This creamy vegetable soup recipe is a snap to make and delicious. There is no cream used in this “creamy” soup. Instead we get a creamy texture by pureeing the soup.
Loaded with carrots, celery, onions, pumpkin, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potatoes and plenty of garlic, this soup is satisfying, without weighing you down.
We keep the soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth and a vegetable base to give it an extra boost of flavor. It’s a really easy and delicious way to eat your veggies!
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Vegetable soup ingredients
- Oil – Use extra virgin or regular olive oil or any oil that’s suitable for sautéing.
- Aromatics – Onion, celery and garlic are going flavor this soup wonderfully
- Vegetables – This creamy vegetable soup is loaded with vegetables inlcuding carrots, pumpkin, zucchini, potato (russet) and sweet potato
- Broth – To keep this soup vegetarian use your favorite vegetable broth. Chicken broth will also work but then it won’t be vegetarian. To enhance the broth we use a vegetable base, Better than Bouillon makes a good one. A little goes a long way and it keeps well in the refrigerator after opening.
- Seasoning – Turmeric and salt (we use kosher salt)
Prep work
The ingredients go in in quick succession at the start of this soup. Things move quickly, so it’s best to have everything ready to go before you start.
- The onions, carrots and celery will go in at the same time, so dice those up and keep them in the same bowl.
- Mince the garlic and keep it separately.
- The rest of the vegetables will all go in at the same time, so keep them in the same bowl if desired. I like to use glass nesting bowls to get everything ready to go. They keep me organized which takes the stress out of cooking.
- Peel everything except the zucchini and cut the vegetables into roughly 1-2 inch pieces.
The prep for this soup is pretty straight forward, except the pumpkin can be a little tricky to peel. It has an odd shape and super thick skin rendering a peeler useless.
How to peel a pumpkin
- First, scoop out the seeds and the stringy flesh. Use a large sturdy spoon.
- Next, cut the pumpkin into several, more manageable pieces.
- Make sure there’s a side that can sit flat on the cutting board.
- Finally, cut off a thin section of the peel at a time.
- Once the pumpkin is peeled, cut each chunk into 1-2 inch pieces for the soup.
- The final bit of prep left to do is to measure out the turmeric, vegetable base and broth.
How to make creamy vegetable soup
- This soup starts by sauteing onions, carrots and celery in a little bit of olive oil. This combination is called a mirepoix and it’s a classic way to start a soup. Gently heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, but nowhere near smoking, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Next, add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute while stirring. The garlic will become fragrant right away. At this point you will know you’re on your way to something great!
- Add the pumpkin, zucchini, potatoes and sweet potatoes to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, while giving everything a good stir.
- Add the vegetable broth to the pot. When the broth is hot and steaming, add the vegetable base and the turmeric powder. Stir well until the vegetable base is dissolved and the turmeric is incorporated.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. When the broth is at a full bowl, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Simmer the soup for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point, the vegetables should be very tender. They should fall apart when pressed with a spoon or pierced with a fork.
- Taste the broth and add salt, if need. As a reference, we added 1 teaspoon to our creamy vegetable soup.
Finish the vegetable soup
Take the pot off the heat. Process the vegetable soup with an immersion blender (also called a hand blender or stick blender) in the pot until smooth.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a blender to process the soup. Do not fill it to the top with hot liquid, process in small batches. Remove the center piece (feeder cap) of the blender lid. Replace the lid (without the feeder cap) and cover with a clean, folded kitchen towel. Hold the towel down while blending. Start at a very low speed and increase gradually if necessary.
Serving and garnish
Here we serve our creamy vegetable soup with homemade croutons. OK, so basically we just toasted sliced bread and cut it into cubes. Still, they were easy and delicious!
Storing and reheating
Store the creamy vegetable soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, store it in an airtight container, remember to leave enough room to allow for expansion when freezing, an inch or two should do it. Freeze the soup for 2-3 months. Gently, reheat the soup in a saucepan over moderate heat until hot, stir frequently.
You may also like:
- Cream of Asparagus Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Chicken Corn Tortilla Soup.
- Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
Creamy Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 medium Yellow Onion diced
- ½ pound Carrots peeled and diced (about 3 medium carrots)
- 1 Celery Rib Diced
- 4-5 Garlic Cloves peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound Pumpkin peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- ½ pound Zucchini quartered and cut into 1 inch pieces (about 1 medium zucchini)
- ½ pound Potato peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- ½ pound Sweet Potato peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 6 cups Vegetable Broth
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Base
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste (we use kosher salt)
Instructions
- Gently heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, but nowhere near smoking, add the onions, carrots and celery.
- Cook the vegetables gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Add the pumpkin, zucchini, potatoes and sweet potatoes to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, while giving everything a good stir.
- Add the vegetable broth to the pot.
- When the broth is hot and steaming, add the vegetable base and the turmeric powder. Stir well until the vegetable base is dissolved and the turmeric is incorporated.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. When the broth is at a full bowl, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Simmer the soup for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The vegetables should be very tender. They should fall apart when pressed with a spoon or pierced with a fork.
- Taste the broth and add salt, if need. As a reference, we added 1 teaspoon to our creamy vegetable soup.
Puree the soup
- Take the pot off the heat. Process the vegetable soup with an immersion blender in the pot until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a blender (see notes).
- We serve our creamy vegetable soup with homemade croutons.
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