This simple and healthy vegan asparagus soup recipe combines tender asparagus spears, potatoes, broth, herbs, and plant milk to create a warming, low-fat, and gluten-free soup in about 40 minutes.
This recipe was inspired by creamy vegan potato leek soup, another of our favorites. Cream of asparagus soup? It's just as versatile and delicious.
This post contains helpful tips and tricks to ensure success on your first attempt. Below, you'll find a handy table of contents with links. But if you're in a rush, please use the link at the top to jump to the recipe card at the end!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
✔ Healthy. This creamy soup utilizes a few plant-based cooking hacks, including no oil, naturally low in fat (1%) and calories.
✔ Vegan. Rather than the traditional heavy cream or coconut cream that some creamy asparagus soup recipes require, we use the power of potatoes and a little plant milk.
✔ Stalks and tips. Asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables. As much as we love steaming a few asparagus tips, you can use the entire asparagus stalk for this soup. This gives you all the flavor and even more fiber.
✔ Easy. This is a quick soup where everything goes into the pot to simmer. Then it's just a matter of blending it.
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Asparagus. Fresh asparagus is the star of this soup. However, you can also use frozen asparagus, available out of season. If using large asparagus stalks with thick skin, don’t throw them out. Peel them.
Potatoes. Use thin-skinned potatoes so you can dice and cook them without peeling. The skins are nutritious and a good source of fiber. Peel them first if you use russet potatoes or those with thicker, darker skins.
Onion. Use an everyday yellow onion. If those are handy, you can also use a white onion or a few shallots.
Vegetable broth. Vegetable broth or a few vegetable stock cubes add deeper flavor than water. If you are strictly gluten-free, be sure to check the labels of veggie stock cubes or broth.
Thyme. Dash in ½ a teaspoon of dried or 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves.
Mustard powder. A secret ingredient that adds a bit of salty, cheesy flavor. It has a less prominent flavor than prepared mustard, but that can be used in a pinch.
Plant milk. Use any non-dairy milk such as oat, almond, or soy milk. Consider full-fat oat milk or cashew milk for a super creamy texture.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
- This recipe is a great way to use white asparagus. Prepare it the same way you would green.
- Want to skip asparagus entirely? Make cream of broccoli soup using the same ingredients. Primo!
- For a cheesier flavor, add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot to medium heat. Add the onions and cook them until soft (about 5 minutes). Toss in the spices and potato cubes.
- Add the broth and asparagus. Stir the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and asparagus are soft.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the plant milk.
- Turn off the heat and puree the soup using an immersion blender (stick blender). Or transfer the soup to a food processor or high-speed blender. Taste and add salt and black pepper as desired.
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Pro Tips
- Always heat the pot before adding vegetables to saute them. The heat helps keep them from sticking.
- Cut the potatoes into small cubes so they cook quickly.
- This is one time when cooking the asparagus until it is super-soft is desirable. The mushier the asparagus, the smoother the soup.
Serving Suggestions
Asparagus soup also makes a great starter or first course. Serve it in small bowls or thin it a little to create a thinner bisque with a creamy texture. Garnish the soup with sprinkles of red chili flakes, lemon wedges, or chopped fresh dill.
With slices of crusty homemade wheat bread and a simple vegan side salad, vegan cream of asparagus soup can be turned into a delightful main course. This is also the perfect recipe for bulking out with some cooked pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the soup in an airtight container. After it cools to room temperature, place it in the refrigerator. It will keep for 4-5 days. This is an easy-to-freeze recipe. Thaw it in the refrigerator. Reheat it either on the stovetop or in the microwave. You can keep it for 3 months.
If you want to use asparagus tips for another recipe, you can use just the stalks for this creamy vegan soup. You will need about 1 ½ - 2 pounds of asparagus to have enough stalks. Peel any of the thicker stalks. Dice them into smaller pieces and cook them until they are tender and a bit mushy.
You can easily make delicious soups with frozen vegetables, and asparagus soup is no exception. Because frozen vegetables are pre-cooked, let the potatoes cook to tender, and then add the frozen asparagus. Reduce the broth to 3 cups initially. After the asparagus warms through, you may want to add more broth or plant milk after pureeing the soup.
A can of white beans is your best substitute in place of potatoes for making creamy asparagus soup. Drain and rinse the beans and cook them along with the asparagus. Blend the soup and season as directed.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Simple and Healthy Vegan Asparagus Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus
- 2 -3 medium potatoes - 2 cups diced
- 1 medium onion - chopped (¾ cup)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 cups plant milk
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut off just the ends of the asparagus and dice the stalks into pieces about 2 inches long. Dice the potatoes into small cubes.
- Heat a Dutch oven or medium soup pot to medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook them, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until they soften.
- Add the thyme, mustard powder, and potato cubes. Stir to soften the potatoes (30 seconds).
- Stir in the broth and asparagus. Stir the bottom of the pot to release any stuck-on veggies.
- Reduce the heat (if necessary) so the ingredients are simmering.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes and asparagus are soft.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the plant milk.
- Use an immersion (stick) blender to puree the soup. Or transfer the soup to a blender or food process and blend smoothly.
- Put the soup back on the heat if it has cooled. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- If you use thin-skinned potatoes, there is no need to peel them. White, baby, or red potatoes work best. If using russets, peel them before cubing them.
- You can use a can of white beans as a substitute for the potatoes. Add them along with the asparagus.
- To use frozen asparagus, add a 16-ounce bag after the potatoes are tender. Reduce the vegetable broth to 3 cups. If necessary, add more after adding the plant milk and blending.
- No asparagus? Try fresh or frozen broccoli.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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