This delicious vegan Creamy Vegetable Soup is made in the Instant Pot for an easy meal. Carrots, celery, cauliflower, and brown rice make this gluten-free soup a comforting and healthy lunch or dinner.
Soups are some of my go-to meals. They’re usually really easy to make and can be so versatile. Some of the favorites I’ve shared before are my Roasted Tomato Chickpea Soup, Vegan Colcannon Soup, and Hungarian Red Lentil Soup (just to name a few).
I love a good soup on a chilly day (or even during the summer when the air conditioning at work feels like the arctic – you ladies know what I’m talking about).
This Creamy Vegetable Soup is now on my list of soups in my rotation. It’s a favorite of my husband and my mom (and she’s very picky about veggies) so I think the whole family will enjoy it!
Easy Creamy Vegetable Soup
This Creamy Vegetable Soup is made in the Instant Pot to blend all the flavors together and make for an easy meal. Plus the Instant Pot is so hot right now I felt like I needed to get on the IP bandwagon!
There are lots of veggies in this soup. I feel like the base of most vegetable soups needs to be carrots and celery…who’s feeling me? They just seem so “home-y” and comforting.
Instead of using just brown rice, I wanted to add another veggie and I’ve noticed that cauliflower seems to mesh well with brown rice when it’s cooked into soups and casseroles (like in my Vegetable Bean Casserole).
Sometimes you can’t tell if you’re eating brown rice or whether it’s cauliflower. While brown rice can be a healthy addition, I love adding in the cauliflower for extra nutrients.
Creamy Vegetable Soup Nutrition
Speaking of nutrients, this Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe is packed with them! One serving gives you a healthy mix of your macros (carbs, protein, and fat), fiber, and Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron.
Carrots add vitamin A, cauliflower gives us Vitamins C and B6, and celery is loaded with Vitamin K.
Using the Instant Pot
This Creamy Vegetable Soup comes together fast thanks to the Instant Pot. No need to precook the rice (though you know I love me some vegan meal prep).
Note: If you’ve never used and Instant Pot before, be aware that it takes a little while for the IP to get up to pressure (about 10 minutes or so) before it starts to cook.
My recipe calls for a “quick release” which is when you open the valve to allow the steam to release quickly. So you’d turn the valve from sealing to venting which will release the pressure.
Feel free to do a natural release which lets the pressure release on it’s own however, a natural pressure release can take from 5 to 30 minutes. The reason I do the quick release is that I’m usually hungry and ready to eat!
Want to cook this on the Stove?
If you don’t own an Instant Pot, you can also cook this on the stove like this:
- Add the veggies and garlic to a large pot and cook with some veggie broth until tender.
- Once the veggies are cooked, add in 1.5 cups of cooked rice and the rest of the soup ingredients and cook on medium for 15 minutes.
- Make the cashew cream and stir into soup and enjoy!
If you make this Creamy Vegetable Soup recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below.
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots (about 1.5 cups) sliced thin*
- 4 ribs of celery (about 1.5-1.75 cups), sliced/chopped*
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 head of caulflower (about 3+ cups) chopped
- ½ cup brown rice
- 4.5 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cloves garlic grated
- 1 can white beans
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 TB tamari (or soy sauce if you’re not gf)
- 1 TB lemon juice (can sub apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Cashew Cream
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for at least 10 mins, rinse and drain
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Add all of the soup ingredients (except the cashews and water) to the Instant Pot, lock the lid, and cook on Manual for 22 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the raw cashews and water to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Once the soup is cooked, “quick release” by turning the valve from sealing to venting to release the pressure and allow the steam to release quickly. Be sure to keep your face & hands away from the steam as it’s released.
(See post on why I do a quick release, this but feel free to do a natural release) - Once all the pressure is released, open the lid, add the cashew cream to the Instant Pot, and stir.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- I use a mandolin to easily slice up my veggies.
- I use a high speed blender like a Vitamix when blending the cashews.
- This creamy vegetable soup can last in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. If the soup is a little thick when reheating it, feel free to add some veggie broth until the consistency is to your liking.
Nutrition
Please Note: The nutritional information is a computer generated estimate so these numbers should be used only as a guide.
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Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist who empowers vegans to feel confident in creating sustainable habits that align with their values and health goals. She shares easy plant-powered food to nourish your body + satisfy your tastebuds. Mary Ellen’s recipes and nutrition info have been featured on Yahoo News, Parade, VegNews, LIVESTRONG, Dr. Axe, Greatist, LIVEKINDLY, Brit+Co, Well+Good, and more.
Brett says
I made this recipe last week. I don’t own an instant pot. I was going to make it in my old fashioned pressure cooker, but the volume of ingredients was too much for my 4qt cooker. I ended up throwing everything (includeing the canned bean liquid) except the cashew cream into a big soup pot and cooking it for 45 minutes. It turned out great. The seasonings were spot on. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Mary Ellen says
Brett, I’m so glad you were able to enjoy the soup even without an IP. Great way to make it work!
Logan says
Made this last night and it is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. I used an immersion blender because I like my soups a little thicker/creamier and it tasted just like a savory chowder. Highly recommend to anyone!
Mary Ellen says
Logan, I’m so happy you enjoyed it.:)
How cool of you to use an immersion blender to make it even more creamy. I’ll have to try that soon!
Ava Russell says
Loved this soup! Lovely flavour. I used parmesan as I didn’t have the yeast.
Ava Russell says
Forgot to mention I used the trader joes lentil & chickpea risoni and it worked perfect
Mary Ellen says
Great to know that works in this! Thanks!
Mary Ellen says
So happy you enjoyed Ava! Thanks for coming back and reviewing!
Corina says
Do we start cooking after the 10 minutes that it takes for the pressure to build up? A total of 32 minutes?
Mary Ellen says
Hi Corina! Yes, it usually takes about 10 minutes for the pressure to build up but set the timer for 22 minutes. I just made that note in case people were wondering why it was taking so long. I’ve fixed the recipe and added it as a note instead of directly in the numbered instructions (in case that was confusing)
Dana says
Excellent! What a delicious switch from tomato based veggie soup. Thanks so much for sharing.
Mary Ellen says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Dana! It’s one of my favorites. 🙂
Kate says
I SO need an instant! This looks absolutely amazing. I feel like it would be a good way to get Andrew to eat cauliflower as he doesn’t like it in its pure form. 😉
Salt Valley says
This looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Mary Ellen says
I hope you enjoy if you get a chance to try it!
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
It is definitely soup season and this looks delicious.
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Kari! 🙂 Hope all is well with you!
Randi Tisdall says
You had me at soup lol! We have soup at least once a week, so I’ll have to add this to my weekly menu! Looks really yummy:)
Mary Ellen says
I hope you enjoy if you get a chance to try it Randi! Soup is a staple in my house too!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
This soup looks perfect for a chilly day, love the creamy texture and flavors. Thanks!
Mary Ellen says
thanks Christine! It’s perfect for a chilly day!