount you use in half. This will create a vegan chicken broth that yields a lot more flavor than store-bought vegetable stock. For that reason, I do not recommend subbing veggie broth unless you are cool with figuring out the seasoning yourself.
White miso paste – This adds some deeply savory vibes and also a fermented flavor that tastes like parmesan. It’s magic!!
Lemon juice – This adds a brightness to the whole soup that is so perfect for zucchini season!
Garlic – Whole garlic cloves give an exciting bite.
White pepper – For the perfect pinch of spiciness! You can sub black pepper if desired.
How to Make Zucchini Cashew Soup
Using our blender soup method, this easy soup is so quick and simple to make! Here, we’ll go over the basic instructions, but you’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1: Boil
Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Keep a close eye on this, as it can boil up quickly. Once boiling, turn your heat to medium-low and cook (covered) for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Blend into a creamy soup
Carefully transfer the hot liquid contents of your pot (including the cooking water) to a high-speed blender or food processor. Let it sit for a minute for some of the steam to escape.
Then, pulse a few times to chop up the larger pieces up and slowly increase the speed to high. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the soup has a thick and creamy texture.
Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to do this in multiple batches. I would not use an immersion blender here, as it isn’t powerful enough to turn the cashews into cream.
Step 3: Finishing touches
Pour the blended healthy soup back into the pot and taste to adjust seasonings as needed.
At this stage, you can also adjust the thickness of your soup. Feel free to add up to 2 cups of water if you’d like a thinner soup.
Serving Suggestions for Vegan Creamy Zucchini Soup
There are so many awesome ways you can serve this vegan zucchini soup recipe. Here are some of our favorites!
Toppings for this creamy zucchini soup recipe:
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Swirl of coconut cream
- Non-dairy plain unsweetened yogurt
- Vegan sour cream
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Fresh herbs like basil, parsley, thyme, or rosemary
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Croutons
- Pesto
- Crispy sliced jalapenos or shishito peppers
Sides for this delicious summer soup:
- Fresh homemade crusty bread with vegan butter
- Vegan Garlic Bread
- Vegan Grilled Cheese
- Copycat Olive Garden Salad
- Vegan Parmesan Breadsticks
- Vegan Caesar Salad
Leftover Soup Storage
This garlic zucchini soup recipe makes a lot of soup and is a great way to meal prep with leftovers!
Store leftover homemade zucchini soup in an airtight container in your fridge for 5-7 days or your freezer for 3 months.
Tips and Tricks for Making the Best Zucchini Soup Recipe
- You can sub yellow summer squash for some or all of the zucchini in this soup. Use what you got; it’s delicious either way!
- You’ll want to use a high-powered and heat-safe blender for this blender soup method. We have used our Vitamix and Salton Power Blender with great success!
- Red lentils are not interchangeable with brown or green lentils. If you need a substitute, canned white beans can be used, but I would cut the amount in half.
More Vegan Zucchini Recipes
If you have an abundance of zucchini and squash in your garden to use up, try these other recipes:
- Vegan Zucchini Lasagna
- Zucchini and Summer Squash Soup
- Creamy Vegan Zucchini Dijon Casserole
- Roasted Vegetable Pizza
I can’t wait to hear what you think about this easy recipe. I hope it helps you enjoy your summer zucchini haul in a deliciously new way!
When you try it, we’d love for you to leave a star rating and review in the section below. This helps more people find our plant-based recipes, and we always enjoy hearing about your experience!
Creamy Zucchini Soup
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 lb fresh zucchini
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup dry red lentils
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 3.5 Tbsp vegan chicken-style bouillon powder
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- Boil the ingredients:
- Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil. Keep a close eye on this, as it can boil up quickly. Once boiling, turn your heat to medium-low and cook (covered) for 20 minutes.
- Blend the soup:
- Carefully transfer the contents of your pot (including the cooking water) to a high-speed blender or food processor. Let it sit for a minute for some of the steam to escape. Then, pulse a few times to chop up the larger pieces up and slowly increase the speed to high. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the soup has a thick and creamy texture.
- Adjust and serve:
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. If the soup is too thick for your taste, you can add up to 2 cups of water. Taste and adjust seasoning after adding any water.
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