Creamy Vegetable Soup in the Instant Pot {Vegan & GF}

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 share 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’s 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 the 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.

Share your pictures of any of my recipes on Instagram and use #vnutrition or tag @maryellenvalverde so I won’t miss it!

5 from 4 votes

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Creamy Vegetable Soup

This Creamy Vegetable Soup is made in the Instant Pot for an easy and comforting meal. It’s vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free and best of all, delicious! 

Course Soup

Cuisine American, gluten-free

Keyword creamy vegetable soup, instant pot soup

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 251 kcal

Author Mary Ellen

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
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 4.5 cups vegetable broth
• 4 cloves garlic grated
• 1 can white beans
• 1/4 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
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Cashew Cream

• 1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in boiling water for at least 10 mins, rinse and drain
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

1. 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.

2. Meanwhile, add the raw cashews and water to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

3. 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)

4. Once all the pressure is released, open the lid, add the cashew cream to the Instant Pot, and stir. 

5. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe 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.

*Note: The Instant Pot can take a while to build up pressure (maybe 10 minutes or so) but it will start cooking after the pressure has been built up.

Nutrition Facts

Creamy Vegetable Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 251 Calories from Fat 59

% Daily Value*

Fat 6.5g10%

Potassium 18.5mg1%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Protein 12.5g25%

Vitamin A 9700IU194%

Vitamin C 57.3mg69%

Calcium 70mg7%

Iron 6.6mg37%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen Valverde MS, CNS, LDN is a Licensed Nutritionist and Certified Nutrition Specialist who helps clients regain their energy, confidence and health by adapting and enjoying a plant-based diet. By uniting her functional nutrition education with her passion for plants and mindfulness, Mary Ellen offers a completely holistic and science-based approach to designing a healthy, plant-based life. When she’s not reading up on the latest nutrition research, you can find Mary Ellen doting on her two rescue shih tzus, creating the perfect vegan mac & cheese, or exploring the world with her husband.