Creamy Zucchini Soup (vegan; gluten-free; oil-free)

Try this light and refreshing summer soup featuring zucchini, potato, onion, and fresh greens.  Simple and easy, this one-pot soup is delicious with toasted bread and salad.

As the weather starts cooling down, I start craving a variety of chili, stews, and soups.  For one thing, they’re warm and delicious, easy to prepare, and make great use of any remaining garden vegetables, potatoes, and pantry staples. 

But soup also warms you up and can be quite nutritious.  As an added bonus, I love how much flavor variety can be achieved with different garden vegetables, namely zucchini.

This Creamy Zucchini Soup is extremely versatile since it can be enjoyed hot or cold, which makes it perfect on a hot summer’s day or a cool fall evening.  Though, I admittedly prefer it hot in the fall.

As the title may imply, zucchini is the star of this soup.  It’s abundant in summer and boasts so many healthful components, including plant-based fiber and antioxidants.  It’s also featured in my Zucchini Lasagna, Summer Veggie Pesto Pasta, Zucchini-Squash Medley, and Zucchini Bundt Cake.

This Creamy Zucchini Soup is another great way to use up this summer super star.  This recipe uses one and a half pounds zucchini. This equates to two or three standard sized zucchini.  If you have larger or smaller zucchini, adjust accordingly.  Since we aren’t baking, the measurement does not need to be exact.  If you have more, feel free to double the recipe. Just know that it may take a little longer to sauté and come to a simmer.

For flavor, texture, and color, there’s a chopped onion, potato, and greens.  The onion adds flavor, the potato lends a creaminess to the soup, and the chopped greens or baby spinach add a nice green hue.  All of these work together to create a very nutritious and delicious soup. 

To keep things simple, I recommend using one small onion and one potato.  Since no two veggies are alike, it just keeps things simple.  Again, since we are not baking it doesn’t have to be precise.  A little less or more onion or potato will not alter this recipe too much. This is especially true since I love both.

Oh, and if you prefer, you can substitute one cup cooked white beans for the peeled potato.  The beans should be neutral in flavor.  I adore potatoes and think they do a great job creating the “Creamy” in this soup. But it’s nice having options for people who don’t have any potatoes on hand or can’t eat night shades.

For the liquid portion of this Creamy Zucchini Soup, I use a blend of Umami Vegetable Broth and unsweetened plain non-dairy plant milk, such as my Oat + Nut Milk or Coco+Nut Milk.  

You can make the Umami Vegetable Broth in an Instant Pot or on the stove by freezing and cooking kitchen scraps.  So it costs next to nothing to make, provides loads of color and flavor, and doesn’t contain and salt or preservatives. Though you can certainly add salt if you wish.

On the other hand, the unsweetened plant milk lends a light creaminess to this soup.  I think a blend of both works best, but you can use all broth or all milk.  

A boost of flavor comes from minced garlic and Italian herbs.  I use a dried Italian seasoning blend and dried basil. You can certainly use fresh, you’ll just need to triple the quantities.  

Like many soups, freshly ground black pepper and sea salt are key in seasoning this soup.  And last but not least, a splash of white wine vinegar brightens the soup and rounds everything out.  Though it’s important that you taste your soup and adjust the seasonings based on your personal preference.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the method.  This is a one-pot soup recipe.  So, start by sautéing the onions, zucchini, and potato in a large pot over medium-high heat until they’re tender.  This takes about ten to twelve minutes, depending on your pot, stove, and the size of your chopped vegetables. 

I like using a little vegetable broth or water as the vegetables cook to prevent sticking or drying out. Of course, you can use oil, but I try to avoid oil when cooking unless a recipe truly needs it.  If you aren’t avoiding oil, feel free to sauté your veggies and potato in either avocado oil or vegan butter. 

Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the minced garlic and sauté for one to two more minutes.  Then stir in the herbs and vegetable broth.  Bring the mixture to a low boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for about ten minutes, or until the potatoes and onion are soft and tender.

At this point, remove the pot from the heat and remove the lid.  Stir in the unsweetened plant milk, chopped fresh greens or baby spinach, and vinegar.  After giving it a good stir to wilt the greens, take a spoon and taste the mixture.  Adjust the seasonings, as desired.

Now it’s time to create the consistency and texture we’re looking for in this Creamy Zucchini Soup.  You can use a blender or an immersion blender to blend the soup until it’s nice and smooth.  Please note that a high-speed blender will provide the smoothest results.

It is super important that you work carefully.  If you are using a smaller blender, please work in batches.   The soup can be very hot and it may burn you if it splatters onto your skin.  So please be careful.

Once the texture is smooth, check your soup for flavor and consistency.  If you prefer your soup thinner, stir in more vegetable broth or milk until you achieve the desired consistency.  For flavor, add in a little more vinegar, salt, pepper, or garlic, as desired. 

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley, red pepper flakes, croutons, hot sauce, or vegan parmesan cheese, as desired.  I probably don’t need to say this, but this soup is incredible accompanied by a hearty salad and a fresh roll, thick piece of bread, or toast.

This soup stores quite well in an air-tight container for five to six days in the refrigerator.

I hope you enjoy this Creamy Zucchini Soup as much as I do.  

I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!

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Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1½ pounds zuchini, chopped
• 1 small potato, peeled and chopped* (or 1 cup cooked white beans)*
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• ¾ tsp dried basil
• 1 cup Umami Vegetable Broth
• 1 handful mixed greens or baby spinach (1 packed cup)
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (or more vegetable broth)
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• garnish with red pepper flakes, hot sauce, parsley, vegan parmesan cheese, pepitas, and/or croutons (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot**, sauté the onion, zucchini, and potato over medium-high heat until tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Add a little vegetable broth or water as needed to prevent sticking. 
2. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté 1-2 more minutes.

1. Stir in the herbs and vegetable broth.  Bring to a low boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the zucchini, potatoes, and onion are soft and tender.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in the greens, milk, and vinegar.  Once the greens have wilted, taste and adjust the seasonings, including salt and pepper, as desired.
3. Using a blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Check for consistency and texture.  If you prefer your soup thinner, stir in more broth or milk until you achieve the desired consistency. 
4. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with minced parsley, red pepper flakes or hot sauce, or vegan parmesan cheese, as desired.
5. Store in an air-tight container for up to five days in the refrigerator. 

Notes

* You can use potato or white beans.  Either lends a light creaminess to the zucchini soup. 

** To make this in the Instant Pot, sauté the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients (except the lemon juice or vinegar).  Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, with a natural release (or at least 10 minutes natural release).  Remove the lid and proceed with steps 4-7.