Zucchini and Sweet Potato Soup
Thick and creamy, yet dairy free and vegan. Zucchini and Sweet Potato Soup is a nutritious meal ready in 20 minutes that comes with an optional garnish. This might just be my favorite soup. In addition to being easy to make, the soup has great flavor and sweetness from the sweet potato.
A luscious, creamy soup without any cream. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or cannot tolerate dairy, this is the soup for you. I love using potato in soup to add thickness, in this soup I used a sweet potato for a little added natural sweetness.
Basil oil
The vegetables
Cashew nuts as a thickener
I discovered this trick some time ago when I made vegan mushroom soup.. When cashews are blended they can add a wonderful creaminess so you don’t have to add any dairy which makes this soup a lovely vegan dish. If you’re not a fan, you can leave them out.
More Vegan Soup Recipes:
If you’ve made this Zucchini and Sweet Potato Soup, please leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers.
Zucchini and Sweet Potato Soup
Fresh zucchini and sweet potato are cooked with shallot, garlic and basil, thickened with blended cashews
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453 grams) zucchini cut into small chunks
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1 bay leaf
- 2/3 cup (45 grams) raw cashew nuts
- 4 cups (946 ml) vegetable stock, plus more if need to thin the soup
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- For the basil oil (optional)
- 4 oz fresh basil leaves (about 20 large leaves)
- 1 3/4 cup (414 ml) grapeseed or flavorless oil
- Small pinch of salt
Instructions
- To a large saucepan, add the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt and pepper, sauté for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the shallot and sauté until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the potato, bay leaf, cashews, stock, basil and another pinch of salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the zucchini is softened. Remove the bay leaf.
- If you have an immersion blender, blend the soup in the pan. If not transfer in batches to a blender. Add more stock if the soup is too thick. Taste for seasoning.
- To make the basil oil:
- Fill a large bowl with water and ice (this is to cool the basil quickly after blanching (boiling).
- Lay paper towels on a large plate or baking sheet (to drain the basil).
- Heat a deep sided skillet or large saucepan of water over high heat to boil and reduce to a low simmer. Add the basil leaves and blanch for 2 minutes, transfer to the iced water and leave for 1 minute.
- Take the basil out of the ice water and drain on the paper towels.
- Add the basil and oil to a food processor or blender. Blend until the mixture is fully pureed.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the mixture into a jug.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1 cupAmount Per Serving Calories 162Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 2mgSodium 487mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 4g
18 Comments on “Zucchini and Sweet Potato Soup”
This is my favorite soup and being vegan for 20 years I have tried a lot of bad soups. When I don’t have cashews I use potato to thicken the soup.
I love to hear this and the potato substitution is a great tip.
Hi I used your recipe to make this soup several times last year and it was a huge hit with my family, especially with the drizzle of basil oil on top. However, now I can’t find your recipe and method for making basil oil anywhere. Have you removed the link? Pl share again as it adds a lot of flavor to the soup. Thanks
I’m so sorry, I did take it down to republish it. I’ve added the basil oil recipe to the soup recipe.
Awesome thanks! Thank you for the lovely recipe, always a hit with my family.
This was so easy to make, and so good! I love how healthy it is too. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank ย you so much for the feedback, I’m happy you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorites too ๐
I love the sweetness the sweet potatoes add. i didn’t use cashews and it was very good. i may try next time.
This is one of my favorite soups. Thank you for stopping by.
I just made this soup and I must say it is just lovely and the family did too. Thanks, I’ll be making it again.
Just made this soup- really delicious. Think the cashews are a great addition.
I’m so happy you like it Sarah, it is one of my favorites ๐
Looks fantastic, I’d never have thought of pairing sweet potato with courgette but the colour and texture look great.
Hi Janette – This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try this.
G’day! looks terrifically healthy! Love zucchini in recipes! Cheers! Joanne
Thank you Joanne ๐
This is a lovely soup. I love the pairing of sweet potato and zucchini.
Thank you Cindy ๐